Sunday lunch: The Stanley Pub

A COUNTRY pub is a country pub, you might think - but then there's The Stanley.

The 1854-built public house has been quenching many a thirst since it was licensed in 1857. It's still the heart and soul of the small community but since Shane and Annemarie Harris took it over in April 2008, it's been attracting a wider circle as it gains a reputation as a gastro-pub.

We enter via the public bar with its dart board and are shown a table beside a welcoming open fire.

With new chef and old friend Shauna Stockwell in the kitchen, the menu maintains its classic French bistro fare with a contemporary feel.

I plump for the seared scallops on fennel veloute with dill puree ($19) - a deliciously sweet blend of flavours. My husband chooses the goat's curd with witlof and warm local olives ($17) - a lovely stack of salad leaves spiced with the tang of the goat's curd.

Again I go seafood, with sweet Suzuki mulloway with cavalo nero and Kaiserfleisch ($32) while my husband opts for the Rutherglen lamb with cauliflower and chickpeas ($33), which he declares fantastic. We can't go past a Stanley apple tarte tatin ($15) to share local Gundowring ice-cream ($4) from the Kiewa Valley.

It's an amazing wine list for this neck of the woods. Local wines get a good run, such as Ringer Reef Sparkling Merlot ($48) from Porepunkah, alongside a Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve ($150) from Champagne and a Giaconda Shiraz ($130) from Beechworth, which outshines a Domaine du Cayron Gigondas ($120) from the Rhone.

Reviewed by Tricia Welsh, who was hosted by North East Victoria Tourism.

The Stanley, 1 Wallace Street, Stanley, 5728 6502. Bistro open daily noon-3pm, Wed-Sat 6pm-late, bar open daily Mon and Wed from 4pm-late (closed Tuesday) and Thu-Sun from 11am-late. See stanleypubcom.au. To stay: nearby options include The Stanley Pub, PlaneTrees Lodge (www.planetrees.com.au) and Bloomfield Walnut Grove (www.bloomfieldwalnutgrove.com.au).