“We want to deliver a truly Yarra Valley experience that respects our environment, working with small growers, producers, the wild, and gardens to serve the best of each season.”

Crisp crackers made from old bread; house-made cheeses made from local jersey milk; and smoked trout with caviar, soured cream, and caraway croissant.

There’s no seafood on the menu at this idyllic Yarra Valley winery restaurant. As the creative young chef duo Matt Stone and Jo Barrett say, they are nowhere near the ocean, so it would add nothing to the sense of place. Nor will you miss its absence, as foraged native greens are fermented kimchi-style to go head-to-head with just-seared kangaroo and sandalwood nuts; and smoked eel saddles up with fermented grains and beans, salsify and brussels sprouts. An accomplished baker, Barrett mills her own flour for the crusty sourdough served with house-churned butter, and the caraway croissant that’s deservedly been on their menu since the beginning, served on house-made cultured cream with local mountain ash smoked rainbow trout and its caviar, and finished with a pretty assembly of raw vegetables, herbs and flowers from the garden. Milk comes in buckets and mushrooms from the local forest. A sense of place? You’re eating it.

“There’s an undeniable romance about eating a meal that’s truly true to location, and at Oakridge, Matt Stone delivers what’s often promised but rarely executed with such class.”

–Dan Stock, Herald Sun