A bucolic charmer offering polished seasonal dining.
It’s a wondrous thing when going for lunch feels like a mini-break. Ambling down the entry path, your amuse bouche is a deep breath of country air, unexpected given you’re just a 30-minute drive from the city. More salubrious still, snake along the Swan River to arrive at Sandalford’s private jetty. While vineyard views vie for your attention, the main event is creative seasonal fare and estate wines.
With Alan Spagnolo at the pass, you can’t imagine the dishes could live up to their looks, but they do, tenfold. Freshly shucked oysters with tiny glistening beads of Chardonnay chilli jelly and a nectarous Sandalford sparkling is a good beginning. Duck parfait slathered like marsala velvet, cut with golden mustard fruits, a study in Rothko colour and layered flavour. With all that’s delivered in this menu, it may feel like cheating to order pizza. You’re forgiven. The 48-hour proved dough is airy, crisp of base and generous of crown, with razor-slithers of artisan chorizo and fermented chilli. But be sure to take in the offerings of a short-lived season; for mains in September, spring lamb with chimichurri and jubilant greens cloaked in citrusy emulsion, proof that a good meal is as life-giving as a holiday.
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