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Sadly since this article Bounty in BONNIE DOON has closed its doors, the chefs and staff have all moved on to new opportunities.
Bounty Restaurant in Bonnie Doon is a very smart place both serene and delicious worth a visit for fine degustation dining.
Bonnie Doon is a small town on the edge of Lake Eildon on the way to Mount Buller in the Victorian Alpine district. The lake largely famed for being half full and Bonnie Doon the setting for where the Kerrigan family (of the classic movie ‘The Castle’) had their holiday home “ahh the serenity”. Bounty Bonnie Doon is a very smart place both serene and delicious.
The local Bonnie Doon pub does a good burger and a fairly good chicken parma and that felt the right level for this small town of holiday shacks and small farming acreages. But when we stumbled onto Bounty, we realised we had found something special.
Only open on weekends, Bounty does a degustation dinner (5 courses) as well as breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday. So lets get to the review, we started with a complimentary glass of Prosecco to set the mood (delicious) followed by the entree course of Seared Scallops on a bed of congee, celery and pancetta – perfectly executed scallops – they were plump and delicious, the congee was very tasty and I chased it around the plate finishing all of it.
Second course, Grilled Flat Iron steak (small mouthfuls) with pickled beets, wasabi and sesame dressing. The lamb was perfectly medium rare and the wasabi a gentle addition with the vinegar of the pickled beets a really good balance on the palate.
Third course, Roast Duck Laksa with braised silverbeet. Now this is an odd selection and when looking at the menu it felt slightly out of place, but wow – the flavour was spectacular and a highlight of the night. If they had served bread I would have wiped the sauce up it was so tasty.
For the fourth (and final savoury) course they served a Crumbed Lamb Rack with Maple Soy Glaze, Dutch Carrots and Cardamon. The lamb was so succulent and the serving was generous but not overly. We were full but not stuffed.
For desert they served Rasperry, Marscopone and Honey Ice cream – quite a fine finale, not too sweet and matched perfectly with a very good espresso.
The wine list is ok without a lot of stand out wines but all the bottle prices are exceptionally reasonable. We drank the Dalrymple Pinot Noir from Tasmania ($80), the food was set price $80 per head. The service was excellent and the only (very) small considerations were the range of the wine list (good local drops but nothing outstanding) and average wine glassware. Many of the diners were enjoying smart looking cocktails!
The room is a very smart design there is neatly piled firewood everywhere (though I do wish the fire was lit when we were there) and if feels that this is a great destination restaurant and well worth the trip. For those staying in the Mansfield region or on the way to or from Mount Buller Bounty Restaurant in Bonny Doon is a great place to stop.
Food 18/20
Winelist 14/20
Wine tax 1.8x
Interior Design 15/20
web: http://bountybd.com.au
address: 2 Phillip St, Bonnie Doon 3720
phone: 03. 5778 7796
