Perfectly positioned half-way along the now famous Piper Street in Kyneton, Annie Smithers' Bistrot is a delightful little restaurant serving delicious dishes of the highest quality whilst maintaining a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The Age Good Food Guide has consistently sung the praises of Annie Smithers' for the past 8 years, giving the restaurant one hat every year since 2006. Ordering three courses is a must as you won't want to miss any chance to indulge in their culinary treats.
Annie Smithers' interior
The décor is very homely with bare brick walls and beautiful wooden tables and chairs. This, combined with the waiters' warm nature, makes for a very enjoyable evening. After ordering your meal you get treated to their house-baked sourdough bread, which is possibly the most sublime bread I have ever eaten. A complimentary appetiser follows and I got to sample a pork pate while my partner had a small pumpkin, ginger and carrot soup, which she assured me was divine.
Since my partner is vegetarian the only downside to Annie Smithers' for us was the lack of vegetarian choices as there was only one option each for entrée and main. Having said that, she thoroughly enjoyed her entrée of mushroom soufflé with pear and roasted walnut and the vegetarian main course was decent, if perhaps not worth the price (all mains are $36). My meaty entrée of ham hock terrine was also incredibly delicious and my main course of beef with boulangere potato was excellently prepared if a little unimaginative.
As good as the food was till this point, nothing prepared us for dessert. The soft centred dark chocolate pudding with honey cream and hazelnut ice cream is somehow even better than it sounds. My personal favourite was the lime tart with lemon mint granita and fresh citrus fruits. Scrumptiously sweet and tangy, it was honestly better than I can make you believe.
Put simply, if you're heading to Kyneton for a nice weekend getaway, you have to eat at Annie Smithers', it's that simple.
