Max’s Restaurant, Red Hill

It’s not the kind of food that will have your head spinning, but at least you’ll be doing it in plenty of style and class at Red Hill Estate’s simple farmhouse style dining room that gives an eye full of scenery only countless rows of pampered grape plants can provide.

All that looking at vineyards will make you hungry, so Max’s Restaurant provides a seasonally driven menu to match the bottled fruit juice. Speaking of which, find summer fruits featured in entrees such as lightly dusted and deep fried calamari and shaved fennel, orange and baby herbs and cold bashed chicken wrapped with prosciutto swiped with a raspberry vinaigrette. However generally zebra crossing pedestrian. You’ll get a choice of the major meats for main but suffer the flaw of Masterchef Chris dishes in that share juses of the colour earth that Donna Hay would not want to photograph. Good though lack little touches that mean so much, such as rendering the fat and crisping the skin of the game poultry and retaining moisture in the piggy meat. Similarities also found between desserts, as you get a triangle of rich chocolate mousse or pear and berry tart. The hamburger meringue inspiring thoughts of a tequila sunrise with it’s passionfruit and strawberry puree.

Intoxicating yes, but getting blottoed on the James Halliday rated booze would be the reason I’d go back to Red Hill Estate.


3 / 5 yums!
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Where? 53 Shoreham Road, Red Hill South, VIC
What? 3 courses $75
















Left to Right : Calamari with orange, fennel, herb salad; chicken terrine with raspberry vinaigrette; cured trout and cream cheese filo cone; scallops and salmon roe; trout; duck with chilli and coriander marinade, star anise jus; Gippsland steak, shiraz jus; baked poretta; chocolate tart; pear and berry tart; meringue; pistachio ice-cream