So on Saturday evening we made that journey. We were a little early but were prepared to have a drink at the bar but our table was actually ready. The Railway Hotel and Chapel Street was pumping as expected for a Saturday night and the Highline offered a dark enclave to shelter from the beat of the hipster drum.
We strapped ourselves in for the 8 course farm adventure and wine match and made ourselves comfortable which was easy in the dining space of muted colours and natural soft furnishings; think Australian natives for flowers and rings of wood on the tables.
Service is personable and slick as the courses come out and and delivered to the table. We're never waiting for the wine to catch up with the food or the food to catch up with the wine. It all works seamlessly and enjoyably.
- Smoked Oak Valley Lamb, Sea Flakes, Broad Bean and Beetroot
I love a good asparagus dish and at the moment the one that holds the bar is the one we had at Marion. This one is similar with an sunny coloured hollandaise. I loved the shaved Macadamia nut and the tangy hollandaise, I didn't need the fruit tones of the marmalade which I think detracted the intensity of the fresh asparagus. |
After one sunny dish came another one and like the pea and ham it arrived plated up ready for the liquid to pour into the dish.
Described as a version of a bouillabaisse this was a spiced version. The bug was slightly undercooked for our tastes but just by a smidgen. I enjoyed this one but Steve preferred the other courses. |
And then our adventure took us to our final savoury course:
The wine we had with it was a great pairing though both premium and standard as it cut through the heaviness. |
And then came the sweet adventure that is dessert:
White crackles of milk atop a creamy panna cotta like mess with pretty pink rhubarb. Not overly sweet the buttermilk added a sharpness that was welcome after the richness of the previous course. A nice transition to dessert and a palette cleanser in one. |
- Daintree Chocolate, Strawberries
The dessert adventure is a fun one as our last course is about our own campfire at our table for us to toast marshmallows on. All very dramatic and all very fun. We remember that our first Simon Tarlington experience last year ended similarly except we trooped outside to a fire and stood around with the sweet fragrance of burnt sugar lacing the air. Highline makes some good food memories. It's creative and well executed with impeccable service to back it up. We likened it to Ides and it seems that both sides of the river have their own up and coming creative cooking destinations. |