Knee Deep Wines, Margaret River

Okay, I think you regular readers should know by now that my blog is definitely not a foodie-restaurant-review type blog. I don't think I have ever written a restaurant review post before. So I'm definitely making history with this post because I cannot stop thinking and raving about this place.

A work associate of hubby's had highly recommended this restaurant and winery, Knee Deep Wines in Dunsborough. So during a family trip down to Margaret River a few weeks ago, we decided to pop in to check it out.

Mistake number one: Do NOT just 'pop by' this place on whim.

The restaurant is a very small with limited seating. They open only for lunch and are often fully booked out. Fortunately we were able to secure a spare opening the next day just before we were due to head home to Perth.

So the following afternoon, we made our way back to find out for ourselves what the fuss was all about. Bottom line: It far exceeded my expectations. I can confidently say, you will not be disappointed.

The ambience of the restaurant has an elegant and homey charm about it. I liked the bright and airy feel of the place with clear glass panels all around looking out to a lovely view of their winery.

We were welcomed with very good service upon arrival. We were initially assigned a very small table, but the hostess immediately offered to move us to a larger table seeing that we needed a highchair and had a baby pram in tow.

After getting us seated, our waitress thoughtfully brought over some colouring sheets and crayons for Nathan to keep him occupied while we perused the menu.

Everything on the menu sounded so good! We settled on different dishes from the main course selection so we could have a small taste from each others’ plate.

We shared the entree of Esperance scallops and braised pork cheek. The only complaint I had was that the tiny portion didn’t allow us each of us more than a bite or two.

I opted for the spiced venison with parsnip, persimmon and roasted chocolate. Yes, you read that right, roasted CHOCOLATE! The venison was cooked to perfection and the combination with the roast chocolate was surprisingly delightful.

Hubs ordered the lamb breast and rump with smoked pumpkin and poached farro. The lamb was beautifully tender and juicy. And hubs said the sweetness of the pumpkin complemented it perfectly.

Nathan thoroughly enjoyed his kids platter of fish and chips. The chips were cooked ‘gourmet’ style with the skin on, but he eagerly ate up everything (usually he can be rather fussy with his food – so that is certainly saying something).

The only gripe was from hubby that the portions were rather small. On the other hand I thought the modest portions allowed us to thoroughly savour each and every bite.

If you happen to be in Margaret River, I definitely highly recommend this place. They change their menu seasonally so there should be something new to try out every now and then. Though do give them a call first to make a booking, especially on the weekends.

Knee Deep Wines
160 Johnson Road
Wilyabrup, WA
Ph: (08) 9755 6776

Open everyday 10am - 5pm; Lunch service 12 – 3pm

 

[I did not receive any compensation or payment for this review. This is simply a genuine personal recommendation as a very satisfied customer]