Where to eat in regional Victoria: The 20 best restaurants to visit
HEADING out of town this long weekend? Don’t drive past Victoria’s 20 best regional restaurants, as reviewed by the Herald Sun’s team of food experts.
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HEADING out of town this long weekend? Don’t drive past Victoria’s 20 best regional restaurants, as reviewed by our team of food experts in the current edition of the delicious. 100.
1: BRAE
4285 Cape Otway Rd, Birregurra.
Ph: 5236 2226
Open: Fri-Mon from noon; Thu-Sat from 6.30pm
Brae’s gifted owner-chef Dan Hunter is always springing surprises in his country-style dining room in the green hills of Birregurra, 40 minutes west of Geelong. With a menu that changes with what’s in season locally and growing in Brae’s own organic fruit and vegetable garden, expect something new and ingenious each time you pay a visit. Staying overnight in one of Brae’s six luxury cabins makes for an even richer, rounded experience. If you’re lucky, Hunter himself might appear on your doorstep delivering house-baked croissants.
2: IGNI
Ryan Place, Geelong. Ph: 5222 2266
Open: Fri-Sat noon-1.30pm and 6pm-8.30pm, Thu from 6pm
THE return of prodigal chef Aaron Turner. The backstreet location. The wine list that champions the natural and the unknown. The lack of menu. But Igni is so much more than the sum of its so-hot-right-now parts. It’s driven by a room that’s spacious and supremely comfortable, fuelled by service genuinely warm and humbly unaffected, stoked by the best playlist in the land and completed by cooking that’s a refined, pitch-perfect celebration of produce backed by technique. Oh yes, Igni is on fire.
Igni chef Aaron Turner is part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival’s Rootstock Sydney x MFWF event on April 7. Book tickets here.
3: LAKE HOUSE
King St, Daylesford.
Ph: 5348 3329
Open: daily noon-2pm, 6pm-8pm
FOR as long as Alla Wolf-Tasker has been tramping through the hills with her basket brimming with the bounty of the land, has the Lake House been one of the state’s best country dining rooms. Which is to say, as long as most can remember. But Wolf-Tasker is not one for resting on laurels and the Lake House dining room, which remains as elegantly stylish for a two-course lunch as it does for the full dego extravaganza, complements food with the right amount of modern flourish.
Lake House is hosting Russian chef Vladimir Mukhin on April 9 as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Book tickets here.
4. FEN
22 Sackville St, Port Fairy.
Open: Tue-Sat from 6pm
Ph: 5568 3229
PIG’S face. Wattleseed. Quandong and Davidson plum. Since April 2015 the husband-and-wife duo of Kirstyn and Ryan Sessions has been charged with steering the long-lauded restaurant in Port Fairy’s historic Seacombe House. But now at Fen you’ll find a modern celebration of the native bounty that includes those seeds, succulents and more which is why Fen has become a jewel of regional dining that’s celebrating the land in a way that’s respectful and fun and — importantly — definitely delicious.
5. PROVENANCE
86 Ford St, Beechworth.
Ph: 5728 1786
Open: Wed-Fri, Sun 6.30pm-9pm, Sat 6pm-9pm
CHEF Michael Ryan’s modern Japanese-accented, regionally focused cooking has long brought discerning diners to Beechworth. And when you take that first spoonful of his silken tofu it’s eye-openingly clear why Provenance remains such a lauded drawcard to the northeast. The historic surrounds of the dining room provide a juxtaposition to Ryan’s flair for appropriating technique and transforming flavours, whether housemade lap cheong that redefines the genre, cured garfish served with its crunchy fried skeleton, or jerky-like cured squid served with kewpie mayo. And they’re just the snacks to start.
6. ROYAL MAIL HOTEL
98 Parker St, Dunkeld.
Ph: 5577 2241
Open: Thu-Sun noon-2.30pm, Wed-Sun 6pm-late
IT not only boasts the largest working kitchen garden in Australia (1ha and growing), but the Royal Mail Hotel now also farms its own beef and lamb. It’s this ever-growing dedication to paddock to plate that’s defining chef Robin Wickens’ tenure at Dunkeld’s most famous dining room. Sure, it’s a long way to go for dinner, but the Royal Mail remains a drive worth taking.
7. GLADIOLI
14 High St, Inverleigh.
Ph: 5265 1111
Open: Thu-Sun from noon, Wed-Sat from 6pm
GLADIOLI put Inverleigh on the map. This country town beyond Geelong is still a wayside stop on the way to the Western District but the charming restaurant Matt and Kate Dempsey opened in its main street five years ago has become a destination diner. And for good reason.
Whether you opt for five or eight courses, Gladioli delivers on every front. The menu descriptors — “prawn, wild broccoli, lemonade”, “potato, eel, brown onion” — barely hint at what’s to come. Then “Quince, chocolate, almond” supplies a fine sweet finish, best followed by Assam tea and teeny candied waffles. In Inverleigh. Who would have thought?
