Darley’s Restaurant
Time for some much needed relaxation! So we spent last weekend away at the beautiful Lilianfels in the Blue Mountains. We chose the ‘Hats off to Hugh’ package which was made to celebrate Lilianfel’s in-house restaurant receiving a coveted two Chef’s Hat this year in the Good Food Awards. The package includes an overnight stay, full breakfast the next day and a three course meal at Darley’s.
After checking in and unwinding with a spa treatment, we headed to Darley’s which is located right next door to the hotel. The restaurant and hotel both maintain a heritage aesthetic so it was a really nice surprise to find that the table we were given was situated in what I would assume to be previously a reading room of the house. Picture this – a room with just a table for two, candles and a warm fireplace – need I say more?
The service was excellent and the food was divine. There were no issues at all when we asked whether we could have the 7 course tasting menu instead of the 3 courses that were part of the package – and it only cost us $25 more per person.
Darley’s Restaurant
This was once the home of Frederick Darley who was the 6th Chief Justice of NSW and is heritage listed.
Spring Salad of Asparagus, Green Peas, Crustini, Gorgonzola, Cress and a Poached Organic Hen’s Egg
A nice fresh start to the meal. The gorgonzola in the dish gave it a really nice savoury depth.
Tortellini of local Jannei Goat’s Cheese, Prawns, Tea Soaked Raisins, Pine Nuts, Brown Butter and Pecorino
Not the prettiest dish, but the goat’s cheese was really strong and nicely balanced with the sour raisins.
Poached Murray Cod, Arthichokes a la Barigoule, Green Asparagus, Broad Beans, Cavolonero, Baby Leeks and Prawns
The sauce with this dish was amazing. Really light but with plenty of flavour.
Veloute of Celeriac and Winter Black Truffles
I love soup and this was like the tastes of 10 bowls of soup packed into one little teacup. My only complaint – couldn’t they have given us bigger cups? :)
Quail Bisteeya with Seared Sea Scallop, Cous Cous, Barberries, Eggplant, Preserved Lemon and Herbs
I had no idea what a bisteeya was, so the last thing I was expecting was a pastry dish. Turns out, a bisteeya is a puffed dough (like filo) that’s filled with shredded meat – in this case, quail. The taste of all the spices in the bisteeya was nicely complimented with the herbs in the cous cous mixture on the bottom.
Rare Roasted Mandagery Creek Venison, Cumin, Red Vegetable Braise, Lingurian Olives, Rocket and Garlic Aioli
The venison in this dish was cooked perfectly. Really tender and not bloody at all. The red vegetable braise was a little strong flavour-wise but overall very nice as well. I absolutely loved the garlic aioli in this dish.
Pave of Vanilla Ice Cream, Passionfruit Sorbet, Tropical Fruits and Italian Meringue
From the dish description, I was expecting something that looked more like a pavlova. So it was quite interesting that in this dessert, the meringue component was a very thin layer of egg white at the top of the dish. A very refreshing end to the meal.
Darley’s Restaurant
Lilianfels, Echo Point, Katoomba, Australia
P: 612 4780 1200 F: 612 4780 1300
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