Yarra Valley Shortest Lunch 2018 Ticket Giveaway

June 17, 2018June 17, 2018 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

Next Saturday 23rd of June 2018 is the Yarra Valley Shortest Lunch.

Running on Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sunday 24th of June from 10am to 5pm this event showcases some of the Yarra Valley’s boutique wineries with a moveable feast of entrée style meals.

Wineries involved include

Billanook Estate
Badger’s Brook
Boat O’Craigo
Brumfield Winery
Elmswood Estate
Five Oaks
Payne’s Rise
Seville Estate
Seville Hill
Tokar Estate
Whispering Hills Vineyard
Yering Farms Wine

Entry is $15 per person and includes a tasting glass and access to all the participating wineries for both days. Food can be purchased at each winery as you go and is an extra cost.

Here is an example of some of the delicious menu items on offer.

Slow roasted pork belly, potato, apple and fennel salad, walnut crumb (GF) $18.

A recipe handed down from Nonna of soft homemade ricotta Gnocchi pan seared and tossed with your choice of a traditional Napoli pomodoro sauce with fresh basil or a Picante Gorgonzola cream sauce $14.

Mushroom arancini with rocket, parmesan & shaved fennel salad (V) $15.

To purchase tickets or view a full copy of the menu at each winery you can visit

www.yarravalleysmallerwineries.com.au

So why not visit some of the smaller wineries of the Yarra Valley on one of the shortest days of the year. I attended two years ago with one of my best friends and all our children and we had such a wonderful day.

It was great to meet the owners of lots of the Yarra Valley’s best wineries and also sample a great range of food. Travel from one venue to the next made it seem like a bit of an adventure (there is a map available to help you plan your day) and it was interesting to see the variety of locations on offer. There was also live music, open fires and the most sensational views.

You can read my full review of my visit to the Yarra Valley’s Shortest Lunch event in 2016. It was such a memorable day visiting a beautiful array of Victorias best wineries.

Yarra Valley Shortest Lunch.

To win a double pass just sign up to the Eat My Street newsletter.

Happy Eating.

Dani xx

TERMS & CONDITIONS
Competition commences upon publication and ends at 11:59pm June 19th 2018. One winner will receive a double pass. Eat My Street will not be held liable should the prize be lost in transit. All mandatory entry steps must be completed to constitute a valid entry. Incomplete entries will be deemed invalid and excluded from judging. Entries can be made via www.eatmystreet.net and one winner will be selected from the total entry pool. Winners will have 48hrs to respond with a contact address or prize will be redrawn. This competition is in no way endorsed, promoted or administered by Facebook.

Twenty Great Things to Do on Phillip Island

June 13, 2018September 5, 2018 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

Twenty Great Things to do in Phillip IslandI have been visiting beautiful Phillip Island for decades now. Back since I was toddling around grabbing on to my Mum’s legs in her mini skirt for support.

I recall being able to clamber along the secluded rock shelf at Seal Rocks and being able to drive up a dirt road at night to see penguins waddling in along the shore at night without buying a ticket.

Back then Phillip Island was full of beach shacks and green space and not much else. Pizza from the Italian restaurant that still stands today was very exciting and exotic and buying food from the bakery was a must do. There was a hot nut bar in a kind of games arcade that we once visited at night to buy something exciting; roasted macadamia nuts smelling of Queensland and covered in salt.

There were far fewer houses on the Island and the drive in from the bridge to Cowes was mainly bare and green. I remember the first time I noticed a cafe serving brunch in the main street. I think it was probably something like $12 for a “big breakfast.” Exciting times.

Reportedly there was also a time where council considered giving building approval for houses to be built all along the coastline which would have decimated the penguin population and also meant that there would be no “penguin parade” visit for Melbourne kids; something that is basically a Victorian right of passage. It is hard to believe that anyone could be so short-sighted to sell of such pristine coastline but it is also hard to believe that a small group of locals were brilliant enough to see what was happening and fight successfully against it.

These days Philip Island is bustling and busy, no matter what time of year you visit. Tourists love it and so do local Melbournians and it is occasionally bursting at the seams when we all visit there at the same time.

