Age Good Food Guide Chefs Hats

6th September 2010

Montalto and Ten Minutes by Tractor were two of only twenty three country restaurant to receive "hats in the recent Age Good Food Guide awards.

Montalto, winning its sixth "hat" in 8 years, received the following comments:

"This sleek winery-restaurant balances elegance and egalitarianism with aplomb, using its mesmerising landscape to maximum effect.  Wander in via the rambunctious, alfresco pizzeria and cafe and you'll find the bustling glass-walled dining room of white-linen tables overlooking sculpture-dotted-dotted vineyards.  The daily menu is a model of modern Australian flavours and preference for local produce. Every dish is matched with house wines, perhaps tangy Pennon Hill semillon/sauvignon blanc with a vibrant, creamy Red Hill goats cheese tart and a sweet tomato and capsicum chutney.  Not everything's as light, as the lush open lasagne of scallops in a rich crayfish bisque, and a main of lip sticking honey-and-mustard-glazed pork trotters on Puy lentils so decadently demonstrate.  Chef Barry Davis consistently delivers the deftly harmonious flavours that other fine diners on the peninsula aspire to.  It's not cheap, yet there's value, and a mix of sharp service and easygoing charm.  For dessert, white peach and almond tart with pistachio ice cream is preparation for a post-prandial stroll across the rolling hills of this lovely vineyard."