![Frozen salted caramel parfait, hazelnut. chocolate cookie crunch. Picture by Ash St George Frozen salted caramel parfait, hazelnut. chocolate cookie crunch. Picture by Ash St George](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/MUwv8t3Wj4u7LSUBpSbqhh/877259bb-632c-4565-9a8d-a64a89e3876b.jpg/r0_2042_3799_4234_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
I'm going to start this review upside down because in many ways the dessert menu at Grazing epitomises what the restaurant is all about.
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While there are only four choices on the current menu, each dish showcases local, seasonal produce, treating it simply but with great care. They are comforting, familiar dishes, and the twists are done without any pretentiousness. Any one of them the perfect finish to a day out at Gundaroo.
I'm still thinking about the candied blood orange tarte tatin I had the last time I reviewed Grazing, one of the first places we visited when things opened up after lockdown. Where has that time gone?
![Coconut mousse, rhubarb. Davidson plum meringue. Picture by Ash St George Coconut mousse, rhubarb. Davidson plum meringue. Picture by Ash St George](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/MUwv8t3Wj4u7LSUBpSbqhh/e6e4a01c-5bc5-4ae4-8368-e0505253f631.jpg/r0_1877_4024_4183_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Today I go with the frozen salted caramel parfait, a dessert which, rumour has it, has been on the menu for years. Kurt Neumann's tried to switch it up, but the customers ask for it all the time, noticing when it's not there so back it comes. You can understand why. It's a great dish. The parfait itself is rich, but not overbearingly so, sitting on a bed of light caramel sauce. There's texture from hazelnuts and a chocolate crumb, every mouthful is a joy.
Today's other dessert is the coconut mousse, served with rhubarb from the garden and hidden away underneath a Davidson plum meringue. There's a sense of drama to this dessert. Large shards of meringue are dusted with freeze-dried plum, the mousse inside is light and refreshing but the coconut flavour is truly there. The tartness of the rhubarb balancing the sweetness of it all.
![South Coast snapper sashimi, onion, chive oil, garum. Picture by Ash St George South Coast snapper sashimi, onion, chive oil, garum. Picture by Ash St George](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/MUwv8t3Wj4u7LSUBpSbqhh/6b9f1295-4707-44d6-8fa3-68994f9aefcc.jpg/r0_122_5000_2944_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
I've seen the strawberry tart on Instagram and wish I could order that too, wondering what that Turkish delight ice cream tastes like. Maybe next time.
And there will be a next time, because it's always a treat going to Grazing. The drive to Gundaroo is shorter than you think, pulling up outside the old Royal Hotel makes you think about those pioneers who stayed there back in the 1800s, inside with the stone walls and exposed beams, fireplaces roaring in the chillier months. It truly is an escape right on our doorstep.
There's a couple of ways to approach the menu. Two courses will set you back $60pp, three costs $75pp. There's also a four-course tasting menu for $85pp, if that's how your table wants to approach it, and you can add in matching wines for another $40pp.
![Charred spice octopus, walnut, Aleppo and red pepper. Picture by Ash St George Charred spice octopus, walnut, Aleppo and red pepper. Picture by Ash St George](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/MUwv8t3Wj4u7LSUBpSbqhh/e2eafbf2-f216-4630-99f1-e002d0c052ef.jpg/r0_1992_4000_4364_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
And speaking of wine, is there a local restaurant that supports our local winemakers to the same degree? The only interlopers I can spot are a Veuve and some Spanish and Portuguese dessert wines. Otherwise the wine list offers all our local favourites, Nick O'Leary, Clonakilla, Mount Majura, Lake George, Tallagandra Hill and more. Maybe next time I'll make a day of it and call in to some cellar doors on the way home.
But back to the start of the meal. We opt for the three-course menu but add in some South Coast oysters to start. ($5.50 each.) Every time I've had oysters here they've been fresh and plump, they match well with a glass of the Lerida Estate prosecco.
The snapper for the sashimi starter is also from the South Coast and the presentation is artful. Finely sliced pieces of fish, thin rounds of onion, atop a chive oil with flecks of green and a light dust of spice.
To complete our seafood starters, I go for the charred spiced octopus with walnut, Aleppo and red pepper. It's a sweet little dish with a good kick. The octopus is tender but meaty, with a delicious char. The sauce is moreish, there's a sweetness to it all under the spice and I might have mopped up the plate with the last of the bread.
There's something comforting about the combination of pork, apple and cabbage. Here it's very refined. The pork is topped with the perfect crackle, a fine layer of fat and plenty of tender, flavourful meat. The apple and cabbage are sweet, and there's fennel in there too to offset it all.
![Kurt Neumann, executive chef and co-owner. Picture by Ash St George Kurt Neumann, executive chef and co-owner. Picture by Ash St George](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/MUwv8t3Wj4u7LSUBpSbqhh/2a3515c7-cabc-47ab-974b-3e2dbed25e63.jpg/r0_1407_3648_3525_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The roast spatchcock with summer sweet corn, lardons and chicken jus is also familiar, like a pimped roast chicken dinner. It's piled high on the plate, the spatchcock resting on a bed of corn. The bird is well cooked, crispy on the edges, tender meat. The saltiness of the lardons, with the sweetness of the corn, the refinement of the jus. It's a great dish.
Now that autumn is upon us, the menu will likely change in the next month or so. But that's one of the reasons to make regular reservations at Grazing. It is all about what's best at certain times of the year. Who knows what great seasonal produce will be on show, that's half the fun. Just don't forget to order dessert.
Grazing
Address: The Royal Hotel, corner Cork and Harp Streets, Gundaroo, NSW
Phone: 62368777
Website: grazing.com.au.
Hours: Lunch, Thursday to Sunday; Dinner Thursday to Saturday
Chef: Kurt Neumann
Dietary: Mention upon booking
Noise: No problem