Despite the busyness there are still a great many things to love about Phillip Island and even some secret gems. Here are 15 of them.

Penguin Parade. I had to start with the absolute best. Everybody loves the penguins and you should attend the official penguin parade at least once in your life. So much cuteness.
The Nobbies. These days the Nobbies have gone all fancy on us with a great big car park and a great fancy Nobbbies Centre to boot. Traditionalists will still be impressed though with those amazing views, plenty of board walks to stomp along, a breathtaking blow-hole and seals to observe.
Swim, surf, take to the water. So many good beaches. Phillip Island has a great variety of beaches from the wild to the mild. You can surf, you can paddle you can stare out serenely. Wollamai Surf beach is an impressive surf beach, as is Smiths beach. They will both be wonderfully busy in Summer. Cowes beach is more your flat and calm family variety beach offering paddle boats and endless grassy knolls for the eating of fish and chips.
Koala Conservation Centre. Go on, you know you want to see a Koala because we all do because we are but human. Check out the Koala Conservation Centre to get up close and personal.
Churchill Island Heritage Farm. Whip cracking, sheep sharing, caramel slice eating and connecting with cattle, there is a lot to do at this 19th century working farm.
Grand Prix Circuit including the Go Kart track and slot cars for the littlies.
Markets. There is an interesting variety of markets to choose from throughout the year at Phillip Island and a lot of them are scenic and fun. Keep an eye out for the wonderful Christmas markets.
Fishing. Fishing off the pier, fishing off the other pier. Fishing at the beach, fishing in a boat. I think you get the picture. You can even go fishing at the Rhyll Trout farm and be guaranteed a bite if you are a bit of a beginner.
Take a bike ride. The island is an excellent place to take your bikes and have an explore. There are a bunch of designated cycling trails but my favourite is the 18km Rhyll circuit.
Rhyll Trout and Tucker Farm.– Update 8/8/18- Sadly now closed. The Rhyll Trout and Tucker Farm has a great selection of indoor and outdoor lakes to fish from meaning your almost guaranteed a catch. You can also head to the cafe kitchen when your done and have your fresh trout cooked up for you then and there. I also really enjoyed the tucker farm trail which weaves throughout the property and has a lot of information about native and edible plants.
Phillip Island Chocolate Factory. This chocolate factory is secretly wonderful, although please don’t tell my children as they always beg to go. There are interactive, arcade style games for children and chocolate to be won and discovered. There is also a plethora of information about how chocolate is made. And a chocolate statue of David. You can’t forget the statue.
Feed the pelicans at Rhyll. Every morning at around 11.30 am you can head off the Island and just over the bridge to the Rhyll pier and watch the locals pelicans come and eat raw fish guts. You might like to explore the wonderful local beaches or check out the local cafes and stores while you are there. There is a playground on offer for busy children (or adults for that matte).
Visit Kitty Miller bay beach (may favourite beach) and check out the pure modern, brutalist architecture of Phillip Island House (1983) hidden in the hill.
Image courtesy of https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories/phillip-island-house

If you are really interested in architecture you also might like to check out the Rhyll yacht club building or keep your eyes peeled for the iconic chicory kilns.
Walk the Pier and everywhere else too. You might even like to jump off the jetty in Summer months if you are brave or foolish or both.
Discover a ship wreck. There are two apparently but my favourite can be accessed by walking along the clifftop and around the path at Kitty Miller Bay.
Explore the Forrest beach sea caves. The turn off for the Phillip Island caves lies between Cape Woolamai and Surf Beach and there is a designated car park and a small walk before you get there.
Wander along the Rhyll wetlands and conservation Hill Reserve.
Shop, sip, eat, shop again. There are a great variety of shops still on Phillip Island. These days some of them are fancy and gorgeous and some of them are very practical but you can still find great bookshops and weird “cheap” shops and an impressive variety of cafes and restaurants.
Surf the Sand Dunes at Spew Hill. I have never personally done this myself, seeing as I am a bit of a boring nerd-burger but I am assured it is most fun and excellent and full of thrills.
Experience nature. Driving and walking throughout the Island you will come across a variety of animals, birds and crustaceans. We are distant but kind to the Cape Barron Geese, delighted at the swarming tiny sea crabs and mildly interested in the wallabies and Kangaroos.

