A DAY IN DAYLESFORD

Wombat Hill House – Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens (car entry off Central Spring Road) www.wombathillhouse.com.au

It just happens that sometimes we hear about the impending arrival of a new restaurant or café, usually because of the pedigree of the chef or owner, and we eagerly follow its progress through until opening; and other times we stumble across an unexpected gem that’s had no press but thoroughly deserves some. This week in Daylesford I did both.

After very closely watching the latest series of The Block, I can tell you that whoever was responsible for the interior design of Wombat Hill House was one stylish cat! But then, expectations were always going to be high, as this café set in the grounds of the Daylesford Botanical Gardens is the latest project for the legend from The Lakehouse, Alla Wolf-Tasker.

Food aside, this is possibly one of the “prettiest” establishments I’ve seen. Pale blue tones through the wall decals, boldly painted and upholstered outdoor settings, brightly covered high backed chairs, it’s mismatched, but very deliberately so. One wall of floor to ceiling shelving is dedicated to their “store”, produce from Wolf-Tasker’s own kitchen, books, pots, and more; and the dining is split between the main room with largely communal tables, and outdoor glassed sunroom and the back courtyard garden.

There’s something comforting about knowing how a place operates from the get go, which is why I was happy to see a big bright sign upon entering Wombat Hill House instructing me to take a menu, find a table and order at the counter when ready.

This is café fare, but with dishes that sound like they’ve been cooked in a warm, home kitchen - Meatballs with heavenly mash and tomato ragu; chilli crumbed three cheese macaroni bake; or lamb pot pie with polenta top. As well as these meals there are soups, pizzas, sandwiches and baguettes – as well as a few specials each day.

It’s hard to be negative when a café looks so stunning, when the staff are friendly and efficient, and when the menu’s so enticing it takes an age to choose; but it’s worth pointing out that for the price some of the meals were smaller than we expected. At $18 for the lamb pot pie with polenta topping, it was a small bowl and it was far from full. Not to say we walked away hungry, but there was certainly room enough for dessert.

From the specials board the baguette with slow cooked pulled pork and Asian salad was on the money, not too much crunch in the warm baguette, the pork almost sweet and falling apart in the mouth. It was $14, but tasty enough that I didn’t batter an eyelid at the bill.

Wine is largely local, with some cameos from Germany, WA, Italy and the Murray Darling, beer and ciders are boutique and pretty pricey for that reason.

Wombat Hill House is also open for breakfast, they offer lunch packs to eat in the surrounding gardens, and they’re even doing twilight service on Sundays. Well worth a look

Ego’s Culinaria – 10 Howe Street Daylesford – www.egosculinaria.com.au

 So, that was the long-awaited opening, but sometimes it’s just as nice to wander in to a lesser known venue and be blown away by the food, service and ambience – and that’s just how it was with Ego’s Culinaria. The strike rate in terms of style must be pretty high in Daylesford, this place was all class with chic mismatched timber chairs, vintage foreign food posters, and chandelier; but there was nothing snobby about the service.

Owner and chef Christian Reuther has run Ego Cakes and Catering for four years, but ten months ago he opened Ego’s Culinaria and no doubt he’s been increasing waistlines in the area ever since. Christian’s responsible for all of the products in the café – house-made bread, crumpets, shortcrust pastry, cakes and more are made entirely on site. The hardest decision must be choosing which time of day to visit, the breakfast menu is served all day and it’s littered with sumptuous offerings like those house-made crumpets with Istra bacon, honey roasted pear and maple syrup; there’s toasted bagel with scrambled egg, ocean trout cured in vodka and beetroot, Meredith goat’s cheese and garlic chives; or maybe sautéed field mushrooms and Swiss chard on toasted rosemary brioche with ewe’s milk cheese lemon and truffle oil.

At lunch time the options include home-made soup, and larger meals involving venison or spring lamb, or the permanent pastry options which include beef cheek empanadas, spinach banitza or roasted veg & feta tart – all priced at $12 with salad and chutney.

If it’s coffee and cake you’re after, the decision’s no easier – from orange blossom Portuguese tarts or  delectable shortcrust pastry apple pie (that pastry does the obligatory melt in the mouth), to Danish pastries and chocolate éclairs. The quality is second to none, so a price of between $3.50 to $5 is more than fair.

Ego’s is just one of those places with a fabulous vibe, the sort of café you want to hang around in all afternoon, and I’d certainly head back to repeat just that exercise.

PLAY: Ela Carte indulges in Daylesford

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