Sunday lunch: Archies on the Creek

MANY ideas take flight after a few wines, such as Archies on the Creek. Three years ago, businessman Vern Rickman and his wife, Debi, were having drinks with friends and thought to convert their United Electrical Engineering premises into a cafe and wine bar.

Today, many millions of dollars later, they are the owners of a lakeside restaurant, wine bar, 20,000-bottle wine cellar and wedding and conference facility. Former Botanical Brit-chef Paul Wilson has spearheaded the project.

Chandeliers, polished floors and leather lounges welcome guests inside, while a wide wooden deck offers casual dining outside under umbrellas and overlooking a reed-lined dam with fountains playing.

The cowhide menu cover is a clue to the fact that this establishment takes its cuts of meat seriously - with a full page of premium dry-aged beef options from 250-gram Gippsland Black Angus sirloin ($31) to 500-day grain-fed wagyu rump ($59).

I begin with a spiced-up Angus steak tartare with bone marrow croquette, pressed tongue and fine slices of tarragon toast ($17). All dishes have wine suggestions and the Phillip Island Wines rosé ($8) proves the perfect match. My husband opts for a lightly battered zucchini flower filled with tangy local Alwyn goat's cheese and tiny vegetables ($16).

Pan-roasted, locally farmed Garfield barramundi ($36, pictured), arrives crisp on one side and plump and succulent on the other, while the recommended NSW Rangers Valley 300-day grain-fed scotch fillet with mustard sauce ($55) is flavoursome and tender.

Desserts read well - pear tartlet, almond coulis with caramel ice-cream ($15), chocolate souffle and more - but we opt for a good coffee before our 90-minute drive home.

Reviewed by Tricia Welsh, who was hosted by Gippsland Tourism.

Archies on the Creek, 81 Archies Creek Road, Archies Creek, 5678 7787. Restaurant open Wednesday-Sunday, noon-3pm and from 6pm; cellar door Monday-Sunday, from 10am; cafe Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm. Melway 912 R11. See www.archiesonthecreek.com.au. To stay: nearby options include Zenergie, www.zenergie.com.au; Kilcunda Oceanview Holiday Retreat, www.kilcundaoceanview.com.au, the Heath B&B, www.members.dcsi.net.au/theheath.