Buvette Bistro & Wine Bar – Canberra – Australian Capital Territory – Australia – March 2021

Tags

ACT, Brulee, buvette bistro & wine bar, canberra, cold pumpkin dish, dinner with friends

With my good friend, Sandy, visiting from Queensland, a group of us decided to book a French restaurant in Canberra called Buvette Bistro & Wine Bar. Most of us had been before and enjoyed the food so wanted to revisit. We all started off with a beverage from the extensive wine list which did include a couple of vegan choices. Mine was an Australian Riesling whilst my friends enjoyed a French chardonnay and a glass of red.

The menu is also pretty extensive with many vegetarian options but only a few vegan. There was a cauliflower steak but as I had eaten that the last two times I have been out, I really didn’t feel like it. Anyway, I wasn’t feeling very hungry so ordered a small dish of roasted pumpkin with a tahini yoghurt dressing and topped with coriander and pumpkin seeds. When it arrived it looked so good but unfortunately I didn’t ask if it was a hot dish and it was not…cold pumpkin is not for me (the flavours of this dish were very good though).

My friends ordered a few dishes to share which included the Kimchi dumplings with pickled red cabbage, chilli and ginger oil. Unfortunately when we asked if the dumplings were vegan we were told the Kimchi was made with fish sauce. My visiting friend from Brisbane had been to this restaurant the previous week and had ordered the dumplings and said they were delicious. Shame on this occasion, they were not all that warm!

A few other dishes were also ordered; firstly the Snapper ceviche with buttermilk, cucumber and green chilli and also the grilled Queensland scallops with a miso glaze and seaweed butter. Time then to order another glass of wine; same drinks all round.

The final main meal to share ordered was the 36-hour slow-cooked Angus beef short ribs with gremolata and crispy polenta. My friend Naomi said the polenta was absolutely delicious but of course I could not eat it as it had been sitting in meat juices. We nearly ordered a fresh serve minus the meat but as I was not that hungry, we didn’t bother.

And to top off the night as we were finishing our wine and Naomi was driving, she decided on a dessert rather than another glass of wine. She ordered the brûlée. It arrived looking fabulous and she said it was. This used to be my favourite dessert before I became vegan!

Oh and nearly forgot to mention, we of course ordered the obligatory bowl of chips!

photo from internet as I forgot to take one on the night!

Noosa Waterfront Restaurant – Noosa – Queensland – Australia – February 2021

Tags

cauliflower steak, Moreton Bay fig, Noosa, Noosa Waterfront Restaurant, Queensland, risotto, Vegan wine

Noosa is located in northern Queensland which means from Canberra I take a flight for an hour and a half then a bus for about two hours. The trip is definitely worth it as this is a beautiful part of Australia.

Prior to travelling, I looked up Noosa’s best restaurants and found the Noosa Waterfront Restaurant voted on some sites as #1. I knew I had to go there! I booked for Saturday lunch and with my book, I took an Uber to the restaurant which was about ten minutes from my apartment where I arrived to a beautiful location on the river.

The entry foyer is gorgeous, actually so is the rest of the interior.

I was met at the front door by the most lovely staff and after scanning in (yep Covid!) I was taken to my table; white tablecloths and beautiful scenery – overlooking the river and walkway and amazing Moreton Bay fig trees. These are one of my most favourite trees, they are known as the Australian Banyan and native to eastern Australia.

I must say the service in this restaurant is fantastic; not overwhelming as I really don’t like staff who need to come to you every five minutes and ask you how your meal is!! Maybe once but that is enough. I looked at the menu and there was a couple of vegan wines to choose from so I ordered an Australian Riesling. Then I asked about the vegan dishes and the waitress advised me that the chef would be making me an entree and main dish which was not on the menu. Very special!!

My entree arrived which was a cauliflower ‘steak’ with macadamia nuts, a tahini dressing and greens. Delicious!

I asked the waitress for a delay in the arrival of my main dish as I wanted to enjoy the scenery and continue reading my book. About twenty minutes later my risotto arrived and that was also delicious. Ingredients for both dishes were so fresh and both dishes were cooked to perfection.

I ordered another glass of wine and continued to enjoy my afternoon. I was asked about dessert and advised the chef would make me a vegan sorbet but I really was too full so decided not to order anything. Time for a bit of people watching around the restaurant; always fun I think. After having spent two hours enjoying my lunch, it was time to depart. I decided to walk back to my apartment as the weather was lovely and the route was an easy one to remember. What a fabulous experience!