Wombat Hill House

Where: Wombat Hill House
What: Saturday brunch
Rating: 19/20

I've blogged about making pizza (see: homemade pizza).
I've blogged about eating pizza (see: my spiritual experience at Pizzeria da Baffetto in Rome).
I've even blogged about pizza in Victoria's glorious Spa Country (see: my Volcanic picnic).
Until yesterday, however, I had never combined my love of pizza, with my favourite spot in Victoria *and* my morning meal. Now that I have, I'll never look back!

Let's backtrack a little. My beloved and I are huge fans of Spa Country. I've mentioned before that I used to spend many a weekend in Daylesford as a child riding horses with friends and enjoying the more laid back country pace. In the last decade or so, I've been driving up to the region every couple of months to soak in the crisp country air, visit the Sunday market (for the best peanut butter and honey known to man!) and generally unwind from our hectic city lives. Accordingly, it mustn't come as much of a surprise that my beloved and I are set to be married in Daylesford in the next few months.

Yesterday, we headed to our venue for an early morning discussion of the details of the not-so-big day.
N.B. I sense that I may be the only bride-to-be in Victoria who doesn't really care about white dresses, cakes, flowers, photographers...heck, even the ceremony. I have but one goal: to make sure that our small group of guests are well fed and "libated". 

After our meeting, we set off eagerly to Wombat Hill House - a relatively recent addition to the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens and the little sister of Daylesford institution, the Lake House. It was a crisp morning, but we chose to sit beneath the outdoor heaters to take advantage of the picturesque setting. The atmosphere was laid back, rustic and no fuss, with orders taken and paid for at the counter prior to the meal - perfect!

My beloved and I both ordered the pressed juice of the day - watermelon and apple - and opted to split a breakfast pizza and a smoked salmon and scrambled egg bagel.

Because I don't want this post to climax too soon, let's start with the bagel:

Flawless! Succulent salmon, perfectly seasoned eggs - a classic combination that, let's face it, really cannot fail.

Now onto the mind-blowingly brilliant part of our meal - the breakfast pizza:

A crisp crust, loaded with field mushrooms, juicy tomatoes, perfectly cooked bacon and a runny egg topped with a mix of cheddar and parmesan cheeses. W-O-W! While there's nothing particularly surprising about this combination of flavours (let's face it, they're breakfast café staples across the western world), this dish oozed freshness and flavour. The crunch of the pizza base, gooeyness of the egg and cheese and fragrance of the mushrooms were an absolute treat!

Well done Wolf-Taskers et al. - Wombat Hill House is a triumph and a delightful addition to the Botanic Gardens. I, for one, cannot wait to head back to sample the lunch menu!