Tre And - Baxter, Victoria

 Always a little scary when you try a new eating venue. Especially when it is only minutes drive from home heading towards the Mornington Peninsula. The Peninsula is home to many, many wineries and restaurants most of them very good and of course some better than others. We ‘tend to favour the better ones. Some make assumptions that they are fine dining but regardless of the excessive bill telly they aren't as good as they charge. We don’t go back, pay the bill and wave good-bye.

So here we are ten minutes from our home, sitting outdoors at Tre And in pleasant surroundings dinning on what could only be described as beautiful food. Currently you are expected to have two courses, not hard when there is such a temping selection, in fact we both went to three courses. Being a winery there is an abundant selection of local grown wines. My wife who is hard to impress with wine loved her red pick, grown on the grounds and a nice three years old. I stayed with the bubbly. 

At a guess I would say the owners of the winery and magnificent manor are your wait staff. Relaxed, friendly, knowledgeable and very busy. The Saturday we were there it was a full house with current restrictions. Very noisy inside so pick your day or go for the veranda as we did. Not only that they really don’t have high capacity aircon but what is there is assisted by ceiling fans. Not enough in my view for a hot January in Southern Vic. More over we sat in near quiet with the noise from inside quite audible but not overpowering. 

Is this a culinary gem at the gateway to the Peninsula, you bet? Not cheap but when you have a knockout chef, serving consistently beautiful local grown fresh food with good proportions, it’s a gem. Go soon while the weather is good, sit out and book early with an eye on the weather. Like us you are planning when to go back and who to take with you. 

Pier35 Bar and Grill - Port Melbourne

Seeking a new place to eat and being on the other side of Melbourne for us we visited Pier35. My wife hunted for a reasonable restaurant in the area and this came under the heading of “hidden gem”. We must agree, this is a true hidden gem. Reason is it is in not way part of any other eating precinct. Its part of a very commercial area in which you would believe there cannot be a good restaurants. Wrong and perched right on the Yarra a fairly nice outlook. 

Inside or out, this is a large restaurant. We sat out and apart from a constantly squeaking wharf a very open and pleasant place to be. But its about the food too. No complaints here what we both ordered for food and drinks was excellent. Service was very good also and staff were cherry and helpful. Parkings is easy with a short walk to the sunny outdoor setting. Try this hidden gem. 

Delatite Winery - Mansfield, Victoria

While staying at a friends holiday home in Mansfield we decided, being crazy foodies, to try the Delatite Winery and restaurant. This large establishment is under construction but the restaurant section was complete. Not only complete but with floor to ceiling windows and a view stretching of into the distance an incredibly nice place to eat. Inside or out, equally as nice. 

Decor is modern with lots of timbers and an organic feel. You want to be there and you want to eat there. We did and enjoyed a fabulous dinning experience. Food and service were first class nothing here to criticise. Meals are generous, well presented, fresh feeling and local produce proud. You want to eat here. 

Wine list and other drinks are plentiful. Drink local or not so. A walk around the grounds after completes the day with parking close by. It is a long drive off the bitumen to the door but easy and worth the effort. And trust me, you want to eat here.