We've been in the Gippsland region for just over 2 years now, but illness has stopped us from trying all the good eateries in the region, & eating out is the single thing that hubby & I love to do. So yesterday, we patronised a...little gem, Nielsons Kitchen, in Traralgon. This place is SO good, that I'm a little reluctant to tell people for fear of it being booked out whenever we want to eat there, (again). Hubby & I have eaten at most of the big name establishments in Melbourne, & this is on par; possibly even better than some. So, having decided at the 11th hour, to have my birthday lunch there, I was a little annoyed after arriving & settling in, that hubby decided that we would have the 5 course chefs' menu, when I'd already decided what I was going to order, having perused the fabulous menu. But I have to say, he was right (yes, there you go...I said it). Every single course was amazing. Starting with the 4 little plates as a first course, that consisted of a couple of oysters (both for hubby), with a pickled onion dressing; along with perfectly cooked, crispy arancini with black garlic puree & Kewpie mayo; a couple of lobster vol au vents, topped with caviar, that were a perfect mouthful; & my favourite...the cute little potato cakes, with a creamy green sauce that's worthy of bottling. Other than the oyster (for me), all were finger lickin' awesome, & hubby said the oysters were perfectly balanced. 2nd course was the most delicious tuna crudo that we've ever had, which was so good I literally licked the plate clean. I don't even like dill pickles, & would never normally order anything remotely associated with them, but this dish has converted me. At first I thought it was odd that it didn't have a crispbread accompaniment, BUT...it was one of most perfectly balanced dish, topped with fine crispy truffle shavings, & crispy puffed rice, which were the crispy element & better than any boring old crispbread. And just when I thought the crudo couldn't be beaten, 3rd course was a fabulous goats cheese filled raviolo, on a super-silky pumpkin puree, with beurre noisette, crushed hazelnuts & a shaved piece of fresh pumpkin. I loved this SO much that I ate it as slowly as possible in the tiniest bites, in order to stretch the experience out for as long as possible. 4th course was a lovely piece of wagyu steak, perfectly seared, perfectly med-rare, & perfectly seasoned, served with a refreshing celeriac salad. What I loved about this dish was its simplicity & integrity, & personified that old adage that "less is more". The only criticism I have about this dish is that I would've loved a teeny bit more of that celeriac salad, because it was uber-delicious. 5th & final course was "chocolate with raspberry", which the chef was good enough to indulge me (because it was my birthday). This is a perfect, not-too-sweet, balance of dark choc brownie, with choc bits, & choccie mousse, paired with a refreshing raspberry sorbet to cleanse the palate. Delish!! But as much as the food was incredible, it would be remiss of me if I didn't mention the equally incredible table service. Our 2 servers were not only professional & very able, keeping my glass topped up with water, the whole time; explaining each course as it arrived; chatting with us; & all the stuff you'd expect from your server...BUT..the difference here is that they were genuine. They were 2 of the most delightful young ladies you could hope to serve you, & I feel awful that I had a "senior moment" & didn't think to get their names, so I can give them a personal shout out. I love that they don't have a published menu, so, as an ex-chef myself, I had a feeling that this was always going to end well; so we'll definitely be back, because I intend on eating my way through the whole menu.More

A bizarre mixture. Food of outstanding quality. Very good wine list. In a made-over old house, done poorly; wall adjacent to our table of naked concrete, all adding to a high level of echo which, along with background music rather too loud, made conversation near...impossible. To date, the toilets have escaped the makeover; they should have been the first place to get renovated, not the last. Menu and pricing an incomprehensible muddle, with multiple classes of dish, some (but by no means all) of which can be up- or down-graded to become entrees, main courses etc; wait staff trying to explain compromised by background noise. Menu itself cheaply produced and riddled with typos. Prices quite high, appropriate for the food/wine quality but a real stretch when all the rest is considered. At those prices, tablecloths and cloth serviettes called for, but not provided. Again, a bizarre mixture, but seriously good food.More

To celebrate an anniversary, we though Neilson's would be special. Looking for somewhere quiet to enjoy the evening, it was all but quiet. The area was small and crowded and just noisy. Food was good but nothing special. In ordering sides as an extra they...were huge. Each side was enough to feed at least 4 people. So a lot of waste between the two of us. Fries were so salty we didn't eat them, and they were taken off the bill. Service was excellent with courses well timed, and the staff were very attentive.More