215 Douglas Gully Road, MCLAREN FLAT, SA 5171.
p: (08) 8383 0156
w: woodstockwine.com.au/coterie/
Vegetarian Adelaide Rating: 60/100
Atmosphere: 16/25
Service: 17/25
Food: 17/25
Vego / Sustainable rating: 10/25
If you’re struck with a desire to head down to McLaren Vale for a weekend lunch, my advice to you is … BOOK! We set off fancy free one Saturday morning not realising that this spectacular wine region is THE place to be on any old autumn weekend. After calling several restaurants to find out they were fully booked we turned to trusty Trip Advisor for alternatives. Woodstock Coterie had one table left and we jumped at the chance. 
Woodstock Coterie, like many other restaurants in this gorgeous region a winery restaurant, in this case of Woodstock Estate. The restaurant was set in large seventies stone building, with high ceilings and a window wall, which on a cool autumn day didn’t create a warm and inviting space to dine.
As is often the case in classically structured (entrée + main) ‘fine-dining’ restaurants there are fewer meal options overall, which means even fewer vegetarian options. This was the case for Woodstock Coterie where there was one vegetarian entrée and one vegetarian main – though there was a chef’s selection of dips also. We shared the dips, which had enough bread to feed an army and proportionately not enough dip. The breads were well prepared though with lovely warm triangles of pita bread.
I then had the main vegetarian dish: Artichoke and Mushroom Pissaladière with Caramelised Onion, Brian’s Kalamata Olives, Rosemary, Bûche de Chèvre with Rocket Salad, drizzled with Harding’s Olive Oil. This. was. enormous. A Pissaladière is a pizza styled dish without the tomato base and often with a thicker crust. I’m a huge fan of Chèvre, which was paired beautifully with the artichoke. It was drizzled with a vincotto which was a tasty exchange from its usual accompaniment: honey.
I always feel that a good main dish should always have three components:
- the main part,
- the accompaniment, which is integral to this dish, and
- the complementary part, which may be a garnish, side vegetable(s) or salad, or a sauce
The problem with the Pissaladière was that it was all those things on one gigantic piece of dough. The combination of flavours was good, however the chef could have been a bit more creative with the way the dish was constructed and accompanied. The other main dishes seemed to have been given greater consideration in this regard.
The other draw back was the service. Having worked in fine-dining for many years I have a sharp eye for service, knowing what customers expect and deserve. The service was not highly knowledgeable of the food or the wine, and made a few minor mistakes. They were however very friendly and interactive, which was a credit to them.
Despite the shortfalls, our meal was accompanied by some lovely wine. All the wines came from Woodstock Estate but were brilliantly priced for a restaurant, which will often mark the prices up twofold for restaurant service. Getting away with a glass of gorgeous 2010 Woodstock Shiraz for $6.50 certainly sweetened the experience!
The Woodstock Coterie had many positive attributes, in particular the wines and the wine list. However, for vegetarians this might not be the place for you.