‘Like culinary crack’: The $160 five-course truffle feast worth the 90 minute drive

This secret Aussie restaurant is serving up a five-course, $160 truffle feast that is so good it’s been likened to culinary crack.

The Paddock restaurant at Beechmont Estate in the Scenic Rim.

‘I could eat 500 of them,” says my dinner date, devouring a cigar of perfectly laminated pastry, twisted with truffle-dotted cheese, that has been cooked until the pastry flakes and the cheese melts into a gnarly, moan-inducing deep golden puddle.

We’re at The Paddock in Beechmont in the Scenic Rim – 90 minutes from Brisbane and
45 minutes from the Gold Coast.

Situated inside the 30ha Beechmont Estate retreat, the restaurant is set within a contemporary lodge boasting a soaring pitched ceiling, timber barn doors, roaring fireplace and soft leather lounges and dining chairs.

The dining room at The Paddock inside Beechmont Estate.

While dinner feels moody and romantic, lunch is perhaps the better time to visit, with the venue wrapped by floor-to-ceiling windows ensuring dramatic views of the surrounding verdant paddocks and rich bushland.

In the kitchen is acclaimed chefs and couple Chris and Alex Norman (ex-Versace, Gold Coast, Emporium Hotel, South Brisbane and Herve’s, Albion) who take their love of local produce to the next level, filling the contemporary, yet classically based a la carte and five-course degustation menus with everything from Tommerup Farm creme fraiche to 4Real Milk labneh.

The couple, who I caught up with earlier, tell me how they pick up from many of the local suppliers themselves to ensure they have only the freshest of nearby ingredients.

A dish at The Paddock Restaurant in the Beechmont Estate, Beechmont.

My partner orders the five-course “Month of truffle” menu for $160pp, while I dine from the
a la carte offering.

First to hit the table, however, are two rather potent signature cocktails from the solid drinks list, which includes a plethora of beers, mocktails and wines from mostly well-known Australian producers, alongside a smattering of European labels, all at affordable prices.

Next up is some crusty, housemade bread with truffle butter, before that aforementioned cheese twist, ready to be dunked into an accompanying potato and leek soup topped with freshly shaved Stanthorpe truffle as part of the five-course feast.

While the pastry number is like culinary crack, the soup is just as good, giving us high hopes for what is to come.

A pork dish at The Paddock Restaurant.

And we’re not disappointed. My entree of mud crab tortellini ($36) arrives in a half shell with three of the crustacean-packed dumplings buoyant in a bath of creamy bisque flavoured with verbena from the kitchen garden outside. It’s classic European fare executed with precision; as is the fillet of Murray cod – its skin so crisp it audibly snaps as its flesh soaks up the accompanying truffle-infused velouté.

Wild-shot Australian venison is next for the dego menu, with the lean protein served pink under a doona of shaved truffle. In textural contrast is the beautifully fatty wagyu rump cap ($62) from the a la carte menu with great marbling and a red onion marmalade to complement the beef’s caramelised crust. Both mains come with a small side of potato, though it’s recommended for satiety sake to order a side of the roasted pumpkin ($18). Grown on site and roasted into submission, it’s drizzled with 4Real labneh to balance out the natural sweetness.

A dessert at The Paddock in Beechmont.

And speaking of sweetness, dessert is a must, with Alex creating a toasted sourdough ice cream with caramelised whey, chocolate crumb, parsnip chips and shaved truffle for the degustation that almost reads savoury but with saccharine pops amid the melange of textures. While those who prefer more tart desserts will adore the poached rhubarb ($20), with sugar-dusted crostoli for crunch and balance against the cheek-sucking sour rhubarb elements.

The highly passionate, endearing and well-trained staff keep the evening flowing and ensure we finish on a high, delivering a plate of pretty-as-a-picture petit fours.

For a fine dining experience with food and service as good as the views, The Paddock is well worth a visit.

The Paddock

422 Binna Burra Rd, Beechmont

4777 7377

beechmontestate.com.au

Open

Lunch and dinner daily

Must try

Mud crab tortellini

Verdict

Food 4

Service 4.5

Ambience 4

Value 3.5

Overall 4