Pt Leo Estate
The vast arc of this Mornington Peninsula show pony spans fine-diner Laura at one end, the no-bookings wine terrace at the other and the 110-seat Pt Leo Restaurant in between
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3649 Frankston-Flinders Rd, Merricks
(03) 5989 9011
Spend any time at Pt Leo Estate and you’ll soon be checking the local real estate pages.
Any excuse to hasten a return visit to this Mornington Peninsula show pony.
It’s that kind of place – all the wow that a $50 million build brings, but so very accessible and fun, too.
The vast arc of the building spans fine-diner Laura at one end, the no-bookings wine terrace at the other and the 110-seat Pt Leo Restaurant in between, all with killer views of the winery’s sculpture park, Western Port Bay and a distant Phillip Island.
With its bistro vibes and wood-fired oven, Pt Leo Restaurant is the estate’s workhorse.
Bold flavours and local ingredients rule, whether in the apples baked into the sourdough, fried mussel mini sandwiches, or Dory fillets in deeply delicious XO mushroom sauce and kipfler potatoes licked with beef fat.
At Laura, the five-course set menu opens with warm brioche and freshly-pressed Cape Schanck olive oil and proceeds with beautiful snacks like the nori tartlet flecked with house-made bottarga.
The custard fondant – a recent invention when a batch of custard didn’t set – is a revelation of creaminess and texture, offset by a fluffy berry mousse.
The deep cellar is there to splash the cash, but happily make the estate wines your default.
This is destination dining at its best, big on budget but also big on welcome.
Chef: Phil Wood
Open: Pt Leo Restaurant: Lunch daily; Dinner Thur-Sat; Laura: Lunch Thur-Sun; dinner Thur-Sat; Wine terrace: Lunch Sat-Sun
Price: $$/$$$$/$
Go-to dish: Wood-roasted crumpet, drunken chicken
Instagram: @ptleoestate