From meat pies to steamed lobster and oysters straight off the lease, we’ve compiled the most effective locations to eat and drink within the Sapphire Coast’s tastiest meals cities.
Relying on who you ask, Justin Hemmes is both the most effective or worst factor to occur to Narooma. The chief govt of Sydney-based hospitality group Merivale (which additionally owns Italian-inspired Totti’s, Mr Wong and dozens of different venues) has known as the South Coast city a second residence for the previous seven years, after shopping for a number of hectares of residential property within the space. Extra just lately, nevertheless, Hemmes has been buying outdated Narooma inns and motels and opening hatted eating places.
“Extra yuppies transferring south!” one native exclaimed to us on the Narooma Lodge (a pub with a terrific view out to Wagonga Head, however not but owned by Hemmes). “He’s accomplished a very good job on The Whale, although,” retorted his mate, who shortly went again to watching Keno. We received’t weigh into any of that, however we are going to say that the meals at Lynch’s Lodge (the opposite Narooma pub, with out a lot of a view) is actually much more scrumptious since Hemmes picked it up in 2022. Strive the native fish pie with fennel and radish salad.
In the event you’re staying in Narooma, Merimbula is a 90-minute drive away, however the two really feel very very similar to sister cities, linked by world-class oysters and sapphire-blue waters. Merimbula is not any slouch within the meals and booze house both, with an rising variety of venues providing the chance to order a martini and name charcuterie dinner. One or two nights in each Narooma and Merimbula makes for a wonderful weekend, with a short cease in Bermagui for a kardemummabullar (we’ll clarify later).
For breakfast
Perched at one finish of Merimbula’s boardwalk path, Sunny’s Kiosk is a welcome reward for weary travellers. Energiser bunnies can rent kayaks or paddleboards from the lakeside cafe. Others merely savour the expansive views, homely furnishings and well-balanced brews from Seven Miles Espresso Roasters. The eclectic menu caters for all tastes (or BMIs), from huge outdated bacon and egg rolls to Japanese pancakes with pork stomach. Sunny’s additionally opens as a wine bar over summer time nights, which is an ideal approach to watch the sundown over water.
68 Lakewood Drive, Merimbula; sunnyskiosk.com.au
For oysters
Visiting the Sapphire Coast and never consuming oysters is sort of a child receiving a brand new toy at Christmas and retaining it within the field. Various bivalve fanatics will inform you that Merimbula rock oysters are particularly glorious for his or her daring mineral zing and fruity end. Among the many mangroves at The Oyster Barn, you may expertise them virtually straight off the lease with prawn rolls and native crayfish as well. Or if you wish to decide up a dozen oysters and take them to the seaside with a bottle of BYO Bollinger, that may be facilitated too.
49 Oyster Monitor, Millingandi; merimbulagourmetoysters.com.au
For an extended lunch
Arriving by seaplane is up there with cruffins and the lambada as issues to expertise at the least as soon as in a lifetime. In the event you’re going to splash out on the service, you would possibly as effectively splash out on the Quarterdeck, a former boat shed on Wagonga Inlet the place plane taxi visitors to the again door. Inside is dolled up like a tiki hut, with a thatched grass bar serving slushie-style pina coladas that ought to include a spoon. A Mexican-inspired menu fits the festive really feel, that includes fish tacos topped with vibrant pico de gallo salsa, and fried squash flowers with crumbled queso fresco and pickled onion rings. Ruby-red tuna tostadas topped with spicy salsa matcha are excellent for the setting, and cider-splashed mussels are made for heat afternoons by the open home windows. When the view’s this good, who cares if the return flight is delayed?
13 Riverside Drive, Narooma; merivale.com/venues/quarterdeck-narooma
For nation consolation
The super-thick vault door to the wine room at Banksia Restaurant is a clue to the constructing’s origin as a financial institution, when it saved bundles of money fairly than bottles of cabernet sauvignon. Timber-panelled partitions, pressed steel and an open fire add to the restaurant’s old-world really feel in picturesque Pambula, a 10-minute drive from Merimbula. Hosts Huw and Renee Jones take advantage of their intimate house with a beneficiant three-course set menu, and the weekly altering choices would possibly function tacky ox-tail rarebit served with richly flavoured consomme, or creamy buttermilk mash topped with peppered yellowfin tuna and a daring beurre blanc sauce. Department, a extra informal eating room, has simply opened on the web site, too. Count on an a la carte providing of share-plates equivalent to wagyu tri-tip with wasabi, and chorizo-stuffed olives.
