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The neatly plated, bite-size city of Parma is home to some iconic Italian dishes and foods. Reggiano parmigiano and Parma di Prosciutto (world-famous parmesan cheese and Parma ham) both come from here.

And if you pull the camera back a little, the broader Emilia-Romagna region is where things like bolognese, balsamic vinegar, tagliatelle, tortellini, ragu and even mortadella all come from.

So it’s little wonder that Parma is full of bars and restaurants serving just the most delicious dishes.

Locals here know what good food and good produce means, and the high standards are set, met and respected everywhere you go in this gracious yet down-to-earth river city.

If you want to know exactly what to eat while you’re here, check out our story on 7 Things You Must Eat in Parma.

For the best activities and tours in the region, click here!

Find the best rates on accommodation in Parma here.

Our Top Picks on Where to Eat and Drink in Parma

Only a short train ride major travel hubs like Milan and Bologna, we’re surprised to find Parma quite unused to tourism. Locals are friendly enough, though they seem surprised to see visitors.

Once we’ve fulfilled our primary goal of visiting a parmesan factory and a prosciutto farm a little out of town (you have to do this tour by the way, it’s fascinating), we settle down to exploring the food offerings of the city.

Trattoria del Tribunale — authentic Parma-centric dishes in an old-school setting

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Just off the main food street of Luigi Carlo Farini, this immense, Tardis-like old-school restaurant is packed with the charm of proper Italian hospitality.

The menu is full of Parma classics served with relish and pride. I came to Parma with a list of things I wanted to eat here; I tick most of them off in here!

Everything we order here is superb, and the service and atmosphere are impeccable. Get here early though as queues for tables build up fast.

Trattoria Corrieri — where the locals go for atmosphere and great food

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A recommendation from another restaurant, Trattoria Corrieri snatched the crown from our favourite — Trattoria del Tribunale — on our very last night in Parma.

Down the side of the University of Parma, this wonderfully homely little trattoria is full of warmth and life. We walk into a dining room packed with laughter and happy voices, staff move with purpose and good manners, and the food is simply splendid.

Add to that the exposed brick, the gingham tablecloths, the waistcoated waiters and the ‘meat cellar’ full of prosciutto legs and all kinds of other salumi, and there’s nothing Corrieri doesn’t have.

Osteria Virgilio — a bright friendly lunch spot

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On the western side of the Parma River, in amongst the alleys and once working class neighbourhoods of the Oltretorrente, the little Osteria Virgilio serves well-made Parma classics with a sense of flare that matches its wine lists.

We stopped in here for a spot of lunch and were impressed. They also had one of the dishes I was seeking: the caval pist — horse tartare. But this is so finely minced that it has almost a pesto smoothness.

We’re so comfortable in this little osteria that we find it hard to leave, especially with so many tempting bottles of wine around us.

Tabaccheria Caffetteria Giulia — drinks and snacks for aperitivo hour

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On one of the main streets of the passeggiata through Parma, Giulia is a lively little cafe with street-side seating, a quick-serving bar and plenty of tempting snacks in the cabinet.

We stopped here for a couple of glasses of wine at aperitivo hour, where you can grab bites to eat with your drink at a nominal fee.

The service is friendly, the drinks are well-priced and the snacks are very tasty. Tick all those boxes!

Enoteca Tabarro — fantastic people-watching and pretty good wine too

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Close to where we were staying in Parma, this funny little wine bar likes to take itself a bit seriously, but if you can overlook the man-splaining, you can score some excellent people-watching.

Order quickly so the guy who works here can’t get settled and grab an outdoor seat at one of the giant wine barrel tables. The wine, which is great by the way, will taste all the better.

Honorable Mentions

We didn’t get round to eating in these last few places, but they’re worth checking out. We’ll definitely try them the next time we’re here.

Osteria dei Servi — for meat grilled over coals and handmade pasta

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At the edge of the markets by the river, this place was completely full when we were here (in winter), but they did recommend we go to Trattoria Corierri, so that deserves credit.

Focused on authentic, homely dishes from the region, this place specialises in house-made pasta and grilled meat that they cook on a huge round charcoal grill.

Da Pepen — for top-level panini

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There’s nothing quite like a freshly made panino from a deli in Italy, and these guys are well-known for theirs. They do things like fresh fig, prosciutto and gorgonzola panini, but also horse meatballs in a sandwich if you’re game.

Ciacco Gelateria — for Parma’s best gelato

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This is a big call — especially without having tried it — but this is apparently the best gelato in a town that knows good food. The website looks slick and the flavours on offer sound quite avant guard, but owner and food scientist Stefano Guizzetti seems to know what he’s doing. We’ll be back, Sefano.

The post Where to Eat and Drink in Parma, Italy appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Close to New South Wales’ southern border, Merimbula and the beautiful Sapphire Coast is home to some of the best seafood in the country.

Long famous for its Sydney rock oysters and seafood, the region has also developed a strong culinary reputation. Restaurants on the Sapphire Coast all seem to be able to turn the incredible local produce into unique, masterful dishes packed with flavour and creativity.

Tidal Restaurant and Wine Bar, which opened in 2021, is in the hands of partners Chef Gavin Swalwell and Fiona Myers, both of whom have a long list of venerated venues in their resume.

We visited Gavin and Fi at Tidal during the annual Eat Merimbula food festival in March and were lucky enough to enjoy their Seafood Extravaganza dinner event.

Obviously, this event is not available all year round, but the a la carte options, which change seasonally, offer a whole range of delightful dishes we will definitely be exploring the next time we’re in town.

Tidal Restaurant and Wine Bar—Seafood Extravaganza

The airy restaurant, with its wide windows open to the sea breeze and ocean views, has a lovely atmosphere. Tables, which are politely spaced around the restaurant and none are parallel, soon fill with excited patrons.

Gavin and Fi are at the door and welcome us to our seats

We start the evening with cocktails. My Manhattan and Christina’s Hugo Spritz are not only delicious, but surprisingly affordable. A glance at the menu reveals one of the best priced drinks lists we’ve seen—especially in such a fine venue with this kind of location.

Cocktails are all under $20, the wine we choose to go with dinner (local Pinot and Riesling) are $10 and $12 respectively, and even the single malt whisky is kind on the wallet; a tot of Hellyers Road Pinot Noir Finish will let you back just $12.

Dish #1

Dinner is to be a multi-course degustation showing off the flavours of the region. There are also some guest speakers we’re looking forward to hearing from, but to start off with, our entree of scallop wrapped in prosciutto arrives.

