Cnr McMurtrie & Main Rds
McLaren Vale
A Sunday wine tasting and lunch day... what a better place than McLaren Vale to celebrate a friend's birthday! After tasting at a couple of wineries, we headed to The Salopian Inn for more wine and a long lunch.
As we sat down, we were brought a platter of Baquette with Olive Oil and Salopian Butter ($2.50). Only thing missing was a bit of goats curd. The "birthday girl" put in the request and voila the goats curd was added to our platter! 
Prior to arriving at the Salopian, we went to Coriole for tasting. One wine we were unable to taste was the obscure grape, Fiano. They DID have a few bottles for sale, so we all pitched in and purchased a bottle to start our lunch with.
As we sat down, we were brought a platter of Baquette with Olive Oil and Salopian Butter ($2.50). Only thing missing was a bit of goats curd. The "birthday girl" put in the request and voila the goats curd was added to our platter! Prior to arriving at the Salopian, we went to Coriole for tasting. One wine we were unable to taste was the obscure grape, Fiano. They DID have a few bottles for sale, so we all pitched in and purchased a bottle to start our lunch with. The tasting notes stated that the wine is sprightly and bright, with the up-front, natural acidity typical of the variety; aromas of grapefruit, lemon and green apple are augmented by touches of frangipani and fresh herbs. The palate is refreshing, with the signature long texture of the variety.
As none of us had tried it before, it was interesting to find out that The grape variety Fiano originates from the Campania region east of Naples. It is a very shy bearer which probably explains why until recently it was only planted in a small acreage. It was probably more common to find it in ancient Roman times. The variety takes its name from the Latin 'vitis apiana', as the grapes, when left on the vines, proved to be irresistible to bees.
I think we all agreed it was a really nice starter wine and was great with our baguette and goats curd! Very refreshing, easy drinking wine. (We were also pleased to see we paid only $25 for the bottle at the winery, and the restaurant was selling it at $45).
Among 7 women, the Coriole bottle didn't last long of course so it was time for an excursion down to the cellar. I love this part of any restaurant, but the Salopian cellar really does have a nice feel about it. Filled with McLaren Vale shiraz amongst others, we spent a long time browsing...and taking photos of each other amongst the bottles!
I settled on a mid-range Shiraz. It was a big McLaren Vale Shiraz... just what you need on a cold, wet wintery day!
I started with the Lamb's Kidney Sauteed in brandy, garlic and parsley with deep fried onion rings ($18). I do try to order things I would never make at home, and this is no exception. The strong taste of offal is definitely not for some, but I really enjoyed this dish. The rich gravy and heavy meat, make for a great winter dish. An entree size is definitely enough however, the strong flavour is just too much for any bigger size.
For my main course, I decided on the Whole Garfish in a prawn and leek souffle accompanied by a butter sauce and Yarra Valley Salmon Roe ($18) . A perfect pretty dish, I couldn't fault it at all. The whole garfish made for interesting presentation, and the salmon Roe was a perfect texture with the the delicate souffle. Extraordinary! 
We all shared Organic Potatoes roasted in duck fat and Steamed Green Beans ($6ea). The potatoes were crunchy on the outside and the beans were cooked perfectly. Wonderful accompaniments at a great price!
Among 7 women, the Coriole bottle didn't last long of course so it was time for an excursion down to the cellar. I love this part of any restaurant, but the Salopian cellar really does have a nice feel about it. Filled with McLaren Vale shiraz amongst others, we spent a long time browsing...and taking photos of each other amongst the bottles!I settled on a mid-range Shiraz. It was a big McLaren Vale Shiraz... just what you need on a cold, wet wintery day!I started with the Lamb's Kidney Sauteed in brandy, garlic and parsley with deep fried onion rings ($18). I do try to order things I would never make at home, and this is no exception. The strong taste of offal is definitely not for some, but I really enjoyed this dish. The rich gravy and heavy meat, make for a great winter dish. An entree size is definitely enough however, the strong flavour is just too much for any bigger size.For my main course, I decided on the Whole Garfish in a prawn and leek souffle accompanied by a butter sauce and Yarra Valley Salmon Roe ($18) . A perfect pretty dish, I couldn't fault it at all. The whole garfish made for interesting presentation, and the salmon Roe was a perfect texture with the the delicate souffle. Extraordinary! We all shared Organic Potatoes roasted in duck fat and Steamed Green Beans ($6ea). The potatoes were crunchy on the outside and the beans were cooked perfectly. Wonderful accompaniments at a great price!Below are dishes others in the group had that day. There was not a single complaint amongst any of them!
Chargrilled eye fillet of beef with gnocchi and ox tail sauce ($32)
Crispy skinned duck breast with twice cooked duck leg, baked quince and baby spinach ($32)
The fish special of Panfried Snapper with Panchetta wrapped scallops, asparagus and verjuice butter sauce ($35).
