NSW is blessed with countless options for weekend breaks and the Southern Highlands, around 90 minutes south-west of Sydney, is one such contender. An assembly of quaint and characterful villages dotted among stunning rural landscapes, it offers delightful baked delights, cool climate wines, art and artisanal products around every corner. The villages are all rather small though, and you may need to commit to a fair bit of driving to pack out a two-day schedule.

Nevertheless, if you do find yourself in the area, there are some delectable offerings to be had. Savouring an eight course tasting menu at Eschalot is an absolute must and the meal alone was worth the trip methinks. Housed in a beautifully conserved heritage building in the historic village of Berrima, Eschalot impressed with its delicate flavours, extraordinarily attentive service and outstanding value. I am already running out of superlatives and we have not even gotten to the food.

As the night progressed, each course jostled for a place as the possible favourite. After some lovely amuse-bouches, we were presented with pressed eggplant with lemon thyme, corn and chives. The use of corn silk, the shiny thread-like tuft of fibres that protrude from the ear of corn, definitely inspired conversation and added some texture but there was no discernible taste.

The twice-baked goats cheese souffle was smooth and rich, accompanied by “textures of garden tomatoes” and basel to refresh the palette. It’s one of three items on Eschalot’s perennial menu of its signature dishes and is worthy of this status. In between there was some kingfish tataki with yuzu and roasted bass grouper with citrus fruits and anise puree. Unassuming, solid dishes.

But the undeniable standout of the evening was the duck or rather, the “Eschalot signature Thirlmere Duck – roasted breast, confit leg, heirloom carrot and blood plum”. Exquisite. Both cuts of duck were incredibly tender and the dish showed real restraint in its simplicity, relying on perfect execution of tried and tested flavour combinations to showcase the potential of humble ingredients.

And of course, dessert did not disappoint. Fresh strawberry, native pepper meringue with English tea cake. Deceptively simple name and classic combinations, but again with touches of originality and adeptly executed.

If you’re thinking about doing the wine matching, do not hesitate! We made an impromptu request on the night to accompany our meal with only Australian wines (to make up for the fact that great Aussie wines have sadly become far less accessible to us these days) and the spontaneous pairings were so brilliant I can only imagine how impeccable their recommended accompanying drops would be.

Already looking forward to a return visit.