It’s a great start. Somehow, the prosciutto is crisp while the scallop within is perfectly cooked. Plump and juicy. And the corn puree underneath is velvety and sweet. It’s an eloquent dish that shows just how good the kitchen is.

Dish #2

Next is a dozen rock oysters from nearby Narooma with a barrel-aged mignonette. The onion in the mignonette is a bit chunky for my liking, but the oysters are so creamy and full of mineral qualities, and the barrel-ageing of the vinegar are beautiful.

Before the next course comes, we’re entertained by the evening’s guest speakers: Mick ‘Banjo’ Young, who runs Banjo’s Oyster Farm, and Ryan Morris, who is a second-generation abalone and sea-urchin diver for ATSSU Divers here on the Sapphire Coast.

They both have such interesting stories to tell.

Banjo talks about the difficulties he’s faced being an oyster farmer for over 33 years (and how he can play the banjo) and Ryan explains how it takes at least 17 people in the chain to process a single sea urchin.

It puts in perspective our previous dish and what we’re eating now.

Dish #3

Laid out on a plate, Southern Ocean tuna carpaccio has been sliced so thinly it’s transparent. And crowning the carpaccio is a lobe of sea urchin that melts into creamy liquid as you cut into it.

These two combine into such a delicate mouthful that embodies the flavour of the sea.

Dish #4

The last of the savoury dishes comes out next, and what a dish it is. Each person is served their own half a Sydney rock lobster from Narooma with a butter sambal on a bed of bok choy and watercress.

There’s just so much tasty tender meat in these lobsters. And to make it easier for everyone, they’ve been prepared by the kitchen with all the meat extracted and put back into the shell.

Dish #5

Next, we see the sweet skills of the kitchen come out. From berries grown in the restaurants own garden, the strawberry sorbet palate-cleanser is something else. The flavours from this sorbet are extraordinary and the texture is almost gelato-smooth.

A beautifully crafted leaf-shaped biscuit tuille somehow accentuates the strawberry flavours.

Dish #6

Finally, the last dish comes to us: baked peach and Chantilly cream, topped with a shard of toffee and a plump glossy toasted meringue. What a dessert this is. Real food artistry.

We leave Tidal feeling perfectly full yet not overindulged. The warm breeze floating over the inlet charms us and we fairly float home to our bed in the Hillcrest Motel looking down over this wonderful coastal town.

We dined as guests of Tidal Restaurant & Wine Bar and of Eat Festival, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Seafood Extravaganza at Tidal Restaurant, Merimbula NSW appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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From the hilly slopes and crenelations of Fisherman’s Bastion in Buda to the flat, bustling Pest side of the city, Hungary’s capital is a wonderful city to explore.

We’ve always wanted to come here, to see the mighty Danube that cleaves this beautiful historic place in two.

Monumental architecture, a complicated history, a busy cosmopolitan city and a truly unique culture, Budapest is a town everyone should come with the highest of travel expectations and be prepared to have them fulfilled.

From a food perspective, however, we weren’t sure what to expect.

Click here to go to our other stories about Hungary.

Check out this awesome culinary walking tour around Budapest!

And for great places to stay in this wonderful city, here’s a list of hotels and guesthouses at the best price.

What we found though, was a rich diversity of cuisines and a city that prides itself on what it puts on your plate and into your glass.

Each heading has a link to Google Maps to show you exactly where these places are.

12 Places To Eat And Drink In Budapest, Hungary

1. Freyja—The Croissant Story

In the middle of funky District VII, this neighbourhood-style cafe does good coffee, but as you’d hope, even better croissants.

They do a wide selection of filled pastries too. Christina’s pistachio and my ham and comte croissants were excellent. It can get pretty crowded here though, so be prepared for a queue.

2. My Little Melbourne Coffee

This cute little cafe, serving presentable coffee and pastries, was close to our hotel on Madách Imre út and caught our coffee-hungry eye with the word ‘Melbourne’. It’s not quite up to the elevation of Victorian coffee, but it’s not bad.

At night this street and the laneways beyond absolutely go off.

3. Szimpla Kert

One of if not the biggest and best known of Budapest’s famed ‘ruin bars’. This huge crumbling edifice has a great atmosphere and attracts an amazing mix of people—even on a Monday night.

It’s almost like a department store of bars with each little room offering different drinks and a different vibe. Not sure what the food is like here, but come here for a couple of drinks and soak up the vibe.

4. Savoyai Terasz at Budvári Palota (Buda Palace)

Outside the main doors of Buda Palace, this place has probably the best views of any bar of the Pest side of the city from across the water. It’s a tourist bar, but it’s also a welcome break if you’ve walked all the way to the top of this hill instead of using the nearby funicular rail. Like us.

Great for a cheeky beer with a view—very cheeky actually at $10 a pint, but worth it all the same.

5. Leo Rooftop

Also on the Buda side near Budvári Palota, the rooftop bar above the Clark Hotel is absolutely lovely. Also with incredible views of the river and the city, this cool little bar does great drinks and food.

Book a table if you can, otherwise you’ll have to chance it at the weird reception at street level.

6. Twentysix Budapest

This beautiful bar in District II does excellent cocktails and wonderful food. Set in a huge building—or more the atrium of one—Twentysix feels more like an arboretum with tables surrounded by plants and a triple-height ceiling made of panels of glass.

7. Ildikó Konyhája

If you’re looking for an authentic Hungarian food experience, look for etkezda restaurants. Usually run by older locals as a mom-and-pop cafe, the food is always hearty and tasty, and the prices are usually very low.

This one — Ildikó Konyhája — is just a block back from the Danube on the Buda side and is wonderful. Christina’s creamy chicken stew and my beef stew were both great. Both came with nokedli—gnocchi-esque dumpling squiggles.

They also have pálinka here, a traditional Hungarian digestivo spirit. It’s potent, but tasty.

Sadly, etkezde restaurants are becoming harder and harder to come by. Here’s an interesting story on how and why they’re dying out.

8. Millennium Da Pippo

In the lively city suburb of Terézváros, Ristorante Millennium da Pippo shows off Hungary’s international side. From the red and white gingham tablecloths to the prosciutto slicer, this place is about as Italian as it gets.

The food is excellent serving real Neapolitan style pizza, plump and oozy burrata and superb vitello tonnato—a dish you rarely see outside Italy.

9. Gettó Gulyás

This friendly yet upmarket restaurant in District II serves traditional Hungarian dishes, but at the other end of the culinary spectrum to an etkezde, where the kitchen is keen to show off real flare.

We shared a few dishes to make the most of the menu. Entrees of grilled bone marrow left in the half-bone, beef tartare and goulash were delicious. Then mains of beef tenderloin special and veal paprikash.

