Gippsland trio team up to open Hogget Kitchen in Warragul

"Local and seasonal." You've heard the claim a hundred times but at Hogget Kitchen it's a mantra rather than a marketing pitch.

Gippsland chef Trevor Perkins has teamed up with local winemakers Patrick Sullivan and William Downie to reboot the former Wild Dog restaurant and winery in Warragul.

Perkins, whose food at Warragul's Big Spoon Little Spoon earned critical acclaim, will be cooking outdoors over charcoal and wood, using herbs and vegetables his mother has grown, ethically farmed whole animals his father has butchered, and fish he has caught himself.

Many of the dishes on the concise menu will also feature ingredients he has pickled, cured or smoked in-house.

Perkins will write the menu daily, but he promises things like roasted lamb saddle, lemon and fennel-poached trout with tomato and tarragon sauce, and morning-picked berries with berry mascarpone.

The 80-seat restaurant, with views to the Strzelecki Ranges, won't be a cellar door as such.

But the wine list, put together by Sullivan and Downie, will feature their full range of wines, including hard-to-find bottles, along with some exemplary imports.

The pair will also make wines from the property's established vines.

From Friday, March 3, Hogget Kitchen will be open for breakfast and lunch and dinner Thursday to Sunday.

6 Farrington Close, Warragul, 03 5623 2211, hogget.com.au