Bistro Molines

Stop at any Hunter Valley vineyard and you'll likely see rabbits hopping among the vines, so maybe it's fitting to find them on the Molines menu (even though these bunnies are farmed). This pretty hillside restaurant at Tallavera Grove winery is an ode to all things French, from the provincial decor to the charming waiters, and classics from seasoned Hunter chef Robert Molines. Enter through a courtyard and set your sights on a table on the enclosed verandah with its rolling vista of Mount View. The rabbit is in a civet-style braise, rich with lardons, cepes and red wine, meat falling clean from the bone. A trio of zucchini flowers stuffed with goat's cheese is splendid, while filet mignon places expertly cooked steak alongside crunchy-topped gratin dauphinois, jammy caramelised onion, red wine jus and bearnaise. Chocolate mousse millefeuille layers brittle pastry with a dark, intense cream, nicely offset by caramelised orange.