Winery: Producers of McLaren Vale
126 Branson Road, McLaren Vale
http://www.producers.net.au/index.html
Function: Hallelujah
A Leonard Cohen Pre-Concert Lunch

Prior to the magical concert of Leonard Cohen for A Day on the Green
with Paul Kelly & Augie March at Leconfield Winery, we had a long leisurely lunch at Producers of McLaren Vale.

There were 7 of us in the group including my children.

On arrival, we were greeted with some fantastic Riesling. Three vintages were offered: 2006, 2007, and 2008. The 2006 was by far the best, and complimented beautifully the goat curd on crostini with Producers olive oil drizzled on top.
We were also served a lovely duck liver pate on crostini and olives. They were very generous with the wine, and our group left with a few bottles of the "Wally's Block" Riesling 2006 ($20). "Tori", who organised the function, was very accommodating and friendly with my children which I really appreciated. She made sure they had something to drink and that they were happy.

We were seated at a long table, in a room with a lovely view over the vineyard and the Willunga Hills. The group was smaller than I would have imagined, with less than 30 taking advantage of the close proximity to the concert.

The lunch was served as a cold lunch, which being such an incredibly hot day, was a perfect idea.

Mt Compass Tenderloin served with Horseradish Cream. The cream was perfectly light, with just enough horseradish for a bit of bite. The tenderloin was cooked perfectly. A lovely tender medium rare.

The potatoes were lovely, crunchy and light.

The green beans were presented in the most unique way!! Cooked fantastically, they were then topped with almonds and grated egg. The whites and yolk were grated separately, giving a stunning presentation with the green white and yellow combination.

This was my absolute favourite! I love beetroot and this dish was perfect with goat curd and pistachio nuts. YUM!

The chicken was cooked beautifully and was perfect served cold.

In general the lunch was fantastic. The price of $80 a head was very reasonable considering the wine that we drank. Not only was there never- ending riesling offered with the crostini, we were also offered Cab Sauv and Shiraz during our lunch. I did find the price for the kids at $70 excessive, however I understand that if they were occupying a seat that could have been filled by an adult, they would have to charge that.

The buffet style of serving the food as it seemed to "cheapen" the experience. I think someone serving each person seated, then placing the food on the table, would have been better.

After such a long lunch, and a few glasses of wine, we would have really appreciated a coffee. Especially when they served us decadent mulberries and Alexandrina cream, but it was not offered.

After having lunch here, I visited their web site (as above) and was really excited to see they had wine and cheese making courses and so much more. Take a look at the "Producer's Calender"... so many fantastic things to offer!

Restaurant: Whaler's Inn
Waterside Restaurant
Location: Encounter Bay

I was a little hesitant, having "Whaler's" as my first entry, as I had had a number of bad experiences there, but I pushed on and my kids and ex husband joined me.
The thing that really strikes you about Whaler's Inn, is its beautiful location. It looks over stunning Encounter Bay, and sea birds are always hanging about the rocks and tide pools. I know that is why I have kept coming back, regardless of my disappointments in the past.

The restaurant was very full, (being tourist season, and also a long weekend). The staff greeted us as soon as we walked in, and cleared a table quickly for us. Unfortunately, in a change of hands, the table was re-set before being wiped down. We were asked if we wanted drinks almost immediately, and given the wine list right away.

The wine list was very good. Alot of regional wines, and good prices. There was a lack of a good sparkling however, so for a celebration you may be scrambling to find something festive. We settled on the Bremerton Sauv Blanc fron Langhorne Creek. ($30) The wine was poured without tasting, but a perfect bottle of wine. My ex husband's glass was dirty, a problem that should have been picked up when the glasses were shined up after washing.

The menu was very simple and I settled on the Coffin Bay Oysters that came with Thai dipping sauce ($15), while my ex, had flavoured bread with sundried tomato and relish ($7.50) to start. For our mains I ordered Coconut Battered Flathead served on Panfried Greens topped with coriander, tomato salsa and balsamic glaze ($19) while he ordered the King George Whiting with fresh lemon and preserced lemon ailoli served with garden salad and shoestring fries ($29). The kids ordered the pasta from the very good children's menu.

The oysters were fantastic. Very fresh and tasty. The Thai dipping sauce was very light, pefect for the big taste of the brilliant Coffin Bay Oysters.

I found the bread boring and lacking not only in presentation, but in flavour as well.

The kids' pasta was a very substantial size, but they weren't very impressed with the flavour. Both of them commented that the pasta sauce was very sweet.

My main although reasonably priced was not as good as I hoped it would be.

The batter was very thick, and I could not taste the coconut. There was no corriander as stated on the menu. The vegetables were perfectly cooked however, nice and crunchy and the presentation was really well done.

Our other main was even more of a disappointment. For $10 more than mine, it was definately not worth it. The batter was so thick, you coudn't even tell it was King George Whiting in there. The fries were store bought, which always annoys me in a good restaurant, and the salad was really basic. The preserved lemon aioli was fantastic however, very well done.

We did not have dessert, but the kids had their ice cream from the kid's meal which again as a really good size.

They have done some renovating inside the restaurant, which is looking really so much better. The large blackboard and the open space to the lounge has really made the place look great. It still has that hotel restaurant feel though, and apart from changing the furniture and lowering the ceiling, I don't know that could be fixed.

The music was good, jazz piano, a nice touch while eating but could have been a touch louder.

The menu in general I found to be boring and unimaginative. The seafood platter for two, however, was $95 and includes half a crayfish! Great value!