Adina Vineyard Restaurant, Lovedale

Where: 492 Lovedale Road, Lovedale

Prices: Entrees $17, mains from $20.50 to $29; desserts, $12

Chef: Andreas (Andy) Burri

Wines:Well-priced Adina Vineyard and other Hunter wines with suggestions by the glass to accompany each dish

Hours: Breakfast, Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 12 noon; lunch, Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 3pm; dinner Friday and Saturday, 6.30pm to 9pm

Vegetarian: Two dishes

Bookings: 4930 7473

Bottom line: lunch for two, (main and dessert) about $70 without drinks

I seem to recall giving the advice (more than once) not to go to a Hunter Valley restaurant the day after a big gig at one of the vineyards. So I have only myself to blame when finding that although we had no problem finding a table at Adina overlooking the burgeoning vines and olive trees, some favourites on the menu are missing.

However, there is still enough variety in the list of similar-sized dishes to keep four hungry guests happy.

You might come to Adina for breakfast, lunch or dinner but you are sure to leave with more than just a meal. The processing plant next door pumps out a range of olive oils, olives, tapenades and associated products and displays them in the what doubles as a wine-tasting room and casual restaurant. And those vines you can see from the terrace are responsible for a range of classic Hunter varietal wines as well as the Italian pinot grigio and sangiovese.

Andy avoids the predictable and clichéd chicken by successfully using pork as an alternative to traditional veal in a Vienna schnitzel. The crumb crust on two thin slices of sweet and delicate meat is light and crunchy ($23.50). A wedge of lemon, some potato rosti, buttered carrot batons and steamed broccoli and asparagus spears complete the tried-and-true formula.

You can buy Andy's dukkah in the shop. He also uses it to top a buttery sauteed fillet of snapper ($23) for a Middle Eastern inspired alternative to the usual flaked almonds. Saffron rice and an almost Greek-style salad continue the Mediterranean theme.

Spicy arrabbiata-style sauce studded with a plethora of juicy prawns coats silky house-made tagliatelle ($22). And a crustless Mediterranean tart ($20.50) is enough to keep the vegetarian in the party happy, the frittata-like disc binding a generous complement of tomato and zucchini, with the whole resting on a vibrant rocket and pear salad.

What Mod Oz menu would be complete without tiramisu ($12)? Andy eschews the usual commercial Savoiardi biscuits. Instead he makes his own sponge cake, slices it, soaks it lightly in coffee and Kaluah, then sandwiches it with creamy mascarpone. Add a dusting of cocoa, place it on a plate criss-crossed with chocolate sauce and finish with a slice of strawberry and a sprinkling of praline for texture contrast and you have a dish to please the most exacting tiramisu lover.

Strawberries and balsamic vinegar is one of those magical food combinations that only works with the ripest strawberries and an aged, or at least caramelised, vinegar. The strawberries in the Strawberry Adina ($12) fit the bill, as does Andy's caramelised balsamic vinegar. A slightly heavy hand with the vinegar threatens to swamp the strawberry flavour, but a generous scoop of ice-cream flecked with vanilla bean comes to the rescue. So much for the virtuous feeling brought about by choosing strawberries rather than tiramisu.

This cafe is still evolving but with the present team at the helm the direction can only be up. Stay tuned for some radical changes and keep an eye on the concert calendar.