Okanagan: Dining at Cedar Creek Winery

Sensuous sculpture by Henry Moore in front of Home Block

Yesterday on the longest day of the year, we went to Cedar Creek Estate Winery for dinner and it was quite the treat. The drive there is an easy 25 minutes down a mostly quiet winding road. No only are the vineyards there, but also several buildings housing the fermentation tanks, processing the grapes, a tasting room and restaurant called Home Block.

Butter lettuce grown on the property

The winery and the restaurant pride themselves on being as sustainable as possible in that the vegetables are grown on the property or nearby, chickens are raised there, honey is made locally, and cattle and salmon are local too. The back of the menu shows the ecosystem as proof that the restaurant is really "terroir to table".

Home Block is a lovely high-ceilinged space that alludes to the architecture of a barn, with wooden panelling on the walls, and a spare minimalist look, easy to maintain polished concrete floors and an open kitchen where chef Neil Taylor is barking out the orders.

The three-course meal is C$74 per person, and C$95 including wine pairings. There are one or two dishes which have an additional charge, like Italian burrata and ribeye steak.

Crispy parmesan cod fillet with pea puree

I tried the baby lettuce salad, and the dish arrived in a vertical presentation. The lettuce is harvested on site and are dark green and crunchy, covered in dukkah or a mixture of crushed nuts and sesame seeds, feta and half an avocado, dressed with sherry vinegar and smoked paprika.

For mains I was originally going to try the special, bass with wilted spinach and black lentils, but by the time our waiter put the order in, they were sold out, so I had the crispy parmesan crusted cod fillet instead. 

The cod fillets were covered in a relatively thick crust on a bed of pea puree and a wedge of seared romaine lettuce. Half a caramelised lemon helped keep the cod light, while the caper aioli gave the fish more flavour.

Pretty rhubarb and custard tart with pistachios

I was already pretty full by the time dessert came around, but could not resist trying the rhubarb and custard tart. When it arrived it was too pretty to eat -- a round tart with the outer edge decorated with seared meringue, the middle with the rhubarb puree and custard underneath, decorated with crushed pistachios. The dessert would have been best shared by two people as a portion, but the flavour was balanced with the sweetness of the meringue with the tartness of the rhubarb.

There'a also some art in and around the restaurant. Just outside was a bronze by Henry Moore which must have cost a fortune. Meanwhile where we sat was a giant painting of a yellow duck! As we were leaving, the hostess told us the yellow duck gave people luck!

Did she know the meaning behind the yellow duck for Hongkongers?

Will this yellow duck give us luck?

Home Block Restaurant

5445 Lakeshore Road

Kelowna, BC

(250) 980 4663