http://clarethouse.com.au/
As I've already mentioned in previous posts, I've spent most of this holiday season working, which results in little time or energy for anything else. I'm now up to my eyeballs in unblogged food reviews. I was under the impression we weren't eating out as much these days, and compared to our time at West End that may be true but if all my food photos are anything to go by, my stomach has still managed to keep busy.
This encounter dates back to just before Christmas. Being the terrible friend I am, I managed to be 3 months late in giving Kat her September birthday present and we ended up celebrating in December. We went for a girly massage and spa session in Tennerife before searching for somewhere to grab a bite to eat.
Without any prior planning, we stumbled across Claret House which looked promising as somewhere that would deliver both food and Sunday session bevs. We took up a table at the front on the deck and enjoyed the afternoon breeze.
I was tempted by the cocktails but knowing I had to drive back home, I went for a tactful beer. Kat chose some cider.
We figured we'd order some share plates as a light meal. As usual my eyes were bigger than my stomach and I went way overboard with the ordering process. We were simultaneously excited and dismayed as yet more and more plates were brought out because we knew there was no way we could finish everything. Somehow... we did managed to finish everything except the bowl of chips.
Pea, mint and feta arrancini - with yoghurt tzatziki
Charcuterie board
Crispy pork belly
The arancini balls were delicious and very filling on their own. I loved the simplicity of the charcuterie board. The pork belly had lovely, complimentary components but more suited being an entree than shared dish.
Crispy shredded beef
I was bursting by the time the crispy dried beef arrived but it was so special and tasty I had to finish it. The beef was like crispy jerky candy and went perfectly with the pickled cauliflower.
Housemade hand cut potatoes - with rosemary salt and confit garlic aioli
The chips (wedges?) were also a win; huge, crunchy and well-seasoned but they were just too much for us to finish eating. We gave it a good shot though
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food at Claret House Wine Bar. For a place that I'd never heard of that claimed to focus on wine, I expected the food menu to be more of an afterthought and not that impressive. The dishes we tried were tasty and very decent in serving size. In hindsight, maybe 2-3 dishes would have been enough for us. Our waitress was really lovely and the dishes arrived at good intervals, nicely paced out.
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