Visit the South Coast: Part 7 Shoalhaven Silo's restaurant

Hello and cheers from Silo's Restaurant in Berry. It's such a romantic restaurant and I've fallen in love with their food. Thanks to Destination NSW, I have had the pleasure of enjoying the best of Berry and also the Shoalhaven region. If you're in the area, make sure to stop by the South Coast Food and Wine Festival on 14-15 September 2019.

I find Silo's Restaurant incredibly inviting as the fireplace heats up the room. The decore is rustic and has brown tones and it's quite dimly lit. This makes for an incredibly romantic setting. The restaurant is quickly filling up on this particular Saturday night so I assume they are fully booked out. Lucky my foodie friends and I have a booking.

The menu is best described as Modern Australian. There's also wine suggestions for each dish which is handy.  I am already guessing what Matt would order from the menu.

I take a sneaky photo of Owner and Head Chef Andrew Hickie as he chats to the foodies about Silo's restaurant. I've had the pleasure of tasting some of the food from Smithy and the Chef at a catered event which he also runs with his partner Sarah. 

We start the meal with some bread and butter along with some olives. There's something about the concept of bread and butter that's so simple but I always find that it's a good way to warm up the tastebuds. The olives also activate my senses with an injection of salty tones in my mouth.

Cheers with some sparkling wine! You can order an entree and main for $60 or make it a 3 course meal for $75.

Our table are happily chatting away about what cars everyone first owned. I sheepishly confess that I've never owned a car as I mostly catch public transport or now rely on my husband to drive me around. I do technically have my license though.

For entree, I order the Zucchini Flowers with ricotta, goats curd, truffle honey.  I must confess these are the best zucchini flowers i've had in my life! They are perfectly crumbed in a light batter. The filling is rich and salty from the ricotta and goat's curd and the honey truffle cuts through the richness from the ricotta. The result is the perfect balance of flavours - lingering on my tongue. Delicious. These are a must order and would be one of the signature dishes of Silo's restaurant.

Matt on the other hand, orders the Beef Carpaccio with wild rocket, caper berries, horse radish  and parmesan. I gingerly push away some of the wild rocket on top so I can get a glimpse of the carpaccio. There we are - the horse radish sauce makes a cross pattern over the carpaccio. Matt devours the thinly spiced beef carpaccio and comments the caper berries are a nice contrast in texture and flavour. He is happy.

For mains, Matt orders from the specials menu and gets the Pork Cutlet with cider braised cabbage, blue lentils and soubise and glazed crab apple. The pork cutlet has been very tenderly cooked and makes for a natural match with cabbage. I had to google "Soubise". It is a classic French cream sauce which enhances a typical bechamel sauce with onion and rice puree. The glazed crab apple adds a nice sweetness to the savoury pork dish. 

I also order one of the specials - The Braised Beef Cheek  with charred broccolini and horseradish mash. The beef cheek is very melt in your mouth. Matt eyes off my food and I happily share. I enjoy the horseradish mash as it soaks up the sauce and I munch on the slightly crunchy broccolini. The mains are delicious, well portioned and very moreish.

For dessert, my fellow foodies order an Affogatto with espresso shot, vanilla bean ice cream and Frangelico. There's also the Vanilla Bean Panna-Cotta, coconut granita, passionfruit curd and also the Hazelnut Semi-Freddo, Dark Chocolate Mousse, Hazelnut Praline. While I am tempted - I am too full so I miss out on what looks like really delicious desserts.

Summary: Overall, I thought Silo's Restaurant delivered amazing food. Those Zucchini flowers will forever be in my food memory bank. The venue is incredibly romantic and I highly recommend booking and checking it out!

Price: 2 courses for $60

Location: 640 Princes Hwy Berry

Opening Hours: 
Closed Monday to Wednesday
Thursday, Friday, Saturday 12pm to 2pm, 6pm to 8pm
Sunday 12pm to 2pm

Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of the venue or their representatives. All photos, opinions and words are my own.