Crittenden Estate

Crittenden Estate
25 Harrisons Road
Dromana 3936

Before I start talking about lunch at Crittenden Estate I want to mention that today is Leap 'baby' Piecey Num Num's 4th birthday. I didn't plan to launch my blog on the 29th, it just sort of happened and as the day only comes around once every 4 years I think it is worth mentioning. The last 4 years haven't exactly panned out as I had planned. The frequency of my posts has been a bit erratic over the years as I have allowed 'life' to get in the way of blogging but I have big plans for the blog this year and regular posts are at the top of the list. Now back to lunch :)

On our way home from our week in Mt Martha we dropped into Crittenden Estate for an early lunch. On the weekends in summer they serve casual food truck style food on the terrace in front of the Stillwater restaurant.  This suited our plans perfectly for a casual lunch and the food was delicious.

Normally at a winery I am all about the wine but as I was driving home and it was just before noon I decided to have tea. Tea and coffee are served with a petit four and on this occasion it was a divine little macaron. The flavour was intriguing - I didn't write it down (blogger fail) but I remember it was a combination of chocolate and sichuan pepper.  

We shared a number of dishes for lunch.  All the food arrived picnic style in baskets and boxes. My favourite was the pork slider but the mushroom and truffle arancini were also delicious and very moreish. The truffle flavour was gorgeous.

Pulled pork sliders with dill pickles, slaw & BBQ sauce (2) / $14

Mushroom & truffle arancini with aioli (5) / $12

Bowl of chips / $10

Prawn gyoza with soy & mirin sauce (5) / $12

The kid's fish and chips were a big hit with everyone, not just the kids!  We also ordered the kid's pasta bolognese ($13) but Miss 4 was too hungry to wait so no pictures.  She polished it off so that's always a good sign! (The penne bolognese was served in a bowl!)

Kid's fish & chips / $13

The grounds are gorgeous and huge with lots of space for kids to run around.  My niece and nephew had a lot of fun exploring and visiting the various animal sculptures dotting the landscape.

  

As we left we visited the cellar door.  It's a lovely space overlooking the lake so I will definitely be coming back to sample some wine.

Dee's Kitchen

Dee's Kitchen
19 Pier Street

Dromana 3936

Dee's Kitchen is a cool cafe/deli in the seaside down of Dromana, on the Mornington Peninsula.

I have been there a couple of times and each time the food was fresh, interesting and delicious.  The cuisine has a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern focus. Their menu is seasonal and nearly everything is made on the premises, bread being the exception.

On my first visit to Dee's I had the delicious shakshouka.  My perfectly poached eggs were nestled in a pool of spicy salsa with spinach and chèvre. A very satisfying dish. Loved the smokiness of the chorizo and the house baked pita was perfect.

Shakshouka - baked Middle Eastern salsa with spinach & chèvre, topped with 2 poached eggs, house baked pita and chorizo / $18.50

 

They do good coffee. 

My second visit was with my brother and sister in law and we were all impressed with our selections.

Broccoli fritters, beetroot & sesame dip, shaved pecorino, pickled pear & roquette salad 
with a poached egg / $19.50

I had the Broccoli fritters which came with a beetroot dip, roquette salad and poached eggs.  This was really tasty.  The fritters were full of flavour and appeared to be baked which I liked. The beetroot was delicious and the salad fresh. A beautiful dish that felt light and healthy.

My sister in law enjoyed the smashed rosemary potato and pumpkin with poached eggs, crispy pancetta and pepperonato. I must say I had a little bit of food envy as I had been considering ordering this dish.  Hard to go past smashed potato and pumpkin for a comfort food fix!

Delicately Smashed Rosemary Potato & Pumpkin with poached eggs, crispy pancetta & pepperonata / $17

My brother had the daily special which was Lamb, walnut & pomegranate meatballs with grain salad and in house made pita. This was really good. Great flavours that went well together. A healthy and satisfying meal.

Lamb, walnut & pomegranate meatballs with grain salad and house pita / $17

And even though we were having 'brunch' food there was wine involved.  Because holidays.

Dee's Kitchen is definitely worth a visit if you are in Dromana. They also have a range of products that you can take home, from prepared meals to cakes and deli items.  I must say it is hard to leave empty handed!

Mornington Peninsula

As I have mentioned before it doesn't feel like summer if I don't spend some time on the Mornington Peninsula.  This year a relaxing break included lots of time sitting on the deck doing this..

and watching this..

and gazing at this..

We visited some wineries for tastings but as the designated driver I was more interested in the gorgeous vineyard surrounds.

At Paringa Estate these cute guys completely captivated my attention as I watched them waddle around.

The magnificent view from Tuck's Ridge

 

And lastly the view from Red Hill Estate winery.  It was a very hot day so I was standing in the cool shade.  Love the glimpse of the ocean in the distance.


So, lots of clear blue skies, endless ocean, gorgeous views and sunsets.  And, of course, some yummy food!

 

Cafe Jett
197 Point Nepean Road
Dromana 3936


Cafe Jett is opposite the beach at Dromana not far from Pier Street.  Offering the usual cafe fare of burgers, wraps and all day breakfast we all enjoyed our meals however I think my Dukkah toast was the pick of the bunch.  Delicious!

 

That's beetroot on (and in) the ciabatta ;)

L'Aqua
173 Point Nepean Road
Dromana 3936

A little bit further down the road is L'Aqua.  There was a large group of us lunching at L'Aqua and so we got to try a wide selection of the menu.  Everyone enjoyed their meals, though I found my Thai prawn salad to be a bit bland and boring.  I didn't write down what everyone had but the pictures are pretty self explanitory.

 

One of our group got the "Stonegrill".  The super hot stone is delivered to the table with your choice of salmon or meat and then you cook it yourself. One way of making sure your meat or fish is cooked to your liking!





So, that concludes my 2013 Mornington Peninsula post.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed reliving my summer holiday :)