What do you do when you want to showcase your wines but don’t want to open a Cellar Door? Open a restaurant, of course.
It’s what Gippsland winemakers William ‘Bill’ Downie and Patrick Sullivan did back in early 2017, partnering with local chef Trevor Perkins (formerly of Warragul’s Big Spoon Little Spoon).
Hogget Kitchen opened on the former Wine Dog restaurant and winery site. As its name suggests (hogget is sheep that’s somewhere in age between lamb and mutton), meat is a pretty big focus. Perkins even built himself an American-style smoker to cook the local Moyarra free-range pork and Gippsland beef and lamb.
All the produce – vegetables and dairy included – is sourced locally, and changes daily depending on the seasons and what’s available. Your meal might start with a plate of local, house-cured charcuterie before a feast of a pork ribeye with carrot, zucchini and mustard. There’s dessert, but a better option is local Tarago brie.
The full range of Downie and Sullivan’s wines are available to drink, including some hard-to-find bottles, and there’s also a selection of special imports.
Downie and Sullivan also took over the vineyards on the site, and have been making wine from its grapes ever since.
Hogget Kitchen
6 Farrington Close,
Warragul VIC 3820
hogget.com.au
Breakfast from 8am Saturday & Sunday
Lunch from 12pm Wednesday to Sunday
Dinner from 6pm Wednesday to Saturday
