Past Articles - 2004
Sydney Time
Copyright © Ric Einstein 2008
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TORB's Harem Gathers; Gangs, Grogs and Laughs Last night (oh my poor head today Now I know my place and do what I am told, so I went out and
purchased some blue cheese, ripe brie, some duck liver pate with Grand Marnier,
port and pistachio terrine and a few olives. My very long-time friend, Marion arrived during the
afternoon with flowers and the rest of the harem, Nicki (next door neighbour)
and Lynne (“aunty” to my “children” and “the other manager” of my business) rocked
up around 5.30. As you can see from the photos, the three of them easily
fitted onto my new 2½ seater but Lynne thought it was just a tad too high for
her.
Rated as Outstanding,
this is possibly the finest botrytis wine I have ever
consumed. (1er Cru wine and with an alcohol level of 15%.)
After the starter, we piled into
Lynne’s car for the five minute journey to “The Journeyman” in the thriving,
beautiful, downtown metropolis of Berrima. Over the last six months or so I
have been quietly hearing good things about this place so it was time to try
it. The old building has not changed much in the 10 years since I was last in
there; in fact it probably has not changed much in the last 100 years. The place
has been brightened up but still retains its atmosphere. Our appointment was
for 6.30-6.45 because they don’t like everyone coming at once. We walked into a very warm room
with a blazing fire which is just as well. Marion hates the cold and always gives me a hard time about it
when she visits in winter. To make matters worse, when Nicki walked into my
place, she had mentioned that it was 2 degrees outside. I disagreed and said it
was about 8-10 and then went to check my car gauge. (My inside-outside thermometer
probe was broken a couple of days ago by the dogs playing a game.) The car
gauge said 10 degrees but Marion took Nicki’s side even though she had not been out to see
for herself and it was on.
Two against one
and I didn’t stand a chance. The odds, of course got worse when Lynne arrived
and the sisterhood ganged up on me. ………. When I accused Nicki of being
“neurotic and menopausal” she retorted “No I am not, I am having a ‘power
flush’.” We walked into the Journeyman
carting three bottles of “plonk” and an aluminium case. When we were seated,
the c-through glasses were removed and replaced with reasonable quality Esse
style red glasses. Glasses of iced water were delivered without being asked, a
nice touch. However although it was meant to be filtered, the chlorine was
almost as bad as the council swimming pool so the three locals who are use to
drinking tank water opted for bottled stuff. Marion, who drinks Sydney water and will
drink anything, was happy for the tap water. From left, Marion, Nicki and Lynne................. The first bottle of wine was a Wynns 1991 Centenary Reserve Blend and the previous bottles of this had always been
stunning. When I pulled the cork out of this one a couple of hours previously,
I was worried about it. The cork was not in great shape did not come out in one
piece. In fact, the middle came out leaving the bulk of the casing intact. An
ah-so got the balance out without difficulty. The wine was decanted and when I
tried it, whilst there were no obvious faults, I was worried about it. At the
restaurant it did not show well at all. There was nothing specifically wrong
with it but it was plain ordinary. No TCA but just lacked pizzazz. Half the bottle was left. A complimentary appetiser was
presented which was a stuffed venison tartlet that was superb. The dinner rolls
also had caraway seed in them which contrasted the sweetness of the bread and
was very enjoyable. The gang of three looked at the dessert
menu before looking at the mains or starters. Being a mere male, I looked at
the starters and then the mains. Nicki and I both had starters and they were
both terrific. Mine was scampi which has been taken from the shell and served
in very thin slices. It was a small serving but adequate. Around about this time, the sommelier
was pouring water for Lynne and asked if we wanted fresh glasses for the next
wine. Marion
made some comment about not needing them and I said we would not run out of
glasses as I proceeded to open up the aluminium case. The sommelier must have
been worried about the contents of the case as she took her eye off the water
she was pouring and promptly spilled Lynne’s water glass which tipped all over
the table cloth and Lynne! Oooh, now that was impressive. Being a caring, sharing type I
empathised and said it could have been worse. It could have been wine spilt or
the water could have been spilt over me. The second wine was a Henschke 1994 Mount Edelstone. The last time I had this wine about a month ago, it
seemed like it was drying out and was not impressive. This bottle was right
back to form. Mid weight, the wine is at its peak. The tannins have softened
beautifully and it just glided down seamlessly. In some ways, it was like
drinking a glass of chocolate with some mint, but there was much more complexity
if you looked for it. But most of us were too busy enjoying ourselves and having
fun at my expense. There were plums, cherries, liquorice and all sorts of other
subtle nuances. The wine was rated as Outstanding and was finished very quickly. …………………….Birthday Flowers The food menu has a more than
adequate selection and even caters for vegetarians and bloody fussy eaters like
Lynne who was delighted with her selection. For a main, I normally have duck
when it is on and looks good, but there was a roast shoulder of lamb with cassoulet
beans that sounded interesting. Marion decided to have the duck with seared scallops and fig and
we agreed to share the dishes. I don’t like fatty lamb and although
there was a little fat in the shoulder cut, it was not very noticeable. The
lamb was well done but the intensity of the herbs through it was most
enjoyable. What was sensational was the sauce surrounding the lamb. Intense jus
of the meatiest variety and mandatory use of bread rolls to sop it up. When we
exchanged plates, I did notice that Marion had very kindly, being as caring and sharing as I am, left
me zero scallops to go with my half of the duck. The main course servings were
very generous and filling. They were accompanied by a bowl of funny looking,
cold, green and multicoloured leafy stuff of the variety that I dislike so
there was no way I was going to try that salad. The girls loved it and not only
raved about the freshness of the leaves but were enraptured by the dressing.
