Make Dad's day with quality family time around a great Bega Valley lunch

As the big man himself, Luciano Pavarotti, said “one of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating,” and this Fathers Day is a chance to step that up a notch.

Bega Valley Dads, all Dads, deserve the best. Devoting our attention to loved ones over a meal has to be up there on the list of beautiful and heartening things to do.

From Pambula to Bermagui there are some quality restaurants, hosts and chefs doing their best to create memorable experiences for us, their very willing subjects this Fathers Day.

Banksia Restaurant

22 Quondola Street, Pambula. Ph: 6495 7172

Your hosts Renée and (Chef) Huw Jones have created an attractive and simple space for their food and hospitality style in the Old Bank building on Pambula’s main street. Having operated hatted restaurant Zanzibar in Merimbula for 5 years, and then pop-ups around the Bega Valley, they’ve now settled into this elegant dining room that feels like home.

Bentwood chairs and white linen cloths, glassware and heritage interiors, Banksia does feel a bit special. The three course menu changes weekly, for Fathers’ Day there will be Eden mussel and red pepper soup, Duck breast, spaëtzle, Brussels sprouts and leeks, old-school soubise, then a hazelnut parfait, with poached pear and honeycomb.

Renée will match wine for you, and always has suggestions. Dietaries and dislikes catered for by prior arrangement, and reservations are essential by phone.

Wheelers Seafood Restaurant

162 Arthur Kaine Drive, Merimbula. Ph: 6495 6330

Host Jacqui Smith and her team work hard to make sure your every need is catered for at Wheeler’s. This Sunday they are putting a rather casual ‘something special’ on the menu. Take Dad along to enjoy a beef brisket burger, or Wagyu beef eye-fillet, paired with your choice of a craft beer or a wine, while getting swept away with the eclectic tunes from Dean & Georgi playing live.

You can also drop into the Oyster Bar on the day for some molluscs, burgers and beer, or grab some legendary fish & chips from the newly renovated take-away shop and sit out on the beautiful lawns.

Jacqui also suggested, “our shop and take-away will be open until 6 pm, so that might be a nice point of difference for a delicious, quick and simple dinner for tired families after a day of adventure together!”

Merimbula Wharf & Aquarium

The Wharf, Lake Street, Merimbula. Ph: 6495 4446

Your host Anthony and Sally Daly and Chefs Morgan and Adam are looking forward to Fathers Day this year. Perched high overlooking the stunning Merimbula Bar, sipping on a cold beer with those you love has to be a winner.

This Sunday the Merimbula Wharf Restaurant will be offering their usual delicious seafood laden á la carte menu, plus some very special slow-cooked meat dishes matched to their Hard Road Brewery Nut Brown or Belgian Pale Ale, all on tap.

There’s an extensive wine list and meals for young’uns too, so you can relax and enjoy the view and the excellent service. Telephone bookings are recommended.

Tathra Hotel

8-12 Bega Street, Tathra. Ph: 6494 1101

This Sunday at the Tathra Hotel there’s a Sunday roast, live music, their recent and substantial menu – combined with that view and the constant stream of Humpback Whales, what’s not to love? There’s sticky ribs, southern fried chicken, tacos, roasts, fish of the day, and the hotel’s Humpback Brewery is serving up paddles of their scrumptious amber liquid.

After lunch, the hotel’s regular free music starts from 4 pm. This Sunday it’s The Sugarants, a new duo local playing originals and a diverse selection of covers by artists including Talking Heads, John Lennon, The Violent Femmes, Models, The Proclaimers, Buddy Holly and David Bowie.

So for lunch or dinner, a beer on the deck or a game of pool with Dad, this popular local has heaps to offer.

Mimosa Winery

2845 Tathra / Bermagui Rd, Bermagui. Ph: 6494 0164

Hosts Glenn and Gail, and their passionate chef Glen Simpson have put together a tantalising menu, with plenty of great specials. plus live music on their stunning deck this Sunday.

Take a beautiful drive through Mimosa Rocks National Park, where deserted beaches and afternoon walks also await you before or after you indulge.

Think Wapengo Oysters three ways, think fat, seared scallops with blackberry compote and crispy pork rind, think Wagyu Eye Fillet with King prawns and a creamy smoked bearnaise sauce, think slow cooked beef cheeks, think matching wine, think cheese board… then don’t think, just enjoy music from Wisecrack and chill.

Il Passaggio Italian Restaurant

Shop 5 73-79 Lamont Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, Bermagui. Ph: 6493 5753

Hannah Abraham and her excellent team have been busy creating a new Spring menu, but also a new providore, or deli, where you can buy their hand made fresh pastas, Italian cheese, and house made sauces, including their famous chilli sauce, which is consumed by the scoop along with their crazy-good crispy golden polenta chips.

The Il Passaggio team have bounced back from a short break with a menu that is simple and fresh, in that classic Italian way. This Sunday Hannah will be offering a complimentary beer for Dad.

The new menu includes calamari, fresh focaccia, crispy fried panzerotti (filled with pear and gorgonzola), pizza, fresh pasta, a Kingfish brodo, or broth, with saffron, and a dish of cannelloni filled with braised lamb ragu. Could you see your Dad finishing with a white chocolate tira-mi-su or a boozy affogato? Me thinks so!

If you’d like to leave the car at home, call Luke of Bermagui Board & Bus and ask him about his orange van, able to take up to ten passengers and servicing the area around Merimbula, Tathra, Bega, Cobargo and Bermagui, keep this number: 0476167906

And finally a quote from that clever chap Oscar Wilde, who said “After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relatives.” So get out there, enjoy our fabulous local restaurants and give Dad some loving.