Falling In Love Again

I think I am falling in love again!

Don’t worry, the Fashion Mister and I are still together. He does understand that there are a few other things that I am regularly falling in love with…fashion, food, drink and travel. Today I am falling in love with food! Oh, and a little drink too.

A couple of weeks ago I shared with you The Lane Cafe‘ and Abby who makes the best coffee in Ballarat. It’s also the spot where I did the photo shoot for Classic Hits – The Full-skirted Dress. After that photo shoot the Fashion Mister and I headed to The Lane Restaurant which is behind the cafe for breakfast and I had the best porridge I have ever tasted! It had quinoa in it and a lovely kind of sweet and sour mix of rhubarb on top.

So when Abby invited the Fashion Mister and I come down for dinner and to take some photos I was thrilled. But I was even more thrilled AFTER!

Inside The Lane – Ballarat

Inside The Lane: I like the relaxed vibe inside The Lane, but mostly I love the big glass windows which make it a great spot for people watching. While Chef Liam was getting ready I snapped a few pictures inside before going over to the prep area and shooting some pics while he was plating.

Mt. Zero Olives on the Tasting Plate

Lovely Olives and Salad at The Lane

Both Tasting Plates about to come out

Plating Up: It was great fun to watch Chef Liam plating up these two beautiful tasting plates for the Fashion Mister and I. On the left, garlic prawns, bread, Mt. Zero olives and hiding at the back the most divine slow cooked pork I have had for a couple of years! On the right, pork and sage meatballs that were heavenly, a pumpkin and goat cheese salad. The Fashion Mister and I decided we would be back for more of these two dishes!

Tortellini and Duck Mains

Plated and ready to serve

Ready to Serve: The two mains are a Ricotta Tortellini with garlic prawns, dried ricotta and baby herbs on top. I can tell you this was one of my favourites and Chef Liam said I’m not alone in loving this dish. They make the tortellini on site and it is so popular they work extra hard to make sure they don’t run out. The second main was crispy duck and seasonal vegetables. It was cooked perfectly with the crispy skin but just a hint of pink in the middle. Moist and juicy! Yum, I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it!

Crispy Duck and Seasonal Veggies

Ricotta Tortellini with Garlic Prawns

So much beautiful food!

Where to begin the feast?!

A glass of wine means time to eat!

So Much Beautiful Food: Not only did the food look amazing but it tasted beautiful too! I was rather impressed with Chef as he is fairly young to be creating such fantastic dishes. A feast for the eyes and the mouth! The Fashion Mister and I had to sit there for a minute to strategize a plan on where to start and how to make sure we tasted everything without our stomachs exploding. Normally, when dining in Melbourne this caliber of meal would be well more expensive than the price here in our regional city of Ballarat, so our pocketbooks can be just as happy as our mouths!

Thanks to Abby, Chef Liam and the rest of the team for such a fantastic meal. Can I reserve my table now for a repeat?! How nice it is to be falling in love again with dining out in Ballarat!

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