Port Phillip Estate Bistro Review – Mornington Peninsula – Australia
Port Phillip Estate Review
Some friends and I recently visited Port Phillip Estate, located on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. Port Phillip is renowned for their award winning wines, their stunning cellar door and their fine dining restaurant.
Initially entering the property can be a little intimidating because the outside resembles a CIA headquarters building with no windows, hidden doors and a daunting appearance. There is little or no indication that behind the intimidating facade lies a fine dinning restaurant and an impressive cellar door.
We finally ventured into the interior of this massive structure to find an open view of grape vines with the ocean in the background. It was absolutely breathtaking with its grandeur and awe. Immediately to the right is the cellar door with an impressive tasting menu. All wines are on display and for sale within the shop. To the left is the fine dining restaurant – 2 course minimum, but we opted for the bistro menu and outdoor space.
The patio overlooks the property and has the bistro menu which is a much more relaxed environment than the restaurant. It was exactly what we were looking for after a morning of wine tastings at various vineyards. We opted to share multiple plates which gave everybody the chance to try a variety of dishes. We ordered the warm marinated olives, fried bocconcini, potato parmesan croquettes, pomme frites with garlic aioli, seared scallops, walnut and gorgonzola salad and a pulled pork sandwich. This was plenty for the group we had and everybody left full.
Our food was generally good but there were some major flaws in the dishes. One of the first dishes to come out was the bocconcini. These were battered and deep fried balls of crispy goodness, but they were freezing cold in the middle. It was an unsuspected sensation when biting into a piping hot dish. I was disappointed. The other let down were the scallops. At an entree or large plate price of $22, the portion of three small scallops with a few peas was unacceptable and outright cheap by the estates behalf. They were even located with the mains on the menu. If I was alone and ordered this dish for my meal, I would leave unsatisfied and be forced to stop by a burger joint on the way home to satisfy my hunger – luckily we were all sharing so nobody went hungry.
The other dishes were good. The olives were warm and had a brilliant texture, the croquettes were hot and addicting, the fries were crispy and salty, the salad was really well balanced and the flavours complimented each other perfectly and the pulled pork put us all over the edge.
I would go back to Port Phillip Estate. The views are stunning, the building is beautiful and they make great wine. The only advice I can give – be selective with food orders and ask clarifying questions, because the descriptions can be disappointedly misleading.
Port Phillip Estate
263 Red Hill Road
Red Hill South
Mornington Peninsula
Victoria Australia
Telephone +61 3 5989 4444
Rating
Atmosphere 8/10
Service 7/10
Food Quality 6/10
Presentation 7/10
Satisfaction 8/10
Total: 72%
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