Woodhouse (Bendigo) 06/2018

Shown to a corner table near the central fire place this smoky and dim venue 

reminded me of The Pyjama Game "I know a dark secluded place, a place where no one knows your face" Of course it is not really that dark,

and not at all like a speakeasy.

but they have a wood fired grill that creates the atmosphere. It's a no frills sort of place.

The place is most noted for wood fired pizzas and steak, although they do have other dishes. They also offer 'Express Lunches' two or three course meals at set prices.
I had no hesitation in ordering the Sher family wagyu grade 9 steak tartare with cornichon, quail egg yolk and shaved manjimuk black truffle. 

It sat on bresaola and had some puffed wagyu tendon chips on top of it. If you can stand raw meat and more or less raw egg yolk this is an excellent dish. Full of flavour, gently spiced it was as good a dish as it could possibly be. 
There was a choice of air dried steaks, I'd passed them in their cabinet, 

as I came into the restaurant.
Top choice for me was the 600 day grain fed 280gm grade 8 waghu scotch fillet. ($62) served with Hasselback potato.
Cooked as requested,

It was meltingly tender, rich with fat through the muscle fibres and  with all the character and taste of top quality waghu. It came with a well made red wine jus, though I could have had a butter sauce, and a choice of mustards or a herb dressing. This snap does not do it justice.

I HAVE NEVER EATEN A BETTER STEAK THAN THIS. 

For dessert I had the wood roasted Harcourt Pink Lady apple, dulce de leche, cinnamon palmier, nutty crumble, caramel glass.

A pleasant finish to a fantastic meal.

 Score:17 /20

Balgownie Estate (Maiden Gully, Nth Victoria) 06/2018

People go to particular restaurants for a lot of reasons including their reputations, to be seen or at least tell their friends and acquaintances that they went there, for convenience, for a particular dish or special ethnic cuisine, because of recommendations, because they're cheap and combinations of these. I'm sure you can think of more reasons.  It was a beautiful day, Balgownie was only a short drive and I had heard that the chef from Bouchon, where I had an excellent meal a few years ago, now closed, designed their menu. 
They have an outside dining area

The restaurant, a simple open space, is separated from a bar and tasting area by an island wine cabinet.

The tasting area 

is also a no nonsense space adjacent to the kitchen. Their best wines for tasting were preserved with a layer of Argon 

which works extremely well to prevent  oxidation.They offer a range of Chardonnay's, Pinot Noir's and Shiraz's none of which appealed to me until I came to the 2013 Old Block Shiraz. This I enjoyed immensely BUT it is $28 a glass!
Tuesday lunch time was not exactly rush hour. I was glad they were happy to serve one solitary customer. I ordered their Vialone Nano risotto with duck and mushroom. Ready in 5 minutes was not a good sign and indeed the risotto was not what I hoped for. It had no creaminess, for which this rice is especially noted and little character - just a soft rice.

The duck and the mushrooms were beaut.
Not much to judge by.
Score: 13.5/20

Rocks on Rosalind (Bendigo) 05/2015

Around the heart of Bendigo almost every building has a plaque 

describing a little of the buildings history.

Rocks on Rosalind (the fine, large park alongside Bendigo's main street) is no exception. This fine building dating from the 1860's, was once a bank and there's plenty of evidence of that inside the restaurant. They have a basement dining area but the large high ceilinged main dining room 

features a large safe 

cut into one wall which is used as a wine storage and private dining area.

That pattern of black spots is made up of wine bottles in a rack. On the opposite wall one of the glass panes has a bullet hole, 

the last sign of a bank robbery.

As well as an a la carte menu a sandwich board advertises a luncheon special 

and the menu is impressive. It reads like this:

Bread

Scallops. Almond Skordalia, chive oil, shaved almonds, rhubarb chips.

Slow Braised Squid. Smoked paprika ragout, chorizo, tomato, basil.

Buffalo Haloumi. Orange, clove and beetroot relish.

Wild Mushrooms. Truffle goat cheese.

Master Stock Pork Bao Buns. (Actually one bun) Soy ginger caramel, pickled carrot,bean sprouts.

Hand Cut Chips. Twice cooked, garlic aoli.

Sounds very impressive. So this is what they served.

 A very nice sourdough and the balsamic and olive oil were excellent.

A very small serve. The scallop tender and sweet, the haloumi dull but the squid very good, improved by the accoutrements.

And

All more than pleasing tastes. 

I was reasonably satisfied although it is quite a small lunch.

A pleasant glass of wine 

made the whole thing good value.

 Score: 14/20

Restaurant Galicia (Bendigo) 05/2018_

Galicia where's that? Well it's a is an region in the north of Spain, 

BUT Restaurant Galicia is on the main street of Bendigo, squeezed between McDonalds and the Salvo's.

Naturally they serve Spanish food. A small bowl of seasoned corn 

encourages thirst. There is a small menu of local and European wines at very reasonable prices.

It's a small place, formerly the site of Bouchon, a good French restaurant.
The restaurant seems to be unchanged 

with a few pictures on the walls and changes to the decor to produce a Spanish flavour.

They have small serves and mains which are also designed to share. Unfortunately on this occasion  I was eating alone. 
I started with a capsicum stuffed with a tuna paste. 

That might sound pretty ordinary but it was delicate and subtly tasty. I would have loved to have the paella but it's a serve for two. Next time I come here I'll have it anyway.
For now I chose what is probably, deservedly, one of their signature dishes - Pulpa Al a la Gallega

This large meal of the most delicate octopus on a bed of boiled potatoes was garnished with an absolutely fantastic rich capsicum sauce. A real 'go to dish' and it would be great to share.
I wanted to try a spanish dessert so the 'fried milk' was the best choice.

A sweet, hot, lightly crumbed and fried smooth, soft milk jelly, with a sweet nutty dip, it was pleasant but unremarkable. If you like sweet you'd have to like it - I did.
Few a few more $$ you can get away from the pizzas and hamburgers and have a really interesting meal. The cuisine is traditional, quality, domestic style national food Price: I paid $56 for three courses and a glass of Heathcote shiraz. 
Score: 14/20