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. 

Vaporetto Bar and Eatery - Hawthorn

Unless you know exactly where this compact restaurant is you may never find it. If you’re a Hawthorn local and shop locally you would know where it is either off the pool car park or off the main street. A long thin eatery with an extensive bar. Vaporetto serves up some fine Italian food in a atmosphere which makes you feel Rome’s just around the corner. 

We sat right down the back and it was pretty cramped but not uncomfortably so. Plenty of good wine, beer and food choices will let your pallet be your guide. I was with a table of five other family members and each was happy with food and drink. Table service was very friendly and professional and everyone got what they ordered and service was not overly long. I even went for dessert which generally I don’t.

Decor is Italian and the overall feel is true “Italy” and with easy parking even on busy days there is no reason not to go. On our visit it was very busy (and a little noisy) so book well ahead or pick earlier in the week. Go for a drink a big meal with friends of a quick eat. You will be happy and perhaps full. 

Ventuno21 - Black Rock

 A group of us ate here some years back but for some reason I failed to blog it. Let me rectify that. We dinned with my foodie relations who live in the area and it was their suggestion. It is a long thin restaurant and we were placed against the wall deep inside. From here we got to watch some meal prep and chats between staff. 

 My food was good but my wife felt disappointed. Others I ate with seemed happy with there choices and for me I would have to recommend a visit to Ventuno21 to determine for yourself what you think. Decor is on theme and street parking available. Can get busy so pick your night or book ahead. You should be pleased. 

Tommy Ruff - fish food restaurant Modialloc

Me first encounter with Tommy was fish and chips take away on Mordialloc beach with my daughter and her partner. The experience was not a good one. That was near a year ago. More recently we dined in store at the Ruff’s for a much more pleasurable experience. I had eaten out the night before and it was fish. Looking for an alternative I went the beef burger. Possibly the best burger I have ever had. The tap IPA was weak and watery, stay away. 

I ate with five others and all enjoyed their meals and pricing is about right. Can get noisy so pick your night but sure to attend, foods better than good. Parking is available but busy nights may have you parking  away. Its a young set but attend for the food. Window seats are a available but book well ahead. 

Welcome to Dine, Wine and Meet

Though we have dined and wined away around many countries throughout the world we do find some of the best eating places in our own backyard. The Mornington Peninsula and Southern Victoria region holds the best restaurants, cafes, wineries and meeting places we have ever come across. We are critical where we eat and are only loyal to those places which satisfy us on a number of levels.

Some areas we are “fussy” about are: food quality, ambiance, service, choice in both food and beverage, differentiation and verve. We still look for other new and exciting eateries to add to our list. Some of these places will be in other regions, not just Southern Victoria.

It is our intent to Blog the better places we frequent and the new places we find so that you may also try something new (or stay away from) the restaurants we visit. If we say it is good it is because we eat there and frequent that place. If you follow us to the restaurants we recommend, you too should come away pleased, and content and want to go back for more. Let us guide your craving for fine food, good wine/beer and sensational meeting places.

NOTE: Click on the highlighted text like this-> The Mornington Peninsula to go to the Web site.

Revisit: This is a short follow-up report about a revisit to the resturuant under comment.