The professional service guiding us through menu felt like we were being up-sold at first, but actually resulted in a better meal. This was our last dinner in Hungary—a suitable highlight to finish on.

10. Mazel Tov

A similar, though more down-to-earth vibe as Twentysix Budapest, this cavernous eatery is full of greenery and is topped with a high glass ceiling.

Serving beautifully made Mediterranean and fusion Middle-Eastern dishes, Mazel Tov is another great example of Budapest’s broad food vocabulary.

We shared a mezze selection (the hummus was outstanding) and a meat platter of sausage, patties and pittas, and a huge pile of chargrilled chicken pieces. If you have a table reservation, ignore the queue and go straight in. If you don’t have a booking, prepare yourself for the possibility of a semi-long wait.

11. Retro Lángos

If you’re really hungry and want a delicious, heartwarming snack, you’ve got to try the traditional Hungarian lángos.

This dish hits so many of our guilty-pleasure bliss points and the busy Retro Lángos on Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Way (Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út), one of the main arterial streets through the Pest side of Budapest, is a lángos specialist.

Somewhere between a pizza, a donut, a pancake and okonomiaki, lángos is a flat puffy crunchy disc of deep-fried dough covered in your choice of toppings. These usually start with a base of sour cream and Retro Lángos offers everything from turkey, tomato and mozzarella to spicy Mexican chilli.

The Hungarian lángos we both order, with sour cream, roasted bacon pieces, red onion and grated cheese, are not only formidable, but incredibly satisfying.

12. Széchenyi Thermal Bath House

Strictly speaking, not a bar or restaurant per se, this magnificent thermal bathhouse inside the Neo-Baroque palace built specifically to house the baths in 1909 is a must-visit while you’re in Budapest (here’s our full review of the Széchenyi Thermal Bath House).

While you’re here, you can pick up snacks and drinks from the cafeteria, but that’s not why we’ve included this venue here.

One of the private bathing options here is the Thermal Beer Spa, where you can relax in 36°C water infused with hops, yeast and malted grain. And for the 45 minutes that you’re soaking in your beery wooden tubs, you can pour yourself as many glasses of local lager from the tap next to you as you like!

Bonus food!

Kürtöskalács (you might’ve seen it as kurtosh) or ‘chimney cake’ is a popular sweet you can find all over Budapest, mostly from little food vans.

Built in a spiral shape, this tasty snack is in fact a kind of cake that’s twisted into a helix shape then cooked until crisp. It’s called chimney cake because when it’s hot, steam pours out the top like a chimney.

You can get a variety of coatings on the outside of your Kürtöskalács and some are filled with things like cream too. I can’t remember what we had, but it was tasty and fun to eat.

Kürtöskalács is – or was – specific to Transylvanian Hungarians (now Romania) and goes back to at least the 1600s.

The post Feeling Hungary? Where and what to eat and drink in Budapest appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Let’s face it, ‘going bush’ doesn’t mean what it used to. I mean, you can still grab a swag and a full water bottle, and trek into the big green yonder if you want, but you don’t have to.

As we travel through Kakadu National Park, one of the most magnificent natural treasures of Australia and a place we’ve been lucky enough to visit more than once, Christina and I are struck by how easy it is to get around.

We find immaculate roads, clear and relevant signage, and—as we pull into Cooinda Lodge—the realisation that ‘roughing it’ no longer needs to be part of your travel vocabulary in Kakadu.

That’s not to say this isn’t wild country or that you won’t experience the Australian Outback as it should be.

It’s just easier.

Book your accommodation in Cooinda here.

What is Cooinda?

Historically a central hub for explorers visiting Kakadu, Cooinda started out as a ’tent store’ in 1964. When crocodile hunter and self-proclaimed ‘bushy’ Tom Opitz, and his Londoner wife Judy set up shop, Cooinda was little more than a supply stop for adventurers to this remote part of the Top End.

Slowly, the site, whose name means ‘happy meeting place’ in Bininj Kunwok, developed into a motel of sorts, though most travellers stuck with their tents.

These days visitors can (and do) still camp here, but exploring the grounds of Cooinda, it’s clear that things have changed beyond anything that Tom or Judy would recognise as their pioneer whistle stop.

Everything—from basic camping to high-end luxury retreat-style safari lodge glamping—is available here. And with that, so the food offerings are just as wide-reaching.

From coin-op self-catering barbecues and a food truck (actually, the fish and chips from the Too Deadly Takeaway is superb) to Mimi’s Restaurant, serving a range of bush-tucker inspired dishes, there’s something for everyone, which is kind of the point of Cooinda.

Mimi’s Restaurant, Cooinda Lodge Kakadu

As we take our seats at our pretty table, which is laid with native flowers, a locally-made scented candle and an Aboriginal artwork tablecloth, restaurant manager Chon comes to show us some gins from Willing Distillery in Darwin.

The G&Ts he serves us go down a treat, cooling our blood and awakening our palates. The Desert Lime Gin is bright, sharp and herbal though with a drive of anise flavour that I’m not so keen on, but the Kakadu Plum and Quandong Gin is sweeter with more juniper and a floral finish that is excellent.

Willing Distillery is the most northerly distillery in Australia, just round he corner from Darwin Airport. But unless you’re in Darwin or Cooinda, you’re not likely to find this stuff. In fact Chon had to go to Darwin in person to pick up these bottles.

For dinner, we’re being treated to the tasting plate, which showcases the best of the bush tucker offerings here at Mimi’s.

It’s a wonderful medley of local meat: buffalo, kangaroo, crocodile and barramundi.

Mimi’s Tasting Plate at Cooinda Lodge

Rum Jungle Buffalo Fillet and Bush Tomato Chutney
This is the first time we’ve tasted buffalo, and it comes as a thick-cut steak. It’s juicy and beefy, but with a slightly gamey finish. It’s the robust, satisfying meat I was hoping it would be

Kangaroo Fillet and Mango Quandong Chutney
The kangaroo, sliced into thin minute steaks, is delicate, surprisingly tender and has no gaminess at all. This really shows the talent of the kitchen

Salt and Pepper Crocodile and Lemon Myrtle Aioli
Fried in a tempura batter, the crocodile goujons are wonderful. Deliciously chewy with a crisp coating and a light, delicate flavour

Paperbark Barramundi with Mixed Marinated Olives
Smoked in locally sourced paperbark, the barramundi is incredible. The smoking has enhanced the light flavour of the fish rather than overtaking it, which you’d expect

This all comes with a bowl of very satisfying fries and spiced slaw.

