Gigi’s of Beechworth
The Brooding Architect and I spent the Australia Day (extra long) weekend out in country Victoria in honour of ‘The Pilot and The (Almost) Architect’s 3 Day Wedding Extravaganza’. Amongst all of the wedding festivities, we managed to sneak in a side trip to Beechworth to check out some of the local food and wine.
In keeping with tradition, Australia Day Weekend was hot and dry – which was fantastic for the pre-wedding pool party and Bush Ranger BBQ, but not so great for the drive from Euroa to Beechworth without the luxury of air con. After a disgustingly hot 1 hour drive, to escape the heat The Brooding Architect and I retreated indoors for a late lunch at Gigi’s of Beechworth.
Gigi’s is a lovely and relaxed country bistro, with a real focus on local produce and wine. Every single dish on the menu used ingredients sourced from local suppliers, such as Milawa goats cheese, Mrtyleford berries and King Valley wines. Gigi’s even bake their own bread and roast their own coffee.
To kick things off The Brooding Architect and I enjoyed some cracking local wines over The Whitlams soundtrack playing in the background. The Brooding Architect opted for a glass of Cirko V ‘The Ringmaster’ Viognier 2009 ($15), while I went for ‘The Ron Diamond’ Rose 2010 ($12) – which our very knowledgeable waiter (who I suspect is actually the owner) told us was named after the numerous Viagra emails the producer received from a mysterious man named Ron Diamond.
The Ron Diamond is a rose than means business and packs a punch – the complete opposite to the soft blush pink roses The Brooding Architect and I were quaffing like water in France last year. It is a distinctive jewel red colour, has a lovely dry finish and is very drinkable. I suspect it would go very well with duck and quail, as well pretty much anything cooked on the BBQ.
The Brooding Architect cannot tell me much about The Ringmaster, except that he really, really liked it. You will just have to trust him that it was a good drop.
As it was a disgustingly hot day, we went for some lighter lunch options.
I ordered the Gigi’s Tasting Plate ($25), which meant that I could sample lots of Gigi’s most popular dishes.The tasting plate included a caprese salad made with sweet locally grown tomatoes and handmade buffalo mozzarella, tempura oysters, pumpkin arancinci balls and (my favorite) a goats cheese souffle served with a refreshing orange and fennel salad.
The goats cheese souffle was golden and puffy and light – all the things a good souffle should be. The orange and fennel salad was zesty and crunchy, a classic combination of perfectly thin slivers of fennel and wafer thin orange segments. The salad was the perfect match for the rich and creamy buttery goodness of the souffle.
The Brooding Architect ordered the Alpine Zucchini Flower stuffed with Milawa Goats Cheese, served on a bed of a light, summer style ratatouille made with sweet caramelized capsicum, mushroom and zucchini, dressed with a fresh and vibrant homemade basil pesto. Every mouthful was packed full of flavour and texture – the sweetness of the ratatouille, the sharp tang of the goats cheese and the crunch of the golden tempura batter. A delightful combination.
Long time readers will know that The Brooding Architect is partial to a sweet bakery treat and given that we were in such close proximity to the Beechworth Bakery, we had planned to pick up a Beesting and have dessert on the way back to the Jolly Swagman Motor Inn (Euroa’s premium accommodation option). Luckily, our waiter convinced us to have a look at the dessert menu, otherwise we would have missed out one of the best desserts I have tried in a long time – Gin soaked Savoie (a French style sponge cake), with stewed rhubarb and fresh blueberry ice cream ($15).
Gin soaked cake is my idea of dessert heaven. Combined with rich and creamy homemade vanilla ice-cream chock and block full of whole fresh blueberries and you really cannot get much better – that is until you have the occasional spoonful and sweet and tangy rhubarb with a lemon zest hit. 10 out 1o and well worth the 2 hour round trip sans air con!
Great to see you enjoyed your dining experience in Beechworth. Gigi’s is certainly one of the favourites and has good reputation across the North East and further afield.
That dessert looks and sounds like something I have only ever dreamed of. Looks like another trip back up the Hume is in order. Thanks for coming guys!
The (Almost) Architect: Yes, a return trip is a must. I keep raving about the Yarck House to anyone who will listen! Thanks again for letting us share your special day with you – it was magical.