Eat Like Ushi

There were two bakeries in the Blue Mountains that I came across in my research - Hominy in Katoomba for sourdough and Bakehouse On Wentworth because it was meant to be good and happened to be conveniently located close to the accommodation in Blackheath.

The Bakehouse was the first food stop of the trip after arriving and it didn't disappoint. The pies have a nice thick crust with rolled up sides that were a pleasure to chew through last. The kangaroo filling was slightly gamey and quite nice. Next time I'd probably try something more standard like the beef and guinness. The mini sausage roll was a nice filler to complement the pie.

Other than the pies, they advertise an excellent sourdough that I wasn't able to try.

After an afternoon of horse-riding in the rain, I needed a snack to bide me over until the planned lamb dinner at Vesta. One of the staff at the riding place mentioned a pie place on the main road that she couldn't remember the name of. Something about a black sign with white or yellow writing. Gatsby's fit the description and I manage to sneak in about 5mins before closing time. I had hoped that this coincidence meant the leftovers would be discounted (as many places do) but unfortunately not.

A vibrant orange pie with thin mince topped with sweet potato mash was a bit different to the usual and quite impressive. The sausage roll was quite standard, as was the croissant.

Overall I personally prefer the very nearby Bakehouse on Wentworth, but this place is fine too.

Staying in Blackheath of course led to the online search for restaurant recommendations. The final list of 2 fell between a highly awarded and finer dining Ashcroft's (which was obviously too full for an attempted walk-in on a Saturday night) and Vesta. In the end Vesta won out simply due to what I had read about the roasted lamb shoulder and it being a Sunday and so most appropriate for a roast.

- Complimentary exceptional housemade sourdough with macadamia nuts, very grassy local EVOO and a tangy labneh. What a wonderful combination;
- Truffle Souffle with (Jannel goats cheese, parmesan and thyme) $28 - a smooth lightly truffle-flavoured souffle with a mild cheesey sauce and a strong parmesan crisp that was melting over the hot pan on arrival to the table;
- Lamb Shoulder for 2 (braised for 12 hours in the scotch oven with local organic vegetables, baked potato & red wine jus) $80 - the masterdish was a mildly flavoured lamb with some soft delicate parts and a few slightly more stringy areas. The skin had a bit of firmness but there was a reasonable amount of fat to separate. The vegetables were crunchy and fantastic and the lamb/wine jus was nice enough to drink by the spoon or drizzle over things;
- Bombe (dark chocolate parfait, bitter lemon sherbet, white chocolate & cardamom ice cream, hazelnut & orange praline) $15 - a multi-layered slice of effectively ice-cream cake with different textured layers. The praline added textures and additional flavour.

Overall the meal was excellent and satisfying. I'd happily go back (even though there probably isn't much else on the menu that particularly interested me).

The meal has inspired me to make a classic Sunday roast with lamb and all the trimmings, reminiscent of my greatest one of all at The Harwood Arms (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/the-harwood-arms-london-10-2013).