Yering Station

38 Melba Hwy Yarra Glen

It would be safe to say that wine regions are my very favourite places to explore and I have been known to base my holidays, both locally and internationally, in and around them! Melbourne happens to be blessed with two beautiful wine regions an hour out of the CBD, which anyone from WA will agree, is quite the treat.

This weekend we decided to make the most of these local treasures and venture out of the city to spend a day amongst the vines of the Yarra Valley, sampling the local produce and spoiling ourselves with a long lunch at Yering Station. 

I have visited Yering Station on a number of different occasions and have eaten in the restaurant once before so today my expectations are high. Walking in I am struck by the beautiful view of the valley below that never ceases to impress me, the restaurant has been designed in such a way that its best asset, the stunning panoramic view of endless fields with mountains in the background, is the centre piece of your dining experience and visible form all angles. 

Having sampled the wines on our way in we order a glass of the sparkling brut to start and a bottle of Pinot to follow and we nibble on the salty sour dough, crunchy dukka and olive oil that are all locally produced. Pondering the menu we both order the confit duck and truffle papardelle pasta with lemon thyme, mascarpone and Riesling for entre (yes the pappardelle has got me again), and I am certainly not disappointed. The truffle is fragrant, the duck rich and together with the mascarpone it is a truly decadent way to start the afternoon.

After discovering the delight of rabbit last week I have once again opted for this as my main course; rabbit with artichoke and green olive farce, cavolo nero, pine nuts, citrus jus. Also ordered is the crusted veal osso bucco with braising jus, sage polenta, rocket, pecorino and white anchovy salad. This is not your traditional osso bucco, but rather an exciting take on the Italian delight. The chef has taken the slow cooked meat, crumbed, fried and reconstructed the veal and the final result is just mouth watering. The succulent, full bodied flavour of the meat is a pure pleasure to eat and leaves you wanting just one more bite. The rabbit is roasted perfectly and the meat is tender, however I have to admit to a bad case of food envy. 

Maybe it’s the country air or perhaps the delicious yarra valley wines but the afternoon passes in a relaxed haze. Yering Station has once again not disappointed and as we make the short drive back to the city I smile, the day has been a perfect escape.

Rated 14 O’s out of 20