Time to Bid Farewell

"Time to Bid Farewell" is not what you want to read on the top of the menu of your favourite restaurant. The Bunker Restaurant, our local always had a "too good to be true" feel to it. It is just across the road from us, in the clubhouse of the golf club and it is (was) world class. The story is that the new Chinese owners of Tallwoods Estate have put Michael's rent up by 700%, and he is regretfully bailing out.

Here is the menu of the superb and final degustation dinner that we attended on Friday night:

• Cold pressed tomato soup, creme fraiche tortellini, fragrant herbs, Provencal garnish
• Wallis lake oysters, smoked salmon & citrus jelly
• Asparagus spears, twice cooked egg, truffle vinaigrette
• Escabeche of prawn, scallop and swordfish, microherbs
• Pan roasted Emerald beef fillet, double braised brisket, horseradish panna cotta, sparkling Shiraz jus
• Lemon ice, macerated ruby grapefruit
• Prune and Armanac tart, vanilla bean ice cream, coffee syrup
• Tarwin blue, Gippsland washed rind, traditional accompaniments
• Coffee and petit fours 

Michael James. We salute your skills. We hope you do, as you hope, find a suitable site and possible backers so you can reopen another restaurant. 

Today is Saturday and we have spent the day mooching around.  One highlight was a little visit to Diamond Beach, where we saw a pod of whales heading north, breaching and blowing.  Quite a show.  But I can't show you any proof, because our only remaining camera has just died! Camera casualty No. 2. I have a suspicion that the beach sand of our lovely new coastal environment may be the culprit here, as both cameras have fallen victim to lens-stuck-in-or-out issues. Note to self: don't drop the camera on the sand.