Hey Western Sydney, we've found you a hidden gem in the heart of Campbelltown! Restaurant Macarthur is located inside the TAFE NSW Campbelltown campus. It's a special training restaurant which is run by the commercial cookery and hospitality students. Restaurant Macarthur is open to the public, and it offers some amazing dining deals!

 

 

Restaurant Macarthur opens once a week for lunch and dinner. High teas and degustation dinners are also available at various times during the semester! Dining here is like going to any other restaurant, you simply book yourself a table via the TAFE NSW Campbelltown campus.

 

The students coordinate the entire meal service themselves, they create the menu, prepare the food and provide their diners with professional table service.

Menus are a set price for three delicious courses, lunch is $22, Dinner is $37 (April 2018) . Dinner also includes a canape and a glass of soft drink, wine or beer. This has to be one of the best restaurant deals around, but not only that, it feels good to dine here, because your meal provides the students with valuable hands on experience.

 

So what is it like to dine in a training restaurant?  Well, we had dinner at TAFE NSW Campbelltown and were really impressed.

Inside the dining room there's no hint that the restaurant is a training environment. The tables are beautifully set with cutlery, wine glasses and crisp white tablecloths. Just after we arrived, a little warm cheese tart was delivered to our table. This delicious little melt in the mouth pastry was devoured before we even thought about taking a photo. But we did  manage to capture our gorgeous bread rolls which are all hand made by the bakery students.

Our entree choices included modern Australian classics such as Seared Diver Scallops on corn puree with a lime and chilli Salsa. We also shared a plate of “tender as” Spice Rubbed Lamb with herbed couscous and tomatoes drizzled in basil oil.

  

For mains, we opted for the succulent Free Range Chicken, a grilled chicken breast served on a bed of creamy mashed potato with wild shiitake mushrooms and jus. This was served with a fresh rocket and orange salad which complimented the earthy flavours of the shitake mushroom.  We also ordered Crispy Skin Barramundi in herb butter with creamy crab risotto.

  

We chose the White Chocolate Tart and Frangelico Hazelnut Brulee with roasted strawberries and biscotti for dessert. Our creme brulee was torched to perfection, we cracked the caramelised sugar and dipped the biscotti into the silky custard underneath, just divine!

 

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It was a work night for us so we just had the one glass of wine included in our meal, a Sacred Hill Cabernet and Chardonnay. Additional of wine, beer or spirits are available at very reasonable prices. Wine is also available by the bottle.

 

It's hard to top a good meal but the students had one more surprise waiting for us. On our way out we found a little pop up bakery in the foyer. While we drooled over the pastry cabinet we chatted to another couple who had just snapped up a delicious looking black forest cake. They told us the bakery is an added bonus when the pastry classes are running. The cakes and biscuits were way too tempting, we left with a box of chocolate eclairs and 4 rhubarb pies.

 

The student's careers are already off to a great start, they should be proud of their food and service at Restaurant Macarthur.

 

Restaurant Macarthur

Location: TAFE NSW Campbelltown

                F Block, 181 Narellan Road Campbelltown

Hours:    Lunch, Thursday 12 - 2pm

               Dinner Wednesday, 6.30 - 9pm

Bookings Essential: 02 46201836

 

The Western Sydney Food Blog dined as guests of TAFE NSW Campbelltown.

 

 

 

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