See My Plate: Biota Restaurant

Came by this restaurant whilst driving back from Perisher last weekend, was passing by Southern Highlands of NSW around lunchtime and was feeling peckish. Did a quick urbanspoon search to discover this gem of a restaurant nearby.

Located in Bowral in a quiet street, you would drive by and never knew it existed. Surrounded by lush hedges and garden, privacy is guaranteed.

Lunch on Sundays offers the lounge Tapas Menu or an A La Carte Degustation. (If having any of the degustation menus, best to call in advance to make bookings)

Considering the weather we chose to sit in the lounge next to the gardens and have the Tapas Menu.

Tapas Menu for June (Lounge Menu)

There were a wide variety of courses available, with a common theme of Modern Australian and Eastern European influences.
We asked the waitress for her recommendation on what was popular. We decided to go for 4 tapas and dessert, this proved satisfying and also to be very fulfilling.

Home cut Fries with Egg White Aioli $9

The oversized fries/wedges really came out cooked perfectly, soft and moist on the inside, but still crunchy on the outside. The Egg Aioli was the perfect companion, with a strong presence of garlic, it's the perfect complement to the fries, and an excellent side for all the other Tapas to come.

Mini Wagyu Burgers $12

These two little burgers were oozing with flavour literally. Nice soft sourdough bun with succulent Wagyu beef and a rich tantalising sauce to top it off. At McDonalds this would be the McWOW, just was amazing! The only problem is that it was quite small, we were quite keen for more. As above having the fries on the side with aioli only enhances the experience. All we needed now was our toy and we had the gourmet happy meal going on.

Biota Pimms Cup pimms No1, cucumber, mint, orange & garden botanicals, topped with lemonade & dry $15

Grilled Butifarra Pork and Chili Sausage $16

Butifarra (Catalan pronunciation: [butiˈfarə], is traditionally a Spanish sausage made of raw pork and spices. Ours was grilled, but it did not lose any of its natural flavours. Served with caramelised onion the dish has several key flavours that interact together in harmony. The sausage salty but moist and the onion sweet and slimy, a great combination, a side of fries or salad is recommended though as to soak up some of the sausages natural oils.

Wet Maize with Forest Mushrooms and Toasted Garlic Oil $12

A great winter warmer! Maize (corn) is a great base for winter dishes. It provides a natural base for the mushrooms and cheese and is very filling. The Shiitake mushrooms were lightly fried to release their aroma and the ricotta adds a strong punch, a very well balanced and delectable dish.

Bitter Chocolate with Toasted Almonds, Honey Comb and a Ginger Sorbet $14

A strange combination to say the least, if you like unique sorbet flavours you will love it. The Chocolate moose by itself is exquisite and the honeycomb adds great texture. But the ginger sorbet leaves you wondering why? If you are looking for a wake me up though the sorbet has a very strong flavour that should kick your olfactory system into gear and clear and sinus build-ups :)

To summarise my experience it is probably one of the best restaurants I've been to for a while. The layout and presentation was top notch. The food was satisfying, hearty and fulfilling, and value for money was exceptional. Our meal was for two, and at $43 per head, its one of my cheapest experiences at a Chef's Hat Awarded restaurant.

A definite must visit if you're heading south of Sydney, or want a quick and easy getaway from the city.

Happy Eating :)

S & S