So, what is your favourite thing to do on Phillip Island?

I have definitely not mentioned everything and there are some other great things to do in Phillip Island that are specifically tailored to tourists and families.

You can

walk the bridge
peek at the Old Boys Home
get lost in a Maze
take a boat cruise
visit and art gallery
explore rock pools

Do you have a secret tip-off or something great to do in Phillip Island that you love?

Dani xx

Old Boys home Phillip Island

February 2, 2018March 17, 2018 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky.

John Masefield.

We have a little holiday apartment that we love to stay at in Phillip Island. Phillip Island is a place I have been visiting for decades (ug that sounds wrong)

It has taken quite the turn recently. I fear that the hipsters may be coming to replace our thongs with Birkenstocks and our fish and chips with poke bowls. Unfortunately I am immune to their bespoke, bearded pull, as evidenced by my pure unadulterated enjoyment of the brand new wine bar in town. I didn’t want to like it, but I did.

In recent years a visit to the Island for me has often included a wander around the beautiful grounds of the Old Boys Home Newhaven. There is something so dreamy and esoteric about the old crumbling buildings and outbuildings perched stoically on the edge of the bay.

I am obviously not the only one keenly reaching to hear the whispered song of these old buildings because this time when I visited, someone had knocked all the doors down or through or open.

I was told by one of the locals who also turned up (with his metal detector in tow) that a boy was once beaten so badly here that he eventually died. A little bit of further research seems to indicate that it was not actually here at the reformed boys home that this happened, but at the site next store which was eventually taken over. It seems that the Newhaven Boys Home (1914) and St Pauls Training School (established in 1928) were both homes to “delinquent boys” that operated with some success.

The Seaside Boys home next door was a different matter.

Can you imagine the remoteness and the conditions in 1914?

I wandered around a bit and captured some images of the buildings for my own enjoyment. I imagine that one day soon I will come for a look and the heritage listed buildings will be cordoned off, and the moment will be gone.

I’ll still have these photos though, and my imagination.

Enjoy.

The old chapel. I was not brave enough to walk upstairs….

Someone obviously loved the garden. The main buildings actually form a courtyard around a lovely but very overgrown garden. I think it was made even more delightful by how overgrown it was.

A direct walk to the water from the front of the property. My poor “models” were forced to pause their scurrying until I got a photo of them.

Those arches. Be still my beating heart. The entrance. So impressive, even in decay.

Can you spot the face in the window? Me neither, but a little black and white filter certainly gives the vibe.

The Old Butcher Shop Cafe Seville

November 11, 2017July 6, 2018 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

The Old Butcher Shop Cafe Seville

I was kindly invited to visit the Old Butcher Shop Cafe Seville for brunch and to write a review. Seeing as I love this part of Melbourne, and I knew that the awesome Seville Water Play park was just across the road, I decided to head out on a Saturday morning with the kids in tow.
Natasha is the owner of the Old Butcher Shop Cafe and she was confidently driving the coffee machine for a busy and enthusiastic crowd of regulars and locals when I arrived. The Old Butcher Shop Cafe Seville
Natasha is having something of a tree change in her life, after leaving her corporate job in the City three years ago to pursue her dream of running a great cafe in her home town. Natasha’s Mum is chief butcher in charge of the old butcher shop from where the cafe takes its name. They have moved down the road now to a larger premises but Natasha just knew that the old building had a lot of promise as a cafe so she set about renovating it into a cafe that she would love to eat at. I think she has done a great job.

Long and narrow with an original exposed brick wall running down one side and windows that look out onto the street at the front, the cafe has a lot of warmth and charm. Add to this the display of art by a local artist and the cosy atmosphere is complete. The Old Butcher Shop Cafe Seville

Natasha is serving Wow blend coffee ($3.50) which is from a small local company run by a husband and wife team from the Yarra Valley. Beans are roasted here locally but are imported originally from their family run company in Indonesia.

They also serve Tea Drop teas.

