After another great breakfast, we headed out for the day to explore the Margaret River region on our own. We had a rough plan on the places we wanted to stop, some of which we had been to the previous day, plus some additional vineyards and food producers.
Craig wanted to visit some of the brewery's so I was doing the driving. During the course of the day we went to Duckstein Brewery, Bootleg Brewery and Colonial Brewery. Bootleg was a disappointment, but we liked the other two. However we found that you cant actually buy the beer they brew which seemed a bit odd! Anyway Craig enjoyed a tasting tray at Duckstein and Colonial.
We also went to Margaret River Venison. The previous day we had some of their venison chorizo on a pizza and loved it so we wanted to buy some to take home. Because it can keep for a long time we bought a couple. The shop sells every cut of meat (venison) you can think of including some fabulous looking sausages. If you want to buy some meat and don't have an esky with you, they sell polystyrene eskys and ice for $8.
At lunchtime we stopped at the Olive Oil farm, Olio Bello for something to eat. The farm is right next door to our accommodation and we had been told that the food here is good. That turned out to be 100% correct. There are a mixture of table both under cover and on the grass under the olive trees. We chose a table on the terrace under cover. The menu was obviously olive oil inspired with most of the dishes featuring the oil in some way.
I had the homemade pasta with a crab, olive oil and chili sauce. It had huge chunks of crab meat and whole slices of chili. The homemade pasta was beautiful, and the dish has inspired me to have a go at making some myself (but first I have to buy a pasta rolling machine). The only downside of the dish was although the oil was beautiful in flavour, there was a bit too much of it.
Craig had the local venison chorizo pizza which he enjoyed very much.
After we had finished eating we went into the shop and sampled a few of the oils. Every oil they sell is layed out in little bowls for you to try. There are also other OO products to but like soaps.
Craig is a chocolate lover so we had to get in a visit to a chocolate shop. Most people head for the MR Chocolate Factory, which while its very good we had already been to the Swan Vally one. Our tour guide from the previous day suggested we go to Gabriel Chocolate. He described it as a chocolate shop for grown ups. Now its not as big as the MR Chocolate Factory BUT its far less touristy and it feels like more personal care and attention goes into the products. They do all the chocolate processing on site and the smell is amazing. Craig bought himself a tasting pack of all of the dark chocolates.
In the evening we had booked a table for dinner at Arc of Iris Restaurant in Margaret River. This turned out to be a good decision. The restaurant was very busy when we arrived which apparently it always is.
Its a BYO place so we took along a bottle of SkuttleButt Rose from Stella Bella Vineyard.
For my entree I ordered the 7 spice squid on Asian coleslaw with chili lime dressing. This was absolutely delicious and would have made an excellent main course. It was light and fresh and the 7 spice was full of flavour.
Craig went for the Seared scallops & venison chorizo with rocket salad and homemade chutney & pesto. He really enjoyed it. Admittedly, both dishes could of done with better presentation but that's not the end of the world.
Having been to the venison farm earlier in the day Craig chose the Tender venison rib rack with red currant jelly and sour cream, potato mash, and green beans for his main course. This was a dish made for a man, and in fact as we were sat at a corner table and people could not really see, Craig picked up the bones when he was finished so he could eat every last morsel!
By this time we were both very full, however we both wanted something sweet to finish. So we decided to share a dessert. We ordered the Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding - chocolate ganache with vanilla bean ice cream. When it arrived it also had a shot glass of fruity berry sauce which was an excellent addition to cut through the richness of all the chocolate. It was a very impressive dessert and tasted delicious but I am very glad we had one to share!
All in all we had a fabulous day. We visited many places and bought lots of treats to bring home. We had a great lunch and dinner and drank some good wine. And best of all, I did it all with my wonderful hubby :-)
To be continued..........................
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