Basils Farm a special space by the bay

Tucked in hard along the shores of Swan Bay and within sight of the Queenscliff township, Basils Farm is an idyllic tranquil oasis, quiet even by the borough’s unhurried pace.

There is something almost soothing after you turn off the Queenscliff Rd at Swan Bay and make your way along a dirt lane. Step on to the property and you’re confronted by a rustic caravan (which comes to life again when serving pre-wedding drinks), a suite of tables and chairs set under umbrellas and a dancefloor under festooned fairy lights.

Mature pear and fig trees spread their branches over the tables and windfall fruit is perfect for an impromptu game of soccer among younger customers. The outdoor space is very much family-friendly and dog-friendly.

Enticing though this all is, however, it alone is not worth the price of admission.

That comes when you lift your gaze and take in the idyllic views over the garden and down the gentle grassy slope to the shores of Swan Bay and Swan Island and Queenscliff beyond. Diners are free to wander the space.

“They don’t forget to order but they do forget to leave,” Basils Farm wedding and events manager Katherine Hampson says of diners’ tendency to want to linger.

“Sometimes the 1½-hour dining time is a problem; you get a nice day here, you don’t want to leave.”

What was once a country cafe with a garden, cottage and small dining space has now expanded. A pavilion added some five years ago can now seat 100 undercover and away from the elements.

The menu is modern Australian with an emphasis on seasonal fresh produce and Katherine says it’s “getting to the point where it’s fairly fine dining”. Bookings are now essential on weekends and helicopter arrivals on the property are not unknown.

The cuisine also benefits from the background of staff members, who currently come from such far-flung places as France, India, Thailand and the Philippines.

“They have their real strengths, they all have different strengths that they bring to the kitchen. It is very multicultural our food because we do have a lot of people that live and work here (who come) from internationally,” Katherine says.

“The chefs are really good. We’ve got a really strong repetition for our food.

“A lot of the food comes locally and a lot of the vegetables and herbs come from our garden that we grow ourselves.”

For instance, a new gin cocktail features Teddy and the Fox gin from Drysdale and lavender and rosemary from the Basils Farm gardens.

In addition to a full time groundskeeper/gardener, the chefs themselves also have involvement in the garden, in which you can find pumpkin, squash, tomatoes, capsicum, chillies, herbs, rhubarb, kale, zucchini, snow peas, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower,

The menu changes seasonally but the most recent one included starters such as a delicate gin cured ocean trout with fennel, lemon creme fraiche, salmon roe and dehydrated olive; pork rillette and popcorn rabbit with date and sherry puree and crostini; fried chilli and garlic squid with toasted almonds, candied orange and fermented chilli romesco.

Main courses included a towering serve of pork belly – the cut is a bit of a menu staple in some form – tender beef cheek and mash; bush spiced kangaroo loin; lamb backstrap and marinated chicken.

For groups of 20 or more there is a set menu option for $65 per head which includes shared charcuterie platters to start, three mains (including a vegetarian option) and two sides.

Basils Farm at 45-53 Nye Rd, Swan Bay, is open 11.30am-4pm Monday, Thursday and Friday, and 11am-5pm on weekends. Follow @basilsfarm on Instagram.

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