Located just below the Windy Point Restaurant is the more casual Windy Point Cafe. The menu is different and so is the decor, but you still have the spectacular views of the city. Part of the Festival of Food deal is to visit all eight participating restaurants in order to redeem a $100 bonus off a meal at one of the establishments. Windy Point Cafe was the last one on the list so that’s where we went. I’ve already reviewed this place before so I’ll get straight into the food.

There’s nothing like freshly baked House-made Ciabatta. These large chunks of soft, warm spongey bread matched perfectly with the savoury roasted pumpkin butter. The smooth delicate melted butter on the bread was absolutely divine.

First dish on the Entree Tasting Plate was the Pea and Ham Hock Croquette with house-made mustard. This was amazing! Inside the crunchy exterior were soft mushy peas with subtle notes of smokey ham.

I’ve had Crocodile before but never Crocodile Spare Rib. The spare rib was seasoned and fried to a light golden brown. The meat was tender and succulent, and had that unique musky scent about it. It was really good.

The Braised Mushroom was served with roast garlic and parsely terrine. Chopped up into small bits, the mushroom worked very well with the crunchy bits of roast garlic.

The main that I had was the Grass Fed Beef Fillet with potato galette, confit shallot and broccolini. This dish was executed to perfection. The beef had a lovely crispy exterior with a reddish pinkish centre. Slicing the meat was like running a knife through soft butter. The shallots provided a lovely natural sweetness, while the galette and broccolini were nice and firm.

The 300g Scotch Fillet came with fat chips, cafe de paris butter and salsa verde. The beef was tender and succulent, and was well complimented by the herby salsa verde. The chips had a crunchy exterior and were nice and soft on the inside.

The Kangaroo Fillet was accompanied by a pumpkin and leek tart and a pepperberry glaze. My friend also had the kangaroo during her last visit here and was happy that it was cooked to their usual high standards. The tart had a flaky pastry shell and was filled with a soft and delicate pumpkin and leek. The glaze that brought the dish together wasn’t overly spicy.

The Duck Legs were served with cavolo nero, pearl barley, peas and hazelnuts. My friend commented on the generous portions of duck in this dish which was very well cooked. The crispness of the cavolo nero and the crunchiness of the hazelnuts added a good contrast of textures to this dish.

For dessert, I had the Dessert Tasting Plate. The first portion that I ate was the Poached Rhubarb and Strawberry. Such a simple and delicious dessert. Coming with a crispy almond meringue and subtly sweet vanilla custard, all the elements worked perfectly well together.

My favourite on the tasting plate was the Passionfruit Cheesecake. This deconstructed cheesecake had a variety of flavours and textures. The crunchiness of the almonds, the tartness of the curd and passionfruit, and the subtle sweetness of the cheesecake, all worked in harmony together.

The best presented dessert on the Tasting Plate would have to go to the Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie. The brownie was rich and decadent, and was complimented by the soft and delicate frangelico mousse, the sweetness of the raspberry and the crunchiness of the praline.

The Popcorn Creme Brulee was topped with a popcorn nut brittle and butterscotch parfait. Underneath the light and crisp caramelisation was a custard with a soft and thick consistency. This was well balanced with the crunchiness of the brittle and the soft silky texture of the parfait.

The Tiramisu is a timeless classic that was very well executed. Made of layered savoiardi, coffee, mascarpone and chocolate, there were certainly no complaints from the friend eating it.

A bonus dessert was the Warm Spiced Beurre Bosc Pear with tarte tartin, vanilla bean ice cream and Adelaide Hills pear cider syrup. The pastry of the tarte tartin was the probably the best I’ve ever had. It was warm, crisp and flaky and it was well matched with the natural sweetness of the firm but soft pear. Looking back, I should have just ordered this dessert.

The Petit Four for the night was the Oreo Marshmallow and Nougat. The marshmallow was soft and spongy with crunchy bits of Oreo biscuit inbetween. The Nougat was a bit softer than expected but just as good.

I could find very little to fault with last night’s dinner. The service was excellent, the atmosphere was relaxed and the food was amazing. Add the amazing views of the city at night and you have yourself a winner.

WHERE: Windy Point Rd, Belair