Biota Dining, Bowral NSW

The best restaurants in NSW are not just found in the CBD. Regional

NSW has a lot to offer in terms of mind-blowing restaurants. A lot of

great quality produce comes from Regional NSW such as the Southern Highlands.  Around 90 minutes drive away from Sydney, in the lovely town of Bowral is an amazing restaurant called Biota Dining.

Sous Chef Grant and Head Chef James working their magic

Biota Dining is located not too far from Bowral CBD. We passed by beautiful and peaceful sceneries on our drive to Biota. The place itself was nothing short of beautiful and a vibe where one can’t help but feel good. The Sydney Morning Herald gave the prestigious “two chef’s hats” award early this year to Biota. Head Chef James Viles and his team were behind the reason this place was given such an award. A lot of the produce used in every dish (the herbs and vegetables in particular) were picked fresh from their very own garden, located right outside the venue. The first time I heard about Biota was through a blog review by Gastronomous Anonymous. After sampling their dishes at Taste of Sydney 2013, a trip to Biota was finally made. We opted for a three-coursel unch ($58 per person).

Salmon jerky

House made butter

House baked bread

We started with a salmon jerky to wake up the palate. It was like

dried smoked salmon. Then it was shortly followed with a house-baked bread and a sublime butter that was churned in the premises. It was by far the best butter I’ve had. It had a milky after taste and a hint of salt brought so much joy to my taste buds.

Pork cheeks with parsnip, persimmon and potato mash

First up was the Pork cheek with parsnip, persimmonand potato mash. The pork cheek was tender and well cooked. The natural flavour of the pork was brought out well. Every single component on the plate complimented the pork cheek especially the sweet persimmon. The caramelised candied glaze on the pork heightens the flavour and takes it to another level. The crisped leaves reminded me of nori.

Burrawong duck with cauliflower, white raisins, pear and pine needles

The Burrawong duck with cauliflower, white raisins,pear & pine needles was another flawless dish. The duck was cooked yhnicely. The raisins & creamy puree-liked cauliflower went well with the duck.

Pasture fed been with smoked birch oil, blackberries, popcorn & granola

The pasture fed beef with smoked birch oil,blackberries, popcorn &

granola was my favourite savoury dish. The beef was cooked perfectly rare and was amazingly tasty. The glaze on the beef was sensational and it added a smoky flavour to the beef. Components with non-complex flavours such as ground berries, grilled shallot, popcorn and granola was used to highlight the meat in this dish.

Fig meats and fig ice cream with chocolate coated hazlnuts

The desserts were nothing short of excellent and I particularly loved the fig meats and fig ice cream dessert. This fig fest plate surely does celebrate the awesomeness of fig. The ice cream had a sublime texture and subtle berry-like flavour.

Fair trade chocolate, carrot sorbet, malt and cacao crumbs

I was told that the fair trade chocolate, carrot sorbet, malt and cacao crumb dessert is a favourite. I can tell why! The chocolate was like an extra large chocolate truffle that had a velvety texture, a heavenly sweetish dark chocolate taste and a tiny amount of grated sweet carrot. The carrot sorbet had subtle carrot flavour with hints of sweet ginger.The malt and cacao crumbs bring the whole dish together and takes it to a levelof absolute indulgence.

Toffee apple, chocolate sorbet and quince topped eucalyptus meringue

The ever-awesome Chef James provided us with a complimentary toffee apple, chocolate sorbet and quince topped with eucalyptus meringue. The whole dessert felt like country autumn. The toffee apple was thestar in this plate.

 

Biota pond

Every plate looked and tasted absolutely exquisite. All the dishes reflected the autumn season. Take the leaves on the pork cheek for example, which looked like leaves that have fallen from a tree. The service by staff was also excellent. The techniques used to execute every dish werevery evident on the presentation, flavour combination and representation of the changing season.  Hats off to Chef James Viles for his amazing culinary work!

Biota Dining

18 Kangaloon Rd

Bowral NSW 2576

Ph. 02 4862 2005

www.biotadining.com.au

Opening hours:

Thurs to Sat - Lunch & Dinner

Sun - Brunch & Lunch

Monday - Lunch & Dinner