Gladioli is hosting Inverleigh’s Regional World’s Longest Lunch as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival on March 31. The event is sold out but book other Regional World’s Longest Lunch tickets here.
8. CATFISH
42 Main Rd, Ballarat.
Ph: 5331 5248
Open: Tue-Sat from 6pm
VICTORIA’S best Thai is found in … Ballarat? Once again there’s gold in them thar hills, this time dug out of the sour, sweet, salty and spicy flavours served up by chef Damien Jones, who learnt his trade at the hand of the master, David Thompson. And Jones’ ever-changing banquet is a procession of hits. From the salty-sweet one-bite hit of ground salmon and watermelon on betel leaf through a lemony firm-fleshed hapuku curry with deftly delivered creeping heat, or slices of perfectly pink beef served with a salt-lime sauce that truly zings, this is cooking as authentic as it is classy. Ballarat, hot? Thanks to Catfish it is.
Catfish’s chef Damien Jones will be cooking at Ballarat’s Regional World’s Longest Lunch on March 31 as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Book tickets here.
9. MIDNIGHT STARLING
60 Piper St, Kyneton.
Ph: 5422 3884
Open: Sat-Sun from noon, Wed-Sat from 6pm
KYNETON is a long, long way from Paris but Midnight Starling, in the country town’s main eat street, is as inviting as any Left Bank bistro. That’s because owner-chef Steven Rogers is a dedicated Francophile with a firm grip on French classics. At Midnight Starling you could well find steamed leeks or duck neck sausage among the entrees, paving the way for roasted spatchcock or hanger steak served rare with celeriac remoulade. To finish? A classic clafoutis with griottine cherries or toasted pain d’epice adorned with quince and vanilla ice cream.
Midnight Starling’s cellar is surprisingly deep — check the chalkboard for feature “pours” — while the service is precise and engaging.
10. EZARD AT LEVANTINE HILL
882 Maroondah Hwy, Coldstream.
Ph: 5962 1333
Open: Mon Wed-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 10am-5pm and from 6pm, Sun 10am-5pm
WHILE unabashedly pitched at those for whom drinking an $8500 bottle of Romanee-Conti grand cru isn’t the stuff of mere fantasy — yes, that’s a helipad out front for people flying in for lunch — the grandly ambitious addition to the Yarra Valley that is Levantine Hill has something for all. While all-day fare keeps the sun-drenched terrace happily fed, it’s the signature restaurant featuring Teage Ezard’s name that’s the artful match for Paul Bridgeman’s unashamedly ambitious estate wines, which are matched with. This is now the celebration of the best that’s truly worth celebrating.
Meet the family whose names adorn Levantine Hill’s prized Family Paddock wines during a five-course lunch on April 8 as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Book tickets here.
11. OAKRIDGE
864 Maroondah Hwy, Coldstream.
Ph: 9738 9900
Open: Thu-Mon 11.30am-3pm (limited menu 3pm-5pm)
WITHIN the dramatic, architectural statement that is Oakridge winery’s multi-zero mothership, you’ll find an equally dramatic zero-waste statement coming from the kitchen of sustainability poster boy, Matt Stone. And while that laudable philosophy informs the entire menu here, dogma has not replaced delicious, helped by the produce Stone accesses from the Yarra Valley and surrounds. Stone is joined in the kitchen by partner Jo Barrett, and from the excellent house milled-and-baked bread with hand-churned butter to begin, to a chocolate and corn custard sheathed in flyaway coconut dust to end, Barrett bookends the meal with skill.
12. MONTALTO
33 Shoreham Rd, Red Hill South.
Open: daily noon-3pm, Fri-Sat 6.30pm-late
Ph: 5989 8412
FOR the past 15 years Montalto has been a serious Peninsula player; its restaurant as consistently applauded as its wines and olive oils. And from the moment you take a seat in the restaurant and take in the sweeping vines and sculptures beyond the timber-framed windows, it’s clear to see why so many have first planned their “escape to the country” over lunch here. A respectful deference to produce informs the menu that teams approachable — lamb rump and confit chicken and pan-roasted barramundi — with interesting — miso and dashi and fermented chilli — to excellent effect.
Montalto is hosting an intimate and progressive dinner throughout the grounds of the Estate on March 31 and April 1 as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Book tickets here.
13. SOURCE DINING
72 Piper St, Kyneton.
Ph: 5422 2039
Open: Thu-Sun noon-2pm, Thu-Sat, 6pm-late
IT’S all about the garden and region at Tim and Michelle Foster’s welcoming and subtly stylish Kyneton dining room. From the garden, Tim’s turning out accomplished bistro classics big on flavour and strong on technique. From the region, Michelle’s created a wine list of accomplished beauty, an unaffectedly annotated guide to very good things grape at a price where it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement.
