Ready for the weekend

We were there as guests of Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism, primarily to attend the "Wine Food Farmgate on the Bay" cruise with a group of food bloggers, but also to explore the region at our leisure. Here are some of my favourite moments from the weekend.

The "Wine Food Farmgate on the Bay" cruise was a one-off event for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, showcasing Peninsula producers on the Searoad Ferry, with market stalls, food trucks, live entertainment and more.

Mock Red Hill sparkling apple juice & cider

Pretty lights

Food trucks

Samples from the Woodman Estate stand

Cheeses from Red Hill Cheese

We were put up at Lindenderry, a boutique hotel in Red Hill that is very popular for weddings and other celebrations.

Lindenderry sparkling wines

Balcony suite at Lindenderry

Balcony Suite at Lindenderry

I consider myself a bit of a breakfast buffet afficionado, and think that to be successful, they either need to offer a huge range, or have a small selection of high quality, unique items. Lindenderry are definitely on the "small and high quality" end of the spectrum, with organic yogurt pots, fresh juices, kaiserfleisch bacon and organic eggs, breads, savoury tarts, and delightful little cakes and pastries.

Breakfast Buffet Menu

Breakfast at Lindenderry

The second day of the trip, we hit up one of my favourite places - the Peninsula Hot Springs. I hadn't visited since their last renovation, and it's huge! I love all the different bathing areas, and I totally want to go back and try the hammam! It seems to be really, really busy now, with heaps of tour groups coming through. My advice is to try and visit at non-peak times, like early weekend mornings or weeknights.

Reflexology walk

In addition to the bathing, we were treated to a body clay ritual. For this, we were given a selection of indigenous clays from different parts of Australia to apply to our faces and bodies, then sat in the sun for a good ten minutes to let it absorb, before washing it off. I felt very soft and rejuvenated afterwards!

Natural clays

Blue Mini Cafe wasn't on our itinerary, but we had a little time before our scheduled afternoon activities and wanted a caffeine hit! Blue Mini Cafe is a retro cafe and gift shop that is housed in a former bowling alley.

Blue Mini cafe

Blue Mini Cafe

We enjoyed looking through the many displays, and can also recommend the iced coffee and chocolate, and the really delicious prawn and chorizo taco.

Iced coffee, Iced chocolate

Prawn and Chorizo taco

Final stop on the weekend was Woodman Estate for their Opera and High Tea! Woodman Estate is a luxury country hotel, with a restaurant and spa. They also make a range of very good jams and preserves. (We bought a jar of their excellent peach and cardamom jam to take home).

Woodman Estate

They offer a wide range of different high tea options, but we were there for the Opera and High Tea, which is available on the first Sunday of each month. In addition to three tiers of sweet and savoury treats, fruit and plain scones, hot drinks and sparkling wine, this included a live performance by opera duo Two Birds & Co. What a civilised way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

The Winey Cow

A couple of weeks ago, we had a lovely spa day in Frankston (redeeming a voucher that some of my favourite food blogger friends had given me for my birthday last year!), and I thought we should take advantage of being down that way and have lunch in nearby Mornington.

You know, despite my love for the Mornington Peninsula region, I'd never actually spent any time in the town of Mornington itself! Main street in Mornington has a lot of nice cafes and shops - it's definitely a nice spot to spend an afternoon. Our initial plan was to get green juices at Store Fifteen, but it turned out to be a super cold and windy day, and we thought something a little heartier was in order. And that's how we ended up at The Winey Cow...


The Winey Cow
39A Main St
Mornington, VIC 3931
Ph: (03) 5976-4018
Website

The Winey Cow

White Peony tea - $4

Sandra enjoyed her white peony tea (which I understand is a white tea from Fujian province in China), and I thought the little tea timer that came with it was a nice touch.

Rooibos latte - $5

I eschewed my usual coffee and tried a Rooibos latte. I often drink rooibos at home, but had never tried it in a latte. This was really nice - not overly sweetened and with a prominent tea flavour.

