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!

T'Gallant

T'Gallant
1385 Mornington Flinders Road
Main Ridge 3928


My birthday falls in early January and if things work out the way I like I spend it on the Mornington Peninsula.  This year I was lucky to have all my family join me for a week in Mt Martha and on my actual birthday we had a big family lunch at the beautiful T'Gallant winery in Main Ridge.

As we numbered 18 we had the $40 set menu in the Spuntino Bar.  The staff were very helpful in accommodating dietary requirements - one of my nieces is coeliac and the other follows a vegan diet. When I booked I chose to be inside and this worked well as it was a very windy day.

Our lunch began with wine tasting at the Cellar Door.  The wines we tasted were beautiful and again the staff were great, advising my vegan niece which wines she could taste. I had no idea that some wines use eggs in their production!  From the cellar door we moved into lunch.

 Our set menu began with an antipasto platter.

Antipasto - bread/dip/cheese/olives

I loved the cheese but I am not sure what type it was. The waitress wasn't sure either and despite her attempts to find out it remains a mystery. 

T'Gallant is known as the home of Pinot Gris and as that is one of my favourites I was pretty happy. This 'Imogen' Pinot Gris is their original Pinot Gris from 20 years ago and it was lovely. I can see why it lasted the distance!  Some of our group enjoyed the 'Romeo' (see first photo) which is a really interesting blend of Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Shiraz with a touch of Rutherglen Muscat!

 

 

Our main course was pizza, salad and roasted potatoes. The menu describes the pizza as "Roman style fragrant 'pizza rustica' on a board from our wood-fired oven".

Margherita -tomato/mozzarella/basil and Funghi - mushroom/gorgonzola/parsley

Kitchen garden salad and Italian style roasted potatoes/garlic/aromatic herbs

Salsiccia - salami/tomato pesto/pecorino and Vegetarian with fresh rocket leaves

All the pizzas were delicious but the vegetarian pizza with the fresh rocket was my favourite. There was no danger of going home hungry.  We could (and did) order more pizza and salad.

A chocolate brownie and coffees finished off our meal. The brownies were fudgy and decadent, just as brownies should be.

Classic chocolate ganache brownie

To close I thought I'd share this photo taken by my niece.  I love the way the beautiful vineyard and outside diners are framed by the window.

   

Barcelona

Barcelona Cathedral

As much as I love Paris, there is something so exciting and captivating about Barcelona. I had visited Barcelona once before, many years ago, on a 100 (it felt like!) cities in 30 days Trafalgar tour so my memories of it were quite vague.  This time I fell in love with the architecture, the ambiance, the shopping and the food!

Placa de Catalunya

In Barcelona Lucy and I stayed at the Hotel Pulitzer, just minutes from the Plaça de Catalunya and La Rambla. Another perfect location, surrounded by shops, restaurants, cafes, the on-off tourist bus and Starbucks!!  Let me just say that I don't think I've ever been to Starbucks in Melbourne but being so close to one in Barcelona was very exciting.  Free WIFI!!  And good, reasonably priced coffee and tea.  Below is a picture of a cup of tea I was served in a cafe in Barcelona.  Hot milk with a tea bag! After that experience I happily went to Starbucks.

Of course Barcelona is famous for the work of architect Antoni Gaudi, in particular his still unfinished Sagrada Familia. 

It don't think my pictures adequately convey the magnificence of this church.  It was a very hot day but we spent a lot of time standing on the street just staring and taking in its majesty! 

As we explored the streets of Barcelona it seemed that around each corner was a new amazing building!

I love the contrast of the plain (boring even) and the exotic!  Look at that roof!

We also did a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter and were captivated by the stunning architecture dating back to medieval times. 

 

Not unlike our quest to find the perfect onion soup in Paris, Barcelona was all about finding the best paella. And we had quite a few delicious versions.  We never planned where we were going to eat but rather just walked around exploring all the little lanes that branched off La Ramblas until we found somewhere that appealed.

This was one of the best.  We were seated by an open window on a beautiful warm night, the paella was very nice with the perfect crispy bottom and the sangria was refreshing though with a bit more fruit than I would have liked.

Another paella enjoyed at the Waterfront!

One night we stumbled across this gorgeous square and had dinner at one of the many restaurants.

We shared a traditional tapas dish, patatas bravas, which was just ok and a lovely fresh pizza.

Barcelona is home of one of the most amazing markets - the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria or just La Boqueria. With its origins dating back to the 1200's this market is foodie heaven. It is a combination of fresh food - meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables and prepared food - perfect for hungry tourists!  I loved this market. Prepare for a barrage of pictures as I had serious trouble picking just a few favourites!!

Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria

The famous Pinotxo bar at the entrance of the market

Lunch on the run - delicious!

Loved the egg shop!

Figs!!

There is so much more we did and saw in Barcelona - the waterfront with its impressive Columbus Monument, Montjuic (translated as Jew Mountain) with its stunning views of the city and harbour, the FC Barcelona Football Stadium .. the list goes on.  

Such an beautiful city, full of contrasts.  I hope I can return one day and spend even more time.