It’s best not to hurry at Brae. A fireside drink in the lounge is a worthy prelude to a three-hour, 15-course deep dive into the here and now of the Otways region. A lavish edible bouquet from Brae’s farm-sized kitchen garden is a window onto the season, licked with lovage oil and bedded in hung yoghurt, while wild venison goes from local pest to perfect match with black garlic and charry celeriac. Dan Hunter’s rural idyll puts the destination into dining but casts the net further with a quiver of superb seafood dishes. Pearlescent Murray cod makes a headline act with rich myrtle butter and golden turnip spheres, but it’s just as easy to be tickled by velvety olive-oil-poached Spencer Gulf prawns on chickpea crisps – just add citrus kosho hollandaise and call it the perfect canapé. If time and budget allow, the six luxe on-site rooms beckon with vinyl collections and cocktail kits.
