SANDALFORD
Following its recent reboot, this historic WA winery restaurant is ready to wine and dine a new generation of guests, writes
Aquestion, esteemed GT reader: how long does a venue need to be active before we start discussing icon status? A decade? Two decades? Whatever your position, I think we can all agree that at 184 not out, Sandalford is an integral part of the Swan Valley wine region. It was one of the state’s first vineyards, occupies a plum Swan River position and the estate absolutely pumps during wedding season.
Not that Sandalford woke up looking like this. The groundwork for its current cellar door was laid in the late ’90s after hospitality heavyweights the Prendiville Group bought the property. Covid saw the restaurant undergo a major makeover that more than doubled its capacity to 225. Make no mistake, Sandalford is high-volume but big doesn’t have to equal drab.
There’s personality in the service: a well-drilled mix of youngsters and older career waiters that are helpful rather than hip. There’s also experience in the kitchen care of Alan Spagnolo, a journeyman chef that’s cooked at many high-volume Perth restaurants. A broad church worships here and the food needs to cover a lot of bases. It does – all while making the familiar shine.
Consider the house bread: a wood-fired focaccia thinly shaved into four crunchy plinths, each as long as a shrinkflation-era Mars Bar. These crispbreads are stacked next to a hillock of creamy ricotta blended with a floral WA honey. Roasted cherry tomatoes spiked with saffron completes this snappy chip and dip homage.
Vitello tonnato is made using tender slices of sous-vide kangaroo in lieu of veal: a nice bit of Australiana that should appease tourists. Ditto the inclusion of creamy macadamia nuts alongside standard-issue pistachio in the pork and duck terrine.
Mains riff on the time-tested meat and three-ish veg. Juicy banana prawns, cress, artichokes and kipflers are dusted with Aleppo pepper and arranged on a slick of labne. Fish of the day might be rankin cod while grain-fed local beef is supplemented by top Futari wagyu.
The restaurant’s reboot also introduced wood-fired pizze and an open kitchen. True, pizza prices are on the pricey side, but no qualms about their eating qualities, the pie’s base being nicely blistered and gently saggy in the Naples manner.
As you’d expect from a producer as big as Sandalford, house wines play it safe, but a drinks list with international wines and a spirit focus will please the curious. Equally intriguing are the desserts. An artful vegan mango and coconut entremet wasn’t what I expected to find here. Who says you can’t teach an old estate new tricks?
●