As for dessert, we’re presented with exquisite domes of panna cotta, decorate with sweet fermented native bush apple and a sharp dusting of powdered Kakadu plum.

What’s the rest of the food like at Cooinda?

While we’re here, Christina and I get a chance to try all of the food outlets, including the special menu that Head Chef Phillip Foote creates every now and again. It’s well worth having if there’s one of these menus available when you’re here.

For us, it’s the Taste of Full Moon menu, which is a riff on our tasting plates and with full servings rather than the small portions we had.

As we mentioned earlier, the fish and chips (and the crocodile tacos Christina orders) from the Too Deadly Takeaway food truck is to die for, but the absolute standout for me is my dinner from the Barra Bar and Bistro.

The diner side of Mimi’s (you order from the kiosk outside rather than a la carte table service inside), the Barra Bistro has many of the pub classics on its menu.

My chicken parmie burger is quite possibly the best chicken burger I’ve had. Crisp crumbed tender chicken, perfectly melted oozy cheese, a generous serve of pickles, creamy tasty slaw and a bun that can somehow hold it all, plus a huge pile of fries—I’m in heaven.

Of all the things we were expecting to be impressed with on this trip of a lifetime to Kakadu, the food has surprised us.

I’m not saying only come to Kakadu for the food, but when you do come here, you might as well leave your billy tea and your damper kit at home!

We dined at Cooinda Lodge as media guests of Kakadu Tourism and NT Tourism, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Fine-Dine On The Wild Side—where to eat in Kakadu appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Just past the stairs down to the silver rows of Bimbadgen’s wine tanks and gantries, we’re welcomed at the door to Esca by a smiling maître d’.

The restaurant’s busy tonight.

From young, dressed-up couples on a date to old friends in flip-flops relaxing over a meal and a bottle from Bimbadgen’s cellar door, the spectrum of diners adds to the ambience.

Light floods in through the windows lining two sides of the restaurant, but not for long. As the late sun sets and Blue Hour sets in, the twinkle of golden lights on each table bring more romance to the atmosphere.

Check out our quick video of our Signature Experience:

Our table looks out through the glass wall to the wide balcony, where more diners are enjoying the afternoon air and their front-seat views over the vineyards out to the distant mountains.

In the courtyard below, the wood-fired pizza oven has fired up, the soft sounds of music and casual diners trickling up to us.

Esca Bimbadgen—fine-dining in the Hunter Valley

Esca’s a la carte option is a three-course-minimum situation, where you can choose from the different dishes in vegetable, seafood and meat sections (as well as a dessert and cheese menu).

You can then add drinks to your meal as and when. In fact, estate wine is at the same price as the cellar door on the ground floor, which is refreshing especially for a restaurant of this calibre.

The other dining alternative, the one we’re here for, is the Esca Signature Experience.

Esca Bimbadgen’s Signature Experience

Designed in collaboration by Esca’s Head Chef Keira Madeley and Bimbadgen’s Head Winemaker Richard Done, the Signature Experience is a five-course dinner matched with six wines.

Things kick off with a glass of Bimbadgen’s Sparkling Cuvee served with slabs of pillowy focaccia and rich house-made butter. There’s also a little pot of pink salt, though the colour comes from infusion of Bimbadgen Shiraz rather than any trace minerals.

We’d be happy enough if there were just five courses of this, but instead the first course arrives.

Woodfired peaches with duetto—a blend of mascarpone and gorgonzola cheese from Binnorie Dairy in the Hunter. This light yet satisfying dish pairs perfectly with a similarly light and fruity Vermentino from Bimbadgen’s new Grower’s Range.

From here, it’s a delicious flurry of food. Salmon gravlax with sauce gribiche, confit chicken with a spiced sauce and roasted chickpeas, and veal tenderloin, cooked rare, on a bed of delightfully chewy pearl couscous.

Glasses of Bimbadgen’s Chardonnay, Semillon and Shiraz Viognier bring further depth to the food. And each dish reciprocates, developing each wine beyond its glass.

We finish with a glass of Bimbadgen’s Late Harvest Semillon—a dessert wine for sure, but its residual sugar, far from being too sweet, is tempered by the grapes’ natural acidity. A real flex from Richard!

With this wine comes a shallow bowl of summer stone fruits and browned butter on creamy yoghurt which is in turn floated on a delicate mint emulsion.

It’s an elegant end to the meal, and although we’ve had so much food and drink, we leave feeling sated rather than stuffed. Such is the skill of the open kitchen, who we’re able to than as we leave.

Esca Bimbadgen, Pokolbin, Hunter Valley

Open: Lunch—Wed-Sat from 12pm, Dinner—Fri and Sat from 6pm

Pretty much all wineries offer food these days. From an easy-going cheese board to go with your tasting to the full bells-and-whistles of a hatted fine-diner that stands apart from the winery.

Esca always seems to have at least one eye on the wine at all times. With all the dishes here, you get the impression that they’re designed with the vineyards in mind.

And this is what makes Esca. It’s a symbiosis with the winery that creates a wonderful depth to your experience at Bimbadgen.

We dined as media guests of Bimbadgen, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Where To Eat In The Hunter Valley—Esca Bimbadgen appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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We love exploring new cities, and although Christina and I have transited through Vienna many times, we’ve never had time to leave the airport and see it.

But on our train journey across Europe, we were able to stop in on this fascinating city, a centre point of so much history and culture.

Click here for our full Essential Guide of Vienna.

Find out more about activities and tours you can do in Austria’s capital here.

Check out the best deals on hotels in Vienna!

And as we discovered while we were there, Vienna also has an excellent variety of things to eat.

Here are ten places to eat and drink in Vienna Old Town west of the Danube.

Coffee And Breakfast In Vienna

If you’re not in a hotel that includes breakfast in Vienna, you might be in trouble. Things don’t seem to open very early here, so you might be better off hitting the supermarket and having something ready for the morning.

Having said that, there are coffee options.

Caffe Delia’s – 8 Tuchlauben, Vienna

This cute cafe with outdoor seating does great coffee in the day and is the perfect spot for a cheeky glass of wine in the evening.

We took advantage of both offerings as well as the excellent people-watching thanks to the cafe’s corner location.

Surrounded by historic architecture and indeed within a beautiful baroque building, Caffe Delia’s is an easy must.

Fenster Cafe – Griechengasse 10, Vienna

Translating as ‘window cafe’, this tiny venue isn’t much more than a hole in the wall. Fenster Cafe turns out probably the best coffee we had in Vienna and it’s also open before 10am, which makes it doubly important.