I was also a little smitten with their very smart takeaway cups by Live & Give, with proceeds from each purchase going to support charity. coffee at the Old Butcher Shop Cafe Seville

To the food. Breakfast is all day (kitchen closes at 3pm) and includes eggs benedict ($17.50), hash stack ($18) or the amazing sounding tasters board ($18) with mini granola and baked rhubarb, smashed avo on toast, poached egg, warm croissant, house made jam & an orange juice.

I was very tempted to order the delicious sounding lamington pancakes (house made pancakes, raspberry compote, milk chocolate ganache and shaved coconut flakes) but in the end could not resist the look of the butchers breakfast board. Eggs your way, bacon, herb roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, saganaki, avocado, house made potato hash (very good) relish and organic sourdough toast. brunch at the Old Butcher Shop Cafe Seville

The delicious thick cut bacon was smoky and full or flavour and like the sausages, come straight from the family butcher shop.

There is also a lunch menu and a very decent kids menu to keep the littlies happy. pancakes at the Old Butcher Shop Cafe Seville milkshake at the Old Butcher Shop Cafe Seville

Overall I found the Old Butcher Shop Cafe to be a bit of a hidden gem, serving decent honest food with warmth and hospitality and unexpected touches of good. banana bread at the Old Butcher Shop Cafe Seville

Pop in on your way to a winery or have a wander and check out some of the local offerings (wineries and cherry /berry picking are all close by).

Dani

The details

www.theoldbutchershopcafe.com.au

559 Warburton Hwy, Seville.

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday 6.30am to 4pm.

Saturday 7am to 4pm.

Sunday 8am to 4pm.

Phone: (03) 5961 9080

Old Butcher Shop Cafe Seville

The Woodhouse Restaurant Bendigo

August 22, 2017 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

The Woodhouse Restaurant Bendigo

I was delighted to have a lunch date at The Woodhouse Restaurant in beautiful Bendigo on the weekend.

I have been driving past this restaurant for years, ever since it charmed and beguiled me with its previous name “The Puddler.” There is also something quant and delightful about its location and the actual building itself.

The Woodhouse has been open for some years now and was quick to receive accolades and praise for its food. Now that I have finally been able to visit I can understand why.

The largely steak based menu offered up many tempting suggestions and I was immediately tempted to try the “rost biff” as I had the strong impression whoever was in the kitchen knew what they were doing with a steak. Maybe the glass fronted wall of steak fridge at the entrance was a clue.

I was not disappointed and I would go so far to say this was the best steak I have ever tried. Juicy, perfectly seasoned and with an excellent caramelisation on the outside and perfectly tender to the bite.

The Woodhouse Restaurant also has a great kids menu ($16 for a main and a starter) and my son also enjoyed perhaps the nicest meal he has ever eaten. In fact the rest of us were a little jealous by the beautiful meal on his plate. The Woodhouse Restaurant Bendigo

Steak can be served with a sauce of your choice and potato dauphinois, both very tempting offerings in my opinion.

You can also order from the pizza menu but why would you when everything else is so tempting? Perhaps because it too reads like a dream

The service was exceptionally helpful with particular attention paid to one of our guests with food allergies.

We ordered the lunch special, which included the two courses and a glass of wine for $40 and which was provided very good value in my opinion. You can also order from the a la carte menu.

I tried and loved the zucchini blossoms with pinenut, farro, basil, Meredith goats curd and eggplant salsa ($15).

The Woodhouse Restaurant Bendigo McIvor Farm old breed pork belly, cauliflower, Tasmanian scallops, La Boqueria chorizo and pork crisp ($15).

The excellence of the locally sourced, modern menu and the intricate perfection of the food coming out of the kitchen was not quite matched by the interior design of the restaurant but I hear that there is a renovation on the cards.

The dimly lit, slightly hazy and brick walled interior of the restaurant is slightly reminiscent of a cave where all the treasured morsels are being served up.

I can wait to visit again and this time I’ll stay for the dessert. One of everything is on my wish list..

Happy Eating.

