Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The Montpellier Public House, Randwick

If you've ever had any doubts about whether or not the meal deal vouchers that seem to be so prevalent these days are any good, then I think this TravelZoo voucher that we bought for dinner Montpellier Public House should put your doubts to rest.


I'd been keen to try Montpellier Public House ever since fine dining restaurant Balzac shut its doors and owner Matt Kemp reopened Montpellier in the same beautiful sandstone building in Randwick. Whilst Balzac was all about beautiful food and fine dining, Montpellier is still about good food but at more accessible prices. Montpellier basically serves English pub grub, in a more modern and more refined incarnation. And, it's damn tasty!

You can still get your (more) fancy meal upstairs in Montpellier, however the TravelZoo voucher sees us dining downstairs in the front room of the more informal, yet still beautifully designed, Public Bar.  The voucher includes a bottle (yes a WHOLE bottle, just for us) of The Dutchess sparkling wine - a lovely drop.


The meal begins with Warm Olives with Bread that looks suspiciously like Brasserie Bread's soya and quinoa loaf. The olives are divine - plump and meaty, and the dense bread is perfect for sopping up the warm olive oil in the bottom of the bowl.



Our jaws near hit the floor when the waitress brings the tasting platter to our table. What a feast! We try to pace ourselves, but we make quick work of every morsel in front of us.  The platter contained a selection of Montpelliers tastiest treats: Potted River Trout with Pickled Cucumbers and Dill; Terrine of Ham; Salad of  Pickled Beets, Goats Curd, Orange and Walnuts; Baked Beans with Pork Belly; Dressed Salad Leaves and last but not least Duck Sausage Roll.  Phew.

Every element on the platter was bursting with flavour but I think my favourite would have to be the Duck Sausage Roll and also the Potted River Trout - both different dishes in terms of texture and flavour but both really stood out to me.

I guess the Pork Belly was pretty good too as I quickly scrambled to grab a fallen piece of crackling from the (what looked like a clean) floor where it flew as I tried to cut it in half. 30 second rule!  Don't judge - you'd do the same for crackling, I know you would!


Dinner's not over yet though - we still have our main meals to get through.  The Boy ordered the 8 Hour Braised Shoulder of Lamb with Roast Truss Tomatoes which was lovely. The lamb was so tender - it just fell off the bone, and the mint pesto type stuff on top added a really fresh element to the dish.  My Roast Sea Mullet, Fennel and White Beans was a really light dish. The skin on the fish was perfectly crisp and I loved the slightly licorice flavour the fennel added to my meal.


Are you full yet?  Yes? Well, loosen your belts as there's still a Dessert Platter to go. We take a deep breath and embark on polishing off the Trifle with chocolate and sour cherries; Buttermilk Pudding with Blueberries; Warm Treacle Tart with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and a Bitter Chocolate Petit Pot.

It's really hard to pick a favourite when it comes to dessert, especially when each dish is so good.  The treacle tart was incredible - sweet, but not too sweet and delectable once the ice cream had melted into the tart.  The buttermilk pudding was another favourite - a bit like panacotta in texture, but more light.


So there you have it. We've not gone wrong yet with a meal deal voucher.  Choose wisely, choose restaurants you've heard of and you won't go wrong either.

The Montpellier Public House on Urbanspoon

Montpellier is at 141 Belmore Road Randwick NSW 2031. Telephone 02 9399 9660.

28 comments:

  1. i wanted to love monthpellier, sadly it missed the mark for me. fish and chips was rather ordinary, as was the scotch eggs and service was a little gruff. we also had a stinky person serve us our food. not cool.

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  2. That's a real shame Kewpie. Our service was great - very friendly (and not stinky). All the dishes we ate were lovely. A second chance perhaps?

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  3. sadly, i am one of those... burn me once, and i want nothing more to do with you. sydney has so much depth in terms of food... (stinky service person aside), the food really was no better than the average pub... could have been what we ordered: dishes which I've come to expect alot from: fish and chips, lamb, sausages, scotch eggs... but i'll give the other guys a go.

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    1. I've often been burnt when I've high expectations...or any expectations at all. And you're right, with the wealth of food we have in Sydney it's hard not to have expectations. I can honestly say all of our food was lovely...not a bad crumb amongst any of it.

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  4. I can't wait to use my voucher, an that will be my third visit to the Montpellier! I love it all, and would have to disagree with Kewpie and say it is far better than average pub grub, and I've eaten in a lot of pubs in my time! Love the photos too :)

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  5. OMG - that meal looks amazing! I'd hardly call it not fancy! YUM

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  6. I have this voucher - can't wait to use it! You've got me extra excited now :)

    --xo.

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  7. editors notes...
    like Brasserie Bread's soya and quinoa laof.
    I think you mean loaf.

    Dinner's not ever yet though
    Should that be 'over" ??

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  8. YUM, I need food now! The duck sausage roll sounds very good!

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  9. i want the things. all of the things!

    i want to go here but randwick is so far awayyyyyyyyyy in the suburbs :P

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    1. Holly, if we drove to Randwick ALL the way from Parramatta I think you can manage it...do it for the things.

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  10. The platter and the lamb got my belly rumbling. Regarding food on the floor, we were taught as kids that is fine to eat it as long as you make the sign of the cross before, LOL.

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    1. Ha ha, how funny! I'll have to remember that next time (praying the floor is clean I assume what that is about).

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  11. I tried the lunch special menu here for the first time just before Christmas and was overwhelmed with the sheer amount of food! Delicious, delicious food though.

    And gotta laugh at your "no elbows" speech bubble =D

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    Replies
    1. Oh the elbows! Don't get me started...it's The Boy's last stand against food blogging I think.

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  12. Wow, I need to go to the gym after reading that! Delicious.

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  13. Mmm, that lamb looks gooood. Desserts too.
    Sad I never got to Balzac. Might have to get to Montpelier.

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  14. Yum! I kind of regret not buying this deal now, as I was trying to be good. The lamb shoulder looks divine, actually everything is making me a bit hungry now.

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  15. My friend almost bought that voucher and she said that it was very popular. I must say that it sounded great and good to know that it was worth it! The lamb was such a delicious dish! :D

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  16. mm that looks like mighty fine pub grub! shame i didn't know about the deal :(

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  17. I would of done the same thing with the pork crackling- no wants to lose out on the best part!

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  18. Lovely post! The food looks great~ I've thought about getting meal vouchers too but have heard some people having bad experience. But it's great that you had a wonderful time :)

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  19. I agree in having to choose wisely with the meal vouchers. this is a very good deal indeed.

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  20. I have been wanting to give Montpellier a go since Matt re-opened. Yes, oh yes, I would have dived on the floor for fallen crackling ;)

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  21. Yum, duck sausage rolls. Will have to watch out for the next voucher!

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  22. Another one for the list - the platter looks divine!

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  23. Looks great! I bought the travelzoo deal too. I've booked it for mid Feb. Can't wait to check it out.

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