Bar Infinita, Gordon

Bar Infinita is a popular bar and restaurant in Gordon that is serving up cocktails, pastas and steaks and breads from the wood fired oven. They have also just launched their brand new truffle menu available until mid August. Come along as we try the entire truffle menu!

It's very chilly Winter's evening when Laura and I arrive at Bar Infinita. These cold temps means that it's perfect weather for truffles - they're one positive to Winter. Bar Infinita is located a minute's walk from Gordon train station so we park there and walk to the bar pulling our coats closed tightly. It's very busy this Friday night with every table taken but the tiny one near the front door. There is also a good sized outdoor section with heaters for those souls brave enough to sit outside. Service is very friendly and knowledgeable.

The Chef is Francesco Iervolino, formerly of Firedoor and Ormeggio. Tonight, we are trying all 5 of the truffle items on the new truffle menu. The black truffles hail from The Truffle Farm in Canberra.

We start with cocktails, a Peach Mia Spritz for me and a truffle Negroni for Negroni lover Laura. Truthfully, she is unsure if she loves the truffle Negroni because it doesn't have Campari in it and thus lacks the hit in the face that she normally loves in her favourite although she does like the generous serve of truffle shavings on top. It's made with truffle butter washed olive leaf gin blended with rare dry gin, orange curacao dry vermouth and a hint of Suze. I really enjoy the Peach Mia Spritz made with Cocchi Americano, a touch of Suze and white peach, soda, Prosecco and vanilla.

Dear Reader, whatever you do, you have to order the wood fired pizzetta. It comes straight from their custom wood fired oven in the back that was built on site. The pizzetta features a round of puffy edged bread with a parmesan fondue centre and fresh truffle shaved on top. This is absolutely divine with that strong and cheesy parmesan fondue centre that stands up perfectly to the umami of the black truffle. In a few weeks they'll be switching from their puffy bread to this so there will be a non truffle version available too with a range of 5 toppings.

The wagyu croquette is very popular here and we see countless serves of this go out to the restaurant as we're sitting opposite the pass. The croquette is filled with soft wagyu knuckle with a gorgeously crunchy golden panko crumb. It's served with a black garlic aioli that has a touch of sweetness to it. Laura orders a mushroom arancini as she doesn't eat meat and it's filled with an oozy centre of taleggio cheese with truffle aioli on top. It's actually delicious and if you don't eat beef this is a really solid sub.

The gnoccho fritto takes me to being in Emilia Romagna. The Gnocco Fritto is a square deep fried dough with buffalo taleggio cream, truffled mortadella and fresh truffle and it's such a wonderful match of flavours and a clever use of truffle that works. Normally this comes as a serve of 2 but Laura doesn't eat mortadella.

They tell us that all of their pasta is house-made from the tagliolini to the gnocchi. The tagliolini has a generous amount of blue swimmer crab and a tomato based sauce with lemon myrtle which is a nice twist instead of lemon. Make sure to save some bread to scarpetta every drop of that sauce.

It's time for the mains and the house made truffle gnocchi features the softest gnocchi with a rich truffle butter sauce, porcini mushrooms, chopped chestnuts and fresh truffle. This is a nice winter dish with good textural contrast from the occasional springy mushroom and chestnut rubble while the chestnuts give this a surprising sweetness.

Bar Infinita is also known for their steak that they cook in the woodfired oven and are ideal if you like your steaks medium rare. The steak is pre cut and served with sweet potato and burnt butter puree with kimchi Brussels sprouts. The steak is good once you trim the fat at the ends although I think I'd go medium for the wagyu next time. The kimchi Brussels sprouts are kind of genius and utterly moreish. I'd happily have these as a side as they are little flavour bombs. I manage to polish off most of this steak taking a couple of pieces home to Mr Teddy Elliott.

We had eaten quite a lot of mains (yet managed to finish them all bar three pieces of steak because they were so good) but there's always room for dessert. The trufflemisu has a mascarpone and coffee cream layered with savoiardi and fresh truffle on top. It has a really lovely lightness to it and the strong coffee balances the creaminess. The truffle is a nice addition although you don't get it in every bite because it's mostly on the top.

The lemon mousse like the croquette and the pizzetta is a must order. It's a dessert shaped as a lemon, complete with lemon leaf (real). You crack open the chocolate shell to reveal a lighter than air lemon mousse with lemon jam centre on a bed of chocolate crumbs. It's so light and lemony that it's the perfect ending to a rich truffle laden meal.

So tell me Dear Reader, what is your favourite part of winter? Do you like truffles?