Dani xx

—————————————————–

The Woodhouse Restaurant Bendigo

www.thewoodhouse.com.au
Address: 101 Williamson St, Bendigo
Hours:
Monday Closed
Tuesday 12–2:30pm, 5:30–10:30pm
Wednesday 12–2:30pm, 5:30–10:30pm
Thursday 12–2:30pm, 5:30–10:30pm
Friday 12–2:30pm, 5:30–10:30pm
Saturday 12–11pm
Sunday Closed

Dani B is a food and lifestyle blogger from Melbourne. She posts regular recipes, reviews and foodie happening for enthusiastic home cooks. Please visit Facebook and give us a like to keep up to date.

Awkward Jeffrey Cafe Daylesford

July 10, 2017August 6, 2017 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

Awkward Jeffrey Cafe Daylesford

A recent family camping trip to Daylesford provided me with the glorious opportunity to check out a few new cafes.

Daylesford has long been one of my favorite spots in Victoria. I dream of moving there and writing books in the back room of my old farmhouse in between cooking generous Country style dinners for visiting family and friends.

I guess I would occasionally need to pop out for company and caffeine and when I did, I think I would visit Awkward Jeffrey.

Housed in a gorgeous, timber window framed, narrow, two story building Jeffrey’s charms include a black spiral staircase, an open fireplace, a gorgeous mural and many house plants.

The Espresso syndicate coffee was very good and food from the small, thoughtful menu was delicious and included a selection of local produce. La Madre vine fruit sourdough bread , cultured butter, Dele Foodstore jam ($7) or buckwheat pancakes, ricotta, chai custard, orange jelly, almond, mint ($16).

I ordered the luscious orange cake that was on display on the countertop and it was cake-y perfection.

Housed in a heritage building Awkward Jeffrey is a cosy and very visually beautiful cafe to dine in. I enjoyed the gazing out the window into the Daylesford streetscape beyond as much as I enjoyed the array of house plants and art work creating an inviting space inside.

If you are visiting beautiful Daylesford, and why would you not, then be sure to pop into Awkward Jeffreys for a meal.

Happy Eating

Dani xx

Awkward Jeffrey Cafe

117 Vincent St, Daylesford VIC

Hours:
Wednesday to Monday 8am–3:30pm
Tuesday Closed
Suggest an edit
Phone: (03) 5348 1798

Dani B is a food and lifestyle blogger from Melbourne. She posts recipes, reviews and tips for living mindfully. You can follow along on Facebook or Instagram.

The Meeniyan Store. Beautiful Gippsland Cafe and Store.

March 25, 2017March 25, 2017 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

The Meeniyan Store

The Meeniyan Store Get in your car and head South East and take in the infinite charm of life in South Gippsland. More specifically you might like to head to Meeniyan, setting for the ABC TV drama “Bed of Roses” and home to Victoria’s only Garlic Festival.

Meeniyan punches well above its weight in terms of great foodie spots with options for discerning diners including Moos at Meeniyan, Pandesal Bakery, the beautiful Trulli Pizzeria and of course, The Meeniyan Store.

The Meeniyan Store was opened by Kirsten Jones and her daughter Felicity 2 years ago with the idea of being a one-stop shop for sourcing local Gippsland food and produce. They now stock produce from more than 50 local farms and they help host the annual Garlic Festival. produce from The Meeniyan Store

Visit for coffee, tea and something sweet. While you are there you are bound to want to have a wander through their kitchen garden and maybe even say hello to their bunnies. Before you leave you will want to pick up some Gippsland produce. When we visited the produce available included local tomatoes, chillis, potatoes and pears. There was also a selection local wine and Gin, meats and cheeses and beautiful bread from Thorpdale Bakery. Kitchen garden at The Meeniyan Store There is also a small menu of hot food available featuring beautiful pies from Thorpdale Bakery and seasonal sandwiches. lunch at The Meeniyan Store

Locals seem to stop in for supplies of bread, fruit and vegetables. I could not resist the locally made soaps from Barany Naturals and Rose bath salts from the South Gippsland Trading Company.

Why not make a weekend of it and stay somewhere local. Nearby attractions include The Great Southern Rail Trail, Wilsons Prom, the local art gallery and the delightful Loch Village with its popular Gin Company.

