Mums birthday at 305 Restaurant and Cafe

Just got home from an amazing dinner at 305 Restaurant and Cafe in Maitland. An utter gem to dine at considering all the other places to eat at would be considered 'pub grub' and there are only so many beer battered fries that I can take.

Complementary house made bread, served with antipasto spread and olive oil dip. Amazing flavours. As soon as you walked into the restaurant you could smell the aroma of the bread.

King Prawn and Preserved Lemon Bruschetta. Amazing. This coming from someone who hates prawns. Yes I admitt, im one of those people that says they like seafood yet the only thing they eat is squid. The taste was amazing, the lemon wasnt too overpowering but was beautifully balanced by the acidity in the tomatoes.

Pork Belly. My fathers favourite. Im not too sure what else is on the dish but all I know is the plate was practically licked clean after. I think dad has ordered this everytime we have dined here.

Chicken Supreme. I dont usually finish my mains but the texture of the chicken was amazing. I do not think I have eaten anything so light and moist before. The sauce, the name of which escapes me now, was amazing and complemented the chicken was well as the side salad which featured baby potatoes, tomatoes, fetta and almonds.

Atlantic Salmon on a bed of kipfler potatoes. Im not really a salmon lover but my mother quite enjoyed this dish. The reduced balsamic, one of her favourites, she said complemented the salad perfectly.

Duck confit on a bed of pappardelle. Dad enjoyed it, mum and I thought it was a little bit too salty however.

Lemon Tart with blueberry compote, macadamia crusted coconut gelato. AMAZING. This was my dessert and considering dessert is my favourite part of every meal I insisted on trying everyones. The lemon tart was filled with a beautiful tart curd and then the top was bruleed, I have to admitt I love cracking it with a spoon. The gelato seemed to be crusted in a nut like praline which was beautiful in contrast to the creamy texture of the gelato which wasnt too overpowering with the coconut. Im not a big blueberry fan so I passed these onto my father.

Mocha Bavarois with a cornell of double cream and I *think* an almond wafer, served with toffee and raspberry coulis. My first ever bavarois, the texture was so extremely light and worked well with the bed of coffee praline which it was on. Again, dad practically licked the plate clean.

Vanilla Bean Brulee served with plum crumble and pastry biscuit. The staff came out singing happy birthday and put a sparkler in the middle. Unfortunately as soon as I took the photo it went out but mum was quite suprised. Loved the dessert, said it was quite a good serve of creme brulee too. I also liked how it had the vanilla beans in it, I just think it looks a little bit more authentic that way.