Port Phillip Estate

Images courtesy of http://www.portphillipestate.com.au



So this review is a bit different from my regulars, namely I have a guest writer! RT, who also was my dining companion on this occassion (as well as many others). My first colab entry ever. RT is in grey, myself in black. Shall we begin?

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Pulling up to the Port Philip Estate (PPE) feels like you are about to check into a mental asylum or a prison for the most hardened of criminals (sorry Wood/Marsh Architecture – not quite my cuppa tea). So you may want to make sure you are going with someone who you would feel comfortable in sharing a cell with ;)

I think JD may have been a bit nervous that she could have been asked to turn in her valuables at the entrance and get into an orange jump suit. As we approached the stark metallic front door, it swung open automatically, similar to how you may envisage a prison cell door to be controlled by a warden in a prison control room (not that I would know).

Ok, so the inside is a little nicer than a mental asylum. The cold concrete exterior is contrasted by floor to ceiling windows on the interior, overlooking the estate's vineyard with the Port Phillip Bay on the horizon. It’s nothing short of a spectacular view, the type you could happily stare at for hours on end with or without a glass of wine (better with, given that it is a winery).

When it comes to service at PPE, I cannot fault it in any way. For a formal establishment, the service is far from stuffy. In fact, the staff are warm, attentive and very knowledgeable about food and wine.


Onto the meal... I’ll comment on mine and I’ll let JD comment on hers. For entrée I chose the crispy skin pork belly, cheek and trotter sausage and vintage vegetables. Really neat looking dish with a splash of colour added with a roasted beet and some other greenery to accompany the meats. The star of the dish undoubtedly was the crackling and slow cooked pork. Melt in your mouth stuff.

I mentioned to RT that his pork belly was made up of 80% fat, and that's probably why it tasted so good. Jus sayin'.. However my comment was not received well at all :T

My choice of entree was the quail, caramelised onion tart, quince and crispy potatoes. I particularly enjoyed pairing the savoury quail with the sweet quince, yup a sweet n' salty flavour profile is totally right up my alley. The potatoes, which resembled a pile of thin crispy shoelaces added a welcome element of texture/crunch. A beautifully plated dish, where all the components complimented each other in unison.

My main was a roasted breast and leg of partridge with spaetzle and madeira jus. I think spaetzle is one of those ingredients that is really hard to present well. It looks like pieces of chicken skin cut up! Well maybe that’s just me. I recall having this dish in the past and not being overly wild about the combination of the pasta and meat. Slightly too heavy and stodgy a combination for my liking, but I had a great time dissecting the pomegranate pearls from the spaetzle. Very nice touch with the pomegranates, as it added a burst of sweetness to cut through the heaviness of the dish. The pink of the pomegranate also matched JD's cool pink finger nails.

I chose the Flinders Island lamb cutlets, rolled belly, provincial vegetables, black garlic for my main. When this dish came out, I noticed a smear of what I believe to be pea puree, that reminded me of the sprawling wine fields outside. I had no such requirements (like RT) as to dissect elements of my dish, as everything was cooked perfectly and seasoned well.

 

For wines we chose the masculine and feminine versions of their 2011 pinot noir – which is how they marketed the two different wines. JD did let me have a small sip of hers so I could confirm whether it was in fact more feminine than my glass. Before taking a sip, I remember asking JD what femininity actually tasted like. Not a bad line. But I don’t think she noticed ;) Or maybe she did and didn’t tell me!

*whoosh* That's the sound of RT's comment, zooming over my head and vanishing into the atmosphere. Sorry dude :p

We ended the meal with coffee and complimentary domes of dark chocolate truffles, adorned with metallic dust. They looked like little planets, but were rich, silky and melted in the mouth. I had the great idea of dipping my chocolate in my coffee, but it accidentally fell in and was lost forever despite my futile attempts to fish it out with my spoon.

The highlight for me on this trip down to The Port Philip Asylum (I mean Estate) was obviously the company and the conversation as we overlooked the ever-changing climate outside from swirls of mist and rain, through to faint rainbows on the turquoise horizon. Our three seated hours ran away just like how a prison break may do on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I think I'd share a prison cell with you JD. At least we know we would survive three hours at a minimum ;p

Right back atcha RT ;)