Roadside motel restaurants have historically been a gamble. A continental breakfast with a side of watery scrambled eggs or dinner of tough rump steak, frozen veg and mass-produced peppercorn gravy – top quality cuisine has not typically been the norm. We're pleased to report however, that Blaq at the recently refurbished Kyah Hotel in Blackheath is far from the stereotype and downright delightful to boot.
The 1970s property has had a serious glow-up, with kitschy-keen Tropicana vibes, all pink and green with sexy curves and plush velvet accents throughout. The enormous jellybean-shaped bar dominates the dining room and while the high ceilings and glassed walls could easily turn frigid in the Blue Mountains chill, warmth is added both literally and metaphorically by a wood-burning stove that is tended by staff throughout the evening.
If you're lucky enough to score a table nearby, it's a great spot to throw down a pre-dinner cocktail – a Native Negroni made with Okre Island Bitter and local Blue Mountain gin is sweet and herbaceous while the signature Flamin' Galah is an Aussie riff on the Mai Tai with local dark rum, Australian amaro, pineapple juice, orgeat, lime, lemon myrtle and burnt cinnamon. It's a surprisingly comforting tropical drop that suits the cold climate in an unexpected and deeply pleasing way.
Dinner is a choose-your-own-adventure arrangement; keep your meal light and snacky with fennel spiced pork scratchings, miso roasted pumpkin bites on melba toast, or a charcuterie board with Gibson Grove olives, chutney, charred vegetables, Black Cockatoo bread. We wouldn't mind if the tomato chutney were replaced with some cultured butter or a mustard for a touch of bitterness but to be honest, it's splitting hairs when you're warming yourself by a fire and holding a glass of local Fiano.
Ocean trout tartare, quail egg yolk, salted capers, vinegary cornichons and puffed black sesame is a refined starter before ramping up with a Rangers Valley grass-fed T-bone, with a generous dollop of café de Paris butter. The true stars however are the extraordinary and understated crushed roasted potato.
If you've saved room for dessert, and we suggest that you do, opt for the lemon meringue pie with raspberries, lemon gel and lemon crisp. The short pastry shell is a teeny bit overworked and lacks that crumbly snap we'd like but overall, this sherbety-sharp lemon treat is a retro classic that suits the surrounds to a T.
Blaq is a long overdue and very welcome addition to the Blue Mountains dining scene and absolutely one for your next weekend away – a comfy bed in retro-chic surrounds is found under the same roof, after all.