ten minutes by tractor

is it possible to feel like a regular when your second visit to a restaurant is eight years apart? perhaps that is a kpi for ten minutes by tractor. without any facade, the staff have you feeling completely at ease in an instant.

looking around the room, the recent renovation has been nicely undertaken, not making a big statement but certainly leaving a very comfortable dining room to spend three hours over lunch. the seats in particular are the perfect choice, both well designed, and like your favourite couch. as you can imagine, there is plenty of emphasis in having a good view of the vines in this beautiful part of the world.

notwithstanding first class service, and a terrific newly renovated dining room, i want to talk about one dish. offal has never been the flavour of the month. it has been lauded for reason over a long time, but has never escalated to the heights of true popularity. perhaps it never will be. when you look at a "balanced" restaurant menu you would ordinarily expect certain main star ingredients, some choice of secondary stars, and then something surprising. i'm afraid while beef, chicken, and fish take that staring role, offal has always been kept to the "surprise" meaning it gets a gig only on occasion.

while livers take the cake, sweetbreads (which actually sound like a cake) must be the second most unsexy ingredient going around. i mean they actually gave them a name that tries to confuse the customer into having a go! ten minutes by tractor are serving veal sweetbreads for entree, and like a kid in a candy shop, i'm excited. to serve offal, you need to honour the flavour, but present it looking delicious (in spite of itself) and with complimentary accompaniments (more than other dishes).

we've eaten here before and the food was delicious. this time however we came just for the wine tasting although we were tempted again to see what was on the menu. last year we had s 5 course degustation and matching wines and they were standout meals. today we were taken through the range of wines in tastings. the standouts for us included the 2016 10x chardonnay which was an easy drinking chardonnay for someone who doesn't like an overly strong oaky addition. both pinot noir's we tried were fruity and vibrant. i was leaning towards the 2015 estate pinot noir while others favoured the slightly less robust 2016 10x. the rose wasn't particularly playful on the palate and was the only disappointment in the tasting. it's a lovely estate with a long history in the region. such a nice quiet still time of year to visit with autumn colours still about.

absolutely delicious food and wine, beautiful setting and attentive staff. we got the 5 course lunch degustation and were perfectly full and satisfied. the food is fresh and seasonal and the courses are designed to complement the season they are served in. will definitely be back later in the year to try a different spread - a great place for a special occasion meal.

the dining experience of a lifetime. i rate this as the greatest experience i have ever had and that's a massive call. started off with a wine tasting before moving to our table on the window with a breathtaking view. the amuse bouche was a great little kick start followed by perfectly warm bread with like a whipped butter and olive oil... 10/10 entree for me was the skull island prawns, so fresh and the passionfruit and dill sauces worked perfect... another 10. i was then tossing up between the duck and the lamb for main when graham the restaurant manager took my menu and said leave it with me... to my delight he brought to the table a half serve of both the lamb and the duck... it's that sort of service that makes a visit to this place so amazing. the waiters are absolute professionals and anyone running a service related business should come here and witness poetry in motion. 100/10 from the moment we walked in to the moment we left. already planning the return visit... oh and the wine is also top class

great venue. they produce their own wine. food is good, service is great. on the higher price end but it is worth the exprience. recommend it ifyou arein mornington penisula area.

excellent fare, extensive, tightly curated wine list and exceptional service.

wine pairing (too often understated) was splendid (thank you, peter).

a welcoming, meticulous team which should be (and have consistently been) lauded as some of the country's best.

we only did a tasting here but it looks like a great place for a luxe long lunch. the tastings were generous and the staff were friendly. awesome chardonnay, pinot gris & of course pinot noir. they also sell small individual glasses of chardonnay & pinot in packs which is a great idea for when you don't want to crack an entire bottle.

what an amazing culinary experience, definitely a must try if you are staying down the peninsula. we brought my cousin from the us here had a wine tasting before we were seated for lunch (did buy a couple bottles of red). we started with the freshly baked bread which was divine and then each ordered an entree and main, and all the dishes were delicious.

the presentation was just perfect and it all tasted just as good as it looked. service was impeccable, the waiter helped match wines to our meals and was extremely professional without being over the top. everything here was top notch and i will certainly be back to sample other dishes on their menu.

what an incredible meal with a gorgeous view and exceptional service! a 3-inch thick wine list is a work of art in itself. our 5-course tasting menu has very interesting dishes with amazing flavours using fresh ingredients. the experience overall definitely lived up to its 2 hat reputation. what a treat!

what an epic culinary adventure of eight beautiful plates with eight paired wines that, in our opinion were perfectly paired. the service is 'fine dining' & 'prim & proper' but never did we feel that it was ott or snobby. professional and attentive. all staff showed love for their restaurant which translated into the dining experience being a very very memorable one. hands down best restaurant on the peninsula by far.

magnificent food and service, amazing attention to detail, everything about this dining experience was top notch. fine dining without being over wanky. had the spammer crab with fish to start. the serving was much bigger than expected and everything about it we delicious. all entrees at the table looked perfect. sirloin for mains and the rum caramelised bananas for desert. i can't stress how good this experience was.

amazing place to have an extraordinary meal. just remember to book days ahead in advance because they pack up quite quickly. before the exquisite meal, there will be some wine tasting session if you want to. the staffs really make your dining experience impressionable. of course to top that will be the meal. the food comes in perfect timing, not to slow or too fast. colourful presentation and every bite was full of flavours.

this restaurant is all class. from the welcome to the farewell the experience could not have been much better. set with views over the vineyards, the dining room is sleek but confortable. we opted for the full degustation - 8 courses with a couple of surprises, with the wine match. exceptional value, all things considered - $144 for the degust, $88 for 8 glasses of wine. each and every course was delicious and well balanced. the wine match was particularly impressive, made up of less known varietals and smaller producers. they were all delightful and interesting and perfectly matched to the food. the service was very professional yet warm and friendly, with special mention to the fantastic sommelier who took us through the journey.

had the degustation here for lunch and i was extremely satisfied and happy. the staff was amazing, attentive and knowledgeable.

every dish had the adequate portion needed to fulfil my taste buds. the bread was given with a house made garlic butter which was just delicious. i can't fault any of the dishes.

worth the drive !. 

went to 10 minutes by tractor for my birthday - yearly splurge on fine dining. had the 8 course degustation menu because you are there so why not go the full monte!. 

the food is excellent as is the presentation but what i actually liked most about the experience were the waiters and the service. the restaurant is not at all stuffy. when i arrived i was starving and told the waiter who even before bringing out menus ect, got me some delicious freshly cooked bread. having tamed the hungry beast i could now focus my attention on the menu, the surrounding and on enjoying the evening. 

the pace of each course for us was absolutely perfect. not too fast yet not too slow because when you have a degustation menu it can sometimes feel like an eternity between courses.  the waiter asked once if we wanted a break and we said no that was fine. 

i had wine by the glass rather than the full food wine matching and that was plenty for me. 

overall experience was warm and friendly with a variety of food for all tastes - quail, fish, beef and chocolate desert. highly recommended.