Travel Diaries :: NSW Weekend Escape: Unspoilt Shoalhaven Foodies Trail

Foodies will travel anywhere for good food. It’s crazy, I know. Food lovers book flights and troop around the world to indulge on good food. But what if I told you that you don’t need to book an air ticket and as a Sydneysider, a culinary inspired trip is only an hour and half drive away from Sydney? I’m talking about the Shoalhaven region, in particular a little village town called Berry and a little bit further south, Milton for some of the finest regional restaurants in the country.

For breakfast, lunch and great coffee

We tried the Ocean Trout, fresh, healthy and delicious, pork loin chop with blue lentil, confit garlic, cherry tomato salad and a fried egg (almost like the Western take of a common Vietnamese pork and fried egg dish I order) and freshly baked savoury muffins with cauliflower quinoa and almond salad.

Little Rae General Store was a great little place to grab a clean eating healthy breakfast on a Sunday morning. I remember the breakfast plate that I had at a charming little cafe and General store in the heart of Berry. I couldn’t resist ordering a plate that has hummus in it. The plate comprised of avocado, green beans, kale, chickpeas, poached egg, fresh herbs and love the seeded toast too. They serve great coffee too in this little café which was founded in Berry, NSW in 2015 by mother & daughter team Louise and Bec Riles. Together, they combine their knowledge of cooking, retail and interior design in a store that values deliciously simple food & thoughtfully made wares. The venue is collaboration of family members, with Chef and brother Ben (formerly at Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney, Guillaume Paddington and Devon on Danks) at the helm in the kitchen, preparing simple and nourishing food made fresh to go. The store is a destination for serious coffee, and heart-warming food but whilst in store, be sure to check out the selection of beautiful and durable wares, designed to stand the test of time.

South on Albany

This was one fine dinner with quality dishes created from quality fresh produce. Mains are around $29-$35 so reasonably priced too. We also tried the spiced baby carrots and chickpea salad, smoked eggplant, Mountain goat cheese, toasted nuts and grains and sourdough crumbed fish cake of local snapper, herb and caper mayonnaise, radish and watercress to start. For mains we had Fish of the Day and the slow cooked lamb shoulder with celeriac puree, pearly barley risotto, roasted beetroot, herb brioche crumbs. For desserts, we tasted the chocolate mousse, honeycomb, raspberry sorbet, passionfruit, chocolate and wattleseed crumb and the pear almond and ginger pudding with caramel sauce, Ameretto and cassia cream.

St Isidore

St Isidore is a modern restaurant with a huge kitchen garden, located in the beautiful Milton hills. Its menu is contemporary in style, celebrating and embracing the beauty of season and origin.There is a reason why restaurants are given hats. Since I last visited 2 years ago St Isidore, Milton was recently awarded one star by Gourmet Traveller magazine and ranked 6th in the best of NSW regional restaurants in their 2017 Restaurant Guide. St Isidore was also awarded a coveted one hat by the SMH Good Food Guide 2016 and 2017. St Isidore in Milton is as good as I remember it when I first visited 2 years ago. The first thing I did was went out the back to see if the chooks were still there in St Isidore restaurant, and they were as plump as ever and was happily greeted by them (they probably knew a foodie was coming) and to walk through their vegetable garden and to see their orchards. A really beautiful restaurant with a farm at the back. Just in case you were wondering St Isidore’s name was derived from Isidore the Farm Labourer in Spain. (c. 1070 – May 15, 1130) He was a Spanish farmworker known for his piety toward the poor and animals. He is the Catholic patron saint of farmers and of Madrid, and of La Ceiba, Honduras. His feast day is celebrated on May 15. He was known to perform miracles for the poor and farm animals. One snowy day, when going to the mill with corn to be ground, he passed a flock of wood-pigeons scratching vainly for food on the hard surface of the frosty ground. Taking pity on the poor animals, he poured half of his sack of precious corn upon the ground for the birds, despite the mocking of witnesses. When he reached the mill, however, the bag was full, and the corn, when it was ground, produced double the expected amount of flour (reference Wikipedia).Well no shortage of food here.

We tried the Narooma Sydney Rock Oysters to start. For mains, the Ulladulla Snapper with mussels, roasted fennel, grilled prawn sauce and lemon and the Riverina MS2+ Scotch Fillet with baby carrots, radicchio, garlic butter, onion rings. For desserts we tasted a  delicious pink lady apple and olive oil cake and the warm chocolate tart.

For something different

Hungry Duck

For dinner, we tried a venue that is a dynamic take on Asian cuisine, Hungry Duck. Admittedly, by the time I got there I was still full from breakfast and lunch so wanted to try something on the lighter side. So I opted for vegetable dishes which wasn’t a bad choice considering their kitchen garden provides many of the organic herbs and vegetables that are showcased on the plate. It is worth a stopover for any food lover travelling the South Coast. The space is chic and the food is modern and behind this venue is chef/owner David Campbell.

Bite Around Berry

For something hands on

 

 

 

Trip Notes Summary

Getting there
Self-drive from Sydney to Berry is about 2 hours.

Where to stay

Mt Hay Retreat 260 Mount Hay Rd, Berry NSW 2535