By Tom Neal Tacker
The Credo came highly recommended and looks suitably
impressive upon approach. Its front balcony is decked out in fairy lights,
quite charming in the glistening snow, all Heidi-like and alluringly twee.
There is also the bare wood rusticity that typifies the Thredbo Village look.
Once inside you see tables sporting white linen cloths and neatly folded
serviettes. Glassware, plates and stemware are all better than average too, for
Thredbo that is, where the basic tumbler and Paris goblet is still reign
overall.
The Credo claim to local fame is its wine list. Yes,
it is impressively replete with various vintages of Penfolds' Grange and other
South Australian wines of similar reputation, but local wines (from Tumbarumba,
Hilltops and Canberra districts) are curiously omitted. This may say more about
the clientele than the owner but The Credo is a local establishment favoured by
the locals and not just by the tourists. So why not feature more local wines
for the education of both? Slaloming down the list, I spotted the Lost Valley
Cortese from Victoria and fell on it. (Skiing metaphors will regularly appear
in these Thredbo reviews.) Though not a wine from NSW, its appearance on wine
lists is all too rare. I deemed it too good an opportunity to pass over and
mildly coerced my fellow dining companions into trying the new wine they hadn’t
heard of before. We were a large group and the Cortese worked well with a
disparate selection of mostly seafood entrees. My evening’s special of a ‘Half
dozen shell scallops grilled in a lemon thyme and garlic butter sauce with
lemon and rocket’ tasted more of garlic butter than anything resembling lemon
but the scallops were thankfully not overcooked and I found myself sopping up
the butter sauce left in the shells with the copious supply of bread. The
‘Prawns infused with saffron, pan fried and served on angel hair pasta with
fennel, garlic and sweet basil’ also suffered a bit from the garlic overload
but were still succulent and the pasta remained in single strands rather than
in a gluggy hair-do. ‘Soup of the Day’ was a lentil/vegetable/speck concoction
that warmed the cockles of a ski bunny’s heart and was notable for its size and
richness.
There is an Italian flair to this Credo menu. The
entrée of ‘Vongole steamed in white wine, then fried in garlic, chilli, parsley
and a hint of anchovy on a bed of pasta’ and mussels served the same way but
with tomato and without the pasta as a main course special of the day indicates
a fondness for Italy to be sure. But the chef obviously does like garlic and
yes, the menu is unnecessarily wordy. An entrée of ‘Filleto di Manzo-grilled
medium rare beef fillet, marinated in balsamic, garlic, chilli and parsley and
tossed with sun dried tomato, roast capsicum, mesclun lettuce and basil’ could
be read as a short story in terms of length with garlic as the main character.
Too much information here.
Trying to localise the next wine choice, I picked
the Mudgee Hill of Gold Shiraz. I’d won over my friends with the Cortese by now
and they fully trusted me. Given that the mains are mostly meaty, (two
vegetarian choices of ‘Penne quattro formaggio’ and ‘Wild mushroom risotto with
truffle and mascarpone’ were both equally rich), a fulsome red seemed to be the
right choice. My ‘250gm aged eye fillet of beef on potato mash with jus
(recommended medium/rare)’ (now we really have an insight into the mixed
clientele) was a properly cooked piece of tender meat (I ordered it rare)
placed next to a large amount of disappointingly watery and lumpy mash on a
plate swimming with a ‘jus’ that was a kind of diluted demi-glace. The flavour
was almost there but suffered from an overdose of salt. That was it. No
vegetables or garnish of any kind. It was just a lump of beef flesh and the mashed
potato. Happily we all shared bowls of ‘Fresh baked Winter vegies’ and ‘Rocket
and parmesan salad’. Other sampled mains included a ‘Scaloppine of veal-pan
fried with prosciutto, sage, white wine and bocconcini served with braised
shallots and green beans’ was a large version of a Veal Saltimbocca and of
course wasn’t really veal but was large, tasty and filling. Someone else
ventured the ‘Spaghetti Mare-fresh seasonal seafood, pan fried in garlic, wine,
tomato and herbs served with steamy spaghetti’ (please will someone re-write
this menu?) was daunting in its presentation as the pasta strands were barely
contained on the large plate. Portion control knows no bounds here. The seafood
was cooked just right again but the dish lacks imagination. The same can be
said for the ‘Veal Osso Bucco on fried polenta’ and the ‘Braised lamb shanks in
a red wine and tomato jus with crushed herb potatoes’. The Credo without doubt
serves generous portions but this is basic pedestrian mountain menu fare. It’s
all hearty, rich, filling and rather boring. Where was the excitement? Back on
the slopes I reckon.
My dessert of ‘Traditional Tiramisu with shaved
chocolate and vanilla crème anglaise’ could have fed a ski patrol. I’ve never
seen tiramisu measured out by the meter before. It’s a pity that it tasted
mostly of mascarpone and little else. The ‘Soft rolled passionfruit Pavlova
with vanilla ice cream’ was also too much and dull to (ski) boot. Credo’s
‘Cheese Plate of La Buche Brie, Kirk’s Vintage Cheddar and Gorgonzola Piccanta’
is served with muscatels, quince paste, walnut bread and toasted ciabatta.
Again not very exciting but fortunately the cheeses were served at a proper
temperature.
If the snow is coming down as it was when we left,
you can finish your meal with a ‘Grolla pot- Italian liqueurs with espresso
served in a hand turned Italian wooden drinking pot’ or any other ‘Liqueur
coffee’ of your choice as well as the usual espresso or various teas.
Service was very friendly and efficient in this
extremely crowded and noisy restaurant. Full marks to our waiter for
negotiating the limited space between tables as he deftly carried that enormous
amount of food over to us. Though his wine and food knowledge was minimal he
enthusiastically endorsed all of our choices and complimented us on them
without sounding like a patronising nitwit. I think he genuinely likes the food
and portions at The Credo. I wasn’t so completely won over myself.
Value for money is adequate. This is not cheap
dining by any means and if you go crazy spending on the compendious wine list,
you may be back to wedges and water on the slopes the next day.
Score: 5.5/10
The Credo
At Riverside Cabins
Thredbo Alpine Village
PO Box 139
Thredbo, NSW 2625
02 6457 6844