RiverBank Estate

Ultra Relaxed in The Valley

Need a guaranteed idyllic Swan Valley winery experience? Then try the ultra-relaxed, friendly RiverBank Estate winery where quality food and wine to match comes naturally.

Just 20 minutes from Perth's CBD lies the RiverBank, with its sweeping views across the vineyard down to the Swan River from its humble, architecturally-designed restaurant. Irish Executive Chef Fred Kirby was French-trained in Ireland and the UK. He's had his eye on Perth for a while and recently moved here with his young family, eager to bring his skills and experience to the Perth's premier wine growing region.

Fred loves wine and wanted to work in the Swan Valley to further his career by developing his knowledge of matching wine with food. He's enthusiastic to make the most of the RiverBank's wines and premium fresh produce and has designed the menu with flexibility; he is constantly looking for ways to adjust it according to what's in season.

In addition to making their own (award-winning) wines, the RiverBank grows plenty of fresh produce, such as herbs, citrus fruits, garlic, strawberries and pumpkin, plus the bread, sauces and desserts are also made on site. And with the spoils of the Swan Valley at Fred's door-step, you can be sure that if it's on your plate, it's at its best and the cream of whatever is currently available.

I had no doubt of this after entrée: Chicken Liver and Black Pepper Parfait with red onion jam, watercress salad, toasted brioche, beetroot puree and balsamic syrup. A fine-looking dish and a superb choice if you want to really take your time and soak up the atmosphere, wine and conversation before plunging ahead to your main meal.

The parfait's texture was like nothing else - thick and creamy yet light and ultra-smooth - and the flavour? Well, Fred marinades the free-range chicken livers in brandy and Shiraz for over 12 hours, which gives it an intense but not too rich (at all) flavour; perfect for me as I normally dislike pâtés and liver dishes.

A testament to Fred's knowledge and attention to detail was its accompaniments, which effortlessly brought the parfait to life. The red onion jam was sweet and the onions were soft but still a little crunchy inside, a nice contrast to the mousse-like parfait. The beetroot puree - a simple blend of organic beetroots, shallots, tarragon and seasoning with olive oil - gave a lighter kind of tang to the parfait.

Top all that off with the cake-like, crunchy-on-the-outside brioche (sweet bread), a light watercress salad and a glass of the 1999 RiverBank Cabernet Shiraz and you've got a winning combination. Simply: order this dish to impress, I loved everything about it.

For main course, Fred presented the Poached Sea Trout Fillet with wilted baby spinach, toasted almond, baby capers and a nut brown butter dressing. Where do I begin with this unassumingly delicious meal? Fred poaches the sea trout fillet for a minute in a white wine, soft herb and saffron stock.

For the dressing, he sweats shallots with a little butter and cooks it until it's golden brown. When cooled, he adds Italian parsley, fresh dill and toasted almonds blended into fine crumbs (to make an almond 'meal'). But what give this dressing its definitive character was the capers, mustard seeds and finely-chopped sun-dried tomatoes. This is all then poured over the fish sitting on the wilted spinach.

There was so much flavour complexity in this dish. I loved the punchy taste combination of the capers, sun-drieds and mustard seeds blending with the mellow buttery dressing and nutty almond meal. These 'opposing' elements augmented the delicious flaky, moist fillet of fish.

The colour and presentation again was amazing; it's clear to see Fred places as much emphasis on visual as well as gastronomic stimulation. A very light , fresh dish with lots of flavour and texture; hearty and heart-warming. It was even more fabulous with a drop of the 2006 RiverBank Padlock Paddock Chardonnay, which is seriously one of the nicest Chardonnays I've had in a while.

The RiverBank is a no-fuss, quality wining and dining experience that fluently exemplifies what the Swan Valley is all about. Wine sales and tasting happens daily from 10am-5pm and lunch is served every day from 11:30am until 3pm. Group bookings are welcome and evening functions can be arranged to suit most occasions. The RiverBank's comprehensive website is worth visiting for information on their Wine Club, Wine Education Courses and special events and offers.

By Shenade Unicomb