6 RCA-winning Venues for Winter Degustation Dining

If you have ever wondered what a degustation menu is but have been too afraid to ask, we have the answer for you.

‘Degustation’ is the French word for ‘tasting’ – it is a menu where you can try lots of different dishes; some restaurants can offer up to 20 courses, but usually it is a four or five-course offering, sometimes with matched wines.

Also known as a Chef’s tasting menu, it is the ideal opportunity to test your culinary adventurousness when it comes to food and gastronomic trends.

Here are six RCA-winning venues to get your Winter ‘dego’ on:

Prepare for a tantalising journey of Italian dining at Bella Venezia, a popular hot spot on Mooloolaba’s vibrant Esplanade at Pacific Beach Resort. Calling this iconic precinct home since 1983, Bella Venezia offers several dining options from plush blue velvet seating and red velvet booths to tables overlooking the beautiful Mooloolaba Esplanade and alfresco Champagne garden dining.

 

Premium produce is sourced from local Sunshine Coast suppliers, seafood from Mooloolaba Port and quality imported ingredients for a menu overflowing with artfully plated dishes created by award-winning Chefs; choose the seven-step shared menu and delve into tagliatelle with slow-cooked Angus beef cheek ragu and basil-infused Grana Padano, or braised pork belly, soubie, roasted carrot, artichoke, garlic and sage crackling and jus gras.

Original ingredients, healthy eating and the art of plating are on the menu at Andly Private Kitchen on Oxford Close in West Leederville. Bringing joy to the mouths of all who visit, Chef Andly serves up a nightly degustation menu in elegant surrounds of dark wood, a stacked stone open kitchen counter and softly glowing pendents, creating an ideal foil for the cuisine brought to the table.

 

There is no set menu as Chef creates amazing dishes accommodating guests' choice of key ingredients, such as lobster, truffle and seasonal greens dumplings to start, followed by a Sichuan marinated pork with truffle and pickles Chinese burger, or signature lobster and snow crab cooked to perfection in mouth-watering beer sauce, enjoyed with a glass of your favourite wine. 

 

Bathed in morning sunlight, Braddon Merchant on Elouera Street in Canberra is a bright, modern deli-style eatery with a smart European feel. Nestled on the ground floor of the Midnight Hotel in the heart of Braddon, this restaurant is sophisticated in presentation, smart in service and authentic in dining experience.

 

Relax in surrounds of blond wood and potted greenery and order the Braddon Merchant Experience with Chef’s selection of dishes to share such as small plates of scallops with cauliflower purée and bronze fennel, or glazed lamb ribs and pomegranate molasses; moving onto rib eye with sautéed onion, roasted kipfler potatoes, jus and a side of roasted green beans, black garlic and almond. Finish decadently with dark chocolate roulade, raspberry, vanilla cream and caramelised white chocolate shard.

Imagine a small bar in Asia off the beaten track and immerse yourself in true and authentic flavours at Eddy + Wolff on Ron Penhaligon Way in Robina. Named after the two streets the Vietnamese owners grew up on, this intimate space transports you to another time, where you feel a sense of belonging and a connection to where their love for food started.

 

Pink neon Chinese characters light up the entry, comfy bar stools and a sexy wine list ensure a good time; as you ponder Chef’s banquet menu with house favourites such as char-grilled prawns, with burnt garlic butter, shrimp paste and chilli oil, octopus tentacle, spicy tamarind and Vietnamese mint, or Hainanese chicken, ginger shallots, chilli garlic and coriander, along with some tempting secret dishes.

Set on a secluded private estate in the picturesque Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Horderns Restaurant nestles in the Milton Park Country House Hotel, a grand mansion built at the turn of the 19th Century. Rich fabrics, high back chairs and soft lighting give a distinctive feel of great French restaurants, enchanting diners with an elegant vibe while parted drapes look out to manicured gardens and textured walls provide a warm depth to ambient dining.

Choose to dine from the six-course tasting menu and delve into the likes of textures of local beetroot, sorbet, gel, meringue, jelly, goats’ cheese, crisps and crumb along with porcini rolled beef, mushrooms, spinach, fondant potato, baby vegetables and jus, enjoyed with a glass of 2019 Cherry Hill Pinot Noir; finish with a chocolate tasting plate of dark nemesis, white mousse, meringue, crumble and milk chocolate ice cream.

Experience elegant dining in a relaxed atmosphere when you feast at Hunters Quarter restaurant, located in the Pooles Rock Vineyard on De Beyers Road in Pokolbin. Offering stunning views across the Hunter Valley, Hunters serves captivating dishes on a private terrace among the vineyards while awing guests with a sophisticated interior design and steeply sloping ceilings.

 

From a menu delivering pure flavours and textures, opt for the five-course degustation and begin your feast with hiramasa kingfish crudo, burnt orange ginger soy, pickled fennel, kataifi and smoked sour cream; follow on with hickory-smoked duck breast, cauliflower cream, radicchio, crimson raisins and Pedro Ximénez, before a sweet finish of warm spiced carrot pudding, caramel pecan mousse, Bosc pear gel and cream cheese ice cream.