Deer Duck Bistro

Deer Duck Bistro
Address: 396 Milton Rd Auchenflower, QLD 4066
http://www.deerduckbistro.com.au/

Z and I choose to try the Deer Duck Bistro degustation to celebrate our birthdays. We've heard good reviews about the place; however, most people seem to indicate that when they were there 2-3 years ago, the food has been amazing. No one seems to have a clear indication on what the restaurant is like now.

From the outside, the restaurant looked unassuming. It was not until we stepped into the restaurant that we realised it is separated into three dining quarters. The first section (as you stepped in), is very simply decorated. It had an easy, casual feel that you would normally get in a nice cafe. The second larger room is a little bit more closely packed. The decor is very much art deco (think 1920s; chandeliers, dark walls, wooden floors and dim lighting...). The third room, which is where Z and I were seated, was a little bit more spacious and it continues the decoration ambience from the larger room.

We opted for the 7 course degustation that night (the picture will only show 6 dishes - the amuse bouche picture has gone MIA). Instead of matching wine for each dish (Z doesn't like whites); we opted for a bottle of red that would go with (almost) every dish.

We started off with the crackle and the miso soup, which was simply divine. The crackles were made from fish skin and it complemented nicely with the sweetness of the miso soup (although I did think miso soup was a touch too sweet).

This was followed by the cured salmon. That was probably my favourite dish of the night. The salmon was cured to perfection. It had just the right level of tartness, smokiness and sweetness. Overall, I felt the dish to be very refreshing and I was hungry for more.

Next up was the egg yolk, barley & foam (what I called the garden barn) dish. The dish was seasoned well and the freshness of the egg yolk was complemented well by the grains and nuts.

For (I guess what you'd call) the main, lamb was on offer. However, given my dietary restriction, whilst Z happily chomped away on his lamb chops, I went for the vegetarian option, which was filled with a variety of mushrooms. The dish again was done well, very delicate texture and the seasoning was controlled.

Next up was the cheese plate and the amuse bouche. There was not very much needed to be said about the amuse bouche as it was mainly flavoured shaved ice with egg roll. The cheese plate on the other hand, I also won't comment much as I am not a big goat’s cheese (or blue cheese) person and the dish was unfortunately mainly those two cheeses.

Hence, Z happily ate both of your portions as I eager waited for the dessert, which was a chocolate beetroot brownie.

I have to say, I was quite amazed at how nice chocolate and beetroot complemented each other. As the dessert were a good balance of sweetness and a hint of earthiness.

Overall, it was quite an exciting set and I was happy that I had the opportunity to try it.

Recommended: The degustation was pretty good!