Eat, Pray, Love: May 2015

The weather was getting a bit too chilly for May with the howling wind, splashing rain and frosty mornings. And it is this exact weather that gives me the best excuse to store more fats and have more meat! Speaking of meat, The Highway's does offer something different to the adventurous foodies. In its fourth year, the game season is to be launched once again from 18 May. Foodies from South Australia as well as other states are expected to join this annual culinary delight in this coming 2 weeks (18 May - 31 May).

I was invited to the Highway's to sample their game menu. All the food and drinks were complimentary.

Going wild every game season, the menu this year will be featuring wallaby, buffalo and venison. All the game meat are sourced fresh from local outback game meat supplier Something Wild in the Adelaide Central Market.

There are two options of entree that you can choose from. We started off with the first entree, crumbed quail eggs with beetroot puree, pressed red foo potato and micro cabbage. The eggs were crunchy and the pairing with sweet beetroot puree was intriguing. The layering of potatoes was a fancy and textural addition to the dish.

Crumbed quail eggs with beetroot puree, pressed red foo potato and micro cabbage

The second entree was pancetta wrapped wallaby with grilled artichoke and saffron aioli. This was the dish of the night! It reminded me so much of the pressed lamb in Georges. The smell of wallaby was not too strong. It was so tender that I can pull the meat apart and melted in my mouth. The pancetta added the umami flavour and saltiness to the dish. The saffron aioli was really good too!

Pancetta wrapped wallaby with grilled artichoke and saffron aioli

Moving on to the main course, there are three types of game meat - kangaroo, venison and buffalo - which constitute the menu.

The first main course was the native currant and tomato braised kangaroo tail, served with mixed radish, frisee salad and grilled bread. As kangaroo meat itself has a really strong smell, the chef chose the native currant and tomato to braise the meat to subdue the pungent smell. The side salad was fresh and the grilled bread counterbalanced the rich braised kangaroo tail.

Native currant and tomato braised kangaroo tail, mixed radish, frisee salad and grilled bread

Next up was the venison denver leg steak with portobello mushroom, celeriac puree and nasturtium. It was the prettiest looking dish of the night. The venison steak was cooked to perfection with its attractive pink meat. The meat was so tender! And who would resist the plump and juicy portobello mushroom?

Venison denver leg steak with portobello mushroom, celeriac puree and nasturtium

The last main course offered on the menu was the buffalo burger with ciabatta roll, cheddar, caramelised onion, spinach and kutjera radish. The buffalo meat had a similar taste to beef and this burger was like the classic beef and cheese burger. The choice of native ingredients used in each dish was commendable because it portrayed the Australian outback spirit and complemented well with the meat.

Buffalo burger

Last but not least, it was dessert time! We had the duck egg brulee with salted caramel ice cream and pistachio soil. It sounded and looked like an ordinary dessert but surely it tasted different from the normal creme brulee. The duck egg had rendered the dessert so rich and creamy. The caramelisation on top of the brulee was brilliant and the salted caramel ice cream was smooth.