Lunch in the Perth Hills at Fairbrossen Estate
It was like visiting my Grandma’s house. And by all accounts that is not a bad thing! The café is so cosy and homely that I could of easily spent a few more hours there. The café is housed in the old tractor shed that sits elevated above the vineyard with large glass windows so you can soak in the atmosphere of the vineyard. The table we sat at had lovely big straw chairs and the table setting was complete with a little vase of just-out-of-the-garden flowers. Just like Grandparents do when their grandchildren steal flowers out of the neighbours garden!
I was instantly relaxed upon entering the café and Mr. Spittoon was too – which says a lot since he is a t-shirt and jandals/thongs wearing type of guy 99% of the time! Our timing was impeccable, we didn’t book therefore it was first in first serve and we luckily got one of the last unreserved tables. So I suggest booking ahead! As we melted into comfort we scanned the specials board and then sat back and relaxed as we looked over the 2-page menu. It was fairly straight forward, some breakfast options, lunch options, children options and then onto the wines, coffees, cakes and a selection of Devonshire teas.
I love when menus are short and simple – however I still managed to not be able to make up my mind! In the end we decided to go for a Vineyard Platter with the additional meat selection and a coffee for Mr. Spittoon and surprise surprise an AU$8 glass of Fairbrossen Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Chardonnay for me (read my tasting note here), guess who I convinced to drive! Mr. Spittoon did make mention that his coffee was very good and was tempted to order another.
At the top of the menu there is a small disclaimer to say that there may be a short wait for all food orders since they prepare the meals fresh and cook to order. I was starving, but I also know that patience can be a virtue with it comes to food.
To be honest the wait wasn’t too long at all, I got through about half of my glass of bubbles when the platter came out. Can I just say WOW – this was most definitely the most amazing and mouth-wateringly tasty looking winery platter that I have ever set my eyes on. You can see the picture, so tell me that’s not true! Plus it was the perfect amount for 2 people for a lunch, if it was just a snack I may have been a bit overwhelmed!
So what was on the platter?
- An assortment of cheese (there were 3 very generous chunks of; a blue, a brie/camembert style, and the most delicious mustard seed cheese!)
- Homemade chutneys and relishes
- Olives (ours where marinated with rosemary, oh so good!)
- Dukkah, balsamic and olive oil
- Stuffed vine leaves
- Seasonal fruit (pears, oranges)
- Salad
- Crackers
- And a basket full of fresh Turkish Bread… it literally tasted like it was straight from the oven, warm and melt in the mouth soft!
- Meat selection (included ham and salamis)
Overall it was AWESOME! I loved it all and it washed down with the sparkling just lovely. The platter was AU$45 and the added meat selection was AU$10 extra. Please note the platter will change depending on what is in season. Would I go back again? Hell yeah!! However I must admit even though our platter was so good I had food envy when I spotted the Beef and Mushroom Pie coming out of the kitchen, yes my eyes are too big for my stomach – I know!
But honestly, yes – I’m still on the pie topic, how does this sound “tender pieces of slow cooked Harvey beef in a rich Fairbrossen red wine sauce with mushroom, top encased with puff pastry served with a creamy mash potato”. Drooooooool.
After a lovely lunch we stopped in at the cellar door next to the café to have a wee taste and we picked up a bottle of the sparkling and Tempranillo (read my tasting note here) to take home. I was actually after a couple of bottles of their GSM which I recently tried however they were all sold out – I can understand why as it was fabulous. I didn’t even write a tasting note for it as I was so swept away in its deliciousness.
I loved my visit to Fairbrossen and I was definitely feeling a bit of this:
A phrase often expressed at the completion of very hearty meals is;
“…I’m fair brossen” meaning quite literally “I am full to bursting!”.
For more details, please check out the Fairbrossen website, or you can find Fairbrossen on Facebook here.