Flemish Flavours

Atop a hill leading down to Leura Mall sits an authentic Belgian restaurant called 'Flemish Flavors'. The restaurant is owned by husband and wife Wim and Claire bringing the unique and distinguished taste from their traditional Belgian style. 

The Restaurant, brings a homey comfort with a cosy, warm atmosphere and the chilled sounds of a John Legend album playing softly in the background.

The menu has a wide variation of delicious options, including their iconic Belgian-style mussels as well as hearty stews and tender steaks. There is certainly something for everyone on this menu. 

Lobster Bisque

The lobster bisque was presented nicely on a wooden presentation board alongside a baguette-Simple, rustic and comforting.
A delicious dipping sauce came in generously slathered on the baguette and was a great addition to the soup.

The soup came piping hot and velvety. The flavor of the lobster was fresh and subtle throughout the soup. The warming bisque was a nice start to the meal with a no overpowering flavor but a neutral and smooth taste.

The French Onion Soup/Soup of the day (Not Pictured sadly) was similarly presented but without the sauce on the baguette. 

At first I noticed a visual lack of toasted cheese that is a usual garnish to most French Onion soups.
Apart from that however the soup had a real depth to it that gave it that home-made feel. The stock had a great depth and it was evident it was made from scratch. After a pinch of salt the soup was even more flavoursome and the onion soft and sweet. 

Salad with Jannei goat cheese curd, crispy pork belly, chilli & basil dressing

Another starter for the evening is the Salad with Jannei goats cheese.
The presentation was very simple but the taste was far from. For such a small salad each spoonful was bursting full of flavour.
The textures were combined beautifully with the tanginess of the chilli and basil, the saltiness of the goats cheese and crispy pork and the simple balance of the lettuce. 

Blue mountains free range 280gm rib eye Belgian handcut chips, trio of green vegetables, Mushroom sauce

Cooked Medium Rare

It's been quite a while since I've had a perfectly cooked steak. I almost always request my steak 'Medium rare' and I often go ahead and say 'Rare' since most times the steak comes overcooked. I took a chance at Flemish and ordered mine medium rare and it came out perfectly.
The steak was juicy and still soft and pink in the middle. The mushroom sauce was a little on the bland side (and I sort of regret not choosing the blue cheese sauce), but still delicate. The vegetables fresh and simple and the chips were a lovely golden colour with a good crunch. The portion was overall generous and good quality. 

Belgian Beer Stew, Slow braised beef with Maredsous brown beer and handcut chips

The belgian stew sounded like the dish to order in the Blue Mountains - real comfort food
In the first few bites the stew was very rich and thick in flavor and had a strong sweetness to it. The spices actually reminded me of Massuman curry. The beef however was extremely tender and soft from the slow braising. Although the chips came in great condition they didn't quite compliment the stew very well. It would've done great with some sourdough or even some fluffy breadrolls to soak up the sauce and break up the richness. Sadly this dish was a little disappointing as the sweetness of the sauce overpowered the whole dish

Mussels, White Wine, Roast Garlic

The pot of mussels came in an extremely generous serve, presented in an iron pot giving the dish an innate rustic feel to it, as if it had come fresh off the fire.

The mussels were delightfully fresh and the simple flavours really let the mussels shine.
Often seafood is a little on the stingy side but Flemish really didn't hold back with this specialty dish.

Confit of Duck Maryland, braised witlof, seasonal vegetables, potato rosti and red wine jus

The duck was tender and nicely cooked throughout, the juicy meat was falling off the bone.
The duck was well seasoned and flavoured and didn't have that iconic overly oily taste that duck can tend to have. The chef's took gentle care of this particular piece. The vegetables simply cooked but added a good buffer to the rich flavours. The accompanying potato rosti added a little sweetness to the overall dish with the caramalised onions balancing the flavors. 

Local cheeses served with baguette and fig and date compote.

Local cheese is always a must when visiting a produce rich area such as the Blue Mountains. The choices included, two blues( Off the top of my head they seemed to be a Roquefort and a Stilton) and a brie.

The fig and date compote balanced perfectly with all the cheeses and the baguette was a great base choice for the pungent cheeses.
The baguette portion, as was noticable with all the previous dishes, seemed quite short in this dish, so we requested a few more pieces of bread. We were not however, informed that it would incur a hefty $2 fee. Personally, most of the dishes that accompanied a baguette were pretty stingy, so it was a bit of a shock to be charged for small slices.

Vanilla Creme Brulee

Creme brulee is a favourite of mine and is a go to simple finish to every meal. The creme brulee was smooth and creamy, the vanilla beans delightfully prominent in every spoonful was a delight. The crunchy top was thin and had that satisfying crack to it. The balance of toffee to creme was perfect. However as delicious and rich as the dish was, it was a large portion to say the least, the generous creme brulee was delicious but a little too much to stomach.

Overall the restaurant had friendly and warming service with an 'at home' feel. The menu was very reasonably priced for the portion of dishes. The meals overall had great depth and care, their presentation and flavours were well thought out and gave you a real comforting feeling. The biggest criticism is the additional charging for extra bread as it was pretty sparse in all the dishes.

Let me know what you think if you've been