d'Arry's Verandah Restaurant

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d'Arry's Verandah is the highly acclaimed restaurant at d'Arenberg Wines in McLaren Vale, overlooking a gorgeous vista of vines and trees.

I'm a vegetarian but was accompanied by two meat eaters who could help me review the experience, one a chef, the other a cellar door manager. Tough crowd, but d'Arry's did not disappoint.

To start, the guys each had a lobster medallion with prawn and blue swimmer crab ravioli served in a silky, foamy lobster bisque. An amazing start I'm assured. The ravioli could have been slightly more al dente (firm) however this small criticism was from the Italian chef who admitted he was nitpicking. (Also a slightly more generous portion of lobster wouldn't have gone astray I overheard) 9/10 was the consensus.



I chose a broccolini, zucchini, mint and goats cheese salad which was very generous. The vegetables still had a little bite so retained their vibrant flavours. House-made bread with salt crusted house-made butter was nice however could have been improved by serving the roll warm and the spread with a thinner coating of salt. 8/10 I say.



On to mains, d'Arry's Dorper lamb lolly pops were perfectly cooked and juicy. The minted pea smash they sat on lacked seasoning, however the crumbed brains on the plate were soft and succulent and the slow braised lamb cube was a tender morsel, covered in a crunchy coating - my chef companion would have been happy with a whole plate of them. The brussel sprouts were also delicious, but not as good as Dad's panfried version.

The other meat main was slow roast pork belly and pork mignon which were both well cooked but lacked the crispy crackling that is usually the highlight of such a dish. Fresh white peach pickle was sweet and brilliantly matched to the meat, with kohlrabi and radish slaw a tasty but unsatisfactory replacement for the crunch of crackling. A slightly under-seasoned dish, this was still fantastic. The verdict for both mains was 8/10.



My heirloom tomato & buffalo bocconcini carpaccio was faultless besides the red onion garnish which wasn't on the menu to request as an exclusion. 9/10.

The side we shared - a rocket, peach and bocconcini salad - was refreshing and moorish with nectarous fruit flesh and a well balanced balsamic dressing.



Feeling sated but our hearts set on dessert, we didn't regret sharing a cheese platter and salty caramel tapioca with hazelnut meringue & mango sorbet. The three varieties of cheese were top shelf. The tapioca dessert was an explosion of taste and textures, the meringue beautifully crunchy on the outside and slightly chewy in the middle with pieces of hazelnut throughout. The tapioca were firm, caramel, jelly-like balls and the sorbet was smooth and bright. A mouthful of all three elements at once was a heavenly marriage of flavours and a wonderfully unique textural experience.

Complimentary glasses of sticky were a welcome surprise for a slightly long wait for dessert. Another 9/10.



Service was from helpful, accommodating and knowledgable staff who weren't overbearing. The wine too was great, however not as good as the cellar door manager's own brand of course.

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