The place does look pretty imposing as you approach it; driving in the Healesville town centre you definitely wouldn't miss it. It is in the middle of town, so there isn't any "rolling-hills" view to be had here (like at De Bortoli or Yering Station).
The place inside definitely looks pretty cool, with multiple vespas just being displayed.
Spot the Vespa!
Vespa on the barrels
Now on to the food... we shared a terrine, two pizzas, a cheese platter and a cheeseburger from the kids' menu.
Rabbit, pork and pistachio terrine
w/ pickled watermelon rind & toasted house made sourdough baguette ($19.0)
The terrine on its own was okay - it was the pickled watermelon rind that added the something special to it. Who would've thought of pickling something that normally goes into the bin to make a dish stand out!
Pumpkin pizza, roasted garlic & caramelised onion, w/ barrel aged feta, pinenuts & rocket ($22.0)
Pizza w/ Calabrese salami, san marzano tomato, oregano & buffalo mozzarella ($24.0)
Nothing beats wood-fired pizza. I liked the flavours of the pizzas; and the menu does sum it up nicely:
we make authentic artisan, wood-fired oven pizza, and that means it is all about the base. the toppings are simple but effective, showing off the very best produce that we can source - items such as san marzano tomatoes and italian buffalo mozzarella - always using the freshest ingredients including local garlic, seasonal vegetables and herbs grown in wine barrels in our herb garden behind the winery.
Kids menu: killer cheeseburger w/ shoestring fries
Yum - and fresh fries - double yum!
Service was okay, but we had to call for someone to tell us what our cheese platter consisted of. hmph.
Overall, would definitely come back here for a bite the next time we have an overnight getaway in the Yarra Valley region. As for bringing tourists to visit Yarra Valley, I'd probably bring them to somewhere else where there is more of a view (for the scenic experience)
