yabby lake vineyard

absolutely stunning view you would think you're in europe. limited menu so opted for the steak. the steak was just alright a bit tough. ideally, the menu would have a bit more variety.

five years in melbourne has seen me visit the mornington peninsula, just an hour from melbourne and full of wineries, only three times. i’m ashamed, but i’m doing my best to rectify the situation. my third visit was to discover the wine food farmgate trail as part of the melbourne food and wine festival and it has certainly whetted my appetite for more.

i have eaten at yabby lake a number of times over the years, and it used to be fantastic. formerly they had a lovely menu linked to chinchin, then changed to compete with other more quasi bistro type places.

unfortunately they have headed downhill like a slalom racer recently.

we had booked a table, upon arrival though they had my wife's name wrong and had given it away, so scurried to find another.

the menu is now so short that of the five mains, one is vegetarian, two fish and then a duck and a steak. which quickly was reduced further as they had sold out of duck. which is a disgrace when it's a long weekend and they were fully booked.
so if you we didn't feel like seafood then steak it was.

our mains arrived in less than 15 minutes, which is almost fast foodesque, unfortunately it was before our entree, which had been forgotten.

at $36 one may expect a decent piece of meat, yabby lake was consistent on the day- both our steaks were similar to boot leather.

needless to say, we won't be heading back.
sad that what used to be a lovely spot has so fallen so far.

an amazing lunch at yabby lake vineyard with two friends from the gold coast, sitting on the balcony overlooking the vines - it truly is a beautiful setting. the waitress that was serving our table was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and the wines. the highlight for for me was the local mussel hotpot, although all the dishes were of the higher standard. well worth the drive and will definitely be back.

had an amazing lunch here. had scallops salad. the waitress warned it was a smaller dish which was perfect for me. partner had risotto entree and we shared the most amazing potatoes cooked in duck fat. had strawberry fritters for dessert. i have to say it was the perfect lunch, the quality of the food was amazing. lovely setting too, and the service was fantastic.

unhappy diner. booked lunch for 6 people last weekend, wine fantastic, food poor quality, maybe a chef problem? we shared 2 platters to start with, no mozzarella available, goats cheese substituted, 3 tiny pieces, 1 dessertspoon of hommus and 4 olives , a tiny piece of tart, 3 small carrots, and 3 tiny beetroot, very uninteresting. main course arrived 3 of us ordered scallops, they arrived on rocket, 1 shaved piece of fennel and 4 mandarin slices, no dressing offered.4 scallops, not cooked properly, watery and raw in middle no flavour. waitress far from helpful, eventually offering to have them recooked! no suggestion of a fresh meal.
we spent $50 a head and went home very disappointed with the meal and the way our issue was dealt with,particularly as we had also spent $500 on wine purchases.

“age is just a number. it’s totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.”

i visited this winery several weeks ago, the food is fantastic, i ordered the spanish rice along with the saganaki. the single block chardonnay is to die for and the service is pheomimal. and i also must mention upon my arrival i peered into the kitchen and noticed a handsome young man working and it really set the mood for a delightful day.

not happy at all with service even before going to yabby lake. i made my table booking a week in advance for 12 people to celebrate my birthday. i booked the table outside and the lady said in case the weather is bad she will pop me on a waiting list for a table inside. i called a few days before to make sure everything was still ok and was told i was now unable to have my table because another table who was inside had said if it's a nice day they would like to sit outside. i spoke to the manager and she said that these people had booked before me so they had priority. she also said they knew these people would want to sit outside if the weather was good, so i asked why i was even able to book the outside table to begin with. no sufficient answer. the manager went on to rudely say they have priority and she wasn't going to argue with me. i cancelled my booking and will be taking my business elsewhere. yabby lake obviously doesnt have the ability to organise and manage large group bookings effectively. don't rely on them for any important occasion.

our weekend started with lunch at yabby lake vineyard, a winery founded by the kirbys (the family behind village roadshow). yabby lake vineyard’s main focus is pinot noir, with chardonnay and pinot gris following behind. in fact, their block 1 pinot noir won the jimmy watson prize this year. there’s an adjoining cellar door and cafe, which is open every day for lunch except for easter and christmas. the cafe is in a lovely setting, overlooking the vines, and inside it’s light and relaxed. the food m

had lunch here with the family today. did a wine tasting to start and then had a few beautiful dishes to share between four of us. the portion sizes were very reasonable and the food was tremendous!
service was great and very informative during the wine tasting. 10/10