Bridgewater Mill - Bridgewater

Earlier this year, Postcards paid a visit to the historic Bridgewater Mill, a defining landmark of the Adelaide Hills with its spectacular waterwheel known as "The Old Rumbler". It was once fed by a millrace, a stone lined channel which carried thousands of litres of water per minute from the old Bridgewater Mill dam tucked away in a secluded valley. The dam's now gone but "The Old Rumbler" with its one hundred water buckets, still turns relentlessly.

All of this was the brainchild of legendary flour miller, John Dunn, who built this imposing edifice one hundred and forty years ago, though now it's really a landmark for gourmands and wine lovers from around the country. Leading winemaker Brian Croser, of Petaluma fame, originally saw this as a place to store his famous sparkling wine.

"Yes, we built it. There was a hole in the ground, the stone had come out for the mill building itself. And the quarry, which surrounded it, was the perfect place storing Croser while it's maturing in the bottle. The temperature is very even and the front part of the building - the public don't get into - but this part used to pay for the back part which is the restaurant, now of course the restaurant is very, very successful".

"So how many bottles would you have here at the moment?"

"Oh that's an interesting question - I would say something like half a million".

Ironically, the mill was built by a tee-totalling Methodist, who's flour was famous throughout Australia.

"So it had a long and honourable career as a flour mill. In fact, it's the first "passing off" case of any product in Australia done with Bridgewater Mill flour. The flour had such a good reputation for quality that those Victorian - somebody in the Bellerine Peninsula near Geelong, copied the brand". "Really?"

"Sold their flour as Bridgewater Mill flour"

"Typical"

"Typical - exactly!"

But it's come a long way since then. Brian bought it in the early eighties for one hundred and sixty thousand dollars on the advice of friend and well-known wine expert, Len Evans. $2.3million later and it looks like this. Len designed the Elizabethan theatre-style interior which is just a part of the cellar door and restaurant complex where national restaurant-of-the-year award winner Le Tu Thai, now works his culinary magic. Le came to Australia from Vietnam in 1978. Here, East meets West, in a unique fusion of cooking styles in which Le draws on the French tradition with its love of complex tastes, particularly its rich sauces.

You could try this at home, that's if you had days to spare and knew what to shop for. This taste sensation alone with its truffle base and venison stock harks back to the grand old kitchens of France where a sous chef had sole responsibility for glazes, stocks and sauces. Out back, Le carves out his place among the top chefs of Australia, the local venison surrounded with sauted pine mushrooms and topped with caramelised apple. And of course adorned with roast parsnip slices. The final touch...a sauce "to die for".

"Venison with caramelised apple and truffle centred sauce".

At just over twenty four dollars for a dish like this, it's little wonder that locals and visitors alike continue to make a beeline for the Bridgewater Mill. The restaurant is open for lunch from midday to 2.30pm Thursday through to Monday - while the cellar door is open daily from 10am until 5pm.

For more information you can email: info@postcards-sa.com.au