However, prepare to pay a premium (two small flat white coffees for AU$15 in 2022). This is in part because it’s in the Old Town and because of its opening hours.

More to the point, Fenster caught Instagram’s attention when it started offering coffee served in an ice cream cone. I have no idea how much that would’ve been. We just went for cups.

Lunch And Daytime Drinks In Vienna

Billa Corso Neuer Markt – Herrnhuterhaus, Neuer Markt 17, Vienna

Only a couple of blocks back from Stephansplatz on Neuer Market is a Billa Corso. This is a ubiquitous supermarket chain all over Austria, but a bit like Eataly’s supermarket cafes, you can buy your lunch an eat it here too.

It has outdoor seating too, but best of all it’s open on Sunday (a miracle in Vienna Old Town) and it’s open before 10am too!

Buffet Trzesniewski Dorotheergasse – Dorotheergasse 1, Vienna

Trzesniewski has to be one of the most unique lunch options in Vienna. This is a buffet shop that offers finger-food style open sandwiches. Narrow bread slices with toppings all finely chopped into a paste, the rationale is that they’re easy to eat.

Almost in the shadow of St Stephen’s Cathedral, (though there are other branches in the city) this sandwich shop offers 25 varieties of sandwich.

It’s a concept that started in 1902 when Polish expat Franciszek Trzesniewski opened his first store and it’s still hugely popular today. All toppings are freshly prepared on the day.

Choose from things like apple and beetroot and Swedish herring with cucumber and egg or more traditional toppings like cucumber, egg and salami or fan favourite bacon and egg.

Rochus – Landstraßer Hauptstraße 55/57, Vienna

Although this is outside the Old Town walls, this lively local bar and restaurant is a cracker and made an ideal lunch spot for us.

With good beer, even better atmosphere and real Austrian comfort food on offer, this is a perfect lunch choice. My wienerschnitsel was tasty and satisfying, and Christina’s kalbsbutterschnitzel (a veal schnitzel patty) was tasty albeit a tad weird.

Evening And Dinner Options

L’Osteria Wien Bräunerstraße – Bräunerstraße 11, Vienna

Within the grand baroque walls of the Palais Pallavicini, this busy Italian-style eatery is really popular with the locals, so book a table.

We didn’t, but managed to squeeze in at the bar for a cheeky mezzo litro carafe of Moltepulciano.

Amazing for people-watching and perfect if you’re feeling like a formidable Napolitano style pizza, make sure you add L’Osteria Wien Bräunersraße to your list.

Reinthaler’s Beisl – Dorotheergasse 2-4, Vienna

I only include this one as both a seeming must-do as a tourist in Vienna and a cautionary tale.

Traditionally, a beisl is a kind of down-to-earth pub serving homely food at reasonable prices.

Reinthaler’s Beisl just off Stephansplatz is ostensibly that, with all the trimmings of a Viennese ale house. But once you’ve found your way to the end of the perma-queue, you’re fed into what I called ‘Vienna’s premier sausage factory’.

Staff churn through the covers, squeezing you onto a shared table, forcing you to order as soon as you sit down, then slopping the food in front of you as it comes out at soup kitchen speeds.

The wait staff then stand over you with the eftpos machine, literally asking you how much you’re going to tip on top of the surprisingly not-reasonable bill.

The food’s not bad, but it’s more about the experience I guess.

Bars

1010 Bar Cafe – Plankengasse 2, Vienna

This dim-lit atmospheric little bar does great cocktails and has a wonderful local vibe with a real mix of patrons.

Just off Neuer Markt plaza and next to the interesting Donnerbrunnen Fountain, it’s well worth seeking out this tucked-away bohemian speakeasy if you’re feeling like an excellent martini or house negroni.

Billa Corso Hoher Markt rooftop wine bar – Hoher Markt 12, Vienna

About halfway between the canal and St Stephen’s Cathedral is another Billa Corso (I told you they were ubiquitous) right opposite the Hotel Topazz Lamee.

Although this store does all the same kind of things the other Billas do, this one also has a wine bar above it.

Here, you can choose from the wine list or, amazingly, you can buy the bottle you want in the store downstairs and they’ll serve it to you at the bar!

Le Cru—Comptoir de Champagne – Peterspl. 8, Vienna

Barely a block back from the busy plaza of Stephansplatz and in the shadow of the pretty domed roof of St Peters Church, Le Cru has a surprisingly local low-key vibe.

Specialising in small producers of French Champagne, this little bar offers tasting experiences and takeaways, but also has a weekly by-the-glass menu that’s pleasingly affordable.

Bonus: Late-night snacks and drinks

Zum Goldenen Wurstel – Spiegelgasse 1, Vienna

As you’d hope, sausage vans are everywhere in Vienna, but Zum Goldenen Wurstel, close to St Stephens Cathedral, has to be the most popular.

Open late, it’s just the ticket when you’ve had a few beers and are wandering back to your hotel but you feel like a snack. You can even grab a beer here too.

The only downside is the boggling range of options that you just don’t get with a sausage sizzle or regular hotdog van: with bread, without bread, which sausage (there are at least 16), do you want it grilled or boiled, with onions, chips on the side, with sauce, which sauce… it’s quite overwhelming.

But it’s worth it!

Are croissants from France or Austria?

To elaborate the claim we made earlier, yes, it seems that the famous croissant, an icon of French cuisine, has its origins in Austria.

From as far back as the 13th Century, Austrian bakers have been making kipfel or kipfli, the progenitor of the famed crescent of buttery flaky pastry.

Settling in Paris in 1839, an Austrian soldier named August Zang opened a Viennese bakery and made his brioche-based kipfel for the French, who took it on with great enthusiasm.

But it wasn’t until the early 20th Century that the croissant recipe changed from brioche to the butter-laminated yeast dough bakers use today.

The post Where To Eat In Vienna Old Town appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

A perfect tourist trap storm, Circular Quay is the convergent point of two of Australia’s most recognisable icons—the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House—not to mention the main hub for ferries, an important train station and the end of the line for the light rail trams.

Also here are museums, galleries, theatres, access to the Botanic Gardens, the historic Rocks District—so where’s good to eat in Circular Quay?

Or are you destined for a sad playoff between MacDonald’s, Hungry Jacks and Subway?

And what about bars at Circular Quay? Surely you’re not limited to the Ship, or worse the Paragon, where a midi of beer will set you back upwards of $11 and a part of your soul?

Thankfully, like so many touristy spots worldwide, you only have to scratch at Circular Quay’s surface and step back a street or two from the crowds to discover a wonderful array of truly superb options.

