Stefano’s Restaurant

Grand Hotel, Langtree Avenue, Mildura.
(03) 5023 0511
Open: Dinner Monday to Saturday.

Out There magazine - Issue 33

There’s an air of expectation as you walk down the winding stairs into the cellar of Mildura’s Grand Hotel. The rustic, dimly lit space has been transformed into a restaurant by the great man himself, Stefano de Pieri, and we’re told that dining here is an experience not to be missed. Disappointment reigns as we discover that de Pieri is not actually in town tonight. The restaurant serves a set five-course meal, which is explained to us upfront. It kicks off with Butternut pumpkin and gorgonzola tart, the rocket salad and caramelised onion accompanying it marrying beautifully with the tart and its buttery pastry. Tender calamari, filled with fennel, comes next on a bed of soft polenta, followed in procession by ravioli filled with quail and floating in sage butter with shaved Parmesan on top, a dish that is exquisite in its simplicity. The main course of seared loin of lamb is tender and flavoursome, and as every last morsel is savoured, it is difficult to find room for dessert. But so we do, helped by the fact that the Chocolate tortino is actually a feather-light soufflé. The restaurant has an extensive wine list of Italian and Australian wines, but other than the Murray Darling Collection, a label that De Pieri himself is behind, none of them are local. It’s the one disappointment of the night, since De Pieri is such a champion of local produce. This aside, it must surely be the mark of a good restaurant that even in De Pieri’s absence, it has not missed a beat.

© Christine Salins

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