Expensive

Roasted goat with potatoes

For many, many years, I heard and read about Stefano Di Pieri and his eponymous restaurant. While there have been changes in recent years it did not dampen my interest in making Stefano’s a destination.

Funnily enough, the main change to have Jim McDougall become Executive Chef, with Stefano himself taking a back seat, lasted only a relatively short time for a restaurant that has been around since 1991. I have no idea about the circumstances, but I do find it intriguing given The Age awarded Stefano’s the Regional Restaurant of the Year, most recently while Jim was at the helm.

Back to its original form with Stefano back at the helm meant also a return to the ever changing five course menu instead of Jim’s six or eight course tasting menu. Housed in the cellar of Mildura’s Grand Hotel, the main dining room is a long and tight space mainly suited for tables of two. In adjoining rooms there is more space for groups or private dining.

Parma prosciutto and house made bread

Tonight, Catherine and I did something we have not ever done before. We asked to move tables. Coming down into the cellar with only a couple of tables already seated we were taken to a table close to the kitchen, but right outside the bar and drinks service area. Having looked around we couldn’t work out why we were not seated in the more intimate part of the cellar and gladly our waitperson accommodated us. While it is a bit cringe-worthy to change tables, restaurants need to be mindful of giving customers their best tables if they have booked early, and are amongst the first to be seated. As we left we noted the tables further down the cellar like ours had not been offered, and others were seated in the less intimate spots near the kitchen and bar.

That is where any criticisms end. We start with a glass of arneis from Mornington which is one of the few options by the glass on a list focussed on bottles. First course is simply beautiful prosciutto from Parma, and house made bread with fruity extra virgin olive oil. The arneis is a beautiful expression of a lesser known Italian grape that is growing in popularity.

Cheese soufflé

Next comes one of the highlight dishes from recent meals. The cheese soufflé is something that has to be incredible to set itself apart from the many I’ve tasted over many years of dining out. This one has that perfect softness under a quickly grilled exterior, not to mention a nice disk of black truffle adorning the top. Using a modern touch, nettles are distributed through the soufflé which has several cheeses including Parmesan, and a loving béchamel sauce. Over a week on and I still want another bite.

Pork sausage and lentils

We get serious with a bottle of 2011 Langhe Nebbiolo from Paolo Conterno. Nebbiolo is one of my favourite versatile food friendly wines from the North of Italy. It is relatively light, but has a good amount of fruit balanced with savouriness, which needs food to bring out its best. Our next course is pork sausage nestled in lentils with preserved mandarin, pickled radishes, and horse radish. The combination is great, with the preserved mandarin lifting each taste, and nicely seasoned lentils perhaps cooked in a deeply flavoured stock, provide more than a filler.

For our pasta course, we have a generous serve of chicken and beef ravioli with a tomato sauce and plenty of Parmesan. The pasta is perfectly al dente with great bite to it, but even better is the filling which has been slow cooked, giving that meaty richness that is at another level than the usual. In fact, it brought back memories of some of the ragus that my friends Nonna’s had cooked for tasting in our Italian class during high school. At that time it was explained that the meat would be cooked for many hours and I can remember being intrigued by why anyone would go to that much trouble but the taste had me. We are in the cellar of one of the amazing Ambassadors of Victoria’s slow cooking movement and it shows.

Ravioli of chicken and beef with tomato

Next comes yet another dish that I want to taste again right now. Simply presented, but incredibly beautiful, the goat is dished with fat roasted potatoes and garlic, and a side of crunchy green beans with parsley. This is as good as goat can get; a meat that I search for but rarely find on restaurant menus. The tenderness and deep flavour laced with fat but not dominating the taste is an expression of goat that I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying. And the Nebbiolo shines alongside.

Walnut tart

Having learned a lot about Stefano’s leanings towards no fuss, highly flavoursome food, simply presented, we were not surprised that dessert was no different. The walnut tart is very similar to a pecan pie, with caramel and perfectly formed pastry combining to provide a deliciously simple dessert. This is the type of dessert course that is not seen enough. No deconstruction or pizazz; just a great sweet ending to the evening.

It’s not cheap, but the bill isn’t unreasonable for the quality of food being dished out, and is far less than when Jim was Executive Chef. Service is reasonable without being at the difficult to reach heights of Stefano’s food. After many years of wanting to try Stefano’s it will probably be a couple of years of wanting to come back. One thing is for sure, there will be no trip to Mildura and surrounds, without a journey down to the cellar.

