We have a few dependable favourite places to eat out and though we are also adventurous, it is nice to return to a known entity…and for us that is the Cellar Door in the Arts Centre.
It just ticks all our boxes: casual but professional; excellent food in a style/manner we like (not pretentious); wine list to beat the band, especially the wine flight options; and very reasonably priced for the quality you are getting.
We decided to splurge a bit and to each both have a starter & a main…my partner has a regular Cellar Door fave – marinated white anchovies on toasted sourdough, gremolata, pickled onion & preserved lemon ($16). No complaints were heard…and she paired that with the wine flight called Black Sheep ($16.5) which had not so typical whites & her favourite was the Sam Harrop Bridge Pa Fiano.
And I too went down a favourite path of mine – paté. It is a treat to have every so often and especially when it is made so well. To be honest, the Cellar Door’s Bostock Organic Chicken Liver Parfait with house made pickles and warm bread ($18) is enough to feed a small army (paired with a Torbreck Old Vines GSM $14.5). If your partner likes paté, this easily feeds two.
For mains, we again diverged down our separate tracks – she chose the roasted beetroot, witloof, goat cheese & buckwheat salad and I went with my all time favourite – Confit Duck Leg, White Bean Ragu, Cavolor Nero, Pangratto and Plum Sauce ($38). Admirably paired with a Two Hands Fields of Joy Shiraz ($15).
When all was done & dusted there were two very happy campers…looking forward to a return visit for more taste treats.
Local Food Hound 