Lunch in July for the Craftgroup

 This was just a stunning winters day like South Australia can turn on at times.I picked up two friends for them to have a ride in my new  Subaru. Sunny and calm, the drive down to Victor Harbor was full of delight with paddocks green and stock looking in wonderful condition.
We noticed a lot of Alpacas in various places and wondered if they may replace sheep.Surely not!
As you come to the top of the hill, before descending into the town of Victor Harbor, there is this lovely vista of Encounter Bay and the Bluff at the far end.

Under this Bluff is the restaurant we were heading for. It used to be the old Whalers Inn, but it has been revamped into a more casual  place to cater for a more relaxed and child friendly holiday crowd. The views are stunning as the photo above shows and the tables inside are attractively set with proper crisp, white cloths and real, not paper! napkins...these each have a shell on top and it gives a delightfully nautical feel to the whole place.We did wonder what the rings on the shells meant, were they like tree rings and told of their age?

The staff were very helpful and friendly to the point where one of them said they could ring one of our members who was late and perhaps lost? But no, they arrived at that point and so we were able to order our food and wine.With the exception of one, who was not impressed with the gnocci, we all thought the food beautifully presented and delicious to eat. The wine too, was excellent. I enjoyed my Thai flavored salad very much and a friends chips were so delicious ( chips are the indicator of a brilliant cook to my mind!) we kept pinching them across the table and finally someone thought we better order an extra bowl of them so our friend was left in peace.

After a spell we ordered coffee and some of a firmer resolve (after all it was a day out) ordered deserts. They too were beautifully presented and equally delicious I believe......
The menu is amazingly well priced , especially the deserts, I would go back next time and perhaps have an entree and pudding, as they did look wonderful.
It was good too, that we could pay individually so there was no having to pull out a calculator and have a fight over who had what and who had the more expensive items.

One of the patrons at the next table offered to take a photo of us all at the table, which she did and we are all looking suitably happy and relaxed. We wandered off to look at the scenery and one member thought she would have liked to have got into the sandpit and had a play with all the kettles and saucepans in it.....we tried to encourage her but in the end she wouldn't do so!

One last shot of the kniphoffias in flower with Seal Island in the background and we all drove off. I took my friends to the look out on the Bluff above the restaurant and we saw Petrel Cove before going home via the Inman Valley road, right into Sawpit road and left onto the Hindmarsh Valley road and so home down the Old Willunga Hill, twisty as it is, it gives wonderful views across the Willunga Basin to McLarenVale.
Who could ask for a better day?