Meadowbank Estate

OK,

Meadowbank Estate in Cambridge Tasmania is not a secret or insider tip- its probably just about the opposite of secret as everyone we mentioned our impending Tassie trip to, insisted we visit this winery- and I am so glad we followed their advice! This place is absolutely divine!

Bearing in mind that popularity, it would be a good idea to book ahead- we were lucky that they could squeeze us in for lunch with only a 30 minute wait (perfect for some tasting!)- I would hate to think we might have missed it.

Set amongst vines with lovely water views (though in Tasmania just about everything seems to look out over the water!), this was the perfect spot for a late summer lunch. The staff were amazing- not only their efforts to accomodate a late lunch party of 8 on Easter Sunday but their knowledge of the food and ingredients as well as the wine was indeed impressive- both our waiters were mainland expats and absolutely in line with what you would expect in more upmarket Melbourne or Sydney restaurants, but with a more relaxed air.

See Rita's Bite for more raves about the staff: http://pc-rita.blogspot.com/2008/10/meadowbank-revisited.html

Now I'm not usually a fan of the tapas style eating- multiple entree sized, try different things out concept- I usually prefer to have a substantial main and go for it- but glad this place did this, we tried out a number of dishes and they had one thing in common- amazing produce (pretty much a given on the island) and simplicity of presentation and flavours- nothing felt overly elaborated.

Smoked trout fritter, garlic aoli




Smoked hock terrine, cornichons, toasted brioche

Rich flavours of the hock in the lightest of light environs- an absolute delight!


Sugar cured ocean trout, potato pancake, crispy bacon, horseradish cream



Breast of honey smoked duck, figs, walnuts, wild rocquette (to share)

The sweetness of the honey smoking and figs complemented the duck so well- perfectly cooked!

Chargrilled tuna, skordalia, grapes, capers, pine nuts, white anchovies
A perfectly cooked piece of tuna- the skordalia was brilliant (must get a recipe for that!).

I'm not going to attempt to describe the wines- as I am anything but an expert on wine, but their 2005 Pinot took my fancy (http://www.meadowbankwines.com.au/popups/wines/pinotnoir.htm)- some of our party really enjoyed the unwooded chardonnay http://www.meadowbankwines.com.au/popups/wines/chardonnay.htm.

But make your own call on the wines.

Meadowbank Vineyard

699 Richmond Road

CAMBRIDGE TAS 7170
T: +61 3 62484484



And for a really comprehensive list of Tassie restaurants check out Rita's bites http://pc-rita.blogspot.com/2006/04/restaurant-reviews.html