There's a few dinner spots in Geelong on my list. Igni or Tulip will probably be reserved for a special occasion and the others are much more casual (Zigfrid's and Telegraph Hotel). Jack & Jill was one I wanted to try from my last trip, so I was surprised to call on a Monday night at 730pm to find they had closed their kitchen. Hmm.
Luckily a few nights later, business was more steady including what seemed like regulars and the concept of small dishes served together equating into a meal eventuated. It is a little expensive for a main, but I suppose you are getting 3 or 4 tapas on a plate.
Plate 1
- Grilled scallop served with cauliflower puree, crumb of bacon & peas
- Pumpkin risotto cake with red onion jam & soft blue cheese
- Steamed Japanese egg custard with tempura teriyaki chicken & a spring onion salad - I expected a chawanmushi, so was a little confused.
Plate 2
- Middle Eastern spiced lamb scotch egg with lemon & garlic yoghurt & pomegranate molasses - a good egg with lovely yogurt, although they definitely forgot the molasses;
- Southern fried quail with green beans, sweet corn, pickles & maple bacon - a crisp piece of quail with reasonably tender meat;
- Prawn & mussel chowder with leek & prawn dumplings - mild broth with 2 large dumplings full of prawn meat;
- Duck & wild mushroom terrine, orange & sweet potato puree with crispy rice paper - a warm terrine with more mushroom flavour than duck.
Dessert of miniature cones of passion fruit, Turkish delight, raspberry and burnt caramel & pear were fine but nothing exciting. The gelato are bought and not house made.
The food is quite nice and I like the concept although I still do think it's a bit expensive for the quality. There's plenty of choices to suit the plate to your desires considering the menu spans many cuisines, though I'd probably prefer the flavours at a specialty place for each individual cuisine.