Visit for friendly service and local produce, in a beautiful location.

craft at The Meeniyan Store

The Meeniyan Store

Address: 106 Whitelaw St, Meeniyan VIC 3956
Hours:
Tuesday -Saturday 10am–5pm
Sunday 10am–4pm
Monday Closed

Happy Eating

Dani xx

Weekend Wanderings. Cannibal Creek Winery

June 10, 2016July 13, 2016 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

Cannibal Creek Winery

I go to nature to be soothed and healed and to have my senses put in order.

John Burroughs

We are on a mission to get out of the city, to see green horizons and windswept places, to embed some white space into our lives through connection with the green, and to find somewhere delicious to eat while we are there.

So far this has not been difficult.

This week we stopped at Cannibal Creek Winery and Vineyard in Tynong.

The vines at Cannibal Creek Winery were first planted in 1997 and the Cannibal Creek wine has been receiving accolades since 2009. But the restaurant housed in the newly built cellar door is a more recent venture.

Philipe Desrettes is the well renown chef behind the French inspired cuisine on offer 7 days a week from 11am to 5pm. He is ably assisted by his partner Karine Saille on front of house duty. The talented pair has moved to the area from Ballarat where Phillipe was Executive Chef at the legendary Craig’s Royal Hotel.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Karine over a wine tasting and I am told that she is enjoying the beautiful Gippsland countryside and also the slightly more temperate(!!) climate of Tynong North.

Local Gippsland cheese features on the menu (Gippsland cheese plate $27) as does Cannibal Creek bread (Charcuterie plate $32). There are a number of “share” options and also more substantial dishes designed to be eaten alone. The dessert menu has a tempting array of choices from Citrus panna cotta with rhubarb and pineapple syrup, to the eponymously named Far Breton sultan and prunes, flan style ($14).

We arrived early in the day and so ordered the house-made pork and chicken terrine with brioche.

And the Charcuterie plate.

The food was perfectly delicious but it was the overall combination of ambiance, geniality, decor (an open wood fire ticks a lot of boxes at this time of year), view, food and wine that was really the winning combination.

There is also a beautifully curated selection of gift ware and imported and local honey, condiments, chocolate and produce available.

Visit for wine tastings and beautiful prepared French food in a stunning setting. Stay for the roaring fire, the ambiance and the excellent service.

I cannot wait to visit again and I cannot wait to take some friends along with me.

Happy Eating.

Dani

The details

Address: 260 Tynong North Road, Tynong VIC 3813
Phone:(03) 5942 8380
Hours:
11am–5pm 7 days a week

Full menu available Thursday to Monday and a limited menu Tuesday and Wednesday. Wine tasting is available 7 days a week.

Bookings are strongly recommended.

www.cannibalcreek.com.au

Eat My Street is a website dedicated to good food for the good life. We publish recipes, reviews, interviews, stories and more. We also love talking about soup and tea and gardening and community. Go on, click on a little green link and read a little more. Or visit us on Facebook to keep up to date with events.

Lady Lavender’s Tea Room Bunyip

June 9, 2016June 10, 2016 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Lady Lavender’s Tea Room in Bunyip.

I have driven past this timber house set on the hillside so many times on my way to Gippsland. Surrounded by a lovely lavender garden and with rolling hills as the backdrop, the Lady Lavender Tea Rooms serve simple devonshire tea and traditional olde English lunch.

They also have a gift shop featuring their lavender products and a nursery/ gift shop out the back.

The dining room is decked out in traditional floral patterns and prints with antique furniture and decorative art work finishing off the look.

Service was prompt and helpful and the whole experience was a little other worldly.

Visit for traditional tea and scones and to while away your day in floral tranquility.

The details

Address: 3085 Princes Hwy, Bunyip VIC *Set just back off the Highway
Phone:(03) 5629 6217
Hours:
Monday to Friday 10:30am–4pm
Saturday and Sunday 10:30am–4:30pm

www.ladylavenderstearoom.com.au

Eat My Street is a website dedicated to good food for the good life. We publish recipes, reviews, interviews, stories and happiness tales. We also love talking about soup and tea and gardening and being socially weird. Go on, click on a little green link and read a little more. If you think this sounds like your gang then come hang out on Facebook. We had a cracking conversation about porridge the other day. 🙂

Dani

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Rusty Water Brewery Phillip Island

April 4, 2016April 4, 2016 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

Rusty Water Brewery Phillip Island

To celebrate out last night of holidays in beautiful Phillip Island we decided to take ourselves out for dinner. I really do love cooking when I am on holidays but I also love discovering new places and having a break from all that washing up.

