Mini TR - Long Weekend in WA

[love_the_life]

After the meal we went downstairs to the gallery to admire some of the original art published on the Art Series wines over the years........

All the artworks in the gallery are for sale but some, like this wooden table, are just a bit overpriced

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At least they offer a decent cash discount

Our dining table is Marri - a beautiful timber though not quite that eye-wateringly price. We've had it for 15 years and it has just got better over the time. When we were looking for a new apartment we had to make sure we could get the table in!

 

[boomy]

Our dining table is Marri - a beautiful timber though not quite that eye-wateringly price. We've had it for 15 years and it has just got better over the time. When we were looking for a new apartment we had to make sure we could get the table in!

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Nice view

 

[boomy]

The drive to our hotel took about 35 minutes from Xanadu. I forgot how big this wine region is and we saw a lot of wineries scattered all over the place.

I booked Empire Spa Retreat for two reasons:
1. It had good reviews online.
2. This whole trip was booked in the last minute and not many options left to choose from so I was happy to score the last available room at this hotel.

The place doesn't look very impressive from outside but once enter it reflects a very warm and relaxed atmosphere with a touch of luxury.



The lobby





We arrived at the same time as another couple and after check-in we all sat in the lobby, opened a bottle of wine, then another one... It was a lovely finish to a great day.

 

[boomy]

Our courtyard suite.







nice to see they use good quality local amenities.

 

[boomy]

More photos from Empire.







We spoke with the owners, husband and wife who live in a villa close to the main building. They returned recently from Rome, where they lived, to manage the retreat that is owned by the husband's parents. Hard to imagine leaving an amazing city like Rome and moving all the way to Margaret River wine region but they both love it and seem to do a very good job so far.

 

[boomy]

Breakfast dining area.



Breakfast is a-la-carte and includes a few options of freshly squeezed juice, tea and barista coffee.



Roasted peppers, tomatoes, chorizo with poached eggs.



Yum! I could eat this every morning

 

[RooFlyer]

Did you find out the story behind the South-African/'Cape Dutch' style for the Voyager tasting room? Is it a new-ish building or is it an older estate actually built in that style?

 

[boomy]

Did you find out the story behind the South-African/'Cape Dutch' style for the Voyager tasting room? Is it a new-ish building or is it an older estate actually built in that style?

Now that you mention, it does look similar to a winery in Franschhoek I've been to once.

Unfortunately I was more focused on the wines and failed to enquire about the building history. If my dad was there with me I could probably give you a more educated answer, he is an architect and always like to check the stories behind interesting structures.

 

[boomy]

After a long and lazy breakfast we drove 10 minutes up the road to check out Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse.



There are two options to visit the lighthouse: guided tour that takes about 30 min and cost $22 or self-guided tour that cost $4. I've been here before and think it's worth to take the guided tour which is the only way to actually enter inside the lighthouse and climb up but since my +1 wasn't very interested (she doesn't get my fascination with lighthouses), we took a self-guided tour just to look around. There are a few walking routes in the area with stunning views of the ocean.

 

[boomy]

Next stop was wine tasting followed by lunch at Vasse Felix.
This is one of my favourite wineries in the region both for it's quality wines and great food.

 

[boomy]

Before lunch did wine tasting and we were both very impressed with their Heytesbury Chardonnay and the current promo of 20% per case (case of 6, not 12) was good enough for me to order. I really liked their Cab Sav but in order to get the 20% discount must order 12 bottles, too much for us. I found it interesting they only offer the Chardonnay as case of 6 and the rest must be 12.





The restaurant is located on the second floor, it looks very nice and modern but also very cosy.



Table with a view.

 

[boomy]

Lunch menu





We were not hungry enough for the tasting menu so ordered one entrée to share, two mains and one dessert to share.
Our hotel owners have good relationship with Vasse Felix and when the heard we are going to have lunch there, they called and organised complementary sparkling wine include a few refills, very generous!

The wines to be matched with the food.

 

[boomy]

Charcuterie board for entrée.



+1 ordered the Duck leg, cauliflower, rhubarb, hazelnut, coffee for main. An interesting combination which worked very well.



I ordered the Venison, parsnip, brussels sprout, date. Best venison I ever had! Cooked raw, just as it should be, good match with brussels sprouts and dates.



For dessert we shared Lemon, violet, raspberry, honeycomb.



It was one of the best meals we both had this year. I can't recommend this restaurant highly enough for anyone who visit this area.
To make our visit to Vasse Felix truly perfect, when we went back downstairs to the tasting room to pay for the wines ordered earlier we received two complementary glasses of Heytesbury Chardonnay (cost $25 each) to enjoy in the lounge area.

 

[JohnM]

Did you find out the story behind the South-African/'Cape Dutch' style for the Voyager tasting room? Is it a new-ish building or is it an older estate actually built in that style?

Strange as it may seem, Voyager was originally named Freycinet Estate. Name changed, I think when Michael Wright bought it, quite a few years ago. I'm guessing that the Cape Dutch buildings are a result of those very deep pockets.

 

[boomy]

One winery I really wanted to visit was Moss Wood. They don't have cellar door so I used my membership "benefit" to book a private tasting.
There are no signs on the main road to indicate where to turn although it's located next to other wineries not far from Vasse Felix.

The lady who welcomed us was very nice and took us for a tour, starting in the cellar where they keep some of their most aged wines (none for sale).



We got to taste some new vintage wines still kept in barrels.



Moving to full range tasting, everything was available today.





The Wilyabrup Cab Sav 2012 is extraordinary!

 

[Daver6]

Did you find out the story behind the South-African/'Cape Dutch' style for the Voyager tasting room? Is it a new-ish building or is it an older estate actually built in that style?

I believe a newish building built in the Cape Dutch style.

 

[love_the_life]

Nice view

We like it - always something to see.

 

[boomy]

Our only dinner reservation in MR was at Miki's Open Kitchen. At first I was a bit sceptical, it's hard enough to find decent Japanese restaurants in MEL, SYD or BNE so why would it be any better here... Well, the reviews are pretty good so we had to try out this place which requires booking a couple of weeks ahead!

I must admit I forgot to check the distance between our hotel and the restaurant when making the booking and maybe it's good I didn't because it was 40 minutes drive and if I had known that in advance I would have probably booked something a bit closer.

The restaurant is on the main street of MR. The street was quiet in the evening but once we entered the whole atmosphere changed. The restaurant is quite small, only a few tables and one big table around the kitchen. It creates a more intimate and engaging environment between the chef and the guests, indeed very Japanese

We reserved two seats on the main table wanting to be close and see how they prepare the food as well as talking to the chef and learn his story. The head chef was very busy so we didn't bother him but we did enjoy watching him and the other guys preparing all the dishes.

the menu









View of the main table and kitchen area from our seat.

 

[boomy]

Nice was to serve cold Sake.



A few shots of the food.









Conclusion: Service was excellent and the food was good, most important, good value for money. It's definitely one of the best Japanese restaurants I've been to in Australia but is it similar quality to restaurants in Japan? NO.

I think that anyone who visit the area and likes this kind of dining should go there and support these people who try to create something different with style and quality that is more expected to be seen in MEL or SYD.

 

[boomy]

Our last day in MR started with lazy late breakfast. The food here is seriously good and included in the room rate!



Since we stayed in a spa retreat it was almost mandatory to their the award winning spa treatments. I went for relaxation massage and it was indeed as good as advertised



A nice bonus for selecting one of the treatments was complementary 1pm late checkout.