My wife and I very much enjoy celebrating milestones in our life together.  When it comes to celebrating anniversaries, we always celebrate them with something we both enjoy and, dare I say, it usually involves travel, food and wine…all together!

This year we celebrated 25 years of married bliss (my wife may think differently due to my wine ‘hobby’) and the planning of the way we intended celebrating this milestone commenced around October 2022.  Lunch at Levantine Hill was our choice, first and foremost.

The experience starts pretty much as soon as you sit down.  The cellar door and restaurant team clearly know what they are doing and do it so very well.  The menu options are clearly explained prompting involuntary smiles, wide eyes and eyebrow lifts.

To start, a plate appeared with Beluga caviar (pictured left) in the centre and decorated with an array of perfectly quenelled condiments, each of which paired deliciously with a topping of caviar, so much so that the saltiness of the caviar was barely noticeable.  The delightful Levantine Hill Estate Sparkling Rosé was the ideal wine match.

Because of the more than adequate serving of our first course, my wife and I opted for two main courses to share rather than the 5 or 6 degustation course options. A perfectly cooked Yarra Valley Gin pork belly with smoked date, Ras el hanout piccalilli ($49) and, the juicy and tender 120gm Sher Wagyu (9+ score) sirloin with local exotic mushrooms, burnt onion, pine needle, horseradish and bone marrow bordelaise ($99).

The pork belly (pictured right) and 2019 Estate Chardonnay were a match made in heaven while the 2017 Optume Cabernet, paired with the Sher Wagyu, is something everyone needs to experience.

We selected two of the desserts to finish off our lunch.  An amazing hazelnut semifreddo (pictured below) with baklava crisp, white chocolate, local strawberries and rosewater syrup ($25), and a delectable bittersweet chocolate tart with estate citrus gelato, blueberry honey and cocoa nib dukka ($26).

Now, this doesn’t sound like much food for two people but, it is.  The servings are perfectly proportioned and brought out at such intervals allowing plenty of ‘breathing space’ to prepare for each course.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the people who made our experience such a memorable one.  The hospitality team is so welcoming you don’t feel like just another diner. They are engaging without being intrusive, and are genuinely interested, and go all out to make the visit to the restaurant about you.

If the restaurant is not on your bucket list, your must-visit list, your to-do list, not-to-be-missed list or even your shopping list, put it on there immediately!

Virgina Woolf is quoted as saying, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” Let’s just say, thanks to dining well at Levantine Hill, the rest came naturally.

Disclaimer: My wife and I dined with the compliments of Levantine Hill.