I had heard that Rusty Water Brewery were producing some pretty good food and it had been on my must visit list for a while. I also knew that Rust Water Brewery was a fairly family friendly restaurant and so I booked a table.

Dining beachside in Cowes has become a fairly tourist centric game. A lot of the more interesting eateries seem to be cropping up outside of the main street of Cowes. Rusty Water Brewery sits just off the main road, a stones through from the Koala Park and a few other distinct tourist destinations.

The main dining room is very spacious and we were seated in a section that seemed to be dedicated to those eating with their children. There were colouring in books and crayons on the table and a fairly normal kids menu to order off. Service was fine and friendly and the drinks list was fairly comprehensive with a focus on their own local brews.

We tried the Seafood linguine.

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Confit duck.

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Duck salad ($21)

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Chicken parma with chips and salad.

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The menu here was interesting and much more sophisticated than most other restaurants on the Island. Execution of the menu was pretty good although whoever made my salad was heavy handed with the dressing. Our duck was cooked well which shows there is talent in the kitchen and the kids meals ($10) were all gobbled up.

Overall we had a lovely experience and we all enjoyed our food.

Dani

Address: 1821 Phillip Island Rd, Cowes VIC 3922
Phone:(03) 5952 1666

www.rustywaterbrewery.com.au

RACV Resort Inverloch

February 12, 2016March 1, 2016 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

RACV Resort Inverloch

2016-02-06 18.15.18

Happy is such a neat emotion,

It’ll give your feet a happy notion.

Wise words from Elmo.

We went camping last weekend. Eek! I am not a big one for camping and I don’t do a lot of it, but is does have a funny way of making everyone happy. Breakfast with the birds, supper under the stars, fresh air flowing all around, and at RACV Resort Inverloch, stunning ocean views. The happiness factor seems to have something to do with simplicity, slowness and time spent together.

Simple food is part of the equation of course and although I missed spending time baking, one of my favourite things to do on the holidays, I did still have fun coming up with our meals. For supper we bought some delicious locally made jam and sourdough from the RACV resort reception. There was no butter so we had the decadent delight of creamy camembert with fresh strawberry jam on excellent chunks of bread. So perfect and everyone loved it.

After seeing the stunning views of the coastline from the RACV Resort Restaurant we had to visit so we enjoyed dessert there one evening.

2016-02-06 18.18.28

We sampled the Sorbet selection.

Sorbet at RACV Resort Inverloch

Then moved on to the most amazing blueberry butter cake with brandy cream and berry coulis. This cake was creamy perfection and the flavours were offset perfectly by the berries and cream. Delicious.

Cake at the RACV Inverloch resort

The views in the restaurant are really breathtaking. You could visit just to take in the ever-changing endless blues and coastal views. The restaurant itself was also very comfortable and accommodating and the staff were courteous, helpful and friendly.

RACV Inverloch Resort

They offer an excellent sounding “Best of Gippsland” buffet lunch that I would love to return for. It was great to see the very stylish resort embracing local produce and its sense of place.

So visit for the happy tapping, but also for the lovely food and excellent service.

Happy Eating. Dani xx

RACV Inverloch resort

the details

70 Cape Peterson- Inverloch Rd, VIC.

(03) 5674 0000

Looking for other great restaurants on the beach?

The Cape Kitchen, Phillip Island.

BEANd San Remo

Dani B is a foodie and blogger from the South Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne. She loves to find great new places to eat. Every weekend she posts one of her favourite, simple recipes. Her most popular recipe ever can be found here. Or read about her January in Food.

At Eat My Street we love to find great new places to eat, markets to visit and products to try. Please send any suggestions, great ideas or tip offs to danib@eatmystreet.net. Thanks for the help!