Biota Dining sits in the landscape of the Southern Highlands, a world sensitive to the various seasons and whose produce is inspired by them. Biota is the craft of those seasons, where ingredients are presented in their best state by a chef who knows them intimately. Walk up a gravel path on a cool day to the sublime outdoor dining courtyard, to an open fire and high walls thick with foliage.

Head chef James Viles was out foraging when we were there, finding his bounty in the Bowral surrounds. But the kitchen lost no pace nor perfection. On the degustation “Biota Five” menu, the elegant, polished dishes include the likes of a chilled bowl – exquisite slivers of globe artichoke and tender chilled potato sit in an oyster broth that’s as rich as it is irresistible. Fennel fronds are turned crunchy by a chef at the table with a fun, attention-seeking liquid nitrogen play, then scattered over the dish.

The lunch menu is a much more casual affair, food-wise. Fried potato scraps taste like potato, which seems obvious enough until you eat these and remember what potato is really supposed to taste like. A generous dollop of whipped trout roe sits on the would-be chips, topped again with pearls of actual trout roe for dipping. It’s heartbreakingly delicious, though probably not friendly to the arteries. The house-made blood sausage is another immaculate indulgence, topped with a gooey egg.

Fermentation, foraged and house-made have big roles to play here, and the menu is more interesting and inspiring for it. Curls of charred Tasmanian octopus tentacles are tender and meaty, but the accompanying spiced nduja and tomato sauce has us wanting to lick the plate. Dessert, somehow, is the least indulgent part of the meal. So-called burnt peaches are just grilled and caramelised, poised on a pillow of mascarpone and the honey from the hives at the bottom of the property.

It’s this unceasing reminder of nature in every dish that gives Biota such a buzz.

Must eat dish: The snacks on the ‘Biota Five’ menu
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