There is no love sincerer than the love of food," quotes chef, Daniel Hunt, on the opening page of his new menu for his new restaurant, Daniel's.
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Hunt was once the executive chef at Robert's, and Tower Lodge's restaurant Nine, in Pokolbin.
His most recent appointment was at the Royal Oak Hotel in Cessnock, before embarking on his own culinary adventure with his wife Lyndal.
Located less than an hour's drive from Newcastle, Daniel's is set in one of Cessnock's oldest buildings.
It was built in 1917 and used to be the headquarters for the Hunter Valley Wine Society, before it was a Stetsons Steak House and Saloon.
Outside, the colonial era facade features freshly-painted cream coloured bricks and olive green edging. Inside, polished pine floorboards share the space with a section of brushed salmon-pink ceramic tiles.
The menu reads like the culmination of all of Hunt's years spent as the top chef for some of the Hunter Valley's best restaurants.
The smallgoods tasting board features duck liver paté and pork terrine, and there's oysters, prepared natural or otherwise; including one with cuttlefish, cucumber and wasabi.
Seared Tasmanian sea scallops, and parsley-crumbed lamb brains can be ordered as either an entree or a main, while salmon, chicken, and prime rib are served with mouth-watering accompaniments.
The hunger pains had well and truly set in by the time we'd decided what to eat, which included salt and pepper soft shell baby mud crab with cucumber, green pawpaw, and palm sugar dressing for a shared entree; followed by sous vide duck breast and confit leg, served with a star anise glaze, fried greens, carrot puree, and duck jus; and braised pork cheeks in a sesame and coriander seed crust, accompanied by pumpkin, sauteed squid and wasabi aioli.
Before the mud crab arrives we're served a refreshing shot of heirloom tomato consommé that's reminiscent of gazpacho. It's a nice touch and does wonders to settle a grumbling tummy. The baby mud crab is served in a large, white dish that is piled high with fresh ingredients. Soft, spaghetti-like strips of cucumber support crunchy, fleshy morsels of mud crab that is sequined with visible flavour from salt crystals, black peppercorns and sesame seeds. It's a killer combo of taste and texture.
In the moments between the entree and our mains we slurped and savoured a bottle of rare Hunter Valley pinot from Tyrrell's Wines.
The 2013 HVD and The Hill Pinot Noir has soft strawberry fruits hidden underneath a layer of savoury elegance and gentle tannins that must have been made especially to enjoy with Daniel's duck.
Speaking of which, the duck is plated beautifully and looks as tender as the sous vide suggests.
The savoury barbecue flavours are deliciously balanced by the spiciness of the glaze, the caramelised taste of the carrot puree, and the salty and soft, yet firm snap of the greens underneath.
The pork cheeks look beautiful when they arrive. Served on a white rectangular plate loaded with four crispy parcels of braised pork cheeks encrusted with sesame and coriander seed, and accompanied by white, lightly fried squid, bright orange pumpkin pieces, a few greens, and a couple of delicate blue blossoms for decoration.
The pork cheeks were a little on the dry side. They were saved by the wasabi aioli and a few soft pieces of pumpkin, while the squid was just a little too rubbery for me.
Daniel Hunt is sincere about his love of food, but there's still a little work to be done.
The food looks beautiful and tastes good and, in time, will come served with that wow factor.
