Arriving at any venue mid to late morning, I am always unsure whether the dining will be a late brunch or an early lunch, but after perusing the menu at The Duchess of Spotswood for just a quick moment, it was clear. I was having lunch.
This tastefully decorated English inspired café in the heart of little Spotswood, is dripping with love, character and passion, that of a true and authentic English café. With the two talented chefs from London and Northern Ireland, it is very easy to see where the dishes originate.
After settling, I was soon greeted with a smooth, well-extracted latte, whilst I perused the well-constructed, thoughtfully compiled and greatly balanced menu. It was not over dripping with choices, but these amazingly described options caught the mind, teased my tastes and tempted my desires of that morning.
As it was just on mid-day, the Pork terrine, cured duck breast, Berkshire salami, asst. pickles, and sourdough platter sounded enough to get the taste buds kicking. It did not disappoint. Each of the delicacies were unique, rich of flavour and with the grab of the sourdough, it was easy to over indulge. The stand out was the cured duck breast and when combined with the pickled cucumbers; it sat perfectly on my palate.
After swishing down the Riesling (well it was lunch-time), I was caught between ordering the slow roasted pork shoulder sandwich with remoulade, and the slow braised duck leg.
After deciding to have both, I relaxed as the sun bellowed through the front glass window and gave another essence of warmth and comfort, two things I love when braising.
First of the dishes to arrive was the pork sandwich and on the freshly baked bread. The delicate pork rose to the occasion with the remoulade containing just enough seeded mustard to sharpen the dish.
The duck leg however, was rich yet delicate, tender, flavorsome and when combined with the light jus and croquettes, was just amazing. I will not eat duck again for some time now, as this dish has set the bar way to high.
Like most dishes on the fare at The Duchess, they are not complicated, just raw wholesome flavours using the freshest of ingredients, cooked the style you would expect your grandparents to have prepared meals.
The Duchess of Spotswood is open 7am – 3pm Mon-Fri, 8am – 4pm Sat & Sun with dinner now Thursday to Saturday from 6pm. Being just a quick trip from the CBD, the DoS is not to far for anyone to travel and is so worth the trip. Prices for lunch are very reasonable and range from $18-24.50.
The team at DoS are friendly, quick and very knowledgeable, thus proves that great staff are the success to any business.
Bookings – Call 03 9391 6016
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