With Covid 19 restrictions gradually being lifted here in Western Australia we are now free to travel widely within our home state (the interstate borders to the east remain closed for the time being though).
We had a leisurely lunch today in the beautiful setting of Millbrook Winery in Jarrahdale for a belated birthday lunch for our son in law. It’s a place of sentimental memories as it was also the setting for their wedding reception six years ago (see here).
Millbrook only reopened its fine dining restaurant this past week after the enforced break with the Covid 19 restrictions. It made booking a table much easier than usual – in normal times you need to book at least a couple of months ahead.
The quality of the food is superb and the vegetables and fruit are picked fresh from their own gardens. Often the menus are decided on the day by the chef according to the availability of seasonal ingredients in the garden. Millbrook’s wines are world class – if you don’t want a full sit down meal you can sample some wines with a light platter in the tasting room downstairs. However I don’t think wine tasting was being allowed today due to ongoing Covid 19 restrictions though the casual dining area was open for light lunches (that may change in due course).
Despite the inclement weather and heavy rain we still enjoyed the wonderful views across the undulating grounds of the winery.
There was also excitement in the form of a helicopter, which landed on the lawn apparently whisking a couple to and from their lunch (the pilot waited a couple of hours for them to eat their meal before taking them off again). The staff told us this is quite a regular happening and it certainly was very interesting for our two young granddaughters though we opted to drive there and back today!
We had to abandon any plans for a walk around the grounds but it is always lovely to get out into the crisp, clear country air even on a rainy day and you couldn’t ask for a better setting for lunch than Millbrook.
Copyright © 2020 Rosemary Thomas Le Chic En Rose. All rights reserved
Le Chic En Rose 
Nice to be able to get out again and that looks like a lovely outing.
It is the same here but we are still restricted in where we can go…the country isn’t fully opened yet but we have hoped to be able to explore a bit this summer. We haven’t traveled much within Canada so this might be the occasion to do it if internal borders are reopened… Crossing fingers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it certainly is nice to be able to go out and about again! There are also many parts of Western Australia that we have yet to see! Hope the internal borders open for you soon in Canada too, fingers crossed 🙂
LikeLike
Sounds like a very exclusive place. Lovely that you don’t need to book a table 2 months in advance to eat there at the moment. Better make the most of that. Arriving in a Helicopter could be good fun… maybe next time?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Although it is certainly fine dining Gilda it actually has a nice relaxed vibe – we had our granddaughters there for example and there was a good kids’ menu. However it’s certainly a special treat to go there as it’s not the cheapest but the food and wines are superb 🙂 Normally it’s hard to commit so far ahead too so being able to go at relatively short notice was a big plus. The helicopter ride looked rather scary to me to be honest – the weather was really quite bad and there was heavy cloud and mist! Of course it’s one way to get past the problem of who’s going to drive!
LikeLike
Great to have a family celebration, Rosemay, even if the weather didn’t play fair 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was lovely to do something special like this with everyone Jo. We have fond memories of Millbrook with family and friends coming together for our daughter and son in law’s wedding a few years ago. It is a beautiful place even in the mist and rain. In many ways we actually prefer it in the winter especially if the large wood fire is burning (which for some reason it wasn’t yesterday) 🙂
LikeLike
How lovely! A post lockdown time doing something normal, albeit treat-normal, must have been extra special.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it was particularly special having our whole family together with our younger daughter back from London for an extended break. Lockdown certainly makes you appreciate such treats even more! Just getting out of town again was lovely too 🙂 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person