Spring Table at La Petanque

29th September 2010

Award winning restaurant, La Petanque was packed to the rafters with MPGourmet members and friends for the Spring Table Networking meeting on September 28th.

Talented Chef Simon Buckley created beautiful canapes utilising seasonal locally grown produce together with herbs and flowers from the garden.

La Pétanque Canapé Menu:
Tempura Coffin Bay oysters • Red Hill Cheese Gougère • Farmed Rabbit and
pistachio terrine • Spanish Piquillo, fennel, calamari, saffron and squid ink risotto
• Hervey Bay Scallops with garlic and herbs snail • Mini steak tartare • Main Ridge
beef with béarnaise sauce • Rhubarb and vanilla panacotta • Red Hill apple sorbet
• Chocolate brownies and Valrhona chocolate truffles.

Along with the beautiful food (which was of course matched with fabulous local wine!), the guests were treated to the insights of Jacki Mitchell – an international award winning brand & marketing strategist with an impressive and diverse track record. Jacki is Director of brandstorm Pty Ltd, a Melbourne based business she has been running for 10 years working with a wide cross section of industries, and she now calls the Mornington Peninsula home.  The message of treating your "brand" as far more than just your logo formed the basis of many ensuing conversations around the room.

Set on a twenty acre property, La Pétanque Restaurant has just undergone major interior and exterior renovations. The impressive new dining room and the shaded deck and terrace area have sweeping views over the estate vineyard and nearby olive grove, rose garden and pétanque pitch. The cuisine is inspired by the South of France. La Petanque is the winner of multiple awards, including ‘Best European Restaurant’ at the Mornington Peninsula Awards for Excellence, 2009 and 2010, and Gourmet Traveller ‘Best Regional Wine List of the Year in 2009’.

 The next members Networking Table meeting will be on December 7th at Morning Star Estate Mount Eliza.