Lunch in the Perth Hills at Darlington Estate
It’s Peter Pan’s ultimate watering hole..
Feel like a trip back to your childhood? Back to a time when you were climbing trees and having super important club meetings in the ‘No boys/girls’ allowed tree hut? As soon as I walked into the restaurant at Darlington Estate in the Perth Hills I felt like I was in a secret tree top getaway.
Darlington Estate is located abut a 10-15 minute drive off the Great Eastern Highway. Upon arriving at the estate, having driven further and further into the hills I felt like I was in a majestic hideaway from the rest of the world.
The Estate is natural looking to reflect it’s surroundings, it blends right in. The brick floor and tree growing up through the middle of the restaurant perfectly decorates the space full of dark wooden tables and French Café style chairs. The expansive windows allow you to soak up the full view and then there are tiny touches like fairy lights, which give it that magical feel. It’s Peter Pan’s ultimate watering hole!
The wine menu has a great selection of Western Australian wines and there is also a South Australian Verdelho on the menu if that takes your fancy! I opted for a glass of the Darlington Estate 2010 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc for a very reasonable AU$7.50. This SSB was exactly what you want out of an SSB; yellow-green on the eye, with aromas of herbs, minerals and tropical fruits on the nose and in the mouth it has that lovely thick silky Semillon feel with flavours of passionfruit and gooseberry coming through from the Sauvy B.
The wine was a match made in heaven with my meal; angel hair pasta with blue swimmer crab, chili king prawn, champagne emulsion & crisp capers for AU$38. The meal was just awesome, those crispy capers with the melt in your mouth crab meat was to die for. My only critique would be that I wasn’t fussed on the prawns being in the meal. They were beautiful prawns but there rather strong flavour stole the well-deserve spotlight from the delicate and mouthwateringly orgasmic flavours of the rest of the dish.
My lunch at Darlington Estate was a naughty tease really as the menu is just divine and now I really need to go back again as I just want to try everything on the menu. It is the perfect spot to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It’s time to go back to that childhood tree hut, but this time it’s even better as you’re allowed great wine and food (as well as the opposite sex!). Check out the Darlington Estate website for more information or the Darlington Estate Facebook Site.
