doot doot doot

i bookeddootdootdootfor my husband’s birthday 3 months in advance and invited friends to join us. we were seated in a corridor and then moved when i mentioned it was a special occasion.
we have eaten at rare hare many times and we’re looking forward to the degustation menu. instead we were served a hotel buffet with a medley of woolworth’s ham and pickles, followed by a flavourless main and store bought dry tea cakes for dessert. the highlight was the architectural ceiling, the only respite from an unremarkable dining experience.
dootdootdoot tut, tut, tut!

we loved our dining experience atdootdoot doot. our server gemma was kind and knowledgeable and we had an overall great experience. i think the price point of $125 per person was quite reasonable for the food and experience we received. some of the dishes were experimental but not too much that they weren’t edible, they were exciting and tasty. we especially enjoyed the ‘bacon and eggs’ among other things. we would recommend to others :)

absolutely loveeeee this place. the chandeliers spread over the ceilings are stunning in pics and in person too.

we had their degustation menu and my favourite was their salad. i was super surprised because they turned a simple salad into something magical - it was so refreshing and tasty. the rest of the dishes were great and had amazing flavours.

dootdootdoot is definitely the perfect place for a romantic dinner 💓

a lovely afternoon at jackalope enjoying a delightful degustation atdootdoot doot, absolutely delicious.   décor quirky and inviting, unfortunately single chairs are not made for curvy bottoms.
definitely on the favourite list.

dootdootdoot - had the pleasure of dining at this one hatted restaurant (twice). service, atmosphere and food was absolutely amazing (it was hard to pick a favourite dish!) i’m in awe of the feature ceiling. great experience, highly recommended, 5 stars from me. can’t wait to go again
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thanks to young hotelier louis li, owner and creative force behind jackalope, willow creek vineyard reopened in 2017, following a major makeover. it now boasts a luxury hotel known as jackalope, a mythical animal depicted as a hare or rabbit with horns.dootdootdoot(the leader of a flaggerdoot, the collective noun for a group of jackalopes) is a fine dining restaurant, flaggerdoot is the hotel’s bar, and rare hare is casual dining overlooking an 11-hectare vineyard. zomato rating 4.5

we had an amazing stay at jackelope and dined atdootdootdootone evening. their breakfasts are really fantastic and the service is great. nothing is too much trouble. unfortunately the dinner was the most disappointment meal of our stay and i much preferred rare hare or even the snacks in flaggerdoot. for me the food although innovative and great to look at just lacked flavour. i didn’t finish quite a few dishes because they were bland. i have had many other degustations to compare it with. it’s was just pretty over substance. maybe we’re unlucky with the menu. i think if they could pack a little more punch, then it would be a return destination especially considering it’s really good value for money and the location is to die for.

i chose to celebrate my birthday atdootdoot doot, mostly because i’d been wowed by their resplendent ceiling and impressive interiors and wanted to experience the ambiance of their award winning architecture firsthand. i personally tend to dislike degustation menus as i’m somewhat fussy and don’t enjoy the lack of choice.

service was relatively attentive and we started the 5 course meal with some bread and snacks (an additional complimentary course). there was also the option to add on oysters for an additional cost. albacore tuna was the first course which i enjoyed (the menu changes every six weeks) other than the hit of wasabi which i’m not a fan of.

second course was heirloom carrots. this was probably the prettiest dish we were served but i just don’t think the liquorice flavour worked with it. maybe it’s because i don’t like liquorice in general but i found it overpowered the sweetness of the carrots and frankly it’s a polarising taste regardless.

the third course was duck. i have always been psychologically adverse to eating duck but i attempted to give it a try. it was not at all tender which then made it physically difficult to swallow in addition to mentally- my husband finished this course for me.

the fourth course was definitely my preferred (probably because we finally had a choice) as it was the main we were able to select, although i use the term main lightly as the portion was still quite small, i opted for the flank with sweet potato cream. again, this was beautifully plated but it wasn’t quite what i expected as the menu had listed horseradish and while this is quite a punchy flavour i didn’t detect a hint of it.

