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