Where to eat and drink at Circular Quay

Of course, if you’re looking for something extra-special (and you’ve booked way in advance), the likes of Aria and Cafe Sydney are right here at Circular Quay. But here are dining options that are much easier going on your wallet and patience.

Deux Frères Pintxos and Bar

As if plucked from the cobbled lanes of San Sebastián or Bayonne, Deux Frères Pintxos and Bar offers a true taste of Basque Country. This cosy little venue, with its open kitchen and broad counter displaying goodies on pintxos sticks, serves an array of Basque delicacies.

Tender yet crunchy croquetas of Iberia jamon or house-cured bacalao fish, buttery brioche topped with the likes of foie gras pate or brie and Serrano ham are the perfect snack to start you off.

There are more substantial items on the menu. From the hibachi grill, the cider-glazed coil of chorizo that’s presented on a terracotta pig then set afire with calvados, or the ‘piperade Basque’—a typical spicy tomato-and-capsicum dish from the region—finished with a baked egg in the middle, will fill up the corners and leave you feeling very satisfied.

All the food here pairs perfectly with the dry and slightly fizzy wine of the region Txakoli (“tshako-li”), which has lovely fresh apple notes to it and is poured from a great height from the bottle.

Hinchcliff House—Grana, Lana and Bar Apollonia

Close to Deux Frères, Hinchcliff House has three floors of bars and restaurants (and another for events) each with a different Italian nuance.

At the top, Lana—Italian for ‘wool’—is a beautifully converted wool shed and serves elegant Italian and Asian dishes, less in fusion more in compliment of one another. Seafood alongside classic Italian staples like stracciatella, tagliatelle and ragu make up this experiential menu.

Grana—Italian for ‘grain’ is on the ground floor, where not only does the kitchen make its own bread and pasta, but the mill here grinds specialty heritage grains into its own flour.

Obviously, pasta and bread feature on the menu, but there’s a wealth of traditional and modern Italian dishes on offer too.

Downstairs is Apollonia, Hinchcliff House’s bar. This moody subterranean watering-hole specialises in negronis and other Italian specialties. The bar gets its name from Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone from The Godfather and has all the romance and drama of that iconic cinematic masterpiece—minus the mafia of course.

The Spice Room

For me, of all things to find on the shores of Sydney Harbour, a really good Indian restaurant was the least expected. But this cosy cave-like curry house is easily one of the best in the city.

Featuring many of the classics and a few lesser-known dishes, The Spice Room offers more than just food and drink. Service here is warm and friendly, and the window to the kitchen gives a rare glimpse into an Indian restaurant’s inner workings.

Whisky and cocktail bars

As well as Apollonia, there are some excellent options for a dram or a well-crafted cocktail around Circular Quay.

Bar Messenger, part of the Intercon Hotel, is a magnificent new bar packed with beautiful detail and character. Its elegant ‘20s vibe comes to life with quirky elements like the huge painting that doubles as the secret front door and the glass wall showing off the sandstone cliff the building sits against.

Highlander Whisky Bar—part of the Sir Stamford Hotel on Macquarie Street—has a huge selection of Scotch and whiskies from around the world. Its cosy decor makes you feel like your in a private bar in the Scottish Highlands.

Bar Besuto and its superb omakase restaurant of the same name is squeezed into one of the little laneways of the new eating precinct Sydney Place. Bar Besuto has the biggest range of Japanese whisky in the country, some of them incredibly rare.

Grain has been one of our favourite cocktails bars in this area of the city forever. Part of the Four Seasons, this bar not only has beautiful cocktails, but its food menu is off the charts too.

Gateway Sydney

For foodcourt style options, Gateway has a multitude of choices from fine-dining Malay-Chinese and steakhouses to crepes to gelaterias. It’s good for a cheeky sandwich or sushi and even has a burger joint.

It’s exciting to see how this tiny section of Sydney has grown so many great places to eat and drink at. And it feels like more are popping up all the time.

What used to be a part of the city you’d avoid, Circular Quay is becoming one of Sydney’s best areas for going out.

The post Where To Eat At Circular Quay, Sydney  appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

It’s hard to know what the most remarkable thing is about The Blue Door, a fascinating 18-seater restaurant in the heart of Sydney’s Surry Hills.

Perhaps it’s the laser focus owner-operators Angelica Nohra and Dylan Cashman have on New South Wales produce or their passion for sustainably and ethically farmed ingredients.

Perhaps it’s the extraordinary 15-page wine list that features almost entirely Aussie wines (barely a dozen are from other countries and three of those are NZ wines), 99% of which are from within NSW.

Maybe it’s the unique way the confoundingly creative dishes are served here—you receive a delectable degustation train of tasting plates throughout the evening, each with its own resonant story.

Or maybe it’s the insane fact that these guys change their menu. Every. Single. Week.

The more you think about it, the more it makes you blink.

How a kitchen can even come up with enough ways of cooking things at that kind of frequency—let alone master the dishes to the point where everything you eat is a soul-moving sensation—is a bomb to the brain.

The Blue Door, Surry Hills

Things kick off at The Blue Door with bread to share. But true to their style Angelica Nohra and Dylan Cashman make even this simple, traditional dining gesture an experience.

Angelica explains that the bread is from their own sourdough starter that’s travelled around the world with their baker. There are also two brown dinner rolls the kitchen makes by grinding up any extra sourdough from the day before.

Also on the table and beneath a ceramic cloche hides a rich puck of unsalted cultured butter. And the unsalted part is important. With the bread, a board arrives loaded with what looks like four different-coloured crystals.

Are we having some faith healing with dinner?

No, these are different types of rock salt from Pakistan, Persia, Bolivia and India. They’re the only part of any dish that Blue Door serves that’s not Australian, but the food theatre is worth it. You grate you own salt for your bread and butter, and we’re told to “be noisy and obnoxious about it” too.

The different salt is amazing—four very different flavour profiles—light and almost citrusy to dark and spicy.

Next is The Blue Door Snack Attack, an exciting spread of five different dishes that range from locally sourced sliced meats to startling ‘fish scales’. These deep-fried strips of fish skin curl up as they cook and the attached flesh goes spiky. They’re crunchy, salty and like nothing we’ve eaten before.

And we haven’t even started the seven courses proper yet!

Dining Done Differently

Make no mistake, this is fine-dining; the quality of the food and creativity of the restaurant’s concept dictate it. But the relaxed nature of The Blue Door puts you at ease.

With over seven dishes coming to your table, you’d expect an arsenal of silverware. But here your cutlery comes stacked in a block and you’re told to ‘create your own adventure’ in terms of what you eat with. It’s not only refreshing, it gives you license to enjoy the experience without feeling watched.

