scent of eucalypt

A couple of weekends ago, Malc & I cashed in our free hotel vouchers for Peppers Fairway Resort and Spa (Sublime Point Road, Leura ph 02 4784 4144) in the Blue Mountains. We planned to just relax, catch up on sleep (me) and watch sports on cable (Malc). However, the Blue Mountains is so beautiful, Malc & I took a 1-hour hike that started near the hotel grounds. Apparently, the Blue Mountain is named after the blue mist from the oil emitted by the eucalyptus trees.

Another reason for the Blue Mountain sojourn was to try out Peppers' famous Restaurant, Eucalypt. So, after the hike, we and our excited tummies, trudged down to the restaurant. For entrees, I had the trio of entrees of crab mouse with salsa verdé, seared scallops with grapefruit dressing, sashimi of yellow fin tuna with French shallot confit (photo), and Malc had Muscovite duck breast with traditional Peking duck spring rolls and Java peppercorn sauce. The entrees were superb, the flavours were delicate and well put together. They thoroughly whetted our appetite for the main course.

For our mains I ordered roast atlantic salmon, braised baby cos, vegetable pearl with beetroot and hazelnut sauce. Malc had aged “ Megalong” beef fillet with parmeson crust, garlic galette and red wine jus. The salmon was absolutely heavenly, moist and not too flaky. The presentation was quite clever too. The salmon cut was wrapped around in a way where the fatty part of the fish was in the center so the last bite was the most luxurious.

We were the picture of contentment after our meal. Adding to our satifsaction was the genuine friendliness of the well-trained waitstaff. Malc commented that the menu was not as extensive as most Sydney restaurant, but the dishes were exceptionally well done. And on our way out, we complimented the maitre d' on the fantastic service we received.