The Winey Cow - BBQ spiced pulled beef, sweet pepper and onion relish, Swiss cheese, brioche roll, chipotle mayo, rocket, pickled zucchini with wedges and jalapeño sour cream - $24

Looking at the other tables, "The Winey Cow" is one of the most popular dishes at The Winey Cow, and I can see why! This is a brioche bun burger filled with tender spiced pulled beef and lots of other deliciousness, like chipotle mayo, Swiss cheese, pickled zucchini and more! Side note: this was Sandra's lunch, but I stole a couple of those wedges, and they were gooood.

3 Little Pigs - Black pudding & bacon risotto croquette, Serrano jamon, grilled smoked pork neck bacon, local asparagus, two poached eggs, lemon mayonnaise and toast - $22

I couldn't resist the 3 Little Pigs - four types of pork in the one dish! There was a crisp and creamy black pudding and bacon risotto croquette, a thick slice of grilled smoked pork neck bacon, and some jamon serrano, served with two poached eggs, lemon mayo and some healthy (hah) salad and asparagus. It was a real indulgence, and so delicious!

The Winey Cow was a great find - friendly service, a good range of drinks and great brunch dishes. Definitely recommend this one if you are down in Mornington!

Breakfast at Big Blue Backyard

The cabins were built by Paul, using an eclectic mix of reclaimed materials.

Beach Hideaway

Beach Hideaway

Shower

Double vanity

I loved that the "beach" theme even extended to the choice of DVDs available. (P.S. The Life Aquatic and Whale Rider are two of my favourite films ever!)

DVDs

Outdoor shower

Outdoor Bath

Port Phillip Estate

House-baked bread with smoked salt, olive oil, butter and salt

We were given a very impressive amuse bouche with caramelised leek, brioche crumbs, olive oil and more of that smoked salt. I believe there was goats cheese too and perhaps an olive oil foam? This was a few months ago and my memory of the details is fading, but what I clearly remember is how delicious it was!

Amuse Bouche

As my entrée, I chose a seafood dish: poached marron with clams, cucumber salad, whitebait, caviar and more. This was absolutely gorgeous - the marron and clams were was cooked perfectly, and the intensely flavoured sauce (rather like a concentrated shellfish bisque) complemented the seafood without overpowering their delicate flavours.

Marron with clams, cucumber salad, caviar

Sandra was equally impressed with her entrée: a roast beetroot, chèvre and walnut salad. That is quite a classic combination, but the way they did it here was stunning - different varieties of beet (pink, red and gold), candied walnuts and a vinaigrette of honey and lemon thyme. Beautiful.

Salad of beets, local chèvre, candied walnuts, honey, lemon thyme vinaigrette

The mains were also delicious, but perhaps not quite as well balanced as the entrées. Take, for example, my main - lamb served with two zucchinis, a roast vegetable terrine, goats cheese, pureed potatoes, a large mound of samphire and a rich jus. Each individual element was very good, and I love a generous portion, but felt that the overall dish was a bit heavy and that there was too much on the plate.

Lamb, zucchini flowers, roast vegetable terrine, samphire, goat's cheese and pureed potatoes

Sandra's Aylesbury duck breast (which she requested to be cooked well done, by the way) was similar to the lamb dish - great flavours and textures, but just a bit too much on the plate.

Aylesbury duck breast, pommes galette, garden peas, mushrooms, jus

Of course, the heaviness of the mains wasn't helped by the fact that we also indulged and ordered some gratinated potatoes on the side! Oh well, we were on holiday! These were messy but delicious.

Gratin Potatoes

The service was efficient and friendly, and the prices were quite reasonable - $68 per person for two courses. ($85 for three courses!) As you can imagine, we were too full for dessert, but I would love to come back and try them. There's a cellar door too, but this is only open during the day, so we didn't get a chance to try the wines. Just another excuse to make a return trip!