Birthday Girl

Last weekend we celebrated my birthday by driving out to Sirromet Winery , a place my neighbor from Melbourne had recommended, and given her standards (most people from Melbourne find Queensland lacking in culinary sophistication), we figured it must be worth the 45 minute drive, and it was!

Nestled in a green hillside, the winery, vineyards, tasting room, cafe, and restaurant are surprisingly compact and unobtrusive. Not having known about or allowed enough time for the tour, we proceeded to the tasting room to try the eight wine sampler, so we would have a better idea of what to order with lunch. It was really a pleasant day out in the country especially after trying eight different wines. Although wine tasting isn't normally all that family friendly, Sirromet seemed to cater for families and had a large grassy play area, and even a play room for little ones. Erik occupied himself by reading a book on the sofa and exploring a bit by the lawn and got a bit bored only toward the end. In the cafe next to the tasting room, a jazz band was setting up, which would provided him with a bit of entertainment, but we had a table booked in the restaurant above and unfortunately had to head up before they started playing.

The restaurant was open and airy with a view out to green fields and hills. We were lucky enough to get a table out on the balcony, so we could really take in the setting. The food was contemporary and fairly light. I had a seafood stack, with prawns, crab, avocados and mangoes while Mark went for lamb medallions. Erik was happy to find the kid's menu offered chicken nuggets and chips, but other than that chips (fries) did not accompany any of the other main dishes, which is somewhat unusual for Australia. We have even seen "lasagna and chips" offered at some lesser quality Queensland eating establishments.

Although our main dishes were very good, my favorite dish by far was the "chocolate taste plate" , which Mark and I shared. With baked mocha cream, chocolate foam silken mousse, custard filled steamed chocolate pudding, and Turkish delight ice cream truffle, it was to die for! Luckily, Mark had gone on a 120k ride that morning, and I was due for a long workout (2k swim, 10 k run) the next day.