Sittella

It was a great weekend a few weekends ago to be in the Swan Valley, again. This time it was a for a lovely wine tasting at a couple of places, followed by a lovely lunch at Sittella (booked half an hour before we went there! so naughty of us really and very lucky to get a table) before heading for ice cream (of course!) then home for a nap!

The front entrance to Sittella's Restaurant

 

Sittella is a lovely winery decked out in a very Mediterranean/Tuscany decor. The restaurant overlooks the vineyards and provides an amazing view of the vines and the dam. It was a pity that we didn't get to sit outside, but then again, it was rather hot so I guess indoors was better.

Interior of Sittella's

 

The view of the restaurant from the vineyard

 

We didn't try out their wineries (but will do next time!) as I already had far too much to drink from the first couple of places (and on an empty stomach too!) so it was time for eating. 

We were given our menus and after our order was taken fresh warm bread with creamy butter arrived.

 

Bread and Butter

After devouring our bread we waited inpatiently for our mains. 

Bf ended up getting wagyu beef (grade 7) medium-rare and it was massive cut of meat, however, it wasn't exactly the best wagyu as the fat over-powered the meat, it wasn't "evenly throughout". It wasn't very tender either, more chewy than anything. I think it wasn't so much the produce more the cooking perhaps.

Wagyu steak with potato croquette, mushrooms and vegetables

I on the other hand, didn't know whether to get the salmon or duck, but in the end ended up with the duck. Much to my disappointment, the duck was very fatty. (I realise that duck are generally fatty, but this one probably had more fat than duck meat). The breast was also cut up and I really expected a duck breast on bone (no idea why). It wasn't a bad dish, but just the taste of too much fat through my meats is really not to my liking or taste.

Duck with potato gratin, beetroot and vegetables

The service at Sittella wasn't exactly attentive to us, although they were to other customers in the restaurant. We seemed to have been left with dirty dishes on our table, bread basket not put away and nor were we asked whether we would like a top up. We didn't get our bottle of water until asked for at least a few times. It wasn't like we were sitting in the corner, but I'm not sure if it's because we were a "young" couple compared to others in the restaurant, and thus were seen as less important?

Nonetheless it's a lovely little winery with great views and casual, relaxed ambiance. The food isn't spectacular but it's tasty and nice, but maybe avoid the duck dish, because the salmon looked amazing and I regreted my choice straight away when I saw it come out for the other tables. And if you get a chance why not stroll down to their dam and have a look around.