{"id":42078,"date":"2016-05-11T15:05:08","date_gmt":"2016-05-11T05:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/?p=42078"},"modified":"2018-05-14T06:10:17","modified_gmt":"2018-05-13T20:10:17","slug":"9-places-to-eat-drink-in-the-hunter-valley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/9-places-to-eat-drink-in-the-hunter-valley\/","title":{"rendered":"9 places to eat & drink in the Hunter Valley"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australia has some of the best wineries in the world, and it\u2019s crazy to think how many are within driving distance of Sydney<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Just 2.5 hours north and a little inland is the beautiful Hunter Valley<\/a>; home of Scarborough Wine Co.<\/a>, Bimbadgen Estate<\/a>, Keith Tulloch<\/a>, and many more well-known (and must-try) wineries. But it\u2019s not just the wineries that you should go for; Aussie wine regions like the Hunter are also raising the stakes for delish eating experiences.<\/p>\n

\"Hunter

LOVE a good drive<\/a> holiday!<\/p><\/div>\n

Read on for my list of places to eat and drink in the Hunter<\/a>:<\/p>\n

E A T<\/h3>\n

Bistro Molines
\n<\/strong>Just outside Pokolbin in Mount View, Bistro Molines<\/a> is a provincial French restaurant run by husband and wife duo, Robert and Sally Molines.<\/p>\n\"Bistro\n

The menu is a\u00a0commitment to locally sourced, seasonal produce, and is paired with a long list of wines from the Hunter, greater Australia, France and Italy. Some wines are so local they come straight from the Tallavera Grove<\/a> vineyard on site!<\/p>\n\"Bistro\n

Overlooking the surrounding\u00a0hills, you\u2019ll be forgiven for getting lost in the incredible view like Blog Editor Nicole<\/a> did on her visit.<\/p>\n

Goldfish Bar & Kitchen
\n<\/strong>Nestled in the Roche Estate<\/a> complex (formerly Tempus Two), Goldfish Bar and Kitchen <\/a>is an understated and award-winning small bar.<\/p>\n

\"Goldfish

Roche Estate<\/p><\/div>\n

Rivalling some of Sydney\u2019s<\/a> top bars, Goldfish is the perfect place to collapse after a long day of wine swilling. And with a menu of tapas-style dishes, it\u2019s also a welcome change if like us, your trip involves non-stop eating.<\/p>\n\"Goldfish\n

We order a bottle of Glandore Estate<\/a> red and choose a few share plates to graze on. Each dish is fresh and full of flavour, and leaving us wanting more\u2026 so we order a cheeky affogato for the road \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Pasta-making class at Sandalyn Wilderness Estate
\n<\/strong>Want to do something that doesn\u2019t involve wine tasting? Well actually, that\u2019s a big fat lie because on our 11am arrival to Sandalyn Wilderness Estate<\/a> a glass of wine is shoved into our hands (although don\u2019t be mistaken, it was absolutely voluntary!) The point is however, that you can go here and do something a little bit different.<\/p>\n\"Sandalyn\n\"Sandalyn\n

Over the course of 4 hours, we learn about olive oil (Sandalyn also produces their own olive oil), learn how to make pasta, taste some wines from the vineyard on site, and at the end we feast on a beautiful meal of our home-made agnolotti and fettuccini. Belissimo!<\/p>\n\"Sandalyn\n

Book your own pasta-making course here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

EXP Restaurant
\n<\/strong>Now, you\u2019ll have to excuse me for drooling while I reminisce about EXP Restaurant<\/a>. Although I\u2019m sure this is the natural reaction because it was incredibly good \u2013 a 10\/10 for sure.<\/p>\n\"EXP\n

The attention to detail is there; it\u2019s in the service, the beautiful hand-crafted crockery, and of course every dish that hits our table. We embark on an eight course journey that kicks off with fresh herbs from the garden that have been frozen in liquid nitrogen. We\u2019re invited to crush the herbs with a small pestle, to then mix through some local butter, before spreading on our freshly-baked flat bread.<\/p>\n\"EXP\n

Each dish outdoes the previous, and at the end of the night we struggle to pick a favourite because they are all so damn tasty. Here are a few standouts to get your mouth watering:<\/p>\n