For all its cellar doors, nowhere captures the spirit and terroir of the Hunter Valley like EXP: a theatrical, fire-fuelled experience that celebrates the surroundings in every bite and sip. Take the ducks, raised just down the road, their crowns glazed in Pokolbin honey and roasted over ironbark, then sliced and served with charred local leeks and a custom-made plate of house-cured ham, rillettes and leg salami. Or maitake mushrooms, gently pickled in vinegar made from local wines and charred in the open kitchen by chef-owner Frank Fawkner, who sets them onto a rich, just-set cheddar custard topped with crisp shards of new-season Jerusalem artichokes. Manager and sommelier Harrison Plant musters the best of the area’s growers and makers on the wine list, drawing from both big names and small, while the whole team radiates reverence and pride for everything homegrown. It’s the sort of cheerleader every destination dining region deserves.