14. Port Phillip Estate
263 Red Hill Rd, Red Hill South.
Ph: 5989 4444
Open: Wed-Sun noon-3pm, Fri-Sat 6.30-9.30pm
Port Phillip Estate sits high above the coast at Red Hill, ensuring it enjoys the best restaurant view in Victoria. but a box seat over Western Port is not the only reason to visit this fine diner on Mornington Peninsula. The building itself undulates amid native grasses and spotted gums. Then there are the surrounding vineyards and Stuart Deller’s elegant cooking, which conveys a strong sense of place.
15. DU FERMIER
42 High St, Trentham.
Ph: 5424 1634
Open: Fri-Mon noon-3pm
WHAT, no a la carte menu? No. Annie Smithers has decided that before you arrive at Du Fermier, her French farmhouse-style kitchen in the goldfields town of Trentham. Your task is to be on time, order a bottle of plonk, and see what happens. On a winter’s day, Smithers sent out twice-baked cheese souffles followed by pork loin with crackling and the best cassoulet this side of the Dordogne. But eating here in spring was entirely different because Du Fermier (“from the farm’’) is dependent on what its enterprising owner-chef can source from local suppliers and her own farm in nearby Malmsbury.
16. 10 MINUTES BY TRACTOR
1333 Mornington-Flinders Rd, Main Ridge.
Ph: 5989 6080
Open: Wed-Sun noon-3pm, Thu-Sat 6.30pm-late
IT remains one of Mornington Peninsula’s most popular dining rooms, where even a winter’s weekend lunch takes a month of planning. It’s worth a visit to 10 Minutes by Tractor for the wine list alone, for which chef Stuart Bell’s menu is a worthy companion. House-smoked salmon served with a rainbow of beetroots is a riot of colours and textures, while pan-seared halibut served with mushroom puree and flowering stalks of cauliflower is a study in simple perfection.
17. MASONS OF BENDIGO
25 Queen St, Bendigo.
Ph: 5443 3877
Open: Tues.-Sat noon-3pm and 6pm-late
THEY could have just called it Masons but by adding the words “of Bendigo”, Nick and Sonia Anthony give their three-year-old diner a strong sense of place. Their placemat menus go further, listing two dozen “passionate local producers’’ whose ingredients find their way into cleverly conceived share dishes. Nick Anthony waves an Australian flag with flathead tails, corned beef and kangaroo but recasts all three in ingenious ways. Channelling Bendigo’s goldfields history, the kitchen strikes Asian notes too: chicken and ginger steamed dumplings here, Beijing roast duck there. There’s even a mod version of the Chiko roll.
18. PARINGA ESTATE
44 Paringa Rd, Red Hill South.
Ph: 5989 2669
Open: Wed-Sun noon-3pm, Fri-Sat 6pm-late
IT might lack the sharp architectural fit out of other Mornington Peninsula winery restaurants but the views across the vines to the Red Hill bush are as arresting as any other, framed here by the humble timber dining room. But lack of show is no lack of ambition — whether Lindsay McCall’s stunning pinots in the bottle, or Julian Hill’s forward-thinking vision on the plate. A spanner crab risotto, topped with onion flowers and sauced with a sticky fish caramel, is as original as it is generous, while tender pink wallaby loin teamed with a quandong-spiked leg ragu is an on-trend celebration of Australia pleasing to locals and tourists alike.
Parina Estate winemaker Lindsay McCall is revealing his secrets to making top-shelf wine in the Meet Your Maker event on April 2 and 7 as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Book tickets here.
19. TERRACE RESTAURANT
315 All Saints Rd, Wahgunyah.
Ph: 1800 021 621
Open: Wed-Sun noon-2.30pm, Sat 6pm-late
Within the heritage-listed castle that is All Saints estate, chef Simon Arkless is used to competing with his surrounds — and knows how to command attention. He does this with calm, confident cooking with just the right amount of flair. Equally considered, a lovely leather-bound wine list that features All Saints estate wines with minimal mark ups, along with judicious interest from elsewhere, as is service with charm that retains a welcome air of country calm.
All Saints Estate will host two interactive culinary workshops before a four-course lunch at the Estate on a Plate event on April 2 as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Book tickets here.
20. PETIT TRACTEUR
1208 Mornington-Flinders Rd, Main Ridge
Ph: 5989 2510
Open: Thu-Mon noon-2.30pm, Fri-Sat 6pm-late
IN a year when we fell in love — again — with all that’s good about French food, Petit Tracteur (from the 10 Minutes by Tractor team down the road) arrived to remind us about all that’s good about French bistro classics served in bucolic surrounds. It could be something as simple as the steak or as rustic as the farmhouse terrine that are winning the crowds over. Or it could be other well-executed classics: the crisp skinned duck a l’orange or the deep sticky richness of red wine-braised beef
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