For the night we stayed in the Yarra Valley, we were lucky enough to be put up at a gorgeous four-bedroom B&B with an outdoor hot-tub and a private chef to cook us dinner! You know, with the Yarra Valley being so close to Melbourne, I’d never thought of it as a destination for weekends away. But that all changed the second we walked into Barolo Lodge.
Barolo Lodge
13 Sloss Road
Healesville VIC
Ph: (03) 5962 4613
Website
Even though it was just the second week of January, it was surprisingly cold while we were in the Valley, with overcast skies and lots of rain. We arrived at the lodge late in the afternoon, to find it perfectly prepared and welcoming.
Soft lighting was on in the bedrooms, chill-out music was playing, the fireplace was on, the hot tub was ready to go, and the dining table was set, with a copy of that night’s menu!
 |
| Lovely cosy lounge room |
 |
| Outdoor hot tub area |
 |
| Dining room |
Chef Gianpaolo arrived at 6pm to begin cooking, and dinner was ready on the dot of seven. This gave us plenty of time to enjoy the cosy lounge room (with pay TV) and relaxing hot tub!
Barolo Lodge doesn’t sell wine itself, but are happy to open any bottles that guests have brought with them – we chose a lovely Napoleone & Co apple and pear cider which we’d picked up at Punt Road Wines earlier that day.
Chef Gianpaolo specialises in Italian cuisine, and uses local produce where possible. There's no menu as such to choose from, rather, the meal is created taking guests' dietary requirements into account. A 2-course meal like we had costs $60 per person, and a 3-course meal (including a dessert course) is $75 per person. A cheese course and panforte is included in both options. (See the website for up-to-date room rates and further information).
 |
| Insalata Caprese – vine ripened tomatoes, fior di latte buffalo mozzarella, olivetto unfiltered virgin oil & house olives Warm Organic fruition sourdough |
 |
| Pollo Rustico – Prosciutto wrapped Lilydale free range chicken, spinach and pine nut stuffing, creamy potato mash, buttered beans |
Whilst the starter was light and refreshing, the main was pure comfort food: a chicken breast wrapped in proscuitto (and sage - yay!) and stuffed with pine nuts and spinach, served with buttery beans and a decadent cheddar cheese mash. Oh my goodness, that mash was incredible! I shudder to think how much butter and cheese it contained - but what a lovely treat!
While we ate the mains, Chef Gianpaolo set up the cheese platter in the lounge room for us to enjoy at our leisure, and quietly left the property.
 |
| Formaggi - Local Yarra Valley Cheese (cheddar and provolone) and fruit, with fruit bread |
 |
| Panforte |
Sarah and Sandra stayed at Barolo Lodge as guests of Yarra Ranges Regional Marketing.
This is the fourth post from my Yarra Valley 2012 Trip series.
For the night we stayed in the Yarra Valley, we were lucky enough to be put up at a gorgeous four-bedroom B&B with an outdoor hot-tub and a private chef to cook us dinner! You know, with the Yarra Valley being so close to Melbourne, I’d never thought of it as a destination for weekends away. But that all changed the second we walked into Barolo Lodge.
Barolo Lodge
13 Sloss Road
Healesville VIC
Ph: (03) 5962 4613
Website
Even though it was just the second week of January, it was surprisingly cold while we were in the Valley, with overcast skies and lots of rain. We arrived at the lodge late in the afternoon, to find it perfectly prepared and welcoming.
Soft lighting was on in the bedrooms, chill-out music was playing, the fireplace was on, the hot tub was ready to go, and the dining table was set, with a copy of that night’s menu!
|
| Lovely cosy lounge room |
|
| Outdoor hot tub area |
|
| Dining room |
Chef Gianpaolo arrived at 6pm to begin cooking, and dinner was ready on the dot of seven. This gave us plenty of time to enjoy the cosy lounge room (with pay TV) and relaxing hot tub!
Barolo Lodge doesn’t sell wine itself, but are happy to open any bottles that guests have brought with them – we chose a lovely Napoleone & Co apple and pear cider which we’d picked up at Punt Road Wines earlier that day.
Chef Gianpaolo specialises in Italian cuisine, and uses local produce where possible. There's no menu as such to choose from, rather, the meal is created taking guests' dietary requirements into account. A 2-course meal like we had costs $60 per person, and a 3-course meal (including a dessert course) is $75 per person. A cheese course and panforte is included in both options. (See the website for up-to-date room rates and further information).
|
| Insalata Caprese – vine ripened tomatoes, fior di latte buffalo mozzarella, olivetto unfiltered virgin oil & house olives Warm Organic fruition sourdough |
|
| Pollo Rustico – Prosciutto wrapped Lilydale free range chicken, spinach and pine nut stuffing, creamy potato mash, buttered beans |
Whilst the starter was light and refreshing, the main was pure comfort food: a chicken breast wrapped in proscuitto (and sage - yay!) and stuffed with pine nuts and spinach, served with buttery beans and a decadent cheddar cheese mash. Oh my goodness, that mash was incredible! I shudder to think how much butter and cheese it contained - but what a lovely treat!
While we ate the mains, Chef Gianpaolo set up the cheese platter in the lounge room for us to enjoy at our leisure, and quietly left the property.
|
| Formaggi - Local Yarra Valley Cheese (cheddar and provolone) and fruit, with fruit bread |
|
| Panforte |
Sarah and Sandra stayed at Barolo Lodge as guests of Yarra Ranges Regional Marketing.
This is the fourth post from my Yarra Valley 2012 Trip series.
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