Whether it was the drawcard of chef of the day Gary Patterson, the weather (hot) or the time of year we don't know; but a lively crowd of 42 or so members and guests were on hand to enjoy a seasonal meal. Especially welcome were 6 members of the Ladies' Wine & Food Society (in addition to those present as partners of our members), led by President Cynthia Stericker.

'Tis the season for seafood, and that's what we got, starting with pieces of sliced sashimi tuna lifted with a dab of wasabi; and superb medium Sydney rock oysters, served in the shell with a gentle ponzu dressing. A grab bag of aperitif wines was on hand, including a pretty decent Salinger sparkling, with or without a hit of cassis, a Warramate rose with more oomph than usual for the style, a good but not brilliant riesling from the same maker and a Lindemans sparkling shiraz, starting to lose its sparkle.

For mains, Gary had sourced some huge tiger prawns from the Gulf of Carpentaria and, with the assistance of Mark Bradford, presented two of them whole on each plate, grilled and juicy, with a salad of wilted spinach, snow peas, crumbled fetta cheese and walnut pieces, in which were embedded some freshly seared scallops. The task of peeling the prawns was more than rewarded by the result, and the whole presented as a light, fresh and sea-flavoured dish. With it came a couple of overseas wines: a 2010 Bramito della Sala chardonnay from Umbria and a 2010 Le Rose du Valon rose from Provence. The white was well made, with sweet fruit, minimal wood and a bite of acid on the finish to give it structure; the rose was what you would expect, with a dry light and very delicate palate which improved with food.

The cheese, introduced by Mike Staniland in the absence of the Cheese Master, showed as a well-flavoured but slightly rubbery washed rind, and was revealed as a local production, a L'Artisan Mountain Man from Timboon in Victoria. Well made, but no Taleggio or Reblochon. It was well matched by a 2009 Stonier pinot noir from Mornington, a good example of an Oz pinot with age showing good tannins on top of tight fruit with a hint of funkiness. A 2000 Coriole McLaren Vale shiraz was less successful with the cheese, although showing typical bricky fruit and colour, still holding on to its character. We also got a look at a French sticky, a 2011 Ch La Rame St Croix du Mont, which had a hint of botrytis with the sweetness of the fruit and was, as intended, a good match with the cheese.

The coffee was Spencer Ferrier's own blend of Yurgachef and Colombian medium roast beans, and combined big soft flavour in the mouth with some citric acidity on the finish. It was great to drink with a birthday Calvados, or apple brandy, supplied by James Tinslay, who was duly thanked.