King Street, Daylesford
Phone 03 5348 3329
“A tranquil and indulgent gourmet experience” – Lake House business card
Indeed. I personally can’t think of a better way to start a long weekend than by sitting on the deck at the Lake House, a fine aperitif of Lillet and soda to sip on, the sun beaming down to warm the bones, the love of your life sitting right beside you and the anticipation of an indulgent gourmet experience. Ahh…does life get any better?
It was Friday 13th (some would think not the most fortunate of days to adventure gastronomically), but we jumped in our hire car and headed off to Daylesford.
The town is quite quaint. There are expensive giftware stores, some rather nice looking cafes and restaurants, and a thriving B&B scene. It is that perfect distance from the big smoke to give tired Melbournites a breath of fresh air.
Anyway, I digress. I’m here to talk about Lakehouse.
We didn’t want to go full tilt due to the promise of a 10 course degustation later that night, so the Express Menu was the perfect way to sample what the restaurant had to offer, and at a rather nice price of $39 for two courses and a glass of wine. You could choose from two entrees and two mains, and we decided to have one of each between us.
Dan went the Caesar Salad – a rather fantastic rendition of two quarters of baby cos lettuce, tender stalks still intact. They had been massaged with the creamy, lemony, parmesany dressing so that each leaf was coated entirely with dressing. A couple of slices of shaved parmesan, prosciutto-style cured ham and silky anchovies languished ever so artfully across the leaves, and the crowning glory…
…was the bread-crumbed, deep-fried poached egg. Oh yeah…one cut into this relinquished all the softy googy goodness all over the leaves. Absolutely divine.
I chose the duck liver parfait/pate with toasted slices of brioche – a simple yet perfectly executed classic. A small herb salad sat to the side.
For mains, I went the whole grilled Tuki trout. It sat scored and oozing fishy juices all over a bed of spiced cous cous that was studded with sultanas and pinenuts. A home-made fruit chutney was a nice farmhouse way of adding sweetness, and I absolutely adored the fresh, generous herb salad on top.
Dan chose the roasted chicken breast, which sat on a chickpea and tomato stew, wilted leaves to the side. Well, as Dan said, the chicken breast was chicken breast – nothing too special. But the stew was lovely, and it too was a nice, simple dish.
We couldn’t resist the local potatoes, roasted with garlic in some kind of goose/duck fat – magnificent.
Then to finish, petits fours. I loved the little twists on the individual elements; caramel popcorn with a hint of chilli, a rose scented meringue, an herbacious marshmallow and a jaffa flavoured chocolate. The brownie was the only item true to form.
I look forward to going back for a lavish, a la carte dinner one day. But today, we had other dining plans.
New blog post: Lakehouse http://tummyrumbles.com/2009/03/lakehouse.html
My mother is still talking about The Lake House’s Caesar salad (and the poached egg in particular)!
Wow that poached egg looks amazing. They really have lifted their game since I was last there. Express lunch for $39?? That sounds like great value, one thing that I really do like about this economic “downturn”, is all the great restaurants giving great value for money lunches!
I hope you made it to the Chocolate Factory/Mill….they have the best chocolate!
Thanks tummy rumbles and Mellie – glad to see you enjoyed the fruits of our labours – it was a beautiful day.We look forward to having you back for the full experience.Autumn is sensational in Daylesford
And incidentally Maria – we’ve had the special Lunch Express on for at least six
years.
oooooo, looks good – I shall go this weekend. Not sure how I will choose between the salad and the pate but those potatoes will certainly be ordered!
Hey New Epicurean – we can now appreciate why she does. It’s magnificent!
Hi there Maria – darn it, we didn’t make it to the Chocolate Factory! A friend of mine has been and waxed lyrical about (…and even bought me some choccies), but I entirely forgot to look for it when I was there! Oh well…does that mean I need to go up again?!?
Hello Lake House Team Member – oh yes, we most certainly enjoyed your fruits (amongst many other things!). We definitely look forward to coming up again for a full-blown dining experience.
Hey BB – well be sure to report back here in the comments!
I need to get away…now!
Looks really fabulous and I want some of that trout too.
Hi Neil – the trout was magnificent! I really could go it right now as a matter of fact.
I cannot get over that poached egg! How do they even do that? Just wanted to say I have been reading your reviews for a few years now and really enjoy them, even though I don’t live in Melbourne. Great blog, mellie.
Hey juz – it’s masterful, huh? I gather it is poached first, then rolled in crumbs and deep-fried. It’s fantastic
Glad you enjoy the blog. Hopefully if you’re ever down this way you can try out some of the places!
Hey Mellie- I tried this place out and was blown away!! I loved the lake house ceasar- the first time I’ve had it with the stalks still intact. Oh, but the mushroom soup was just unbelievable, I couldn’t contain myself…LOL.
Headed up to the chocolate mill for dessert!
Check out my 2 cents-: http://foodrehab.com.au/2009/08/29/the-tastebud-travels-lake-house-to-the-chocolate-mill/
thanks
Adrian
Hey there Adrian – so glad you enjoyed it. The salad is certainly one of the best deconstructions out there!
And I must make it to the Chocolate Mill next time I’m up there. Sounds delicious!