If someone were to ask for a recommendation for nice dining in Bendigo, I would probably send them to Mason's of Bendigo. They specialise in mostly local food. Obviously it's a tough time for them and they have responded by offering "Masons at Home" meals. Some assembly required. You need to order in advance and there are a limited number of slots. It turned out to be a delicious meal and was very nice to set your own pace. The little bit of heating and plating gives you something to do between courses.
Here is a running commentary of this week's meal:
Showed up at 5:30 for our designated pick-up time. Was sternly warned to get the ice cream into the freezer first thing upon getting home. The meal came in two big (blurry) paper bags. The herbs were in the smaller one:
The menu, like the ones at the restaurant is printed on the back of their signature place mats:
The loot. Shiso and Lemon Balm for garnish are in pots, upper left. Plenty left over for planting (I've had some success planting herbs from the same supplier):
Comes with instructions:
The beef brisket bun course was the only one that needed actual cooking instead of just reheating:
Next up was the pork scotch with delicious funky black vinegar noodles. The pork was a bit salty for my taste but the whole dish came together really well.
The main was lamb shanks cooked perfectly, although I might have been tempted to reheat them sous vide rather than boiling (I think that's probably how they were originally cooked). I realise that when I've done them, I leave them in too long and they start to fall apart too much). Served with charred cauliflower salad, and roasted brassica (so much fancier than broccoli 😉) - both really good veg:
And, of course, dessert, macaron sandwich with berries and ice cream garnished with fresh flowers:
Nearly forgot, a local Heathcote Malbec from our own stash:
