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With the appointment of the highly talented Ben Armstrong in the role of ExecuƟve Chef, Bill and Vicki Widin - owners of the recently opened Villa du Pays restaurant at Leogate Estate, have set about creaƟng one of the most sought aŌer dining venues in the Hunter. Situated adjacent to the Leogate Estate Cellar door, the restaurant is elegantly furnished, providing an in mate atmosphere with sea ng for 40 diners inside the restaurant and a further 80 outside on the courtyard and terrace overlooking the vineyard - a perfect se ng for that long, lazy lunch. The menu, wri en in both English and French, includes an impressive array of modern French cuisine that is very much influenced by Ben’s eight year s nt in France working in Michelin star restaurants and also includes a selec on of dryaged Australian Black Angus steaks sourced from the Widin’s ca le property near Tamworth. We opted for the seven course degusta on made up of a selec on of dishes from the main menu, matched with wines from Leogate Estate. While wai ng for our first course to arrive, we were served a canapé of duck and pistachio terrine perched on a thin cris ni. This ''teaser'' was absolutely delicious and a true indica on of what was s ll to come. The maple syrup cured ocean trout in a semillon jelly, together with a crisp Mediterranean vinaigre e and micro herb mesculin salad, was the first of seven courses to arrive. Perfectly complemented by the award winning 2010 Semillon, with its hint of citrus, this dish delivered an excep onal combina on of sensa onal tastes and combina ons that le us wan ng more. Next was the innova vely delicious beetroot ravioli stuffed with diced ger prawns cooked in a truffle cream. Beau fully presented with spiced avocado puree and mixed baby herbs and made all the more interes ng by the contras ng flavours of the orange and beetroot reduc on and crunchiness of what looked like a hazelnut dukkah. A firm favourite was the sweet corn and truffle riso o with shaved parmesan and pepper cress.
The earthiness of the truffle oil brought out the sweetness of the corn in this simple dish which was further complemented by the melon and citrus flavours of the 2010 Brokenback Chardonnay. Just superb! The a en on to detail is astonishing and the salt water Barramundi proved no different. Served with a cauliflower and horseradish puree and forest mushrooms the Barramundi was perfectly crisp with the flesh mild and moist in flavour and further complemented by the aniseed flavour of the Thai basil. With this came my favourite wine of the night - the 2010 H10 Block Chardonnay. Then came the duo of duck - which is sure is to become the restaurants signature dish. The duck breast was cooked sous vide - at low temperature to a wonderful pink and topped with a hazelnut dukkah; whereas the confit duck leg - a speciality of Gascony, was served crisp and perfectly tender on a bed of braised puy len ls, with a sweet potato puree and sweetened kumquats. This was the highlight of the meal and demonstrated Ben's passion and respect for tradi onal French food as well as his gi for presenta on and advanced sense for flavour. Two desserts followed - both matched with a glass of 2011 Late Harvest Semillon. The first being a chocolate and coffee mousse, that was so light it tasted like chocolate air. The second being the pineapple and lemon curd ravioli with a dollop of mango coulis and handmade coconut ice cream. A deligh ul end to one of the most enjoyable dining experiences. Villa du Pays is impressive from the start – the service is warm, a en ve and friendly and our waitress had an amazing knowledge of the menu and the wines, all of which were expertly matched to each meal. This is fine dining at its best and Ben Armstrong and his team have set a new standard for restaurants in the Hunter.
a Salt&Peppa review