The Eatery by CK: Review: d'arry's Verandah Restaurant

d’Arry’s Verandah Restaurant
Osborn Road
McLaren Vale SA
(08) 8329 4848
www.darrysverandah.com.au
*Lunches Only

I couldn't be more happy than to finally get down to D'arenberg in McLaren Vale, girlfriends in tow. d'arrys Verandah Restaurant had certainly been talked up and is home to two accomplished chefs, Nigel Rich and Peter Reschke. Needless to say I was not disappointed. Not only do you find yourself in a beautiful location overlooking the gorgeous valley, but the food was truly exceptional. The other obvious advantage of a restaurant in a winery was the fantastic wine on offer and well priced at that.
The menu makes decision making a challenge. All that was on offer sounded fantastic and would accommodate all styles of personal taste. For entree the Lobster Medallion with blue swimmer crab & prawn ravioli and lobster bisque ($29) was divine. The lobster was lovely, the ravioli outstanding and the lobster bisque was sensational. All the components of this dish worked incredibly well and it was topped off with perfect presentation. The other entree tried was the Half shell scallop ceviche and abalone sashimi with white peach and wasabi F.F.R Salad ($24). The presentation of this dish was beautiful. So fresh, alive and intricate. This was a light style of entree with spicy hints of wasabi. It was a fantastic mix of textures both visually and to taste. A very impressive dish.
For Main I had the Slow cooked duck and seared breast with braised fennel, orange and rocket and fennel salad ($33). The duck was also perfectly cooked with crispy skin and succulent meat. The flavours of the whole dish were incredibly well matched and the added orange segments really brought the dish to life.
I also was fortunate enough to sample the Roast pork belly with grilled fig, Miss Merbain and fig salad ($30). I say I was fortunate because this pork belly was amazing. Again, a brilliant balance of flavours. The pork was moist and tender, it had the perfect strength of flavour and the crackling was of course the highlight. There were lots of appealing desserts on the menu. The Soft centred chocolate pudding ($16) was delicious and the gooey centre just oozed out. The highlight of the desserts for me was the Passionfruit souffle ($16). Light, fluffy and an abundance of passionfruit flavour. The Panna Cotta ($15) was nice but no match for the other desserts.
d'arrys verandah restaurant is definitely worth a visit. It's obvious the menu and all the dishes have been well thought about and crafted by experienced chefs. The wine is unquestionably some of the regions best, and having the tasting room next door to come and go throughout the meal had its advantages, particularly when it came down to choice for our meal. Let's also not forget the fabulous location. The only disappointment of the experience was our waitress who couldn't bear to bring a smile. She unfortunately did not share a hint of the outstandingness of d'arry's verandah restaurant.

The Eatery by CK