Wildflower, Canterbury by Bureaucrat

Following our respective trips into Europe, Mrs B and I caught up for lunch in her stomping ground - Canterbury. Canterbury isn't normally a place where I visit - to me, it feels rather uptight, socially conformist with a generous whiff of old money.


However, I take any opportunity to try out restaurants and cafes in areas that I'm not familiar with. On Mrs B's suggestion, we had lunch at Wildflower. Wildflower is located within the Mailing Road shopping precinct. It has a lovely timeless feel to the place, with the sun streaming through the trees in the courtyard where Wildflower is situated.

We opted to sit outside. I couldn't help but notice that the restaurant was very popular among the 'women of a certain age' demographic. I was probably the youngest person there, and during the two hours or so that we were there, there were only two men dining there...the rest of the patrons were the grand dames of Canterbury doing lunch.


For mains, Mrs B went for the Frenched lamb cutlets, with new potatoes, petit pois and garnished with watercress. The two generous plump cutlets were served medium...I was quite envious of Mrs B's choice.


I opted for the tuna steak, and asked for it to be cooked well done. Despite it being served well done, the tuna was still quite tender and juicy. The tuna steak came with these very cute root veg that was sculpted into a miniature pear. There were also baby beets, sweet corn (off the cob) and peeled mini tomatoes. The fennel salad added a nice sweet and crunchy contrast.


For desserts, Mrs B and I both went for the same dessert. It's a pity I can't quite remember what it was... I remember the flavours, but that's about it. One of the components was made from blood red oranges and passionfruit. I think it was a pannacotta with sorbet. I can't remember what the biscuity 'topping' was. We both liked the taste - it was sharply acidic, but very smooth at the same time.

Verdict
Food - 9
Ambience - 9
Service - 9
Price - 8

Overall
I quite liked the fact that Wildflower has a prix fixe option. I have to say, European cities tend to offer this option, which I find is lacking in Australia.

The food was excellently executed - I loved the contrast in flavours and textures. And visually, the food was well presented. The service was attentive and friendly. I'd definitely would revisit this place.

Address
Wildflower
1 Theatre Place
Canterbury 3126
Telephone: 9888 6662