On a weekend getaway to Bowral, we stopped by the Bendooley Estate winery in Berrima NSW to have lunch inside the Berkelouw Book Barn. It’s been on my want-to-visit list for some time, so I made sure to reserve a table in advance.
Berkelouw Book Barn is busy and almost full when we get there for our 12.15pm reservation. Walk-ins are turned away without a reservation. We’re led inside to our table amongst the bookshelves and provided with menus.
There’s something remarkable about dining at the book barn. It’s gorgeous inside with high ceilings and timber beams, wrought-iron modern chandeliers, lots of natural light, and something naughty about eating amongst these brand new and old books for sale.
After having breakfast at our bed & breakfast in Bowral, we skipped entrees and ordered mains. I had the blue swimmer crab linguine, chilli, garlic, lemon and gremolata ($29). It was cooked al-dente, fresh and simple with a nice mild hit of chilli. Couldn’t fault it at all.
Mr FPJ ordered the 250g Black Angus eye fillet with roasted onion puree, potatoes, salsa verde, truss tomatoes & eschalot jus ($48). He asked for it on the rare side of medium rare. It was a good effort by the chef, with one side being more rare than the other side. He also enquired about going to the cellar door for a tasting, but hadn’t made a reservation. The next available slot was in about 90 minutes but we didn’t particularly want to wait that long. Our waitress kindly offered to provide some tastings at the restaurant (though it’s not usually offered) if there were particular wines he wanted to try. He picked two reds and these came quickly to the table.
I wanted to finish off with something sweet and decided on the Tunisian citrus samosas with orange caramel & vanilla ice cream ($15). This tasted like orange and almond cake, fried in little filo parcels. I loved the potent orange caramel, some pistachios on the side and a generous serve of vanilla ice cream. Light and refreshing, but very moreish.
Good service, nice atmosphere and good food. I did kick myself for not visiting Bendooley Estate Larder which is located in Bowral. I had assumed it was somewhere on the estate/winery. We had just checked out of Bowral and were on our way home so didn’t bother driving back.
What we learnt – book a restaurant and any wine tastings you might want to do ahead of time especially during these COVID times.
Berkelouw Book Barn
Bendooley Estate – 3020 Old Hume Hwy, Berrima NSW 2577
Foodgasm 9/10
Service 8.5/10
Value for money 8/10
FPJ score 25.5/30
If you want more random photos and updates about food, I’m on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:
Facebook: /foodpornjournal
Twitter: @foodpornjournal
Instagram: /foodpornjournal