Tuesday 29 November 2016

Penfolds Wine Dinner, Rawsons Restaurant at Epping Club


I had the pleasure of checking out a special event at Rawsons which is a restaurant located within the Epping Club. The special event was the Penfolds Wine Dinner. Don't you just love Penfolds wine?



Rawsons, within the Epping Club periodically holds special events such as the Penfolds Wine Dinner. This was a great event with five courses paired with five exclusive bin collection of Penfolds wine.

Executive Chef Nick Whitehouse brings a renewed sense of modern dining to the sleepy suburb of Epping. I am looking forward to such a lovely night!


The evening starts off with a tasting of the Penfolds Bin 311 Tumbarumba Chardonnay (2015). The chardonnay has been matured for 9 months in seasoned french oak. The Penfolds Bin 311 Tumbarumba Chardonnay is quite smooth with subtle citrus notes. I find that Chardonnay is quite sharp in flavour generally however I like the subtleness of this Chardy.

It's matched with Rawsons Tasmanian pacific oysters with beef tartare and horseradish. I'm not a fan of oysters (although I love mussels) but the foodies seem to enjoy this combination.




MW is allergic to shell fish so the alternative dish that is served up is the beer tartare. He's pretty happy with his alternative dish and enjoys the chardonnay. Thanks to Rawsons for accomodating this allergy!

My favourite wine of the night is the Penfolds Bin 138 Shiraz Grenache Martaro (2014). This wine is matured in a french and american oak hogsheads.  The shiraz grenache martaro is medium bodied with depths of flavour. The flavours linger on your tongue making me come back for more.

I'll have to buy some!!




The shiraz grenache martaro is paired with a cobia ceviche, salami, apple and warm buttermilk. This dish is cleverly an array of sweet, savory and creamy all in one. The subtle citrus flavours with the fresh sashimi compliment the deeper flavours in the shiraz grenache martaro.

Next up is the Penfolds bin 128 coonawarra shiraz (2014). I often drink wine from the Coonawarra region but I have yet to travel to South Australia. This full bodied shiraz is matured for 12 months in french oak hogsheads. With stronger flavours, this shiraz is the partner in crime for the delicious beef cheek with cauliflower and truffle milk. 

The beef cheek is a highlight for me at Rawsons in Epping, with it's sticky sweet and tender flavours. The truffle milk is smooth and I love truffle flavours. This is so delicious. 




Next up is the Penfolds bin 389 cabernet shiraz (2014). This is paired with the venison loin, parsnip, hazelnut, cocoa and coffee. There is a clever combination of hazelnut, cocoa and a very slight and subtle touch of coffee. This dish is preparing me for dessert!




I absolutely love the final dish which is the Smelly pedro. The soft cheese is accompanied by honeycomb vinegar rice puff chunks and lavosh crackers. What a great combination and the only thing to really make it better is the Penfolds Father Grand Tawny.

The Penfolds Father Grant Tawny has been aged for 10 years and is complex in flavours mixed from a variety of grenache, shiraz, mataro and cabernet. It's not sickly sweet, it's sexually sweet and guaranteed to give you a food gasm with the smelly pedro combination.

In summary, I had such a lovely time. The service was impeccable and what a better way to spend an evening with delicious penfolds wine and the modern Australian delights from Rawsons restaurant within the Epping club. I recommend checking it out if you live in the area!!!

Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of Papaya PR. All words, photos and opinions are my own.


Rawsons Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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