Wills Domain, Yallingup, WA

We arrived:

At the cellar door of this vineyard restaurant, about 250km south of Perth, where you can taste the only scheurebe (a rieslingbouquet blanc cross, pronounced “shoy-raybay”) made in Australia.

We chose here because:

It won Western Australia’s top restaurant award last year. Coincidentally, the day we dined, so did Joe Warwick, founder of the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards and (presumably) a man who knows where to get a good lunch.

Our first impression was:

caviar? Yes please!

Bright blue scampi

We started with: Raw

lamb. The meat was piquant, and though I lost the smoked eel I loved the shredded potato topping studded with rocket flowers that made me feel less bad about the ones I’ve let go to seed at home. That’s not weeding — it’s a salad.

The highlight was: Fried

brussels sprouts with XO sauce. I know the chef probably wants me to mention the Margaret River wagyu with chewy carrots (divine) or the clever and tasty “snacks”, but it was this gorgeous transformation of a childhood demon that wowed me. Cut so they splayed like a flower, crisped with a feather-light batter (rice flour?) and umami-ed to heaven with the rich XO. Scoff ‘em by the bowlful.

Dessert was: A stunning palatecleanser that combined rosella (aka hibiscus), rhubarb and whipped yoghurt. It was lunchtime, but I would also eat this for breakfast, morning tea, etc.

Come here if: You’re in the mood for a long, delicious lunch in a vineyard.

The bill: Executive

chef Seth James’ full tasting menu with matched wines is A$190 (NZ$205) per person.