EAT: D'ARRY’S VERANDAH RESTAURANT, MCLAREN VALE SOUTH AUSTRALIA

I’ve been wanting to visit d’Arenburg since spying the appearance of their 3D printed dessert masterpiece on Masterchef. And with a certain milestone passing earlier this year (hint: it wasn’t 21 and it wasn’t 40), some friends and I decided to visit and make a weekend out of it. Because why not?

THE CUBE

And voila! Australia’s most famous and most photogenic cube structure: the stunning d’Arenberg Cube. A Rubik’s Cube with no puzzle solving involved. But more than just a piece of eye candy, the cube is home to the fine-dining restaurant (degustation menu only), wine tasting room, viewing decks and other experiences. Entry is $10, but waived for guests dining at any of the restaurants.

D’ARRY’S VERANDAH RESTAURANT

We decided to dine at the semi-casual but still finer dining d’Arry’s Verandah Restaurant, located in a restored 19th century homestead on the grounds. Here, guests can select between the degustation or a la carte menus, and we opted for the latter. The pick for the entrees seemed to be a no brainer with all three of us choosing the signature lobster ravioli dish. It cost an extra $30 between us for this dish, but well worth the additional price given the impeccable amount of flavouring captured in the bisque (order some house made bread to mop it up!) and the fresh, juicy lobster. We chased this with a cider braised pork belly and baked barramundi fillet to share; both dishes were well balanced and the proteins cooked splendidly, but failed to live up to the heights of the entree. Dessert, a delicate elderflower panna cotta, fared better with the wow factor, but again paled in comparison to the lobster. Needless to say, it’s a signature dish for a reason, and a MUST ORDER.