What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than lunching at the Mudgee Brewing Co Restaurant and sampling their unique range of beers, whilst listening to some live entertainment.
It’s a hard life, but someone has got to do it. We are visiting friends in the Mudgee area and taking the time to sample some of the local fare.
The restaurant and the brewery are both located in the same heritage building, so the back drop to the restaurant is the micro brewery itself. There are sets of shiny stainless steel vats containing the beer and various other pieces of brewing equipment on display. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed and we quickly settle in for the afternoon.
I love dining in groups, firstly it is always a great atmosphere when you are sharing a meal with friends and family, but more importantly for my restaurant review, I am usually assured of more than just a few food images.
Whilst the company and atmosphere is top notch our range of meals ordered is limited. After our group of eight adults and two children has finished pursuing the menu we find we have all chosen the same dishes!
When it came time to order I was torn between the Antipasto Turkish Bread with Green Salad and the Thai fried noodles with lemon and garlic prawn. Mr GG and Jess chose the noodles so obviously, I chose the Antipasto Turkish Bread so that we had a bit of variety at our table. Hubby is always happy to share with me so I knew I would be able to sample his noodles.
Thankfully Stacey chose something a little different with the Soup of the Day which was a Seafood Chowder and a homemade bread roll. The chowder was lovely and thick with seafood and chunks of pumpkin. I loved the fennel throughout the dish as it gave the seafood a fresh taste that suited the Spring weather.
The remainder of the table chose the Beer Battered Fish and chips with Salad and Aioli. They were all very happy with their dish, although I have to say, this is one meal which is on just about every menu but has absolutely no appeal to me.
Obviously, the happy masses can’t all be wrong in their culinary appreciation, but I don’t understand the appeal of fish and chips, even if it’s called a beer batter, or a tempura it is all fish and chips to me.
My Antipasto Turkish Bread was absolutely perfect. It dripped with oil from the marinated vegetables, pesto and cheese, and it would have been no more healthy than the fish and chips, but the taste was magic. Come to think of it I don’t think I even offered Mr GG a bite. The salad was dressed with a lovely balsamic vinaigrette and I enjoyed every mouthful of my meal.
Mr GG shared a mouthful of the prawn and noodles with me and it was also delicious. The noodle salad was full of yummy fresh, Asian flavours, and beautiful garlicky prawns, it was a great combination and he was very lucky to get it back. He declared himself the winner for choosing the best dish of the day and I couldn’t argue.
The rest of the afternoon was spent listening to the band and enjoying the atmosphere of the Mudgee Brewing Company and a table full of friends and family.
The brewery is open from 9.00am Monday to Friday and 8.30am on a weekend. Beer tasting platters are available at the bar for $6.00 for a “sevens” glass of each of the four beers. The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch 7 days a week, and dinner from Thursday – Saturday.
