Once a rarity exclusive to the faraway foodies of Europe, Canberrans now have some of the world's finest truffles right on their doorstep. The region's homegrown truffle scene has exploded recently, thanks to dedicated local truffle farmers, like Jayson Mesman and his adorable truffle-sniffin’ pooches.
Every winter, you can rug up and join Canberra’s most charming truffle dog duo on an interactive truffle hunt through the picturesque forest of 8,500 oak and hazelnut trees in the Majura Valley. After a quick history lesson into the world of truffles – enough to make you consider a career change upon learning they fetch $2,500-$3,000 per kilo – you’ll venture into the paddock for 45 minutes of exploring.
We were lucky enough to be guided by Vixen, one of The Truffle Farm’s 14 skilled labradors, capable of unearthing $10,000 worth of black gold in less than an hour. Within five minutes of our hunt, she had already sniffed out her first treasure. Jason showed the group how to carefully dig up the truffle; its musky, earthy aroma filling the air before it's fully exposed. We were encouraged to get their hands dirty, and also to reward Vixen with plenty of pats and cuddles for her hard work.
After hunting down a handful of these prized little fungi, we retreated to the warmth of The Barn for a lavish degustation lunch, prepared by the current resident chef, Kanharith Kim (Quay). The five or six-course degustation menu changes monthly, with each dish even more impressive than the last. Highlights from our meal included a bite-sized roasted potato tartlet topped with whipped parmesan truffle foam; freshly baked coffee and wattleseed sourdough served with housemade truffle butter; and a creamy potato, wattleseed and pine nut soup.
Our whole table unanimously agreed on the stand-out dish of the day: three delicate parcels of truffle mushroom agnolotti, floating in a shiitake dashi broth with pepper oil and fresh truffle oil. These perfect little pasta parcels are a labour of love, taking the chefs two days to prepare. Savour every bite, but be sure to save room for dessert, which in our case, was a sophisticated twist on the nostalgic McDonald’s apple pie. This texturally diverse dish featured a goat’s curd vanilla mousse with caramelised milk, plus sprinklings of barley praline, sweet crumble and pickled apple to cut through the richness. Chef Kim crowned each dessert with a perfect scoop of brown butter and truffle ice cream, which she whipped up on the spot, and garnished them with a generous shaving of black gold.
Each course is paired with local drops from Canberra-based winery, Mada, alongside insider tips from the chefs on preparing truffles at home. The Truffle Farm hosts its magical Truffle Hunt and Degustation experiences most weekends from May to September for $225 per person. For a more relaxed outing, they also offer a Truffle Hunt and Taste experience for $75 per person.