![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Located on the high side of the street overlooking the historic Carlton Gardens, Epocha sits pretty with its pristine, classic frontage. It was incredibly welcoming inside with the crackle of warmth from the flames of an open fire place. Outside the front door, a curious message reads, "Too small to fail", a hint perhaps, at the damaging pandemic of 2019/2020.
It was a dreary day, all the better for enjoying a meal from the comforts of one's own home. We ordered takeaway for two Roast Packs (version 2), chicken liver pâté and a charcuterie selection. We paired this meal at home with a fruity, light-bodied pinot noir.
The liver pâté was out-of-this-world smooth and creamy, paired with Epocha's house-made baguette that was light and crispy on the outside after being warmed. The pâté was made even more tasty with its topping of crispy chicken skin.
Next highlight was the generously thick slab of moist, textural terrine that was well-balanced against the lightly tart, crunchy pickles. Soft, melt-in-your-mouth roast cauliflower was next, beautifully sweet and caramelised.
We were near satiated by the time we were done these, the charcuterie board, part of the foccacia and mushroom croquettes.
Then came the tender, 10-hour slow roast lamb shoulder with its ample delicious jus and a thin top of slightly crisp fat. The seasoning of the lamb was very restrained which kept it from being too heavy as a main.
We were missing the duck fat potatoes completely, which was a disappointment given their reputation from other diners.
Overall, a heart-warming, soulful Sunday lunch. Epocha's front door sign should perhaps read, "Too good to fail".
Verdict: 4.5 out of 5 stars
We enjoyed our meal here. Lovely venue with an immediate feeling of old-world style. A rare place where we could talk without shouting. Interesting selection of wines by the glass with offers to taste before committing. Polite and attentive service without ever being obtrusive. We skipped the tasting menu and just had an entree and main each, and shared a dessert. Food was very good - definitely high quality. Really my only qualm was the pricing, which is quite high, though perhaps I’m being a but tough given this is a rare fine dining experience in these days when casual is king. Certainly would recommend for a special occasion.
We went for the 3 course meal, and needless to say, I was so full!
For my 3 course meal, I chose the beef tartare for entree, beef tenderloin for main and the chocolate ganache.
My partner has the razor prawns, pork, and white chocolate dessert), we also ordered the duck fat roasted potatoes.
Everything was delicious! The potatoes matched perfectly with the pork AND beef because they both had a gravy poured on top. Every single potato was crispy!! Although we were so full from our entrees and mains, we didn’t want to waste a single potato because we’ve never had such crispy potatoes! The pork and beef were salted well and very tender! The razor prawns were really really small, we weren’t sure whether the prawn head was to be eaten, so to have the body of the prawn only - it wasn’t much. Other than that, I enjoyed my evening and the service was lovely and attentive.
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