Hubby's birthday celebration @ the Treehouse Restaurant.

Its late but this was Hubby's birthday "cake" bought from la cachette (270 Mitchell Rd Alexandria) in Sydney. Unfortunately I had to be away most of the day to learn from and observe an IV specialist dentist in Sydney but I made it home with takeaway and this yummy berry tart. Also including pics from our dinner which I will elaborate on soon.

This tart was extremely morish with a nice buttery shortcrust pastry, chockful of berries and a nice almond filling which wasn't too sweet and complimented the berries nicely. The cafe deserves another visit as it had lots of interesting cakes, tarts and gourmet deli meals such as fritatas, savoury pies and rolls.


Anyway, this restaurant, The Treehouse used to be in a different location, slightly out of town. We went there for the first time a few days after moving to Bathurst in 2006. Hubby thought it was a cafe since a flyer advertising lunch and dinners had been stuck to his windscreen at school. So, we went in our sunday best ... NOT! He was in his paint smeared old working jeans and t-shirt with holes in it and I was in my largest most comfortable tracksuit.

We were greeted with a smile by the waitress and seated off to the side in a front room. It was when we opened the menus and saw that the entrees were about $16, mains $29 and desserts $12 that we realised it was a classy modern Australian restaurant by night! It was like the movies when the world comes tumbling in and you feel like the walls are narrowing and wish the ground would swallow you up. We looked around and saw everyone was in evening attire with dresses and shirts and ties. It was too late to walk out then! We ordered two main courses which we loved and have been back on a regular basis since.

The maitre d' Dannii whom we later found out was her name always has a friendly smile for us and we have gotten to know the chef Michael who is from Eastern Europe. He mostly comes out from the kitchen for a chat to us. He knows that this is my favourite dish. I always order it .... the Treehouse antipasto platter as a starter $16.
For the person who can't make up her mind ... a little bit of everything - a sample of some of the other entrees. It changes a little everytime. Today it has (clockwise) olives in the small pot, pork terrine with chutney, a mound of smoke eggplant, smoked salmon terrine served with beetroot relish, roasted cherry tomatoes, a bit of fresh tabouli and on top a small mound of salad with balsamic dressing and proscuitto wrapped around asparagus. It is served with some char-grilled turkish bread.

My DH had the eggplant wrapped around cous cous with ricotta baked parcel. It is served with a tasty tomato reduction and balsamic dressing.
Richard's main $29... the roast duck with walnut and mushroom tart. It is served with sauteed spinach. A firm favourite of ours, the duck is always tasty and the sauce is a duck jus with a hint of walnuts. The tart itself is superb with melt in the mouth puff pastry, the mushrooms and walnut melding together, each having absorbed the other's flavours.
My main- the basil mousse stuffed chicken breast served with lentils. Sadly the chicken breast was a little dry and the mousse although tasty was also on the dry side and more like a stuffing than a mousse. The lentils I could have had double serving of and left the chicken alone! It was melt in the mouth and buttery with rich tomato flavours. It was also served with sauteed spinach.
We were much too full for dessert. We found what works for us is to share a starter, each have a main course and share a dessert but we each had a starter today, hence we just had coffees after. I ordered an irish coffee and Richard a cappuccino. We got them complimentary because they had no cream for the irish coffee and hence made it just putting some froth on top. Dannii knew we wouldn't mind ....

after all ... we did first start our custom on a very casual note! :)

The Treehouse Restaurant
Dinner Mon- Sat
Country Comfort Bathurst
Cnr Brilliant and Stewart St Bathurst
(02) 6331 1800