yarra valley Archives - Wander Wonder Wonton

Honestly, I expected more. I was really looking forward to this meal.

The cellar door itself is very impressive. The architecture is very modern and on point.

Inside, floor to ceiling windows set the scene. Lolling hills with beautiful vineyards and a stunning skyline. You can get lost in it.

We had a tasting of the reds, I really enjoyed the Shiraz and the Merlot. The Pinot Gris Hazeldine also receives an honorable mention. Matt from the cellar door was exceptionally knowledgeable with his descriptions and background of the wines.

We had a 1pm booking for lunch in the restaurant and made our way in, the floor to ceiling windows and views following us there.

The first thing I noticed was a gorgeous arrangement of royal purple tulips. The uniqueness was in their presentation. They had been dug from the ground in a patch and strung together and left on a slab. The layers of dirt were visible as were the bulbs. Later I managed to walk into them a get a whopping bruise on my arm but I forgive them. It was my fault for looking to see if my food had arrived yet.

Our sparkling (which was very nice) came out quickly. As did some soft sourdough with a crunchy crust and some salty whipped butter… cue drooling.

We ordered the burrata curd to share to start and the rye papadelle and the rainbow trout as our mains.

The burrata curd came out quickly. Beautiful and soft and mild and creamy with some high quality olive oil and cracked pepper. That’s my idea of a good time!

The mains took a long time to come out. A really long time. We were about to ask where they were when we were told they were coming out. It was a good 45minutes and we were starving.

I had inquired as to how creamy my pasta was and told not too much, however it was a lot more than that. It seemed to be lacking in flavour, despite its vibrant appearance. I was truly disappointed.

We had green teas and coffee to finish and worked there for a while. The waitress assisted us with their wifi password and we smashed out emails for an hour or so in the corner.

The drinks were on the house when the bill arrived which I thought was fair seeing as our wait and my meal being an average quality.

I flew to Melbourne on Thursday after being invited by Prime Media (who the company I work for, Wiley, advertise with & provide editorial to) to be a guest at their Endeavor Awards Gala for National Manufacturing Week. Big thanks to my awesome account manager Sonia for the invite!

We had a fantastic table, filled with my friends and colleagues and we had a great ol’ time! I don’t think I have ever had so many compliments on a dress, I had wondered if it was a little risqué but thank goodness it oozes class as well for good measure.

On Friday, Seren talked me into going to the winery where she worked and working from there. I had planned on working from my hotel rooms but gave in. I spent a lovely day eating Meredith’s goats cheese and taste testing the Coldstream Hill wines while working from the Cellar Door both inside and outside. When I skyped in for my arvo meeting they had all grabbed a beverage so they could join me in my wine drinking! I love being able to work remotely and having such a wicked work crew.

After we both finished work, Seren took me to Meletos, an absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous winery. We had a look around, ordered some sensational wines and walked around the vineyard watching the sun set over the Yarra Valley. Spectacular.

Back in Melbourne, we met Lisa and headed to Hutongs for dumplings! Yummmm, one of my faves. We were all pretty exhausted from the night before and crashed out for an early sleep.

Saturday Lisa and I went for brunch and did a little shopping, got our nails did then met Nikita and Jake for phenomenal ramen at Shujinko on Russell Street in the city. Afterwards I took the train to my cousin, CJ’s house.

CJ and I had a lovely evening, I finally was able to see her cute new house that she’s very proud of. We started with wine and cheese and followed that with a bonfire at her friend’s place. We crashed out early and had a great sleep. I remember waking up and thinking how cold my face was and being so thankful that while I am lucky to visit Melbourne all the time (I love the place and my friends there), I’m glad I didn’t live there and have to endure the freezing cold.

Sunday we were up to beat the Mother’s Day rush for breakfast at The Premises in Kensington then wandered around the St Kilda waterfront.

Now here I am on the plane on the way home happy and ready to get some exercise (work off the last four days) and chill out at my place, hopefully in some sunshine. Oh and to ring my beautiful Mumma and wish her Happy Mother’s Day!

Oakridge Winery Cellar Door & Restaurant, Yarra Valley

Melbourne: a gala, wineries & all the food

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