Destination-worthy food and a multimillion-dollar view at Pt. Leo Restaurant 2.0

It's been an eventful couple of years for chef Josep Espuga, who took over from Phil Wood as culinary director at Pt. Leo Estate in March of 2021. There were, of course, the lockdowns that extended to the Mornington Peninsula, where Point Leo is located, and then in May of last year, just as things were getting somewhat back to normal, a fire closed both of Pt. Leo's restaurants.

For a time, Espuga ran a pop-up out of a purpose-built pavilion on the estate property, serving family-style meals. But now, the full offer is back, with fine-diner Laura occupying one end of the building and Pt. Leo Restaurant taking up the bulk of the long glassed-in floor space.

The main draw here has always been the setting, and nothing has changed there: it's a glorious thing to lunch with a view of Western Port and the stunning artwork that dots the sculpture park beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Pair that vista with a Bellini made with fresh strawberry puree ($18) and everything is right with the world.

But Espuga's menu at Pt. Leo is destination-worthy in its own right, and the property has attracted some of the best front-of-house staff around.

This view, this food and those professional servers don't come cheap: a meal here, be it for lunch or dinner, starts at $95 for two courses during the week, or $120 a head for three courses (the only option at weekends) and can easily creep up from there with sides and extras.

Espuga's cooking here is more conservative and classic than the creativity he brings to Laura, but that's probably smart on his part – this room is a favourite of locals and daytrippers, who are often just looking for attractive food cooked well, without the theatrics of the avant-garde.

That means a savoury rendition of a Basque cheesecake (Espuga is Spanish, and he worked in the Basque region at top-rated restaurant Mugaritz), served with charred greens and a lovely fresh green pea coulis. Or a tart made with summer tomatoes, rockmelon, the faint sting of horseradish, and San Daniele prosciutto.

A fat and juicy eye fillet is served with a perfect old-school port wine jus, and practically demands that you pair it with the extra pommes Anna ($14), an extravagant side dish that sees the crisp layered potatoes topped with creamy chevre and romano beans.

Wood-fired snapper is pure French classicism, with an archetypal beurre blanc and ultra-fresh zucchini flowers.

The wine list is a broad appreciation of everything happening in our state's viniculture these days, and – apart from a couple of wines by the glass, and, oddly, a few Japanese sakes – is entirely Victorian, with a focus on the peninsula.

Complaints? Not many. A tuna tataki entree, with nasturtium buttermilk and nori, was perhaps a little sweet for my taste.

In the middle of the lunch rush, those fantastic servers do tend to get overwhelmed. I'm not sure if this is a staffing issue (which almost everyone struggles with these days) or just the way things are run, but at this price point it'd be nice to more easily get the bill at the end of the meal – the table beside me sat for a good 20 minutes with empty dessert plates, looking around plaintively while our (wonderful) waiter struggled to keep up with the demands of a large party and six other tables.

And that cost is a big hump to get over: $190 for four dishes (two people eating the two-course meal) is a lot of cash to stump up.

But, of course, you're paying for more than the food.

It's a multimillion-dollar view, before you even consider all of the art, the architecture and the costs associated with keeping an enterprise like this humming along.

It must be a relief for Espuga to finally show us what he can do when pandemics and fires aren't breaking his stride.

Here's hoping he gets a clear run from here on out, and continues to deliver beautiful meals in this stunning setting.

Vibe Airy modern glassed-in room overlooking the sculpture park and Western Port

Go-to dish Pommes Anna, $14

Drinks Victorian-focused wine list, good beer and spirit selection, mainly classic cocktails

Cost About $95 a head for two courses; $120 a head for three (the three-course menu is available only at weekends)

Besha Rodell reviews Laura