Giant Steps takes Yarra Valley dining in the right direction

GIANT Steps is handsome and comfortable, modern without being intimidating, and, for all the hard surfaces, manages to keep noise to conversation- friendly levels.

Some of the fare on offer at Giant Steps. Picture : IAN CURRIE

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IN exhibit 48095-E in prosecuting the case we’re witnessing the death throes of Capitalism, apparently Divorce Party Planner is now something people write in blue or black ink under “occupation”.

Not content to simply pop a cork and whistle ding dong the bastard’s buried, there are those now outsourcing the organising of the celebrating of the squashing of the frog that stopped being a prince. But then there are more conscious uncouplings doing the right thing by the kids, and, after a decade of happy cohabitation, Yarra Valley wine labels Giant Steps and Innocent Bystander have done just that, with the latter moving out late last year.

But they didn’t move far; to the now Brown Brothers-owned label just a cup of sugar away in the old White Rabbit Brewery, where they’re doing a roaring trade in pizza and paella and moscato on tap.

Giant Steps, in keeping with owner Phil Sexton and winemaker Steve Flamsteed’s focus on producing some of the region’s best pinot and chardonnay, has had an extensive refurbishment.

What was the cool and casual pizza-slinging, coffee-roasting, bread-baking working cellar door when Innocent Bystander shared the space has been transformed into a more refined offering, with lots of dark wood, tan leather and moody lighting.

It’s handsome and comfortable, modern without being intimidating, and, for all the hard surfaces, manages to keep noise to conversation- friendly levels.

It’s a clever move, perhaps to be expected from the brain behind the original Matilda Bay and Little Creatures Breweries and Devil’s Lair winery before he headed east, because while the Innocent Bystander range is approachable and great value it somewhat diminished the perception and diluted the message of the excellent single-vineyard, site-specific wines Giant Steps are creating to great acclaim.

Salami pizza with mozzarella and a dusting of oregano.

There’s no better way to get acquainted with those wines than with a tasting flight, which can be done at the table ($14), if not in the dedicated barrel room. Whether picking up the cinnamon in the Primavera pinot compared with the cherry spice of the Applejack, or the minerally Lusatia Park compared with the lush Sexton chardonnay, the ability to experience the profound differences of the sites across the Valley provides a delicious education.

The food reflects the new look, though remains a crowd-pleasing peripatetic offering that appeals to the diverse diners needed to fill the large space.

There’s Asian noodles and Spanish charcuterie, a Thai curry and harissa-spiced roast chicken, sashimi and slow-cooked lamb. And three of those famous pizzas that come flying fast out of the wood oven.

The Pamplona salami we tried delivered exactly on the brief: a crisp, sourdough base blistered around the edges that held firm topped with simple, superb produce. The sweet-sour tang of San Marzano tomatoes and creamy Shaw River buffalo mozzarella, a hint of heat to the salami complemented with a dusting of oregano ($26).

Even better, a generous slab of sublime chicken liver parfait that’s best in class. Silken, sweet and creamy but with lots of proper liver flavour, it’s dressed with caperberries and cornichons and comes with a mound of thick house-baked, charred and olive-oil drizzled sourdough ($15). Two roasted piquillo peppers, supple and rich, are piped to bursting with Woodside goat’s curd which sings on its own ($15). They pale somewhat next to the parfait, but will have many fans.

Chef Jarrod Hudson, who’s called time on his Easy Tiger restaurant in Collingwood, is still scratching that modern Thai itch with a vibrant avocado and crab salad that might go easy on the chilli but doubles down on the coconut-flecked crab. Loads of mint and coriander and fried shallots make for a pretty and lovely dish ($27).

The wok-fried noodles with pork belly and crushed peanuts.

While it’s not much to look at, the wok-fried noodles with sticky-fleshy nuggets of pork belly has great personality, with crunchy snow pea stalks and crushed peanuts tossed through black vinegar-seasoned rice noodles that have good chilli-oil depth ($27). Super tasty.

The only real miss (apart from paper napkins) was the grilled squid. Though tender and cooked well it came completely doused in an ink sauce that was overly salty, the plate unappealingly black that the few undressed rocket leaves atop couldn’t salvage ($26).

Service, though, is a bullseye hit. Switched on, evidently well trained, with eyes on the room and a smile on their faces, while this is doubtless a weekend job for many they seem to be taking it bang-on seriously while still having fun. What a lovely surprise.

Coffee (excellent) and cake – a lemony, wobbly goat’s cheesecake with clever almond base($14) – complete the picture in colour.

While we still have giant steps to take in reining in the idiocy of much of modern life, this new-look evocation of a Yarra Valley cellar door is definitely one in the right direction.

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The Giant Steps restaurant in Healesville. Picture: IAN CURRIE

Giant Steps

336 Maroondah Hwy, Healesville

Ph: 5962 6111,

giantstepswine.com.au

Open: 11am-late Mon-Fri; 9am-late Sat-Sun

Go-to dish: Chicken liver parfait

Rating: 14/20