Barbara pumpkin angolotti, lemon, Amaretto, sage

The first time I walked into Port Phillip Estate I was stunned with the modern architecture. It stood out from the rest of the more rustic, traditional, Red Hill wineries at the time. While it created a trend in the area, it is still unique in its scale.

That day was not the day for fine dining but inspired me to one day return and enjoy the incredible view over lunch. Years have passed, but several positive reviews illustrated the dining room had settled into a high performance groove. I was eager to say the least to have a try for myself.

Pan seared scallops, lentil salad, parsnip puree, bitter leaves

It is not cheap to eat in the dining room, especially on a public holiday, with a prix fixe for two or three courses. Thankfully there are many exciting options, and the descriptions of the food have the potential to live up to the expense. Catherine and I both order the Kooyong flagship Chardonnay (the Farrago) which has only just begun to be offered on the menu by the glass. It is an elegant, high quality expression of a local vineyard that shares the cellar door with Port Phillip.

Aylesbury duck, organic beets, almond, quince, Earl Grey

It is time to start eating and I have done an extremely gentlemanly gesture and ordered one of the two dishes that Catherine couldn’t choose between. The “Barbara pumpkin angolotti” consists of one large piece of al dente filled pasta, simple but delicious pumpkin, with balance to the creaminess provided by lemon, and a nice infusion from sage. Catherine was torn but ordered the pan seared scallops. Large, beautifully seared scallops, slightly translucent, are served with a lovely parsnip puree. The lentil salad seems an unusual accompaniment but it works alongside the bitter leaves which are a more regular compliment.

After a terrific start, our main courses took it up a notch. My Aylesbury duck, the breast in particular, was incredibly well cooked. The beetroot sauce combining with the duck like a classic should, and the quince providing the slight sweetness that is so well married to game. Presentation stood out, but the taste was an escalation.

Catherine was taken by the sound of the ricotta salata gnocchi. Another delightfully presented meal, with the puree of Chanteney carrots a highlight on the plate in more ways than one. Everything worked nicely together with the gnocchi. There is a great deal of thought that has gone into each of the elements.

Ricotta salata gnocchi, roasted Chantenay, barley, nettle vinaigrette

Normally after such tremendous savoury courses you could forgive the desserts not being as intricate or well thought through. Forgiveness was not needed as I tasted my first mouthful of the roasted Red Hill figs, rice pudding infused with more fruit, and chunks of honeycomb. Huge on flavour and while rich, not a dessert that overcame me by the end with too much creaminess.

Caramelised honey panna cotta, poached estate quince, roast almond ice cream

While enjoyable, the caramelised honey panna cotta probably missed the mark a touch on the star component which was presented in a flat circular dish, rather than in the usual pyramid form. It was set, but you couldn’t get the usual creamy mouthfeel from each taste. However, the poached quince was amazing, meaning a reconfiguration could be all that is needed to take the dish to the level we found in the rest of the menu.

Roasted Red Hill figs, aromatic rice, honeycomb

Expectations are sometimes the most difficult element to meet. The food had well and truly exceeded my expectations even though Port Phillip Estate is recognised as one of the best on the Mornington Peninsula. The clean lines of the restaurant and amazing architecture naturally lead you to believe the service is going to be equally classy. It has many fine dining features, even including a small stool being brought out for Catherine’s bag.

While the maitre’d did an excellent job, and on more than one occasion pinch-hit for the floorstaff, it was not enough to overlook some of the oversights. When your waitperson has said more than twice “thank you for your patience” normally it is regarding the food. In this case the kitchen was keeping up with a three-quarter full restaurant on a public holiday, but our waitperson was not keeping up with the simple things. As an example, while we waited quite some time to order dessert, eventually Catherine had finished her sparking water, and the rest of which was in a bottle a little while away to keep the table uncluttered. We sat there for several minutes waiting for her to notice that we needed to order and/or have our water topped up but to little avail. The same happened with the bill and we actually took it up to the maitre’d on our exit. At these times when we patiently waited, our waitperson was on the floor clearing plates, or getting drinks for the larger tables; just not ours.

Service faults aside, we had an excellent meal. The food was fantastic and the view impeccable in this dining room that was purpose built for the surrounds. The experience here is exceptional whether for a day trip or while holidaying on the Peninsula.

BLK's Food Blog

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Stefano’s – Mildura – Tuesday 28 July 2015 – Dinner

Port Phillip Estate – Red Hill, Victoria – Monday 8 June 2015 – Lunch

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