Winter Nights at The Piggery (by invitation), Sherbrooke by Bureaucrat

Feeling kinda like a duo of vampires (Bella and Edward?), the Lawyer and I made our way into the moody darkness that is Mt Dandenong at sunset.  It was icy cold, pitch black and full of shadows, and we had one thing on our minds: blood lust.  Every fortnight throughout winter The Piggery is hosting Winter Nights.  Where for $32 per person you can have a special dinner with a glass of wine.  Each fortnight a different dish is featured, and on the night we went, a juicy rare steak was on the menu.

Served medium rare, steak frites is a classic French dish.  The gorgeous piece of steak which had smoky grill marks came with the best frites ever.  Twice-cooked, the frites were ever so morish and had that soft carby inner that made me thankful for the cold weather as it was a perfect excuse to wolf them down.  

The bearnaise sauce was creamy and had its characteristic tanginess.

The steak was served with a green salad to share.  The salad had rocket, parsley, shaved carrot and what I think was shaved parsnip and pomegranate seeds. There other types of green leaves in the salad but I wasn't sure what they were. I liked the very forage-y/rustic feel to the it.

While the meal comes with a glass of wine, we opted instead for a freshly squeezed orange juice and soda.

The Piggery is quite easy to get to as you don't have to travel too far into Mt Dandenong to get there. Definitely make a booking for a Winter Nights dinner as it's a great way to ward off the cold nights and to indulge in a delicious meal. The upcoming Winter Nights are as follows:

• 26 June - truffle mushroom risotto w green salad
• 10 July - whole Mark Eather fish
• 24 July - chicken tonight
• 7 August - mixed grill
• 21 August - Blackmore's cottage pie

Verdict: we loved it

Overall

There's wonderful service and a really down-to-earth vibe at The Piggery.  We sat next to a couple who live in the area and consider The Piggery as their local cafe.  They love the sourdough bread (there's a bakery on site) which is supplied to many restaurants around town, including (naturally) Vue de Monde. There is also an a la carte menu.

Also have a gander at Obelix's review during her visit on a sunny weekend.