Restaurant Review: Pettavel Winery & Restaurant
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Location: 65 Pettavel Road (corner of Princes Highway), Waurn Ponds 3216
Phone: 03 52661120
Link: http://www.pettavel.com/p_rest/rest.html
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Overall Impression: 9/10
Pettavel recently lost a chef's hat in the 2011 Good Food Guide but please don't let this deter you from visiting this lovely restaurant. It is a gem! This Geelong winery is more than worth the 74.6kms drive from Melbourne. But be warned, the staff don't seem very big on their wines. (Maybe because the awesome restaurant overshadows the winery?) In fact, there wasn't even a push to order more wine etc. We had a beautiful glass of their sauvignon blanc each. It had beautiful passionfruit notes. Again, like I have repeated on many of my blog posts, - I don't know anything about wine… I can only tell whether I liked it or not so you probably shouldn't take my word for it… but if you want my uninformed opinion, I really liked it. =) We opted for the 9 course degustation. Each course was beautifully balanced and elegant. The only thing that I could possibly fault them on was that there was too much fat on the Lamb Rump dish, which should really have been trimmed off. And even that is a tiny tiny flaw. The service was excellent. The waitstaff were so welcoming and explained each dish in an informed manner, without being intrusive. Ohhh and I actually took my boyfriend there for his birthday and they PERSONALIZED the menu! The menu was dated and wished him happy birthday on the top! What a lovely touch. We got to take home a copy too =) That's great service for you! I will definitely be back.
First Course: Calamari Laksa
Second Course: Parsnip with Pear, Blue Cheese and Horseradish
Third Course: Prawns with Celery and Quinoa
Fourth Course: Local Bay Snapper with Scallop, Ham Hock and Celeriac
Fifth Course: Lamb Rump with Eggplant and Capsicum
Sixth Course: Pheasant with Quince, Artichoke and Bone Marrow
Seventh Course: Ox Cheek with Tomatoes and Serrano Ham
Eighth Course: Deconstructed Chocolate Ricotta cheesecake with Rhubarb Sorbet
Ninth Course: Pandanus Jelly with Peanut and Toasted Coconut Sorbet
Phone: 03 52661120
Link: http://www.pettavel.com/p_rest/rest.html
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Overall Impression: 9/10
Pettavel recently lost a chef's hat in the 2011 Good Food Guide but please don't let this deter you from visiting this lovely restaurant. It is a gem! This Geelong winery is more than worth the 74.6kms drive from Melbourne. But be warned, the staff don't seem very big on their wines. (Maybe because the awesome restaurant overshadows the winery?) In fact, there wasn't even a push to order more wine etc. We had a beautiful glass of their sauvignon blanc each. It had beautiful passionfruit notes. Again, like I have repeated on many of my blog posts, - I don't know anything about wine… I can only tell whether I liked it or not so you probably shouldn't take my word for it… but if you want my uninformed opinion, I really liked it. =) We opted for the 9 course degustation. Each course was beautifully balanced and elegant. The only thing that I could possibly fault them on was that there was too much fat on the Lamb Rump dish, which should really have been trimmed off. And even that is a tiny tiny flaw. The service was excellent. The waitstaff were so welcoming and explained each dish in an informed manner, without being intrusive. Ohhh and I actually took my boyfriend there for his birthday and they PERSONALIZED the menu! The menu was dated and wished him happy birthday on the top! What a lovely touch. We got to take home a copy too =) That's great service for you! I will definitely be back.
First Course: Calamari LaksaSecond Course: Parsnip with Pear, Blue Cheese and HorseradishThird Course: Prawns with Celery and QuinoaFourth Course: Local Bay Snapper with Scallop, Ham Hock and Celeriac Fifth Course: Lamb Rump with Eggplant and Capsicum Sixth Course: Pheasant with Quince, Artichoke and Bone Marrow Seventh Course: Ox Cheek with Tomatoes and Serrano Ham Eighth Course: Deconstructed Chocolate Ricotta cheesecake with Rhubarb Sorbet Ninth Course: Pandanus Jelly with Peanut and Toasted Coconut Sorbet 
