Welcome to Leeuwin Estate

This review is somewhat belated. 2 years ago my hubby took me to Leeuwin and it was during the burning of the vines. That night turned to a very special night. He booked the table a few weeks in advance and when we got there we were seated at a table out on the terrace.

After having our wonderful entree my hubby got down on 1 knee and proposed. After I accepted the proposal our waitress came out with 2 glasses of champers for us and she was somewhat emotional. She stated she was inside talking to another staff member when they saw my hubby propose and decided to give us the champers.

As I was so emotional she even gave me a box of tissues but I only took a couple.

Then the mains came out which was from memory I had quail or something which was delightful. Shortly after the proposal the fireworks went off which hubby laid claim to and said he got them to put it on for me.

The wine was delightful as well as the atmosphere. We both enjoyed the food and the surroundings. Guys, great place for a proposal!!!!!!!!

We came here for lunch over the weekend and were quickly accommodated to an outdoor table for our group of 6 without hesitation even though we did not call ahead to book. It was a lovely sunny afternoon, so armed with a pair of sunnies, I was in the mood to wine and dine in some glorious sunlight. The tables were round and we had plenty of space between each of us (not the overcramped style of many asian eateries).

Our waiter was a friendly guy who provided us with their new menus (apparently they arrived just the day before) which were very elegant and chic, however I will admit it did confuse me a bit. They offered wines at the start of the menu (which was to be expected from a place such as this) and then a confusing page titled “Flight $20” and “Flight $35” with several different dishes under each banner. I later found out from another diner who ordered this dish that they were a more upmarket tasting plate consisting of 4-5 samples of marron, scallops etc each paired with a Leeuwin estate wine. Cleverly designed, I thought this was ideal and wished I had ordered this dish which came out on a long wooden plank. When it came to specials of the day, we had to ask the waiter to inform us which he did … through his notebook! Struggled to hear each dish so settled for the Fish of the Day (King Snapper)

As our group were semi full from previous wine tastings along the Margaret River wine trail, we opted for a dozen oysters to share and a main meal each. The oysters were extremely fresh and plump which melted in my mouth. Only point of bother was that our waiter forgot to bring out our side plates! And because we were waiting for over 10min to signal down a waiter/ess, we finally decided to share the plate around and eat them before they got cooked by the sun!

For mains I ordered the fish of the day (which was a King Snapper, on a bed of lentils and herbs served some local asparagus from the region, delicious! Snapper was cooked to perfection, not over or under done, skin was slightly crispy but not too oily.

My partner along with 2 other diners opted for the twice cooked pork belly served with a small side salad (which looked like coleslaw but tasted divine), it was a rather small serving, the pork belly was sliced neatly into 6 small portions. In all honesty, I have tasted better belly pork before at a fraction of the cost they charged. The pork did not have a strong flavour, and did taste like it was marinated in your normal asian concoction of Sesame oil, soy sauce, kecap manis and maybe some oyster sauce.

Another diner decided on the Pemberton marron with a lime buerre blanc, shaved fennel, rocket and sprout salad as she loves seafood. You can have this dish as an entrée or a main. She went for the main and my gosh how disappointed were we all! At $49 (for main), it’s a pretty hefty price for a simple salad with small pieces of marron tossed through it. Not worth ordering in my opinion.


My other friend chose a beef dish which looked pretty average and well, nothing to shout to the food heavens about

All in all, it was a lovely venue, the outdoor section was really gorgeous, and the wines were well received by all parties, I just have a cringe when wineries open up their own restaurants and serve substandard food at ridiculous prices. The overall bill, 1dz oysters, 6 mains and 2 bottles of wine $325. (Wines were $50) Don’t think ill be going back to the restaurant anytime soon, I may book ahead and try Voyager Estate instead.