22 Quondola Avenue, Pambula; banksiarestaurant.com.au
For a bells-and-whistles dinner
Amongst different inalienable truths, equivalent to oysters want chablis, is that cocktails go higher with confectionery. At Valentina, an quaint made with darkish rum is served with house-made macadamia praline for a splendid mix of robust and candy. It’s a pleasant opener for a restaurant that nary places a foot flawed. Full-length home windows overlook oyster beds, however it’s what’s inside that counts (one other fact). The hand-plastered partitions and pastel colors are a advantageous cause to linger, as is a light-weight and beautiful tumble of native squid with peas and crisp shards of hen pores and skin, and charred octopus with punchy sobrasada oil. Pan-seared blue eye with onion rings is fantastically balanced, and parmesan-crumbed cauliflower with sage and creamy kale places pub schnitzels to disgrace. Tender wagyu rump with bone marrow butter, in the meantime, exhibits there’s extra to the Sapphire Coast than seafood. True that.
2 Market Avenue, Merimbula; valentinamerimbula.com
For wine
Ryde Pennefather hung out in Sydney and Thirroul earlier than returning to his hometown of Merimbula 4 years in the past. He then helped launch Valentina, earlier than leaving to open pure wine-focused Bar Superette in September. Good Meals hasn’t had an opportunity to go to Bar Superette but, however it’s very excessive on the to-do checklist resulting from its funk and groove-heavy information and fancy tinned fish, and wines extra widespread to bars in Surry Hills, Fitzroy and the eleventh arrondissement. The brief menu of extra substantial objects sounds terrific (hash browns with trout roe; steak frites; witlof salad with duck, peach and gruyere) and wine can be obtainable at retail costs from Superette’s delicatessen and bottle-shop cabinets. Seize a lunchtime sandwich to go when you’re buying.
16/20 Market Avenue, Merimbula; superettesuperette.com
For bread and pastries
Since 2015, among the finest causes to remain at a vacation home in Bermagui (apart from the simple ocean pool entry) has been the chance to get up and stroll right down to Honorbread for one among its glorious sourdoughs contemporary from the oven. The bakery remains to be a really advantageous incentive to set your GPS for the seaside village, however now close by Narooma has an outpost of Honorbread too. The brand new store opened in December, and all of the hits are accounted for together with black tahini scrolls, ache au chocolat and the kardemummabullar, everybody’s favorite Swedish cardamom bun. Down Merimbula and Pambula manner, Wild Rye’s Baking Co is the ticket for house-roasted espresso, assorted sourdoughs and Basque cheesecake, plus a straight-up scrumptious, no-funny-business steak pie.
8 Bunga Avenue, Bermagui and a couple of/114 Wagonga Avenue, Narooma; honorbread.com
26 Quondola Avenue, Pambula; wildryes.com.au
For pizza and pasta
Monitoring down good pizza in regional NSW is like attempting to find sushi within the desert, however it may be discovered. Living proof is Bar Monti, which opened in late 2022 and rocks a fantastically puffy-crusted margherita, plus a pepperoni pizza and white-sauce porchetta quantity with braised fennel and purple onion. Fussy children might be well-fed with spaghetti bolognese or mortadella meatballs, whereas mother and father have their selection of house-made pastas equivalent to rigatoni with lamb ragu, peas and pecorino, or fettuccine with mushrooms and smoked speck.
Store 6/11 Merimbula Drive, Merimbula; barmonti.com
For an old-fashioned burger
Merimbula’s greatest burgers and craft beer vary might be discovered at Dulcie’s Cottage, an historic weatherboard refurbished by the identical crew behind Valentina. Seats might be exhausting to land at peak occasions for those who don’t have a reserving, however selection cocktails and coastal bric-a-brac make Dulice’s a straightforward place to face till a desk might be pounced upon. Burgers are milk bar fashion, made with native produce equivalent to Wild Rye’s natural buns and beef from Goodall’s High quality Meats, one block over, and the kitchen is open from midday every day. Households are additionally made to really feel greater than welcome, however ought to word that anybody underneath 18-years-old might want to vacate the cottage earlier than 8pm. Dulcie likes to occasion.
60 Important Avenue, Merimbula; dulcies.com.au
For native lobster
Don’t be fooled by Queen Chow’s lazy susans, multicoloured carpet and placemat-size menus. Merivale’s Cantonese restaurant at The Whale Inn isn’t your customary small-town Chinese language. Arrive round sundown on the wood-panelled bar and take within the ocean view with a purple jasmine negroni in a well-cushioned cane chair. Additionally value savouring are the plump seafood dumplings and kingfish sashimi with tangy orange ponzu and chilli. Particular fried rice is the right companion to a roast meat platter loaded with char siu, spatchcock and duck, however with the ocean so shut, it’s exhausting to go previous steamed native lobster in a handy guide a rough sauce of white soy, ginger and shallots.
102 Wagonga Avenue, Narooma; merivale.com/venues/queen-chow-narooma
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