Muse Cafe, Hunter Valley

Muse Cafe

A trip to the Hunter Valley is never complete without some wine tasting. And wine taste we did! It was about 2.30pm when we reached Hungerford Hill Wines and after sampling some fruity whites and robust reds, I couldn't ignore my rumbling stomach any more and we decided to have lunch at the restaurant.

A sneak peek into the Muse Restaurant area

The Muse dining area is split into two, with a cafe area by day and a more formal restaurant setting at night. Both are surrounded by large glass doors and windows, allowing the daylight to stream into the dining room and giving it a bright, open feel.

Pan fried Canadian sea scallop - $23

We started with two entrees to share. The first of these was the Canadian sea scallops which were wonderfully plump and juicy with a nice golden brown sear on the outside. Nestled among the scallops were pieces of speck and sweet peas which brought lovely salty and slightly sweet flavours to the dish. And how could I go past the creamy sweetcorn puree - it was like all of my favourite things on one plate!

Nulkaba duck liver pate - $20

The other entree dish we shared was the duck liver pate with accompaniments which was artfully presented on a plate with the perfect quenelle of pate in the centre, and the crusty bread, blackberry jam, a radish and rocket salad and cornichons surrounding it. The pate was light and airy and I loved the bread it was served with which were almost like large, extra crunchy croutons. And even though there were a pile of them on the plate, the waitstaff were friendly enough to give us extra when we asked for it. I was surprised at how well the blackberry jam paired with the pate and both of them were polished off by the time we were done.

Pan fried duck breast (served pink) - $34

I was lured in by the pan fried duck breast which was served pink as it said on the menu, though I thought the fat could have been rendered out a little more as it was a bit greasy. The smoked bacon and white bean cream dotted around the plate was deliciously smokey and I was very tempted to just eat it all and hope Sir D didn't notice that there was none left when we swapped. The peach, cress and macadamia salad was a refreshing side to the fatty duck.

Crispy skin Berkshire pork belly - $34

Sir D chose the crispy skin pork belly which was a massive serving - it must have come from a mammoth pig! The skin was mildly crispy but not that earth-shattering crunch we were hoping for. Despite that, the meat was tender and yielding with a nice layer of fat between the skin and the meat. The pork was served with a cauliflower puree (which was also delicious, they do love their purees here!), an apple and mustard leaf salad and a pomegranate dressing which was a sweet, honey-like sauce which paired well with the pork.

Hungerford Hill

We were too full to consider a dessert course but we left Hungerford Hill Wines with a full belly and a small stash of wines to take away with us. Wining and dining - that's what the Hunter Valley is all about!

Muse Restaurant and Cafe
at Hungerford Hill Wines
2450 Broke Rd
Pokolbin NSW 2320
Ph: +61 2 4998 6777
Restaurant open from Wednesday to Saturday, 6-10pm
Café open 7 days, 10am-5pm


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