Fellow gastronome, Marion suggested Mantra on King William for an early dinner mid week. Of course I jumped at the opportunity to spend some quality time with this interesting former ABC television journalist that is currently working with Bottega Rotolo, an upmarket provodore located towards Norwood.
Who said life can't be simple and sophisticated at the same time? Still water, good olive oil and bread
The menu looked absolutely tantalising, with a creative array of tapas and entrees piquing our interest we were having serious trouble deciding what to order. We concurred finally that the best idea would be to get a smattering of different tapas and entrees to share. Doesn't the saying go, the more flavours the merrier!
A glass of Uber Riesling from the McLaren Vale to enjoy with the green Manzanilla olives stuffed with white anchovy and seared scallops with zesty lemon and pesto. The scallops were to-die-for and had us diving in to dip up the delish aiolo style pesto with our bread.
Succulent smoked duck with a delicate orange sauce and rocket salad
Poached Rabbit and pistachio terrine wrapped in prosciutto with apricot and Orange chutney, served with olive oil crisp bread that complimented perfectlySharing bits and bites turned out to be a very wise decision, leaving ample space for dessert and cheese, that truly was the crowning glory of our meal. Lucky for me, Marion's current job has made given her a deft ability to pick out the best varieties of cheeses and pair them with just the right wine.
Marion my dinner date digs into dessert, ensuring me of another smart pick
Vanilla Bean Panacotta with Cherries: The highlight of my meal and perhaps the best pannacotta I have eaten
Cheese hits the spot: Brie and Blue served with Muscatel grapes, fig slices and lavosh cream crackers
Saint Agur, a French Blue made from cow milk, (Auvergne) has balanced saltiness with mild blue-green veins that are offset by a rich, creamy texture. The other is a triple Brie also from France (Seine-et-Marne), a soft, surface ripened cow milk cheese, oozing delicious centre with a slight mushroom smell to it.
To accompany the cheese a Barossan Tokay 
2 comments:
I went ther last week and wasn't very satisfied, two of the cheeses on the cheese platter were clearly 'off'. Maybe a crash course in HACCP wouldn't go astray. Whilst serivce was reasonable, I don't think the prices justify my food experience. Won't be going back in a hurry...
Thank you for your comment. I had a hunch that since my first visit in March '09 the quality of food has declined. This assumption was made based on a wine paired dinner by the University of Adelaide Wine Clubs that was held at Mantra last month. Entrees were passe and barely enough to go around, menu for the night left alot to be said and the main beef steak was horrible - none were done to anyone's preffered liking. Went away with the feelig of having paid too much for a hellish meal. Although, I put off the bad experience to the restaurant bein unable to cater to large numbers ( we were probably 80 people) however, your comments only confirm my previous hunch.
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