There is something uniquely European about a restaurant that’s accessed via a curved staircase and which reveals itself to be situated in a beautifully decorated cellar. A cellar set with vases of fresh flowers, platters of seasonal produce, glowing candles and tables ready with white linen to welcome guests.
A cellar where the walls are adorned with colourful artwork and sideboards are filled with bottles of wine and spirits, glassware, crockery and cutlery. A venue rich in detail and oozing hospitality.
This restaurant is not in Europe, but in the regional Australian town of Mildura, 550 kms north west of Melbourne. It’s overseen by chef Stefano de Pieri and is situated in the Grand Hotel.
Stefano’s is one of Australia’s top country restaurants. Established in 1991, it’s renowned for Italian leaning food utilising local produce, a superb wine list championing Italian varietals and is considered a must-do dining experience when visiting the region.
Over the years there have been a multitude of awards for Stefano including Chef of the Year and Restaurant of the Year in The Age Good Food Guide. He also hosted A Gondola on the Murray TV series which brought the Mildura region to food and wine lovers attention.
Stefano has also been heavily involved in encouraging diversity in Australian viticulture too with the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show. And, last but not least, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2023 King's Birthday Awards.
Having recently dined at Stefano’s I can say the awards and accolades are well deserved.
The menu is fixed, with dietary requirements all taken into consideration. The tables are adorned with the most exquisite decorated crockery and there’s crunchy grissini to snack on.
Our meal began with excellent house made focaccia, warm olives, prosciutto Toscano, duck terrine and artichokes. Outstanding quality.
This was followed by Stefano’s famous sformato, a traditional Italian entree with a creamy texture like a souffle and flavoured with spinach, parmigiano and onion creme.
Then we moved onto the pasta course which was a beautifully made orecchiette with capsicum sauce and pecorino. Followed by braised lamb shank with barley risotto and green beans. Both of which were excellent.
Then not one, but two desserts. An outstanding rice pudding with mascarpone and an equally good buttermilk panna cotta with poached quince. I really love poached quince and Stefano is a master of panna cotta. A total win for me and a superb finish to a great meal.
As you’d expect with a restaurant of this standard the wine menu is extensive with a huge array of Italian varietals including lots of barolo. Not only that, many of the wines are affordably priced too.
Stefano’s is an iconic Australian country restaurant which has been overseen by the one chef for over thirty years. The restaurant delivers a combination of outstanding food, beautiful hospitality from the front of house team and is a unique venue in which guests get to dine. Bravo Stefano!
Visit Stefano’s Restaurant website here.
Discover many more outstanding food and wine lovers destinations in my Mildura article here.