Tokar opens for night dining

LEON and Rita Tokar have finally succumbed.
Having established an enviable reputation for their excellent lunch menu and special functions, not to mention their award-winning wines, they have opened for dinner two nights a week.
Pressure has been building for some time, Leon explained, for the restaurant to open for evening meals on a regular basis.
The restaurant is now open for lunch seven days a week and for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights.
The move to a new and constantly changing menu three months ago has been a great success and will be something evening diners will have the opportunity to enjoy.
For a fixed price of $55, patrons are welcomed with a glass of “Joie de vie” and an appetiser, compliments of the chef. They can then select an entree, main and dessert from the new a la carte menu. Coffee is included in the price.
The menu reflects the talents and passions of head chef, Damien Baker, and creative dessert cook, Julia Holmes, and draws on the very best produce available from week to week around the Yarra Valley and from Melbourne markets.
“One or two of our signature dishes will always feature on the menu and there will always be a fish, steak and chicken dish,” Leon said of the new-look menu.
Damien’s love of Italian cuisine and culture is also reflected in the meals he creates and Leon said patrons had welcomed the opportunity to try more Mediterranean-inspired dishes.
Dining at Tokar Estate is very definitely a food and wine experience. “It’s not just about wine, and it’s not just about food … it’s that wonderful relationship, each complementing the other,” Rita said.
Tokar’s gold medal tempranillo and cabernet, the reserve pinot noir and the flagship Aria – a blend of their reserve tempranillo, cabernet and shiraz varieties, are among the stable of fine wines available to enjoy with your meal, or to purchase from the cellar door.
With the temperatures still balmy into the evening, dinner can be enjoyed in the dining room or outdoors on the large open-air terrace, both with views over the vines and the valley to the Great Dividing Range.
Tokar Estate is at 6 Maddens Lane, Coldstream. Phone 5964 9585.