Vault 146, Windsor
A hidden gem in Windsor
I don’t find myself in Windsor all that often, but when a restaurant that’s only been opened since late last year has been getting quite a word-of-mouth praising by their customers, I thought I might pop over there and see what’s the go.
We were promptly shown to our seats when we arrived and served water soon after as we perused the menu. I had taken the initiative to pick out my main beforehand from the online menu (yeah, I was kind of overly enthusiastic), but noticed that the menu was slightly different, which kind of threw my plans into a slight disarray.
Finally though, after some “I’ll get this if you get that” dealings, we worked out what we both wanted.
Side of Wedges and Aioli ($8)
Hand-cut Wedges... So massive!!
When F’s entrée of wedges with aioli came out, we both thought they had gotten our order wrong and had given us a main! The huge bowl was filled to the brim with hand-cut wedges, which were lightly seasoned with some spice. They were also cooked to perfection: crisp on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. The aioli was okay (F took a shine to it actually), though I liked eating the wedges on its own.
Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Wasabi Coleslaw and Pork Reduction ($16)
I was glad that my entrée wasn’t as ginormous when I saw it approach the table – I hate wasting food because I can’t finish it. The pork belly was pretty nicely done; I liked how crunchy the skin was and how succulent the pork was underneath. I didn’t care much for the coleslaw though. I felt that the cabbage taste, made sharp by the wasabi, jarred and overwhelmed the delicate flavours of the pork a bit.
Lamb Backstrap with Port Jus on Rosemary and Olive Polenta with Wilted Spinach ($35)
F’s main looked so scrumptious and hearty – and I looked on with envy. The lamb was beautifully cooked and deliciously well-seasoned. The lamb was so incredibly tender that F’s knife slid through it like a hot knife through butter. F loved the polenta and I was told that the components all complimented each other very well.
Side of Caesar Salad ($8)
When his “side” order of caesar salad came out, we again thought they had our order wrong… It was gigantic! We couldn’t help but check out the receipt afterwards and realised that it truly was a side serving. The salad was your average fare, though it did spark a bit of a debate between us: was that fried bacon or fried prosciutto? I thought it was fried/dried bacon or something because it was a bit too thick to be prosciutto and it wasn’t as salty.
Beef Tenderloin on Volcanic Rock with Mashed Potatoes, Bernaise Sauce and a side salad ($35)
I don’t know what it is, but I love cooking my own dish at the table. Hearing the sizzle as the beef cook on the volcanic slab and having to turn it over, making sure it doesn’t burn, was a lot of fun. Though for some reason, when I read on the menu that I’d be cooking my own meat on a volcanic rock, I thought that I’d be literally cooking on a rock, draping my meat over it and all that. I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t because the volcanic rock-slab was so… civilised. Heh.
I found that I had to take the tenderloin off the slab before it cooked too much – the slab stayed hot for quite a while. I really liked the beef; it was perfectly seasoned with thyme and pepper and it was so jucily tender. I’m a total wuss with anything spicy and that also extends to pepper – terrible I know. Anything that has “too much” pepper in it makes me reach for a glass of water, spluttering. I was surprised that even though it looked like there was a lot of pepper on the beef, it was pretty mild.
I had a choice of roasted potatoes, chips, or mash. Much of the reason why I chose mash was the curiosity of how they make it (and see how it compares to the french-style mash I’ve grown to become overly obsessed about). The mash was quite good: heartily thick and creamy with a few lumps (I actually like my mash a bit lumpy).
Garden Salad that accompanied the Beef Tenderloin
To be honest, I didn’t get to eat much of the salad that accompanied the beef. I was pretty full by this stage (I totally blame those addictive wedges) and was mindful of the dessert we were to have later. I did pick at it (mostly the tomatoes and cucumber) and managed to finish about half of it.
Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta served with Balsamic Reduction Strawberries ($12)
Ever since we had Jonah’s panna cotta at the Taste Festival, F likes to do the “wobble test”: if it wobbles like Jonah’s did, then there’s a high probability that it will be good (see chocolatesuze chuck a wobbly). The Vault 146′s panna cotta did wobble like Jonah’s and it was delectably creamy. The strawberries and balsamic reduction were a nice touch too.
F still raves on about the panna cotta and said that if he didn’t know any better, he would have thought the chef that made that Jonah’s panna cotta works here.
Creme Brulee with Toffee Shards and fresh Strawberries ($12)
The toffee shards had me a bit worried that the creme brulee would not have that famous hard caramel to crack (I love cracking it), like it was some sort of fancy de-constructed creme brulee. It wasn’t, but it wasn’t very thick either to have that satisfying crack as you tap the top with your spoon (it cracked rather meekly and quietly as it was so thin). Despite that, it was actually pretty good, even though it had a hint of ginger in it (and I don’t normally like ginger in anything).
I loved the toffee shards though. They were fun to eat and when combined with a nibble of strawberry and a spoonful of creme brulee… oh! It was a deliciously fun party.
Looking into the Kitchen
More often than not, we seem to be seated near the kitchen and it’s always interesting to see how the kitchen and wait staff out in front work together.
