The Highs and Lows of Eating in Orange

My husband and I spent two nights sampling the famed restaurants of Orange. One meal left us raving, while other left us with a bad taste in the mouth.

There’s certainly something to be said for expectation. When my husband I made plans to spend our wedding anniversary in Orange, we booked in to Lolli Redini straight away. We’d heard so much about this restaurant, which had received so many consecutive SMH hats, and the menu on the website looked stunning.

Sadly, it didn’t meet those expectations we had. The meals sounded lovely on paper, and they were. Lovely, but not really outstanding. I had quail with porcini risotto for an entrée, which was tasty but not quite as creamy as the mushroom risotto I had in Mudgee. My main was twice cooked duck, again plenty of flavor but not as pink and tender as I expect duck to be. My husband loved his pasta entrée, with some of the yummiest lime and chilli prawns I’d tasted. But his seared tuna was less of a winner, cooked all the way through rather than seared as described.

Lolli Redini’s atmosphere is lovely, welcoming and romantic. But the service wasn’t quite up to snuff. The waitstaff were certainly friendly, but they took forever to refill my water, and we had to refill the wine ourselves. If we were in a pub this wouldn’t have been a concern, but when you go to such an acclaimed restaurant you expect just a little better.

And so, when you get to a bar and you receive an experience that’s outstanding, it’s really something to celebrate. Such was our experience at the Union Bank Wine Bar. This place came recommended to us by our Black Sheep Inn host Helen, which is no great surprise. It’s one of those places only locals know about. It seems so quite on the outside, but step through the doors and the atmosphere bubbles.

Even though we dined on a Wednesday, the place was packed. One look at the menu, and it wasn’t hard to see why. After much deliberation my husband settled on duck confit, while I opted for peppered venison. We also ordered a big bowl of hot chips, which we munched on while sipping our wine. I’ve never been to a wine bar, but I love the concept. We could simply enjoy a glass with dinner, knowing we could drive back to our hotel and indulge in a full bottle back there. The wine list was exhaustive, so I was grateful for the suggestions with every meal on the menu. We chose the recommended reds, and were thrilled that we did. The glasses were so generous they lasted throughout our meal, and then some.

Despite the busy atmosphere inside the meals came quickly, and we devoured them. What incredible food. I can’t recall ever tasting better venison, and my husband’s duck was almost as lovely. Of course, I was simply biased towards my meal.

Lolli Redini was such an inviting restaurant, ideal for a wedding anniversary with its ambience. But having experienced it once, I’m not sure I go back. However next time I’m in Orange I’m braving the noisy chatter of the locals and heading back to the Union Bank. That’s one experience I’m desperate to repeat.

Image source: Mobology @ Flickr