You can choose to have the matching wines with your meal or not—in fact, this is the only decision you have to make during the evening. But you can also share the wine pairing too.

You can bring your own wine if you want, though Angelica, a trained sommelier, will ask for a taste—for purely research purposes of course. The only caveat is that the wine must be good enough that The Blue Door would have it on their menu, so no box wine and no cleanskins!

The Blue Door has two sittings, which isn’t unusual. However, no one arrives at the same time for each sitting. We’re the first people in for the 5.30 service (the second begins at 8.15) and we have the place to ourselves for the first half an hour or so.

Tables progressively fill up as the night draws on and it’s fun to hear each cover receive the same instructions and descriptions we’ve already been through. We hear them make noise, grate that salt, be weirded out by the fish scale snacks, and marvel at the passion and skill that this little restaurant harnesses.

What’s The Food Like At The Blue Door?

Going into detail about every dish we’re served won’t really be helpful; by the time you read this, that menu will be dead and gone. It’ll have changed even before we’ve finished writing.

But here’s a taster, as it were.

Before we’re served our dish, Angelica comes with the first matching wine to explain her choice and how it pairs with the food to come. She paints a picture of why the 2021 Riesling from Jessop Wines in Orange works so well with the sashimi we’re about to have.

Until this point, we didn’t know we’re having fish.

The wine not only works with the sweetness of the reef fish that the fisherman Chris Bolton, who catches each fish one at a time on a hand line (as in not even a fishing rod), but it melds with the nuttiness and oils of the macadamia and sunflower seeds.

Ok, so the sashimi comes with nuts and seeds too, ay?

And as we delve further into the meal, we catch glimpses of each upcoming dish with each wine. We also learn more about the restaurant, buying whole animals, breaking them down and using everything. They also work with no-till regenerative NSW vegetable farmers, who grow their crops naturally. Other details emerge like the chickens that go into the exquisite terrine come from a farm where maremma dogs keep them safe.

It’s a flawless meal—indeed, calling it a meal undersells The Blue Door. It’s an experience, a journey through pastural NSW and the spectacular produce we have at our fingertips here.

It’s also a performance of scintillating cooking skills from the open kitchen that works hard behind us while we relax and embed ourselves in the food narrative of the region.

We dined as media guests of The Blue Door, but our opinions and experiences remain our own.

The post What’s Behind The Blue Door? The degustation restaurant where NSW is the hero appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Frankfurt is well known for its commerce, banks and financial district, but beyond the suits and skyscrapers hides an excellent food scene that deserves our attention.

And yes, the legendary frankfurter (full name Frankfurter Würstchen) does come from here—in fact its heritage has been protected by law since 1860—but there’s a lot more to Frankfurt’s culinary offerings than that.

Find the best places to stay in Frankfurt at great prices here.

Here are some of the places we found and loved when Christina and I were in Frankfurt.

Oh, and if you want to know more about how the frankfurter has evolved to become the ubiquitous hotdog, click here.

Bakeries in Frankfurt

Germans love their baked goods. And I mean love, and Frankfurt is no exception. It’s impossible to walk anywhere in the city without passing a bakery packed with delicious looking pastries, breads and sweet treats.

Strahmann – this small bakery and sandwich shop has a very tempting range of tasty sandwiches, soups and salads perfect for a quick lunch snack. Strahmann has two shops, both in Frankfurt city.

Zeit für Brot – a small chain with half a dozen stores across Germany with a name that says it all: ‘Time for Bread’. If you find any of the three in Frankfurt and you’re feeling hungry for baked goods, check it out. The sandwiches they sell here are great.

But what’s even better is the Zeit für Brot website and its product page. It’s got the name in German with descriptions in English with photos and even cross sections! Helpful when you’re in any bakery in Germany.

Kaiserzeit – these big bakeries (it’s a chain with stores throughout southern Germany) have so many food options. My favourite are the breakfast bagels.

Finally, Der Bäcker Eifler. Instead of a Starbucks or Maccas on every corner, expect to see the immediately recognisable red and yellow Comic Sans signs of these bakeries wherever you go.

Der Bäcker Eifler is a huge bakery chain with almost 70 stores in Frankfurt alone. And for a chain, it’s not bad. You know what you’re going to get and it’s reasonably priced.

Cafes

We were surprised at how good the coffee in Germany is—much better than places you’d expect it to be good like France or Belgium. Most bakeries can do an ok latte, but these two coffee-focused stores really know what they’re doing.

Why! Specialty Coffee – this place, just down the road from Frankfurt’s main train station, does amazing coffee, to the point where we didn’t feel homesick for a flat white once. However, it’s only open weekdays.

Bunca – Also not far from the station, this cafe knows what it’s doing, but it’s not as good as Why!. The big difference here though is it’s open over the weekend.

Markets

If there’s one thing synonymous with Europe, it’s great markets, and Frankfurt stands out here for all the right reasons.

Erzeugermarkt – Frankfurt’s biggest farmers market (‘bauernmarkt’) set in the central square of Konstablerwache at the end of the Zeil shopping mile, Erzeugermarkt is a grown-up’s playground of craft beer and wine, but also all kinds of artisan produce, food, flowers and crafts. It’s been running every Thursday and Saturday afternoons since 1989.

Schillermarkt on Schillerstrasse – this all-day street market (8am-6pm) runs every Friday near the Frankfurt stock exchange. The market takes over at laneway lined with beautiful buildings and transforms the city’s serious, financial hub into a place of fun, food and relaxation.

Kleinmarkthalle – this big undercover market with over 60 stalls offering everything from fresh fruit, veg and meat to flowers, bread and cheese. Upstairs on the mezzanine are little bars and cafes and a full restaurant on the veranda at the back, all of which using produce from the market or their own artisanal products.

Bars

Germany is well known for its love of libations and its ability to house them in venues that make you want to stay for more time than you have. Frankfurt has more than its fair share of bars, but here are a few we really enjoyed.

Plank – this late-night bar has a real local vibe but is very friendly and sells everything from your basic beer and wine to more complex cocktails. During the day, it’s also a cafe, though we didn’t try the coffee here. Open roughly 10am-2am every day.

Eschenheimer Warte at Eschunheimer Turm – a street-side bar perfect for people-watching housed in a pretty roofed tower that dates back to 1300s when Frankfurt was a walled city.

The tower—Eschunheimer Turm—is one of only three remaining gate towers and was once a jail much like the Tower of London. It now hosts the toilets, which are up a long spiral staircase, so factor that into your timings!

