Enzo, Hunter Valley

…The Captain showing us exactly how to eat a brulee

Did you know on our last day at our Hunter Valley getaway, the Captain and I nearly got rear ended in our car? As we set off home, we were casually musing whether to have breakfast or just keep on driving. Almost in a split second, the sign for Café Enzo loomed up so quickly and without thinking, I slammed on the brakes and performed a Scandinavian flick worthy of Tommi Mäkinen into their driveway.

Sheer evidence that we are indeed ruled by the stomach…even in risky driving situations.

I first read about Café Enzo (now known as just Enzo) from A Table For Two in which I cooed to The Captain over how postcard pretty it was. I drove past it numerous times on our weekend away but never found a gap in our agenda to fit it in…until the morning of departure. We weren’t hungry then but after seeing the sign, our stomachs changed its mind and brought out the Rally Driver from within (see, I knew my calling was in motor racing!).

The Stone Pantry – a gourmet food shop that sits alongside the café

Ah, Enzo…what’s not to love on first impressions? It’s even more achingly pretty than I remembered from photos. The restaurant and adjacent cellar is housed by a beautiful Tuscan-style sandstone building surrounded by a lake, gardens and an Italian Cherub water fountain. The charm practically oozed out of every brick and thankfully followed through with equally charming and friendly waitstaff.

The breakfast menu is available from 9 to 11am and the morning/afternoon tea is pretty much available all day. I should note that you can BYO wine except for David Hook Wines, whose cellar sits next to the café. A reasonable request as their wine list (which mostly consists of mainly David Hook Wines) would’ve been rendered useless otherwise.

David Hook Wine cellar

But this is breakfast so a juice and coffee would suffice. In the case of The Captain’s mega mug of coffee, it proved more than sufficient. This cauldron of coffee even came with its own menu warning of the size and an extra one from the waitress. They obviously didn’t know that The Captain lives day to day with a coffee IV drip attached to his arm.

The Captain orders a Banana and Walnut Bread served with French Butter. It was a win for taste and texture – crusty and toasty on the outside and warm, moist and incredibly soft on the inside without being too sweet. The rich French butter just topped off one of the best banana breads we ever had.

Now I’m not usually one to gush about brekkie but after starting on my Big Breakfast, I was soon mumbling about how creamy and perfectly scrambled the eggs were and how fried mushrooms should adorn every dish. The only minor gripe I had was that the bacon could’ve been fried longer. I love my rashers crisped and fried to the rafters but that’s just a personal preference.

Oh, but the highlight of Enzo, nay, one of the highlights of my Hunter Valley trip were their scones. I’m one fussy lady when it comes to my beloved scones and every one that I’ve tasted always had a flaw to warrant my relentless nit-picking. Risk a lashing if you stuff up a humble scone. That’s my written warning (in fine print on my forehead, see?).

I struggled to notice anything wrong with these gems. And there were none. They were not too cakey, far from dry or crumbly, not too moist or doughy like par-baked scones, no floury texture or taste, the right ratio of density to lightness and they were just gorgeous risen mounds. You didn’t think a perfect scone would be so dastardly technical did you?

It arrived warm and freshly baked. Again the beautiful toasted exterior was ever present and gave way to a steaming soft, moist, incredibly tasty scone. They were devoured with lashings of delicious strawberry jam and good quality smooth clotted cream. None of that cheap, nasty whipped stuff. I could’ve just run into the kitchen to give them all a hug but instead settled on giggles of happiness after each bite. Sydney venues, take note. The scones? Café Enzo in humble Hunter Valley got it so, so right.

All this pleasure had and there was still a dessert of Vanilla Bean Brulee with homemade biscotti and fresh blueberries to contend with. Presentation was so beautiful that I couldn’t bear to eat it…almost! Unfortunately the toffee, while a beautiful colour, was actually quite soft and sticky…not the hard, crisp, crackling shell that us brulee lovers demand. But that’s just one grain of complaint. We were too happy delving into the thick, creamy custard to care. And the blueberries? Always a winner on my plate.

We were unashamedly in love with this place. We simply wanted to stay and wait it out so we could try out the lunch menu. The charm and the beauty they had in spades, but with the scones, they have a surefire reason for me to return again and again…without the necessity for Scandinavian flicks.

Café Enzo

At Peppers Creek Winery
Corner of Broke and Ekerts Road
Pokolbin NSW 2320

(02) 4998 7233

Website is here.

Tagged as: Breakfast, Cafe Enzo, Enzo Restaurant, Hunter Valley, Morning Tea, New South Wales, NSW, Peppers Creek, Pokolbin, Regional NSW, Scones, Vineyard, Wine Country, Winery