For our wedding anniversary, we drive out to Nick O’Leary’s restaurant Heywood at Wallaroo (near Hall) after booking an outdoor undercover table.
We decide to order multiple small plates to share, with one main and side, skipping the entire charcuterie section of the menu. There are a few mocktails on the menu and I’m happy to try two of them over the course of our lunch.
The whipped chicken liver parfait on brioche toast with rhubarb ($8 each) are delicious little morsels. The tartness of the rhubarb helps cut through the richness of the parfait.
You can’t go wrong with a good smoked chorizo with dill, capers and lemon ($12). Smokey, hot and delicious. The fried cauliflower with smoked chilli salt and guindillas ($18) is our new favourite dish. It’s kind of like popcorn chicken using cauliflower, and we’re tempted to try and replicate this at home. The dusting of chilli salt adds a nice heat to the tongue.
The haloumi with charred peach and Aleppo pepper, kangaroo prosciutto, chardonnay shrub and coriander oil ($29) sounds like a good dish and it really is. An awesome little taste explosion with all of these elements combined. I forgot to ask for no coriander oil (as Mr FPJ hates coriander) but he can’t actually taste the coriander so that works out well.
Of the larger plates, we choose the market fish (swordfish) with beurre noisette, capers, parsley and lemon. This isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing dish but we are more disappointed that it’s overcooked and dry around the edges. We order a bowl of fries ($14) and the roasted beetroot with sheep milk yoghurt, lime leaf salsa and fried beetroot leaves ($16) to go with it. We end up enjoying the side dishes more than the main!
Of the two desserts on the menu, I choose the chocolate ganache with butterscotch, shortcrust crumb and orange textures. Very sweet and essentially a deconstructed chocolate tart. It’s quite rich so definitely a nice one to share between two.
Mr FPJ fit in some wine tastings in between courses. I’m very glad I picked the undercover area as it did start pouring with rain (though only briefly) and it’s quite noisy inside with a packed house. There’s a nice large green lawn for the kiddies to frolic and play too with one family opting for a picnic blanket – great for the warmer months.
Check out my reel below
Nick O’Leary’s Heywood
149 Brooklands Rd, Wallaroo NSW
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