Fenstergucker in Sachsenhausen district – a cosy little tavern full of locals who insist on smoking inside still. But it’s got a great atmosphere nonetheless.

One of the oldest remaining parts of Frankfurt that dates back to the 1100s, the Sachsenhausen district is right on the south bank of the river. This has become an entertainment district of sorts and the street that Fenstergucker is on (Große Rittergasse) has a great party vibe.

While you’re here, look out for venues with wreaths on the doors. These are the last remaining breweries that are allowed to make and serve their own apfelwein—a kind of cider that’s specific to Frankfurt.

Gioia – a nice little beer garden off the main drag but also close to bar-packed Sachsenhausen district, Gioia is ideal for a pitstop and served us well on our long hike through the city.

Not to be missed

Although the places we’ve mentioned so far are great, these next three were standouts for us, more for the style of food than anything.

Wirsthaus im Ostend – a modern yet typical Frankfurt eatery, Wirsthaus im Ostend serves classic German dishes without any pretension but cooked perfectly. Christina’s classic Frankfurt schnitzel was crisp yet tender, and extremely tasty and came with Frankfurt-centric grüne sosse (green sauce), while my pork knuckle was as immense as it was satisfying.

What you’d expect to be an overly touristy place is in fact more popular with locals. I think we were the only non-German speakers there.

TonBul Grill – Turkish kebabs have become hugely popular in Germany (they’re more like the English kebabs than the Lebanese style ones in Australia) and one of the most popular is TonBul Grill.

The queue snakes down the street but you’re only there for about 10mins. You choose your kebab type then order from the window along with salad, sauce etc. It’s a bit nerve-wracking when you order, but the staff are patient and friendly.

You can eat in if you can find a space or just take away. Don’t forget to grab some green chillies from the big bucket.

Die Fromagerie – Run by Frenchman Alexandre Allemany from Bordeaux, this wonderland is an ode to everything cheese, from raclette to sandwiches, this is the place you come when you’re really hungry!

The post Beyond the frankfurter – what and where to eat in Frankfurt, Germany appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

There’s that wonderful moment when you’re travelling when you find yourself somewhere that really makes you feel at home.

It’s a strange oxymoron to enjoy though. I mean, you’re travelling, right? The last thing you should be excited about is home.

But as we work our way through our tasting paddle of Longstocking’s beer while we wait for our handmade pizzas to come out of the wood-fired oven, that’s exactly how we feel.

Perhaps it’s the happy chatter of the other groups here; families, couples, friends all together. Or maybe it’s the live musician and his guitar.

It could just simply be the warm welcome we receive from owner, brewer and chef Peter Caldwell, who’s busy shovelling pizzas, or his similarly tasked partner Joey Cunningham, who also makes us feel—well—at home!

Check out our quick video of Longstocking Brewery and Oyster Bar here.

Longstocking Brewery & Oyster Bar

Part of the complex of Oaklands Barn, Longstocking has been brewing beer here since 2016. Its bar, the lounge, veranda and cellar door all have a friendly family vibe and the outdoor open kitchen and brick pizza oven, where we first meet Peter, is right at the entrance.

Peter tells us “on a busy day, we’ll do upwards of 120 pizzas in two hours.”

Thankfully, Peter isn’t that busy today. And before we know it our pizzas—a Diablo with spicy sausage and plenty of onions, and a super-cheesy anchovy pizza—land on our table.

We still have enough time beforehand though to try a dozen of their oysters, from Pambula of course—perhaps even from our friends at Broadwater Oysters.

Six we have natural but the other six are Longstocking’s ‘wakami’, which come with seaweed, chilli and wasabi mayo. The result is umami and spice with an added level of creaminess to the plump oyster, which delivers its signature salty flintiness that Pambula oysters have.

Through this whole eating experience, we’re accompanied by our paddle of 10 beers straight from Longstocking’s active brewery, which you can see down the corridor from the bar and cellar door.

The paddles are all staves from old barrels, arching over the table with each glass suspended in its little hole.

Longstocking Brewery’s beers

Longstocking has around 14 beers on tap at any one time, so the tasting paddle of 10 ($25) will give you a taste of most of them.

We get the ball rolling with the Birra estiva (“summer beer” in Italian), which is clean and crisp, and the Sapphire Coast Ale, which is a midstength but still full of flavour.

Longstocking’s XPA is only 4.5% but has good bitterness and body, while the Pale Ale—our favourite—is balanced, rich and dangerously drinkable.

We also have the IPA, which is full of tasty hops, the Red Ale, a big beer packed with malt, the Dark, which is ok and the Stout, which is surprisingly clean and light though has deep coffee notes that lead to a satisfying finish.

At the far end of the paddle, the lovely fruit flavours of the Apple and Rhubarb seasonal cider and superb hard Ginger Beer, which is better than the famed Matso’s, leave us with tingly sweetness and a smile on our faces.

Peter also takes us on a quick look at the brewery where he and his head brewer Matt Burnett work their magic.

Oaklands Barn

But Longstocking Brewery, with its live music, great food and drink, and happy atmosphere, isn’t the only thing going on here.

Oaklands Barn, which has been here in one form or another since 1833, is a hub for a whole range of interesting things.

Of course, the brewery is a large part of the co-op, but there’s also a cafe, a gift shop, a replete garden centre and landscaping supplies store as well as a stockfeed store.

Oaklands Pantry sells delicious deli style produce and the art gallery shows and sells a range of art and craft by local artists and craftspeople.

There’s even a large event space for everything from conferences to formals.

But behind the brewery you’ll find the stables. This large barn is home to a whole host of animals great and small. From surly miniature horses to huge, affectionate goats, the happy creatures here are part of the Animal Barn.

A gold coin donation lets you in where you’ll also find camels, alpacas, mules, donkeys, pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, cats and dogs. And there’s also a led pony ride kids under eight can enjoy.

Finally, in the carpark amidst the antique trucks and cars is an old London double decker. This is the Little London Chop Shop barbers where you can come for a shave or haircut!

Owner-barber Sunny has also turned the top deck of the bus into a little “London style market selling the likes of new and used, vintage, collectables, retro games, posters, trainers, shoes, bags and products.”

Longstocking Brewery and Oaklands Barn are a must-visit when you’re on the Sapphire Coast. There’s plenty to see and do, and because it’s such a focal point for the community, you’ll get to meet locals and enjoy local produce. It’s also a great all-weather option.

We visited Oaklands Barn and Longstocking Brewery as media guests with the Sapphire Coast tourism board but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Where To Eat And Drink In Pambula, NSW—Longstocking Brewery and Oyster Bar appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.