Champagne Darling? - Malvern
Date: Thursday 7th January 2010
Restaurant: Champagne Darling?
Address: 203 Glenferrie Road, Malvern
Phone: 03 9500 9533
Commentary : Sarah Andrew
“Champagne Darling?” is music to my ears! It is also a new and much needed venue on Glenferrie Road (between High Street and Wattle Tree Road) with several well known names behind it (Ross Duke and Ken John to name the two I have been in contact with recently).
This venue is more of a wine bar with a small selection of nibbles spread across the categories of food from the earth, sea and sky. The wine list is something to come back for over and over with a wonderful selection of Champagne (sweetie) and weighted towards France. There are however a select number of small Australian producers listed which makes for an interesting read and choice.
The menu is divided into selections from the earth, sea and sky, so my dining companion and I chose one from each to share. The selection included:
Earth – La Terre: Charcuterie Platter
Sea – La Mer: Prawn cigars with mango dressing
Sky – Le Ciel: Pan fried quail, balsamic glaze & sautéed iceberg
Naturally we sampled a glass of Champagne each, both selecting the Tarlant Brut Zero NZ at $12.50 / glass. I remember selling this wine in London and was impressed back then, but five years on I am still really impressed. The moment the wine was paired with food there was an explosion of bubbles and finesse across the palate.!
To accompany the rest of the food we selected a glass each of Velo Wines Riesling 2008 (Legana in the Tamar Valley, Tasmania) and Mourat Mareuil Sur Lay Rosé 2008 (Loire, France). Both wines were well received, however the Rose really reminded me of how good this style of wine can be – dry, delicate and alive!
If only I could dine out for lunch like this more often. Will I be back, yes definitely but this time it will be in the evening to check out the atmosphere and sample more Champagne – of course.