the final course was dessert which was a black sesame and mandarin dish. these are not flavours i enjoy and wouldn’t be something i would ever order. my husband did enjoy his however (and mine). overall i’m glad we visited for the atmosphere and stunning setting but i found the menu quite hit and miss

went todootdootdootfor lunch and had the five course degustation for $110, which went for approximately 2.5 hours. i was seated with friends next to the restaurant entrance door, which was distracting because i could see every customer walk in & out. also, i had unnecessary bright head lights beaming directly above my head, even though it was daylight, and hence making it difficult to look up when ever i talked to friends. after a couple of hours whenever the restaurant entrance door opened, bright glaring light would be beaming at the corner of my eyes, making my vision even more difficult to see! for service,dootdootdootneeds improvement as water was not topped up frequently & a couple of waiters did not know how to smile. hence i did not givedootdootdootthe perfect 5 score rating.
food wise, it was above average for fine dining. we were served one of the best home made bread. three starters were served before the mains, all were different but not impressive. i enjoyed each of the main courses and was impressed at how different flavours & ingredients were used for each dish. portions appeared small but we left lunch feeling full so that was a relief for fine dining.

absolutely amazing - beautiful interior and delicious food.dootdootdootis an experience and i would certainly come again. i must say - it is not the most creative menu i have ever seen and the dishes were a little simple but for the fact that it was fairly priced considering it is in mornington peninsula which i haven’t expected as the venue is extremely fancy - it was fantastic! the only thing i have to criticise (and this may have to do with the fact that i went there on a work function) we have not been introduced in any of the wines we had which i found a bit unusual considering you are able to buy the wine there too.

visiteddootdootdoota couple of months ago and loved it. loved it so much that we went back again in january. the tasting menu is well priced - cheaper than a lot of other places around the area. the food was creative and delicious - even the ones without meat which can sometimes be bland - these ones were certainly not. the drinks were amazing as well, and the sommelier was adorable!! service was great, very friendly and quick with the topping up of the water. we stayed the night and enjoyed an amazing breakfast the following morning, also served atdootdoot doot. the atmosphere in the restaurant is beautiful, all the light globes all over the roof just looked incredible (10,000 globes i think they said?). we loved our experience - saving up for our next trip todootdootdootand jackalope! 🤣

really enjoyeddootdootdootthe concept behind the food is great and the love is shown on the plate. the wine list was interesting and the sommelier was very knowledgeable and suggested great reasonably price local options. a big disappointment for us was the lack of view, which the bathroom had bags of?? explained by staff it was to keep the focus in the good but when dining on mornington peninsula it’s what we come for as much as the food.

when the sis-in-law suggesteddootdoot doot, we didn’t hesitate to say yes. after all we all deserve a bit of fancy nanci-ness in our lives! a beautiful fit-out sets the tone for the day with a grand 10,000 lamp chandelier that creates the perfect first impression for the five course tasting menu. the menu draws on the seasonal produce from mornington’s local producers and jackalope hotel’s kitchen garden.

service was good. little hiccups in our bookings as they initially said it our table was not ready yet at around 12.20pm – our booking was for 12.30pm. so we got a drink at the bar near the reception which was over the top with marble, gold and glasses. however 15min later we were still waiting for them to call for us unfortunately they seemed to have forgotten about us so back to the front we go to get some foods in our belly…

mayo asparagus – a perfect snack to start the courses, light and tasty with a great crunchy texture..

jackalope boutique hotel and its restaurant,dootdoot doot, opened on the first of april this year, and is the most beautiful art inspired hotel i’ve ever had the pleasure of staying in. there is no pomp and ceremony here, but the fine detail, and incredible wonder of design is breathtaking.

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bread made with cumin, fennel and linseed was a sign that the food was going to be good. after the amuse (a cracker with quail egg), the first course added to the intrigue. a deliciously fresh beginning of peas and broadens with goat’s curd, capers and a lemony dressing. after one beautifully presented dish, the scallops looking amazing was not a surprise. thinly sliced into three pieces of sashimi, this scallop is served with ginger and finger lime, completed with a fabulous sauce.

then came one of the highlights of the night. a generous serving of spanner crab sitting in a potato puree. bottarga adds to the depth of flavour, with furikake used as a seasoning to further enhance the dish.