Fine dining restaurant Laura at Pt. Leo Estate, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, has undergone a recalibration unveiling a new look to its dining room and also menu offering under Culinary Director, Phil Wood, with the first service on 18 December.Wood, along with Ainslie Lubbock, Service Standards Business Manager, summed up the more sophisticated Laura: “Laura is our opportunity to offer guests a dining experience that elevates the simple luxuries of time, space, ingredients and attention.
Laura at Pt. Leo reopens in time for the holiday season with a new elevated offering 2 of 4 “We want Laura to be an unhurried experience where respect is delivered in every detail; in the sourcing and preparation of the food, its execution in our world-class kitchen and delivery from the exemplary service team.
“We want to focus on the best Australian ingredients, from our own backyard, region or breadth of Australia, all in tune with the seasons of course.
An a la carte menu has been introduced on weekdays (plus eight-course menu), with a longer format on the weekends (four or eight courses) and celebrates Wood’s training in classic echniques with his signature modern interpretations, and with flavour at the heart of everything that emerges from the kitchen.
Expect dishes such as fried bone marrow, potato crisp, parsley and Capony e pepe sauce; rabbit
and mussel curry butter, butter chicken spices and curry leaf fritter; lobster flambe, smoked cabbage and medlar sauce and raspberry souffle and raspberry ripple ice cream to finish.
The wine list, curated by Head Sommelier Andrew Murch and in unison with Wood’s menu, is 750-strong and traverses the globe with a strong selection from Victoria as well as a focus on Champagne, many wines with bottle age and close to 40 wines by the glass (the list recently picked up 2020 Best Country Restaurant Wine List1). Guests can also choose from three different pairings to accompany the eight-course menus: Delightful Beverage Pairing, Exquisite Beverage Pairing and Driver’s Beverage Pairing.
Laura is named after the famed seven-metre cast-iron Jaume Plensa sculpture that can be viewed from the opulent dining room, which has also undergone a generous amount of refinement, attuned to elevate the overall experience at this award-winning destination on the Mornington Peninsula.
Luxurious linen tablecloths have been introduced as well as atmospheric lighting, Richard Ginori tableware plus new seating options such as leather banquettes and soft suede armchairs. A feature table crafted in quartz and bronze by Melbourne’s Daniel Barbera makes for a stunning centrepiece crowning the 23-seat room*.
1At the Gourmet Traveller Wine Awards 3 of 4 Three Akio Makigawa sculptures in stainless steel create an artful divide between the busy main dining room and the tranquillity of the Laura space, and local craftspeople have been commissioned to create bespoke features such as water jugs, service trolleys and ceramics.
Pt. Leo Estate, set over 135 hectares on the southern-most tip of the Mornington Peninsula, is a multi-faceted, family-owned Estate encompassing a captivating celebration of internationally- acclaimed art, design and world-class dining and wine, all with sweeping views over Western Port Bay. Laura is also one of only four Australian appointments to the international culinary guide, Relais & Chateaux.
The Sculpture Park features one of Australia’s largest privately-owned collections of over 60 large-scale contemporary local and international works, including the remarkable Laura and more recently Share 2020 by the famous New York-based artist KAWS.
LAURA MENU:
Monday lunch; Thursday and Friday lunch and dinner
Two course a la carte $95
Three course a la carte $130
Eight course menu $195
Saturday lunch and dinner and Sunday lunch
Four course menu $150
Eight course menu $195
OPENING HOURS:
Laura: five days for lunch only on Monday and Sunday and lunch and dinner Thursday to Saturday. Lunch service will operate from 12 – 5pm.
Dinner service will operate from 6 – 11pm.
Pt. Leo Estate Cellar Door: seven days 11am to 5pm for take away wine sales only
Pt. Leo Restaurant: lunch seven days from 12pm and dinner Thursday to Sunday from 6pm
Pt. Leo Estate Terrace Restaurant: Thursday to Sunday from 11amam to 5pm
Pt. Leo Estate Sculpture Park: seven days from 11am to 5pm ($10/$5 entrance fee)
*Seating is limited due to current government restrictions.
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