rare hare wine & food store

the best meal i’ve ever had on the peninsula, frequently come down to mornington to take my grandfather out for lunch and had abandoned hope of that ever including a good meal.

highlights include the barramundi wings, calamari with squid ink and the brisket although everything else we had was fantastic as well. definitely recommend ordering from their extensive salami selection.

all serving sizes were generous for the price when compared to restaurants in the city and being a winery we had goodwineto match

4.5 excellent

came here for celebratory lunch and unfortunately it was overcast and we were booked for outdoor dining. i couldn’t reach them over the phone but fortunately they had a continuity plan by not having all indoor tables booked and were able to place us inside. after ordering our food and drink we wandered outside to take some snaps, by the time we arrived back at our table there was food waiting for us (dishes would come as they are ready).

to drink i had their repose cocktail which i quite enjoyed with sweet and sour notes. didn’t get a chance to try out theirwineas i was neglecting my drink during dinner and preoccupied chatting and eating.

we shared a platter of their salumi which had varying cuts but it’s hard to beat the classic prosciutto with its salty and fatty characteristics. we also had some sardines on toast, very simple with preserved lemon and a light burn on the bread. the chive waffles with creme fraiche and salmon roe were delicious with bursts of umami.

the kingfish crudo was one of my favourite things, the freshness of the fish combined with curry oil, puffed grains, citrus and fried basil gave it a mixture of textures and flavours without confusing the palate as i could distinguish each ingredient. the barramundi wings were also a great choice which had been perfectly fried so it was crispy on the outside whilst maintaining it’s delicate flesh inside. there was quite a bit of meat on it considering the cut and went well with the almond skordalia which was nutty and the nduja butter wasn’t particularly spicy but mild.

we also got some vegetable dishes to share which could hold their own or accompany a main dish. the charcoal eggplant was great, the various seasonings on top really popped with the red miso standing out and complimenting the sweet eggplant. the humble potato dish caught everyone’s eye with some purple varieties thrown in. not sure if they were naturally purple but there was a slight hint of beetroot. the medley of pine nuts, pickles and tarragon highlighted the local produce.

we don’t always order salmon but for a large chunk like this, it was cooked perfectly inside their woodfired oven. the skin was nice and crispy and the natural fat speaks for itself, came with a sesame cream which didn’t detract from the quality of the salmon. they really did a number on the confit duck leg, the heavy seasoning on the skin really tickled my tastebuds. the accompanying yellow beets and radicchio wasn’t anything to scoff at either. our favourite however was the scotch fillet which was bursting with flavour and was melt in your mouth perfection. it was swimming in a black garlic butter sauce and the thick cuts of sweet leek, chef’s kisses.

for dessert we had their signature woodfired chocolate chip cookie with malt ice cream. the ice cream was melting pretty fast as we soon figured out that the cup was touching the scorching hot pan. the texture of the warm cookie was great, chewy and certain parts crisp. it was pretty sweet and i’d definitely struggle to finish it by myself though i admittedly kept going back for more. the choux bun was airy and filled with a creamy fennel seed custard and rhubarb compote which gave the dessert it’s tartness. we also had their baked pear frangipane which had been overshadowed by the other two desserts, it was decent though.

overall i don’t think i could have chosen a better spot to celebrate, the venue was family friendly and had great views of the vineyard. the food was exceptional with some clear standouts. i would state however that i was unsuccessful in contacting them via phone multiple times as i wanted to make some enquiries relating to our outdoor booking conflicting with the weather.

great foodwineviews atmosphere but is overpriced for the portion sizes and the rabbit fur coat rack it s complete turn off.. other than that though i would come back for a "special occasion".

fantastic knowledgeable and friendly staff. amazing food cooked to perfection. casual classy place with stunning views. we had to wait a bit for a table (great table we got with views of the vineyards) but kept ourselves busy looking at the scenery and doing awinetasting.

me and my partner went here for lunch about a week ago. it had stunning views and a lovely atmosphere. we did thewinetasting (would definitely recommend). the food was excellent, as was the service. would definately recommend.

my weekend trip away to mornington peninsula includes a stop to a winery for lunch. our choose destination was rare hare. 

