6

52 GOURMET TRAVELLER

Laura

Pt Leo Estate,

3649 Frankston-

Flinders Rd,

Merricks,

(03) 5989 9011,

ptleoestate.com.au

Licensed

CardsAE MC V EFT

OpenLunch Thu-

Sun noon-2.30pm;

dinner Thu-Sat

6pm-9.30pm

Prices

4 courses $120,

5 courses $130,

6 courses $140

Vegetarian

On request

NoiseA low

murmur

Wheelchair

accessYe s

MinusSome

ingredient choices

are puzzlingly far

from the Peninsula

PlusPhil

Wood polishing

Mornington

Peninsula’s best

THE BIG CHILL

Some forward planning is called

for now that ex-McConnell staffers

(John-Paul Twomey, Andrew Joy) and

former Coda sommelier Travis Howe

have taken overCarlton Wine Room

(above). Relaxed sophistication is the

word and crowds are lapping it up.

Twomey’s food includes a cult-ready

dish of grilled broccoli tossed with

lardons, parmesan and shaved egg

yolk, potato focaccia teamed with

stracciatella and a rum baba. Howe’s

wine list is very Melbourne 2018, Old

and New World leaning to smaller,

low-interventionists.172-174 Faraday

St, Carlton, (03) 9347 2626

ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR

High Street in Windsor has increased

its One To Watch stocks withGalah. Its

downstairs bottle shop sells small-

batch, low-intervention Australian

wines to take away or drink upstairs.

The cocktails hold a flame for Aussie

spirits: The Bleeding Lime Larrikin is

a sour with West Winds gin, lemon

juice, lemon aspen and egg white with

blood lime. The snacks are less true

blue (apart from wattleseed-rubbed

kangaroo loin) but are sturdily cooked,

from tempura cauliflower to mountain-

pepper chicken wings.216 High St,

Windsor, (03) 9521 5325

IT’S ONLY NATURAL

Natural Historyis worth a visit for

the taxidermy diorama alone. Morgan

McGlone (Belles Hot Chicken) has

partnered with Honkytonks’ designer

Michael Delany for this New York-style

bar and grill with flamboyant results.

The menu offers steaks, a wagyu

burger, a Cajun fish sandwich and

beef tartare. The wine is mostly natural

and the cocktails strong.401 Collins St,

Melbourne, (03) 9982 1811

Above:

meringue with

lemon cream,

figs and cumin

ice-cream. Left:

the dining room.

Details

AND ALSO...

vases of native flora, black-handled

Cutipol cutlery and Zalto glassware

conspire to form an impression of

urbane elegance. The backdrop is

all sculpture, paddock and sea.

The service team has impressive

credentials and proves calm, precise

and never over-eager. The wine list

displays similar confidence.

Bound in black leather, its

38 pages cover a lot. It’s democratic

in its approach to big-name and

low-intervention winemaking and

has Victoria as one focus, Estate

wines mixing with the likes of Mac

Forbes riesling and Best’s dolcetto.

There are sections devoted to Italy,

France, Spain, Portugal and Austria

but with no grandstanding. It’s

knowledgeable and trustworthy.

Wood’s last gig was at

Sydney’s Eleven Bridge, a fine

diner that showcased his impeccable

technique, affinity for seafood

and dedication to putting the tasty

ahead of the tricky. In addition to

calling the shots in the kitchen, his

role at Laura has another difference:

the Mornington Peninsula.

The focus on regional produce

is present in every dish. Brioche is

made with Taralinga olive oil

and served with Cape Schanck oil,

both from the Peninsula. Plump

mussels, cold smoked and mixed

with pistachio nuts, dried tomatoes,

seaweed butter and Peninsula corn,

are from down the road at Flinders.

The Peninsula is small though,

and its supply capacity limited. It

makes sense that some ingredients

have to be found further afield.

Nobody sane would begrudge the

imported caviar that’s teamed with

Yarra Valley trout roe to accompany

a superb slow-cooked local Dutch

cream potato doused in butter

sauce and miso cream. But pairing

Spencer Gulf prawns with perfectly

steamed John Dory or offering

oysters and abalone from New

South Wales seems a little out of

whack with the implied remit. But

it’s a small quibble in the face of an

original and enormously satisfying

dining experience.

Laura is one of the most exciting

openings of the year. Wood’s deft

twists and turns and gorgeously

composed flavours are the work of

an artist. He’s found a natural

home among the sculpture.●