Last Thursday night, my partner and I enjoyed the 7-course degustation with matching wines at The 3 Weeds Hotel in Rozelle. “The 3 Weeds was established in 1881, as the ‘Rose, Shamrock & Thistle’. Despite the name the venue has always affectionately been known as the ‘3 Weeds’.”
Usually the degustation with matching wines costs $120, but thanks to my contacts, we only paid $75*. The menu changes quite frequently, as their whole philosophy is based on fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. They even have an in-house herb & veggie garden which is used every day on their menu. The night we dined there, the menu consisted of…
- Spanish mackerel, with a glass of refreshing NV Primo Estate Prosecco from McClaren Vale;
- Chargrilled brioche with slow cooked egg yolk and enoki mushrooms, with Torrentes from Argentina (a wine I hadn’t tried before, but it was lovely; very light and perfect for the dish);
- Berkshire pork cheek & boudin noir presse, with Tightrope Walker Chardonnay from the Yarra – this was one of my favourite dishes – the pork was so tender as it has been slow cooked and the chardonnay wasn’t buttery, instead it was zesty and crisp;
- Black barley risotto with fetta mousse and ricotta dumplings, with Hesketh Wild at Heart Rose from the Barossa – this wine was my favourite of the night, it’s strawberries and cream in a glass;
- Pyrenees white lamp (rump and sticky breast), with Parker Cabernet from the little-known wine region Pyrenees in Victoria (very full bodied);
- Washed rind cheese (washed in chablis) with reggioano wafer and spiced pear, with Pinot Noir from Marlbourough – the cheese was soft and pungent, which went perfectly with the wine; sharper than the famous Pinot Noirs from the Otago region further south);
- Bee Pollen Granola, with a tawny, Bleasdale the Wise One from South Australia (very mellow).
In summary, the service was exemplary (we arrived at 6.30pm and left at 8.30pm, but did not feel rushed), the food and the wine were matched perfectly, the wine servings were generous and it was amazing value.
If you do not fancy 7 tasting courses, their restaurant also offers 3 courses on Tuesdays to Thursdays for $59, which I’d normally consider to be a great deal, but you might as well pay an extra $16 to get 4 more courses and 7 glasses of wine. * Contact us if you would like more details of this great deal.
As well as the award-winning restaurant, they also have a pub at the front with more casual food options, as well as trvia, sunday Roasts and cheap schnitzels on Monday.