Attica's Summer Camp

 Monday 29 March

We have booked into Ben Shewry’s Attica pop up restaurant in the Yarra Valley for lunch. This is a treat for Joanne who has lent us her car for the time we have been in Melbourne and as a congratulations for her new job. We arrive in the middle of the Lilydale Estate vineyard to a sign welcoming us to Attica summer Camp – Beware of the drop bears!! Amazing menu and wines. Shewry is quick to point out that it’s not Attica – this is a temporary venture, just here till May. As a diner, there’s a tremendous amount of bang to be had for your buck. Where the menu at Attica lands at around $300 a head before drinks, dishes at the Summer Camp, will cost you $110 per head including drinks. We started with a glass of Yarra Valley Marsanne, then a bottle of Dominique Portet Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany the mains. For the food, we ordered a fresh focaccia with three spreads; curried egg, hot smoked Atlantic salmon and finely sliced pork pastrami drizzled with hot sauce. Then we shared a grilled Scotch egg, rare burra (kangaroo) skewer and apricot glazed finely sliced smoked ham. These came with a crispy hassleback potato and a whole baby cauliflower, both rotisseried and steamed greens. We could not resist the groaning dessert trolley and chose a negroni marmalade tim tam a champagne Chantilly and strawberry flummery and a decadent cotton sponge cake with passionfruit and peach jam. We inspected the rotisserie on our departure and it was truly impressive – three layers of meat and vegetables and we are looking to Christopher to upgrade as a matter of urgency.