Union Bank Wine Bar, Orange

This is the last foodie post from our long weekend. We had dinner tonight at Union Bank , a casual style bistro with a large wine selection from local producers. The good thing is the wine are sold by the glass, so we get to try a few varieties. Again, the meals were simple, clean and tasteful, bursting with flavours. Our two girls enjoyed their fish and chips, Chris had veal eschallots, crushed potatoes, cherry tomatoes and asparagus with The Vault Cabernet blend with Grenache. I had the poached fish in coconut and prawn broth (not too spicy) and accompanied with a glass of Belgravia Riesling. Lovely!

Apologies for the blurred image.

The restaurant has seating indoors and outdoors. It was a wet evening, so we sat inside and watched the NRL Grand Finals game between St George Dragons and Sydney Roosters on the big screen. On a lovely balmy evening, it will be nice to sit outside.
P.S. The Dragons won the 2010 NRL Grand Finals.

Tonic, Millthorpe NSW

This long weekend is turning out to be quite a foodie weekend for all of us. Today, we went to Tonic, in the quaint village of Millthorpe for brunch. It is quite surprising to find a fantastic restaurant like Tonic in this small village. The restaurant is so popular that you have to make reservations about 1-2 months ahead, a number of people were turned away this morning.

Food was simple, tasty and delicious. A good start to the morning. Highly recommended. Remember to make a reservation for brunch or dinner. The restaurant is only open Saturday and Sunday for Brunch and Lunch, Dinners from Thursday to Saturday.

Ashleigh  - Sweetcorn Cakes with Proscuitto

Caitlin and I shared - Pancakes with berries and vanilla cream

Chris - scrambled eggs, field mushrooms, rosti and pork sausage

Tonic Restaurant
Corner Pym and Victoria Streets,
Millthorpe NSW 2798
T 02 6366 3811
E enquiries@tonicmillthorpe.com.au

Cheneyvale Loft and Birds Nest Cafe, Millthorpe, NSW

photo image from www.cheneyvale.com.au

We stayed in a little village called Millthorpe, about 20 minutes from Orange in a Bed and Breakfast property - Cheneyvale. It is not a big place, loft-style with bedrooms upstairs - warm and cosy, with enough room for four of us. It's located on someone's property, Lynne and her family live in the big house next door. Cheneyvale is located about 5 minutes from the village. Quiet and peaceful with beautiful views. A good place for us to unwind, chill out and rest.

Last night after a long day driving to and from Dubbo and spending the day at the Western Plains Zoo, we were too tired to drive to Orange for dinner. Our host, Lynne suggested that we take the girls for pizza at Birds Nest Cafe in the village. The pizza place is owned by Richard and Tracey, not a big place but great personalised service. Richard cooked the pizzas in a small oven, so the wait time can be long when the place is busy. Lucky for us, we arrived not long after Richard opened for dinner. The pizzas were outstanding, base was soft and tasty, not too thick or too thin, fresh ingredients from local producers. We had 4 medium sized pizzas and ice-cream/sorbets for A$50.00. That is very reasonable, compared to what we would have paid in Sydney. The ice-cream and sorbet was hand-made by Tracey. The vanilla bean ice cream was yummy, could not get enough. One scoop for $1.00, now we can never find that anywhere in Sydney especially home-made as well. I forgot to take any photos, tired and hungry meant we could not wait to eat the pizzas as soon as they arrived. The place was getting busy too as we were leaving at 6:30pm.

Lolli Redini, Orange NSW

It's the Labor Day long weekend and school holidays as well. We took the opportunity to get out of the city for a few days with the girls to the country. We stayed in a little village about 20 minutes from Orange, called Millthorpe with a population of 650 people.

Tonight, we had dinner at Lolli Redini, a one-hat restaurant which serves French and Italian influenced food. It was recently awarded one-hat at the SMH Good Food Guide 2011 awards. We were the first to arrive at the restaurant, which meant we received attentive service from the maitre'd. This was the first fine dining experience for our girls, and they behaved extremely well. The food was absolutely delicious, the restaurant truly deserved the one-hat award. The service was good, staff were friendly and most importantly, the chef was happy to make special meals for our two girls. It was lovely to finish off the meal with two beautiful desserts.

I had the prawns for entree and the pork belly for main. The pork was cooked to melt in the mouth perfection. The squid ink risotto was excellent as well, and my hubby loved the wagyu brisk. Girls gave thumbs up for their meals too. A good indication is when Ashleigh finishes her meal without much coaxing from me.

P.S. Whilst uploading the photos, I realised I forgot to take a photo of Ash's grilled sirloin steak with wilted spinach and creamy mashed potatoes.

Squid ink risotto with seared scallops, grilled zucchini, parsley & lemon

Port Lincoln Blue Tail Prawn, Green Papaya, Cucumber, Avocado & White Radish Salad

Braised Wagyu Brisk with Lentils

Caramelized Pork Belly with Roasted Vegetables

Belgian Dark Choc and Hazelnut Mousse with Espresso Sauce

Creme Brulee Tart with Stewed Rhubarb and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Caitlin's Creamy Hand-made Pasta with Bacon