🔆location🔆

rare hare restaurant is situated in mornington peninsula and on a very large winery property where the luxurious jackalope hotel is.

as you enter into the car park, there is a very large black statute in the middle. the restaurant itself is spacious and large. it is very welcoming and i highly recommend that you arrive before 11am to try and get a good seat by the window overlooking the winery. there are beautiful long timber benches, with mix of high top bench tables scattered around.

🔆service🔆

our waitress was accommodating and helpful. but as the restaurant was at full capacity it was a little difficult to flag her down in between meals to get some service.

our dishes came at staggered times, one after another so we had a prolonged extended lunch. it was fine as we weren’t in a rush and the atmosphere was absolutely amazing. albeit the heavy rain, there were very big groups gatherings – one was for a birthday and another was for a hen’s party. everyone at the restaurant was having a good time, including us. good food andwinein great atmosphere and setting. cant ask for more!

🔆menu/price🔆

between the 3 of us we ordered: 

sardines, toast, preserved lemon, $5.00chive waffle, salmon roe, horseradish cream, $8.00
wood roasted asparagus, sheeps curd, hazelnut, $16.00charcoal eggplant, red miso, furikake, $16.00chargrilled squid, romesco nero, charred lemon, $17.00beef tartar, mustard cream, salt bush, potato crisps, $18.00lamb rump, freekha, eggplant relish, hommus, $38.00 

🔆verdict🔆

our starters were a delight. delicate and refreshing a good choice to ignite our taste buds for what is yet to come.

although the charcoal eggplant didn’t look well presented on the plate however it tastes delicious. the eggplant is cut in half and the red miso paste is melted and sweetened from being in the wood-fired oven. the coriander leaves, fried shallots, furikake (japanese seasoning) and fresh cut red chilli is sprinkled on top.

the lamp rumb was cooked well but lacked a bit of seasoning. we had to really mix the meat with the freekha, eggplant relish and hommus to enjoy it.

the highlight for me was the beef tartar! oh my goodness! it was marinated soo well and full of delicious flavours we couldn’t stop eating it. at first i thought having the potato crisps on the plate was odd addition but it actually works. you scoop the beef tartar onto the potato crisp and eat it! yummy!

the squid was soooo fresh and tender, and drizzled with chargrilled lemon juice was just perfect!

we would have loved for the dishes to be served together so that we could enjoy them together but i actually understand why they bring out one dish at a time. each dish is cooked with distinct flavours and makes sense to enjoy it alone along with a glass of wine.

overall we had an absolutely great lunch here at red hare. afterwards my friends wandered into the wine-tasting area. there are 7 types of wines to taste at a very low cost of $5! what a treat! my friends ended up buying 5 bottles of wine.

absolutely worth a visit, not pretentious at all going for a more cool vibe, with share tables and staff uniform. started with asparagus which was delicious and then moved onto the beef cheek which is what earns them the five star , unfortunately i had to change for the eye fillet special because my husband can’t do rare which was nice but go the beef cheek!
staff are amazing andwinedelicious!
would recommend and return

incredible shared lunch here. we did the $65 shared lunch and it felt like a bargain for the quality and quantity of food. we started with a glass ofwineand bread and local olive oil (essential)
the food was so fresh and locally caught. i'm pescatarian but my partner eats meat and they happily accommodated us both and he still got his salumi.
the murray cod was outstanding. i will be back with more guests. the location and interior is perfect too !

about as good as it gets. 

the dear luncher with mrs luncher in tow managed to devour a range of different courses, slurping down a fair bit of the superbwineon offer in the process. 

the dear luncher has slowed down with the reviews of late, but this place deserves some extra time and bandwidth. a stunning setting, easily the best on offer at the divine playground that is jackalope.  a great option if you cbf with fine dining, but still want to revel in the moment. and let's face it, rare hare is not far off from fine dining. every dish dazzled. the beef brisket was supposed to be for sharing, but thankfully mrs luncher opted for mussels and so there was no sharing as the dear luncher hates mussels. 

