Road Trippin’: A Culinary Adventure

lastminute lovely Nicole swapped the hustle and bustle of Sydney for a South Coast weekend escape.

Oh how I love a good road trip. Don’t get me wrong, I like boarding a plane and visiting an OS destination as much as the next girl, but there’s just something about jumping in the car and hitting the road.

Hello? Spring?

So with bags packed, my man and I kicked off our journey to the South Coast, with our trusty GPS in tow (if you read my last post featuring a map-reading mishap, you’ll understand why this little piece of technology was crucial for a happy weekend away!).

From the photo, you can see that this wasn’t exactly a stunning spring day to start with. You’d expect this kind of fog in July, not October!

Nothing could dampen our spirits though and we made good time to our first official stop (not counting the early morning police breath-test!), the very cute town of Berry.

It’s the journey, not the destination

Sourdough Heaven

I won’t lie, Berry was instantly confirmed on our road trip hit list for one reason: the Berry Woodfired Sourdough Bakery.

This hot spot was brimming with locals and out-of-towners alike, and delivered on our very high expectations. Our breakfast (scrambled eggs and poached eggs respectively) were the taste of the country that we had been craving. And the famous sourdough? Superb! The bakery also offers a scrumptious array of cakes, tarts and pastries (I may or may not have bought some for later).

On the road again

We hit the highway and soon found ourselves at our home for the weekend, the Breakers Apartments in the coastal town of Mollymook. Located just across from the beach, these two storey apartments are the ideal base for a relaxing break.

Foodie adventures

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that amazing food experiences are an absolute must for a successful weekend. Mollymook and the surrounding towns of Milton and Ulladulla didn’t disappoint on this front. Here are my top picks:

Rick Stein at Bannisters

Lunch with a view

We kicked off our Mollymook stay with lunch at the restaurant of UK celebrity chef, Rick Stein. Before you ask, we didn’t spot Mr Stein himself but we read the next day that he did have a good excuse… he was in Sydney getting married!

Rick Stein at Bannisters is a restaurant that does simple seafood exceptionally well. The gorgeous water views were made even more spectacular when we were lucky enough to spot whales frolicking in the ocean!

Favourites: There’s nothing like eating seafood in a coastal town and we were suitably impressed with our picks at Bannisters. Escalopes of Tasmanian salmon with a sorrel sauce was a definite highlight.

Bacchus at Milton

Super excited for the popular fish and chips

With no dinner plans locked in, we stumbled across this little beauty and were so glad that we did! With a definite ‘couples’ vibe on this particular Saturday night, the softly lit Bacchus at Milton proved to be a smart impromptu choice.

Owner/chef Darren Foots (who honed his craft internationally including stints in New York and at top resorts in the Fiji Islands) provides a modern Australian menu with Eastern Europe and Pacific influences – an interesting combination but it works.

OMG

Favourites: The beer and vodka battered fish with triple cooked chips, served in a cute little bucket, was probably my favourite dish of the whole weekend. I must also mention the dessert tasting plate. Seeing our indecisiveness as we reviewed the menu, our friendly waitress offered to ask the chef to prepare a selection. ‘Dessert tasting plate’ could be my three favourite words.

Pilgrims, Milton

See males and vegetarian cafes CAN mix

Conveniently located right next door to Bacchus, I highly recommend Pilgrims for breakfast. Here’s a little tip though for the women folk out there… if you’re visiting with the man in your life, enter via the back entrance. The reason? He’ll miss seeing the sign out the front declaring that this is a vegetarian cafe. The food is so good that I highly doubt he’ll miss his bacon fix.

Favourites: The scrambled eggs with sourdough (from the Berry bakery we visited, no less) was honestly one of the best I have had. The fresh juices and granola were                                                 also excellent.

Hayden’s Pies, Ulladulla

Meat pie heaven

Located at 166 Princes Pieway (or highway if you’re putting it in the GPS), Hayden’s puts a unique spin on the traditional meat pie. On the day we visited, the specials board featured ‘Thai green chicken curry’ and ‘crocodile’ along with better known varieties.

Top picks: The lamb, sweet potato and olive pie was exceptional: I loved the flavour combo and the buttery yet flaky pastry was melt-in-your-mouth perfection. I suggest choosing the take-away option and driving the few                                                 minutes to Ulladulla Harbour for lunch with a view.

Country roads, take me home…

Homeward bound

Waving a sad goodbye to our little piece of coastal paradise, we entrusted our GPS to get us back to Sydney. Selecting the ‘fastest’ option took us on a route we never would have considered and we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves in the gorgeous Kangaroo Valley for a quick stop. Amazed at the quaint little country streets we found ourselves on at times, it was the perfect way to complete a weekend road trip.