Heywood at Wallaroo: Picturesque and closer than you’d think. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Winter weekends are the perfect time to take a day trip in the region. Pick a destination with great food, get in the car, stick on a podcast or music, and enjoy the ride.
But if you’re burning petrol to get there (cue smug expressions from EV owners), you want to make sure it’s good. Here are a few favourites that are worth the drive.
Heywood by Nick O’Leary, Wallaroo
Nick O’Leary’s Heywood cellar door and restaurant is a classic destination dining experience. Tastings are available at the cellar door, or you can also book flights of wines (including museum releases) to accompany your meal.
The menu is built around small or larger share plates, with sides and dessert. Grab some friends to share the whole roasted lamb shoulder, or the half Bannockburn chicken. And while the meat dishes are a standout, don’t skimp on the veg: their charred sugarloaf cabbage with salsa verde is very good.
There’s a kids’ menu that they’ll actually eat, and plenty of lawn space for them to burn off energy before the car ride home.
Cosy corners, roaring fires, and a stunning courtyard – The Sir George in Jugiong is full of character. Photo: Sir George/Instagram.
Sir George Pub, Jugiong
The Sir George in Jugiong is a totally doable day trip.
There are cosy indoor dining spaces for colder months, but if the sun is out, hang out under the pergola in the courtyard. Their seasonal menu shows off Riverina produce, and they make everything from scratch, including their own sourdough bread.
The large menu ranges from bourgie share plates to classic pub fare like a burrata salad or a schnitzel. Or both! Try the pork shoulder with celeriac and fennel from local farm Stockinpiggle, or local Murray cod. They also make their own beef and bacon pie, served with mash and mushy peas, of course. Save space for the wattleseed beeramisu.
Grazing at Gundaroo is another cosy road-trip-worthy venue. Photo: Grazing/Gundaroo.
Grazing, Gundaroo
Rustic country dining gets a glow-up at Grazing. Housed in the old Royal Hotel, this 19th-century building is charming as heck. Tables are tucked into different rooms, with fires blazing through winter. The menu is a set-price affair of two or three courses, and there is precision, technique and great produce on display in every dish.
The ash-rolled, rare-roasted kangaroo with beetroot and blackberry is a stunning starter, as is the hand-rolled potato tortellini.
A duck confit served with morcilla (Spanish black sausage) and red cabbage is a lovely dish, or the braised ox cheek with Paris mash makes for a properly rich winter warmer.
It’s worth splurging on the third course to enjoy the chestnut burnt Basque cheesecake
If you’re lucky, the slow-cooked lamb shanks with winter radicchio will be on the blackboard menu at Scrumpers. Photo: Scrumpers Kitchen/Instagram.
Scrumpers Kitchen, Bungendore
If you’re looking for a more casual approach to your day drive, Scrumpers Kitchen in Bungendore serves up home-style meals in a cosy dining room. With not one but two (!) open fireplaces and an eclectic collection of knick-knacks, local art, mismatched crockery and charming ambience, the vibes here are spot on. The blackboard menu changes daily to accommodate local produce sourced from small-scale farms in the region.
You will feel like you’ve been welcomed into the home of owner and cook Ruth Gaha Morris. The food here isn’t fancy, but it is comforting, and the ingredients are given space to shine.
Shaw Estate Restaurant is a refined space. Photo: Ashley St George, Pew Pew Studio.
Shaw Estate, Murrumbateman
Recently renovated and upgraded, the new restaurant at Shaw Estate is stunning.
Airy and open, full of little architectural and design details that uplift the muted colour scheme. The menu is broadly Mediterranean with plenty of options for sharing or individual plates.
Start with olives, dips and house-baked bread to share, or arancini balls make a delightful starter. The mafaldine with lamb ragu is a warm hug of a meal, and the charcoal oven pumps out brilliant roast veggies and whole chooks.
You can also book a tasting of Shaw Estate wines, or select a glass of wine from the curated wine list, which spans local, national and international drops.
The Goulburn Brewery, built in 1836, has new life breathed into it. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Goulburn Brewery, Goulburn
Built from the bones of a flour mill built in 1836, the newly renovated Goulburn Brewery is steeped in local history. Wayback, the in-house brewery, serves a range of craft beers including a sparkling ale made with local barley and a dry stout inspired by historic brewing records.
The menu stands on the shoulders of pub food with classic dishes done properly, and others elevated to the next level. The Wayback beers are cleverly integrated into the menu: in a beef and stout pie, in gravy or as the liquid for slow-cooking lamb. Native ingredients are also peppered across the menu with lemon myrtle mayo, saltbush yoghurt and a macadamia crumb on the cauliflower gnocchi.
Which regional restaurants do you think are worth the drive?
Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Region Canberra.
