Swan Valley Cafe, Millendon

The café looks a bit like a shed or small house from the front but it opens up to a wonderful hidden garden at the back. They have a large selection of tea, vegan, vegetarian and gluten free meals. Breakfast is served up until 11am on weekends.

We came here for breakfast and ordered an omelette with mushrooms which is vegetarian and gluten free as stated on the menu. It came with fresh parsley sprinkled on the top and was sufficient for a quick and light breakfast. There was also a choice to have tomatoes or basil instead of the mushrooms but I thought it would have been better if they incorporated all the ingredients as it was a bit plain as it was missing cheese being a vegetarian dish. The seasoning was balanced as it wasn't too salty.

Omelette with mushrooms $12

We also ordered buckwheat pancakes where you can select the option of vegan, vegetarian or gluten free. This had flavours of wholemeal due to the buckwheat and the texture was slightly thicker, dryer and dense compared to a buttermilk pancake. There was a decent amount of blueberries and the maple syrup worked nicely to increase the sweetness of the meal.

We tried the English Breakfast tea for 2-3 people and it was smooth and drinkable. However, it was a long wait before we received the tea as we got our meals first. There is a wide selection of speciality teas which you can buy compared to the limited range on the menu whilst dining in. The teas are sourced from a variety of locations including China, India and South Africa and grown locally at Calingiri in Western Australia.

Buckwheat pancakes with blueberries, maple syrup and a dollop of Greek yoghurt $12

 Items for sale - Tea $10

Items for sale - Beetroot chips

The beetroot chips were not good. They tasted burnt and but were crispy. I have seen this item sold at some supermarkets.

http://www.swanvalleycafe.com.au/Swan_Valley_Cafe_Main_Menu.pdf

Duckstein Brewery, Swan Valley

On St Patrick's Day I came here for lunch and the atmosphere was great as usual as it had been the third time I had been there. We sat outside under the front porch and they had a live accordion player. I tried the special of the day which was a steak of 300 grams and chips with mushroom sauce (you could also get pan fried potatoes instead). The meals didn't all come out together however, the steak was okay and it was a typical pub meal nothing too special. Previously I had tried the Duckstein Brewers Pan for two (A frying pan filled with panfried potatoes, kassler (smoked cutlet) and a bratwurst sausage). This was a nice traditional meal but obviously didn't feel too healthy. If you come here you should definitely try one of the traditional German meals as that is the specialisation and all the meals are very filling.

If you are a big eater then you should try the Schweinshaxe, large pickled and cooked pork shank served with pan fried potatoes and sauerkraut or maybe share it with another person. I have seen people ordering this but I haven't tried it yet and it looked like value for money as it is quite large. This is next on my list to try. This place is a definite visit when I come to Swan Valley and the beer is fantastic.

There is also a water cooler located inside and outside the restaurant for re-fills at your own will which I think is great.

Steak (300 grams) and chips

http://www.duckstein.com.au/index.php/menu_swan