Cheers to the kind folk at Angus Pure for inviting me to their Green Mile degustation dinner at Regattas Bistro + Bar with the nights menu created by chef Derek Salmon.
We started off mingling with other guests outside the venue and savoured the tapas that were getting passed around.
Albondigas
A Mexican meatball sitting on a bed of tomato sauce with a sprinkle of chives. We found the meatball to be dry and bland with the sauce compensating for flavour and the much needed moisture.
Steak tartare
One of my favourite things to see on restaurant menus are steak tartare, so it was much to my delight when I spied the tartare on the menu! If only my excitement transcended to the steak tartare itself; it was rather bland and lacking and needed a touch of salt and pepper along with some yolk to bind it together.
The final tapa to go around was the tempura marrow that we unfortunately missed out on. Too bad for us cause everyone that got a piece of that marrow was raving on about it well after we proceeded indoors for the rest of the evening.
All tapas were served with Trilogy Cubee’ Brut Sparkling White and Coopers Ale.
Beef carpaccio accompanied by St Helga Eden Riesling
First course: pepper crusted carpaccio of beef with bitter leaf salad and Cabernet dressing accompanied by St Helga Eden Riesling. Beautiful presentation and vibrant colours. What I thought should have been an extremely delicate dish with the super thin slices of beef and delicate micro flowers turned out to be a bit clunky with too much salad. The large chunky pieces of salad leaf detracted from the hero of the dish overwhelming it texturally. That aside, a visually appealing dish with a lovely and light dressing which added excitement to the palate.
Oxtail sherry martini
Rich and interesting… one of which where I’m still trying to get my head around. The oxtail mousse was super airy, light and incredibly rich. A deeper dig into the martini glass was needed to get some of the sherry at the bottom to cut out the richness with each mouthful.
We could have done with a palate cleanser right about now!
Tornado of Angus Pure rump with pickled salad accompanied by limited release Richmond Grove Cabernet Sauvignon
Third and main course for the night: a medallion of rump confit cooked medium rare with all the sealed juices and flavour intact. The accompaniments of a crispy golden potato hash (I could have gone through a bowl of these) and a pickled and zesty tongue salad went down a treat – great flavours and balance overall. Honestly, I thought the mains were a little small and could have had a little bit more! >.<
Elderflower sorbet
The much awaited palate cleanser! Although, the elderflower sorbet was not much of a sorbet, it was more like shaved ice or a granita as the ice crystals were chunky and large; the elderflower flavour itself was citrusy with a hint of lychee. A welcomed and refreshing note to cleanse ones palate.
Tasting of local cheeses accompanied by St Hugo Barossa Shiraz
The soft cheese was rather strong and sharp, one that I didn’t enjoy much. The cheddar, however was more to my liking. Cheddar, lavash crackers and a sweet fig jam… yummo!
And to end the night off with ‘something sweet to finish’
A fun and whimsical chocolate cow field box with chocolate dirt, chocolate covered pop rocks, chocolate fence, solid chocolate cows, truffles, macarons and a pathway outline of gingered candy! I tasted a little bit of everything from the box but that only resulted in me having an unwelcome sugar coma. Although I found the box to be too sweet, the novelty itself was fun and exciting and it got everyone around the table oohing and ahhing like kids in a candy store.
A special thanks to Kate for the invite; it was a great night out, good food and company! And thanks to Angue Pure for the gift box of rib eye steaks, they went down a treat when I made them for dinner with the folks at home. 
-d
Regattas Bistro + Bar
Riverbank Promenade
Adelaide SA 5000
P 08 8210 6785
Opening hours
8am till late every day
Mon-Fri 8am-11am Continental breakfast, 12pm-2pm $12 lunch specials
Sat-Sun 8am-11am Full breakfast
7 days 11.30am-late Bistro and bar menu
albondiga, angus pure, cheese, chocolate poprocks, elderflower sorbet, green mile degustation, regattas, regattas bistro and bar, steak tartare
It sounds disappointing, but good on you for being honest. The medallion of rump looks delicious and cooked to perfection.