Recently, we were invited to try the new Winter menu at Bad Apples Bar. Bad Apples Bar is a wine bar and restaurant located in Ardross with menu comprising of mainly share food. The food at Bad Apples is inspired from cuisines around the world along with gourmet pizzas and substantial dishes.

As we were there on a wet and chilly Saturday evening, the bar was busy but very warm and cosy. What caught our eye at Bad Apples was the Enomatic Wine System, a wine vending machine which dispenses wine from the bottle to be enjoyed by the glass. We decided to enjoy some Pinot Noir for our evening with our food.

We decided to share a few dishes between the both of us. We had the crispy skin barramundi with cannellini beans, baby carrots, herb pesto and chat potatoes ($28). It was a hearty dish. The skin of the barramundi was crispy and the barramundi itself was well cooked and tender. We loved the smooth and subtle texture of the cannellini bean puree which complements so well with the barramundi.

The pork and veal ragu with fettuccine, chilli and parmesan ($26) was the perfect winter warmer on the rainy night. It was very delicious and hearty with a nice spicy kick to keep your warm. We thought that the pork and veal ragu felt like home-style cooking similar to what your mother would make. It’s comfort food for the soul.

The seared scallops  ($22) were cooked perfectly with the cauliflower puree and chorizo. In this dish, the flavours are texturally well balanced where the subtle flavour of the cauliflower puree marries well with the pieces of the chewy chorizo and fresh scallops.

We also had the pork belly with caramel miso and pickled ginger salsa ($16).  The juicy and flavoursome pork belly complements well with the flavours of ginger and caramel miso. Although the crackle could be a tad crispier, overall, it was still a tasty dish bursting full of flavours and textures.

The chicken wings with spicy soy slaw ($12) is sweet, tender and juicy.  It was full of finger licking goodness. Although it was a tad spicy, there are plenty of flavours in this dish.

For dessert, we had the spiced rum chocolate tart ($13) with citrus mascarpone and nut praline. One bite of this chocolate tart and it will take you to dessert heaven. The pastry was perfect and the chocolate was decadently delicious with a lovely rum flavour. A great dessert to end our warm and hearty feast.

As a cosy, neighbourhood bar, Bad Apples is the perfect place to catch up for some drinks and delicious food with an extensive wine list and great menu. Also, don’t forget to check out the specials and events at Bad Apples as there is always something happening.

We would like to thank the team at Bad Apples for the delicious dinner. It’s one place that we will recommend to our friends and will be back again.