Restaurant: The Bridgewater Mill

Restaurant: The Bridgewater Mill

http://www.petaluma.com.au/?show=restaurant

Mt Barker Rd

Bridgewater, SA

If you are looking for that "special" place for lunch in the Adelaide Hills, you just can't get past the Bridgewater Mill. The Mill has set a gold class standard when it comes to both that business and the romantic lunch. It is one of THE special occasion restaurants and is a must-do for restaurant lovers.

The Mill was actually the first water powered flour mill to operate in South Australia in the 1860s. It is a beautiful bluestone building that not only houses the amazing restaurant, but an equally amazing cellar door.

(photo from their web site)

The Mill's chef, Le Tu Thai is nothing short of brilliant. A Vietnamese boat refugee, that started out as a kitchen hand at 16, he is now easily one of Australia's best chefs. I love a feel good story of hardship and success and Le Tu Thai's story is one of those that truly tug at your heart. He was originally from Vietnam, and fled Saigon with his sister, leaving his Chinese parents behind in 1978. After arriving off Australia's northern coast, they were relocated from Darwin to Adelaide. Le started working in 1979 washing dishes in a a French restaurant, and the rest is history as they say. The chef of L'Epicurean (Jean Mahe) , took Le under his wing and he moved from kitchen hand to chef. He cemented his reputation at the Mill, and continues to surprise and delight through his ever-changing menu. The food at the Mill is definitely French, but Le uniquely weaves his Asian heritage into the dishes.

Doubling with a cellar door definitely has its perks, particularly for wine lovers! Their range is varied(see list https://www.petaluma.com.au/ssl/process.php) catering to all. The Sauv Blanc is one of the best in Australia so it was only fitting that I indulged in one of my all-time favourite wines while dining at its namesake restaurant.

Trying to lay off the bread was pretty much impossible. The crusty warm roll was just too inviting.

You know when you are going to have a great lunch, when even the side green salad ($9) is a work of art. So pretty, and seriously.... the tomatoes were so sweet and fresh, I was expecting to see a veggie patch below us. The pure sweet tomato taste was reminiscent of my childhood, eating veggies from our extensive garden.

I started with the Wild Venisone Terrine with White Anchovy, tarragon aioli and frisee ($27). A beautifully executed dish. I don't taste the "wild" taste of venison in Australia, I suppose growing up in Canada and eating truly wild venison, I expect a more gamey taste. To be honest, I thought the terrine not only lacked that gamey taste I crave, but any taste at all. However, the little baby cornicans were cute and crunchy and the rolled anchovy was a fantastic addition.

Also ordered as an entree was the soup of the day...Hot and Sour Carrot and Coriander soup with Sesame Oil($24). What a brilliant soup. The sour after taste of the tamarind was perfect, and the coriander was subtle and wonderful. The only complaint I can come up with is it was a bit too large of a serve.

Awwwwww the pork belly. Look, I know that some people have a problem with it, and yes... it IS basically fat. Crispy on the top, chewy throughout.......... but full of flavour. I love Asian food, and pork belly is a welcome addition to many Asian dishes. The marriage of pork belly in this case of Braised Pork Belly with Seared Scallops, Bean and Pork Crackling Salad, Tamarind Glaze ($28) with the scallops was fantastic. The crunchy little salad was light and crunchy, a nice contrast to the rich pork and scallops.

I followed my entree with Salmon Tartare with Swet Pea Panna Cotta, Beetroot and Vinaigrette ($26). I loved the way this looked when it came out! Such delicate flavours. Wonderful and light. I never thought that beetroot and salmon would work so well together, but it really did. Definitely the highlight dish of the meal as far as I'm concerned.

Very rarely do I order dessert, but I just couldn't miss out after reading the dessert menu and I certainly wasn't disappointed. I had the Lemon glace souffle with Vanilla and Walnut Sable, Croser Curd and Cassis Foam ($18). I seriously was reluctant to eat this when it came out........just beautifully presented! Loved all the flavours together. Wonderful wonderful. LOVED the cassis foam.

Also ordered was the Passionfruit Tart with Almond Florentine, Apricot Yoghurt and Strawberry Parfait ($18). The strawberry parfait was excellent. Again, so beautifully presented,!

We finished with some spectacular coffee. What a lovely lunch. Even making the booking, I was already impressed by the friendliness of the staff. It was a beautiful summer day,and the veranda was a lovely place to sit to watch the wheel of the mill turn the water around. Financially, the Bridgewater Mill is not a place you could go every week, but it is certainly is a great special occasion spot. It always surprises me how a chef that has been entrenched at the same place for so long, can continue to surprise me.