The chef would ding his bell to signal a dish ready to be served and the wait staff would come up to collect and serve it appropriately. With one of the dishes served that night, the chef dinged once, noticed that the waitress was already heading his way and dinged the bell a couple more times in a well-known rhythm, which the waitress seamlessly finished off when she got there. Cute!
Outside Vault 146
Vault 146 is established in a building that used to be a bank, which made me realise why it looks grandiose. Inside, it is a spaciously shiny restaurant/wine bar with a relaxing atmosphere. I was surprised to find that even though it was a Wednesday night it was decently filled with customers – mostly by couples, although there were a couple of families.
The service here is brisk and efficient – the wait staff friendly and direct. Both F and I really enjoyed our night at Vault 146 with their super generous serving sizes (we were so full, we practically rolled back to the car) and equally wonderfully flavoured and textured dishes. We would definitely come back for a satisfying meal.
Quite frankly, I think this is one of those restaurants that gives the stereotype that there isn’t any nice, affordable, “fancy” food in the west the boot.
Vault 146
146 George Street
Windsor, NSW, 2756
Ph: (02) 4587 8146
Web: http://www.vault146.com.au/
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By squishies
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This article was written on 14 Aug 2009, and is filed under Dessert, Dinner, Modern Australian, Sydney, West.
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Hehe shame on me for not discovering a great looking restaurant in my neck of the woods! Woo hoo finally, a restaurant I can check out that’s not far to drive!
.-= Karen´s last blog ..Spiced Chocolate Bread + Butter Pudding =-.
For a minute I thought you were in the UK. lol! That’s how often I get to Windsor! Food looks great – a wide spectrum of cuisines on offer! And the coordinated bell ringing sounds like a movie prelude to a simmering kitchen romance. lol
.-= Helen´s last blog ..Restaurant 09, Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park =-.
You sure know how to live it up! If I ever visit Australia, I’ll have quite a roster of restaurants to try.
.-= Irina@PastryPal´s last blog ..Hazelnut Shortbread With Bite =-.
heh heh wobble wobble i love me a good wobble…
.-= chocolatesuze´s last blog ..Nuffnang’s Challenge 1000! [7] =-.
I love cooking my own food at the table as well – maybe it’s somthing to do with my childhood habit of playing with food! I agree that the rock doesn’t look as rugged and straight-from-the-volcano as I would’ve expected if I read ‘volcanic rock’ on the menu, but I guess it makes it easier to cook your meat evenly.
.-= Jacq´s last blog ..Mumu Grill, Crows Nest =-.
Haha yep a pannacottas gotta wobble! There are so many bad pannacotta out there, nice to see one done right
I see what you mean about the volcanic rock, it looks more like a bathroom tile! Still looks quite fun though
.-= Steph´s last blog ..Soban, Chatswood =-.
looks like a great place to eat. you’ve sold me if i ever visit windsor.
.-= Simon Food Favourites´s last blog ..Grand National: Pub Bistro, Paddington (6 August 2009) =-.
Hehe, the rock is disappointingly un-rocklike, but cooking your own food is fun. The pannacotta sounds awesome too!
.-= Arwen from Hoglet K´s last blog ..Cafe Bello =-.
Hee hee I agree, cooking that beef on the volcanic rock would be so much fun! And glad to see the staff ahving some fun as well hee hee but Windsor is sooooo faarrrrr 0_o…
.-= FFichiban´s last blog ..Indonesia in Harmony ‘Pesta Kampung’ – EQ Fox Studios, Sydney. =-.
Windsor seems a bit far away to travel for food (did I really just say that?!). But those wedges DO look good!
.-= Y´s last blog ..A week of baking vegan =-.
Karen: LOL! Heheh Let me know what you think of it when you do eventually go =)
Helen: Hahah, I wish I went to the UK! Still haven’t been =(
Omg! The coordinated bell ringing does sound like a romance movie prelude! I didn’t even think of it that way hehehe makes it even more cute! =D
Irina@PastryPal: Haha it’s all these restaurants luring me delicious sounding meals… I can’t possibly resist!
Hehe If you need a hand in trying to short list places, I’d be more than happy to help =)
chocolatesuze: Bahahah that you do ^_^ That video still makes me giggle!
Jacq: Yeah, that’s what my more pragmatic side of me said and that cut of beef wouldn’t really stay very well on something uneven *imagines it rolling off and onto the table* teehee
Steph: I get so sad when I have a bad panna cotta =( Seems like such a waste.
Bahaha bathroom tile! Nice one… I didn’t see it, but now I do =) Hehehehe
Simon Food Favourites: Haha “if ever” =) So many restaurants, too little time. Let me know what you think of it if you do
Arwen from Hoglet K: Yes! Even though it “disappointingly un-rocklike” (love how you described it), cooking the meat myself definitely made up for it =)
FFichiban: Hehe yeah, it’s cool to see that the wait staff can have some fun but can be professional also.
It IS really far =( It took longer than I thought it would.
Y: Hahha I guess sometimes there’s a limit to how far you’d travel for food – I think mine’s to the Blue Mountains. Anything further and I’m not in the neighbourhood.. well… *sighs* I guess I’m missing out.
Aww… craving me some of those massive wedges now.