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Inspired by the Basque region, Sebastian restaurant on Halls Road in Pokolbin celebrates the deep traditions, cosmopolitan flair and individual spirit of one of the world’s most magical food destinations. Nestled in newly opened Spicers Tower Lodge, this elegant fine diner exudes rustic charm from tiled floors, ceiling beams and chandelier lighting, setting the scene for lingering over a memorable meal with someone special.
Why should you drop in for a meal at Sebastian? Here are three good reasons:
What’s your must-try dish:
Local hunted quail, artichokes and wild berries. This dish evokes the local gastronomy from Alava, in the Basque country, which has a culture of its own - with still virgin lands, charcoal cooking, wild herbs, game and almost extinct native fruits.
All of these elements are the ingredients we use to recreate and reappraise a culture that in recent decades has been neglected, undervalued and forgotten by most of the habitants of the Basque region.
The dish is an ode to the Basque mountains where the ecosystem is awesomely similar to the Hunter Valley.
What's your point of difference:
Sebastian offers a five-course set menu, which changes daily on a four-day cycle with a different premium meat presented three ways as the main each night.
The Winter ‘game and forest’ menu features trout, squab, roe deer and wild boar, prepared with a wealth of Basque-style and original ingredients. Guests who stay longer than four days are treated to their own bespoke menu.
The Hunter region’s 200-year wine heritage is on full display at Tower Lodge, supported by iconic Spanish varietals, including Albariño, Tempranillo, Grenache and gently sparkling Txakoli with notes of apple and citrus.
What is a fun fact that not many people know about the restaurant?
The very private and exclusive Spicers Tower Lodge, where Sebastian is homed, has only 14 suites and opened in July 2022 after a more than $6 million renovation.
Built in a modern Spanish mission style featuring warm, earthy textures and colours that blend into the landscape, handmade Mexican terracotta tiles line the floors and thick adobe-rendered walls catch the sunset over the Brokenback Range.
Massive, ornate, late 19th Century French coach-house doors give entry to the retreat’s central hub, an enclosed courtyard paved with limestone, circling a dramatic fountain pond. Cloistered walkways framed by timber beams disappear toward suites and a labyrinth of spaces to explore.
Just as the Basque have an obsession with the finest locally sourced, seasonal produce from the native landscape of mountains, valleys and sea, so too Sebastian is a showcase of the Hunter region, sourcing many wild and foraged ingredients from the local area.