Game Puff Pastry Pie with roasted chestnuts and carmalised shallots ($18) ........ I almost ordered this!
Blue Swimmer Crab Tortellline with truffle cream sauce and Coorong cockles brasised in a fresh tomato sauce ($32)
The soup special.. Tomato and bread with Woodside goats curd and basil pesto ($16.50). Love the goats curd!!
Not being a big dessert eater, I pitched in with a couple of the girls for the 3 Cheese Plate with baguette and muscatels ($24) . I love cheese and the blue cheese on the platter was not exception! 
Soft Centred Chocolate Pudding with orange brulee and chocolate ice cream ($15). How fantastic did this look!
Strawberries in a sable pastry tart case with passion fruit creme patissiere, strawberry sauce and Alexandrina double cream ($15) 
Mum and I and kids arrived for a wonderful Mother's Day lunch. Despite the Maserati and 
After a quick field trip to the cellar, we decided on an Italian Chianti (
We started with the standard 
The specials board listed Udder delights goat cheese curd, olive oil and bread ($13.90) which of course my daughter and I just couldn't resist. It there is goat's curd we MUST eat it! imagine my daughter's delight when they brought a HUGE bowl of the stuff!! Needless to say, she didn't eat a whole lot of her main course!
My daughter ordered the 
My Mum ordered 
I had the 
One of the highlights of 
In 2006, I did a quick trip to KI with my Mum and kids before moving up to Cairns. We had a great time, and a highlight of that trip was Dudley Cellar door at Cape 
The restaurant is open and airy, complete with Dudley wines and the usual tacky tourist honey and other KI products. There is plenty of room, and I can only assume the occasional bus must stop for tastings.
Dudley has a wide range of wines. Chardonnay, Cab 
The Slow Roasted Shoulder of Lamb ($18) was seasoned with cumin, garlic and herbs served with pumpkin, pine nuts, baby spinach, 
I had the Kangaroo Island 
Regardless of the 
The day we were there, the state of the Murray was all too obvious, with a substantial sand bar emerging from the middle of the river. The struggle for the Murray's survival is an environmental disaster, and as pelicans and black swans work there way down the once flowing waters, it is a reminder of what we could lose. It isn't for the sadness of the Mighty Murray that brings us to 
I ordered the special of Baked 
Amongst our group, we ordered the FLT, a quirky acronym playing on the BLT, with soft sourdough bread, pan fried fish lettuce and tomato. The presentation of this "
The casual Fish and Chips, the perfect lunch for a casual shore-line restaurant, was presented simply. The only complaint here, was the batter was a little dry, overshadowing the marinated fish. Love the "real" chips!
The Vietnamese shredded vegetable salad with 
The fried fresh squid was perfect. It seems the portion of this dish has gotten bigger, which is great as it was often commented as too small for the price in the past. The squid was so fresh, not rubbery....... tasting of the ocean. Perfect. The light batter wasn't over-powering also enhancing the beautiful taste of the squid.
Even the child's meal was a work of art. Presented beautifully again on the signature wooden board, the meat was cooked perfectly. Absolute value for money!
I don't remember the name of this dessert that we all had a taste of but WOW. Coffee, custard, almonds..........
Somehow I didn't find the taxidermied heads offensive of all. They seemed to blend in well with the dark wooden tables and high ceiling. 
It was so difficult to choose what to eat. Unique combinations and so many things I hadn't tried before made for a very tough time to make a decision!
We started with a selection of relishes served with naan breads ($9). We were so hungry I think we would have appreciated more of everything .. more bread more dips... 
I finally chose two entrees (which apparentely is what I ALWAYS do?!) settling firstly on the Kedergee. I had read a couple reviews of this dish, and was interested to try it. I had never tried, although had heard of kedergee so decided it was a must on this evening. Kedergee is slow cooked spicy rice and in this case, was accompanied with seared prawns and scallops, and finished with sour cream and dill. ($12). There was heaps of flavour in this dish, a soft peppery finish gave it the bite it needed. I really enjoyed it, despite not being the usual sort of thing I would order. The seafood was fresh in particular the scallops were sweet and juicy.
I followed the kedgeree with the Tandoori Quail. It was served on broken wheat porridge with saffron sauce ($10) and was magnificent! Wonderful flavour and cooked to perfection, I loved this dish! So reasonably priced too.
We ordered mango chutney and raita for condiments of course. We recieved a huge amount of raita, and a tiny bowl of mango chutney. Much to our disappointment, the chutney consisted of one big chunk of mango in a small dish! Not really enough for four hungry people drinking wine late at night!
Fellow diners ordered a curry and the duck dish, both with nods of approval. The only complaint I got was the duck was slightly over-cooked, making it a bit too dry. 