Howard Vineyard

Dear foodies,

I know having two posts out on the same day is a bit hectic, especially it is a SUNDAY too! However, I just want to share with you all about my current visit to Howard Vineyard. If you are a fan of MasterChef, you probably have heard the news – Heather Day has began her first role as the HeadChef for Howard Vineyard’s Clover Restaurant.

When it comes to wine and food, Howard Vineyard needs no extra introduction. Tucked away in the beautiful and picturesque Nairne in Adelaide Hills, the vineyard is a leader in quality new world wine. The Cellar Door Manager, Adam Randell-Brown is quite welcoming and has extensive knowledge in their product.

What I really like about the vineyard is its sophisticated country style – the flower, the grass area, the band and the people. Isn’t it typical and classic Australian!

The vineyard is quite family friendly and has a large open yard for kids to play around. It also has a nice cellar door section which, as with most cellar doors, you can taste their wines. If you want to know more about Howard Vineyard, check their webpage out.

So, yes, Tina and I went to taste Heather’s food. To be exact, it was her team’s culinary creations. The current summer menu is simple but shows a lot of distinctive characters. The menu is influenced by South-East Asian cuisine with many elements of modern Australian. There is also a Let us Serve You option ($49 per person, min. 4), which I like the concept a lot. Ain’t surprises fabulous and exciting!? 🙂 The current menu of the restaurant can be found here.

However, considering we only had two persons, I decided not to have the Let Us Serve You option but instead we ordered a starter, a main and deserts each. WARNING:FOOD PORN shown below. Parental guidance required if you don’t want to get starving at mid-night! 😀

For entrees, we ordered Fish Tacos and Fragrant Coconut Prawns. I must say that the Fish Taco ($18) was my favourite of the day and to me, it should be an iconic dish for the restaurant! The fish was fried to perfection – crispy and crunching on the outside while inside was moist and flavourful! Adding on the Asian coleslaw and the taco shell as well as a hint of chilli, this dish is ideal for every family to entertain on. Highly Recommended!

The Fragrant Coconut Prawns ($21) were served in a small bowl. The highlight for this dish was the coating – hot, flavoursome and crunchy! The pickled bean shoots were fantastic on the palate too – sweet, sour and take away the oiliness of the prawn. Well done!

To be honest, after the two entrees, we started feeling full and inspired already but the mains took our journey event further.

Major Tom’s Spicy Chicken ($23). When I saw the menu, I was actually attracted to the name of the dish – Major Tom? So we decided to try it. The chicken was deep fried and served in a sweet and sour glaze with some pickled veggies on the top. The chicken’s taste was phenomenal! It was so fragrant that I was not able to stop eating. The hint of chilli in the pickled veggies promoted the taste of the chicken and removed any oiliness from deep-frying. This was an old menu item and was truly an all-time favourite. This dish was served with rice too. Recommended!

BBQ Pork ($24). The bbq pork looked quite like the Chinese dish, Char Siu but the taste was different. I could definitely taste the quality pork used in this dish along side with fresh cucumber which again balanced the taste very well. The addition of peanut pieces added extra crunchiness. Be ready to get you hands messy and serve in San Choy Bao style for additional freshness!

For deserts, we tasted all desserts, including the Cheese Board ($35). The cheese board was quite nice with quality local cheeses served as well as house made Salted Rosemary Lavosh and Carrot Jam, which added extra sweetness to complement the heavy cheesy flavour. Recommended!

Overall, we enjoyed the food at the Clover’s Restaurant a lot especially with Heather’s magic touch to life many already-great dishes to perfection. I would definitely come back when the next season’s menu is up and I would recommend for all my readers to experience themselves.

Note: Adelaidefoodies.com was invited as a guest to the restaurant but all the reviews are our own and genuine as always.

53 Bald Hills Road

Nairne, SA 5252

P 08 8188 0203