The rains, they’re a-falling, a-drenching our spirits,

And putting our stainless-steel swords to good use;

But inclement weather does have a few merits -

To start off, it’s good for declaring a truce

And giving the minions a couple days joy-leave;

Or bunkering down with a mind to reduce

The piles of detritus and mind-clogging refuse

Which are (for this ninja) a terrible peeve.

 

Let’s sort out these memories, decaying to history,

Elided by arrows and teardrops of time -

Why, yesterday’s happenings feel like a mystery

(but I’m pretty sure they weren’t set out to rhyme).

We toss out the humdrum, like house-chores and shoot-outs,

And focus on polishing relics sublime -

To write off the past is quite surely a hate-crime

A fact of which good ninjas never have doubt.

 

So back to the Hunter we go, to Verandah,

Where fine Aussie tapas don’t need politesse:

Just sip, clink and burp while you gossip and gander,

And don’t fear your napkin sustaining a mess!

Because if you do, you’ll not taste the flavours

Pressed fresh into triple-hit combos (the best)

Like ‘Shrooms Goat-Cheese Pumpkin requiring bedrest

To fathom the taste-symphony which one savours

 

When joining three disparate shards in this Trinity.

Or maybe a zesty slap from Blue Crab Fingers?

You’ll feel like you’re tumbling into infinity

Lullabied by sour crustacean singers

With prawn-tails for noses. Now Saffron Potato,

Quite redolent with crispy sweetness that lingers,

Brings lightness of being (like two black-clad harbingers

Who once popped a hostile skull like a tomato).

 

The wine sloshes round in the brain, swilling synapses

Full with the scent of Slow-Roast Lamb and Jus -

The combo’s enough to elicit fine lapses

Of judgement in knowing what’s false and what’s true.

Is it that this beef really tastes so delicious?

Or am I being suckered by alcohol too?

It doesn’t quite matter; what does is the loo -

My bladder’s a torrent of curses quite vicious.

 

The rains, they’re a-falling, a-drenching  us fast,

But good food and wine lasting stories do make.

Don’t ever forget that the storm-clouds will pass -

A single fine memory’s all it should take.

Mushrooms, Goats’ Cheese and Pumpkin

Blue Spanner Crab, Vinaigrette, Salad

Potato, Pesto, Saffron

Lamb Shoulder, Kipfler Potatoes

—

The Verandah Restaurant

Location: Palmers Lane, Rothbury New South Wales 2320

Taste-type: Australian-style tapas

Price: Plates (4-servings) $14-36 (2-serving plates available)

How to get there: Use a map and a paradrop

Contact: 02-49987231

{ 1 comment }