the salumi selection rocked, particularly the mortadella. however, if there was to be one criticism, it could have used a cheese on board with all the meats. 

an absolute must-visit spot for anyone worth their culinary salt.

we entered what seemed to be a cellar door but really turned out to be a dining hall style eatery with backless communal tables that had sweeping vineyard views and an atmosphere that so many venues fall short with: bright, enthusiastic," well drilled"staff handing out cocktails and the housewinelike they actually wanted to be there to a broad customer base from 20 somethings to grey nomads.

thewine(made onsite by willow creek) is unremarkable but serviceable, however the hero of this establishment is the food, delicious well thought out combinations and use of a wood oven that doesn't involve pizza is refreshing. simple, unfussy dishes nothing overplayed.

the thing about slipping down the "rare hare" rabbit hole is that you can escape if only for a while and just have fun.

this place is guaranteed to make to make you feel good. situated in such a beautiful part of australia the natural beauty sets a stunning background for the dining experience. the food andwineare the fruits of this precious land. thewinedeserves a moment of silence. when i sipped on the local pinot noir alongside the lamb dish so very complimentary it was a amazing life changing is this real? sensation. staff were friendly and made sure i had the best experience. i wish we had more time to enjoy everywineoff thewinelist and every meal on the menu. we will be back sooner rather than later.

beautiful views, wonderful atmosphere with the shares tables. the food actually tasted excellent and presentation superb. the cheese dish was a stand out and the salumi were good choices.

however it was quite expensive. a $28 salumi plate at many other places would be quite filling. the bread cost $6. yes they baked it in their oven onsite but seems a bit steep. $8 for one caviar waffle was a lot. the service also wasn’t perfect; they were very busy on boxing day so it was understandable, but charging a public holiday surcharge means i would have expected normal staffing. they charged the olives and bread twice, and forgot my beer.

looking at the other tables, some of the more substantial dishes seem better value and theirwinetasting was only $5. an excellent setting but let down but a few issues they shouldn’t be hard to fix.

my key three pointers
* very homely and inviting, you will never want to leave
* communal tables, new friends after a few wines everyone is happy
* they may call it casual but the food presentation was better than some fine dinning restaurants.

mornington peninsula, jackalope hotels more casual dinning experience. this place is an experience and one that you will want to enjoy again. the most spectacular views of the vineyard, glass window interior brings the outside in. the vibe is very rustic with communal tables, some bench seating lots of timber, bricks and let’s not forget a fireplace . i feel away from the city life and i’m only an hour away. the mornington peninsula just stepped it up a notch and what a destination this place has created.
i loved the atmosphere, you could spend hours in the one spot. the food is delicious, they have designed the menu to be a share concept. they have a garden and i can only imagine what fresh goodness is coming from it. we tried a few things on the menu and i’m not sure how i was tempted to order the squid, as it comes with squid ink. i have never had a dish with squid ink, that i have enjoyed . well this dish was mind blowing and i loved it. the salmon was perfection and the side dishes are just as good. carrots how exciting, we’ll rare hare just made them fabulous and green beans. make sure you leave room for the signature cookie which is cooked in the wood oven. yum yum yum. all this, 2 glasses of wine, 2 beers set us back $150.00. it would have been nice to get the bread complementary but it was also worth the extra coin.
mywineof choice was the rose and estate grown, a very good drop.
the service was fantastic and the waitress we had made this 100 times more enjoyable, extremely friendly, had great suggestions and was happy to take some snaps for us. rare hare has lots of positives, if i have to nitpick i was surprised how small the toilets were considering the size of the venue, after a few wines i felt a little confined while waiting. i would also love to see a cheese platter on the menu, you could take this out on lawn and keep the drinks flowing , i’m not a huge fan of cold cuts.

rare hare were super accomodating without a booking. we had awinetasting then were sat outside in the beautiful sunshine. the lovely waitress bella recommended that we ordered the cookie, glad that we did 🍪

such a lovely afternoon! the degustation was a excellent choice, flavoursome and great use of seasonal and local produce!winelist was modest the rose’ was perfectly matched & went with most dishes! service was proactive and fun!