They ganged up on me to try and get me to try it but I remained true to the
faith and held steadfast. The final wine which we consumed
with our mains was a Charles Cimicky 1998
Reserve Shiraz. Whilst this wine was decanting,
it went through the most amazing metamorphosis of aromas. At one early stage,
it was rank with smoky oak, at another pure dark chocolate and so it went. With
the strong flavours of the food, it was a great match. The wine is full bodied
and has a massive amount of fruit flavour and intensity. Dark chocolate, plums,
blackberry, vanilla, smoky oak, iodine and star anise. Mouth feel was very
smooth and the tannins have been deftly handled. It will continue to improve as
in reality, it is a baby. There is no danger of this 98 falling over anytime
soon. This bottle also disappeared in good time. Another nice touch, this time a
complimentary tiny trio of sorbet flavours presented on a small individual
ladle which was the perfect palate cleanser. First-class stuff. Although I had consumed more than
enough, we looked at the dessert menu. Lynne who had not had a starter and
normally eats like a sparrow decided to have a chocolate with lemon curd.
Whilst I was umming and ahing about having one, the girls ganged up on me, twisted
my arm behind my back and forced me to order a chocolate trio. That’s my story
and I am sticking to it! I tried to entice them to order a dessert but they
steadfastly refused claiming they were too full to eat another mouthful. When
the table was being set for dessert, they demanded three spoons for my dessert! It’s a worry, my present from Marion was wrapped
in this box what is she trying to tell me? This dish had enough chocolate to
kill a chocoholic or satisfy me. The first item was a hot chocolate pudding with
an outer layer of chocolate cake and inside stuffed full of warm melted dark
chocolate. The second item was a collection of mini chocolate ice-cream balls
that had been infused with honeycomb. The third item was a chocolate
"Jaffa Tart", chocolate ganash infused with orange
on a chocolate base. There was much jousting of
spoons and bruised fingers whilst this dish was being devoured. Now had I been
in charge of proceedings, we could have had a great bottle of Sparkling Shiraz
as a starter at my place and I could have enjoyed the Sauternes with the death -by-chocolate.
But being a male, I know my place and do what I am told. Service was outstanding. The
professional staff are acutely aware of everything. It was easy to quickly
catch an eye when you want anything. This attribute is becoming very rare in
country restaurants. The final touch, as if we had not had enough chocolate,
was a complimentary home made dark chocolate with almond chips in it. Yummo! What more could you want for your
birthday, terrific food, great service, excellent wine and three very good
friends to share it all with. The price was reasonable too, but the gang of
three will read this, so I wont say how much as they will accuse me of being a
cheap-skate and will want to go somewhere more expensive next year. What the
harem does not know, is that I have a bottle of Saltram Pinnacle Selection 1952
Liqueur Muscat lined up for dessert next year so I wont have to put up with
this Sauternes at the start nonsense and we can get back to having a Sparkling
Shiraz. Copyright © Ric Einstein 2004 |
), saw the gathering of the harem to celebrate
my fifty-second 
The
Sauternes was golden in colour and had a lushness of character that I have
never seen in an Oz 
