The complete package in every sense and probably one of the consistently best vineyard restaurants in Australia.
Paul Holmes à Court’s Vasse Felix restaurant, like the renowned wine brand behind it, is a case study in refinement. Evolution, not revolution. The virtues of this elegant, relaxed eyrie above the vines and sculpture garden have been recounted so many times, and deservedly so, meaning for Vasse it’s a matter of maintaining standards, and they do.
The menu changes frequently, but the ethos of a simple plate representing craft, thoughtful combinations and maturity, and dishes that work with wine, are the restaurant’s central pillars.
Equally, under chef Brendan Pratt’s command, the kitchen keeps stretching itself without necessarily stretching the diner. The menu changes frequently, but the ethos of a simple plate representing craft, thoughtful combinations and maturity, and dishes that work with wine, are the restaurant’s central pillars. We’re thinking dishes like the cured scallop with apple or the mortadella-stuffed char siu glazed quail. Or braised beef rib with oyster emulsion and a black caviar sauce. Distinct and clever flavours and textures in harmony, not contest.
And then there’s the craft of the restaurateur, too, the little things that drive the experience: the hospitality, service, and amenity of an à la carte or tasting menu choice, not the didactic approach of so many in the South West. In short, one of the state’s very best restaurants remains exactly that, an achievement worth celebrating.
