Eating in the Hunter Valley

Restaurant Botanica was the BEST meal I had on my recent Hunter Valley trip (read the blog here) but it wasn’t the only great meal I had so this blog post is a summary of some other highlights.

The best pie I’ve had in a long time – Two Fat Blokes

Firstly, kudos on their name! Love it.

Secondly, Two Fat Blokes is part cafe/restaurant, part deli and part tour company. The deli is awesome and you can buy food from there and sit in the light airy cafe/restaurant area. We got this massive cheeseboard from the deli (with triple cream brie, cheddar and a blue cheese) which could easily have fed about eight people so between the two of us, we had plenty of takeaway cheese.

But the real highlight for me was the pie. The humble pie. I had the pepper beef pie and it was SO incredibly pepper-y. I wasn’t sure if it was deliberately meant to be that hot or if the chef had gone overboard with the pepper that morning but after a few bites, I was hooked. The pie crust was also one of the best I’ve had EVER. It was so flaky but still held the structure of the pie together.

Details: Two Fat Blokes, 1616 Broke Rd, Pokolbin NSW 2320

A great pit stop on the drive to the Hunter Valley – Wollombi Tavern 

On the drive from Sydney to the Hunter Valley, we had ample time to spare so we took the scenic route instead, i.e. Tourist Drive 33. I highly recommend this drive as it only took  30 minutes longer than going on the M1 but it was a really pretty drive through the countryside.

Wollombi is a small town in the Hunter region. The Wollombi Tavern is apparently famous for an alcoholic concoction called Dr Jurd’s Jungle Juice which I wasn’t game enough to try at midday. What I did try though was their lunch special of the day, the $10 chicken schnitzel, chips and salad. I wasn’t expecting much at all of this pub dish but it turned out to be outstanding! The chips were so so crunchy leaving us thinking that they were beer battered and the chicken was nice and tender. We sat outside the tavern at the back and it couldn’t have felt further away from Sydney – it was so peaceful being completely surrounded by the countryside.

Details: The Wollombi Tavern, 2994 Great N Rd, Wollombi NSW 2325

The best vineyard to visit for its 360 degree views: Audrey Wilkinson

360 degree views of the vineyards and countryside. Enough said. The photo below cannot do it justice.

A pub meal by the fireplace on a cold evening: Harrigan’s Irish Pub

The dinner we had at Harrigan’s was decent but not amazing but I have to recommend Harrigan’s for its warmth – both figuratively for its atmosphere and literally if you sit near the fireplace. We had the Guinness pot pie (which had tonnes of meat and a solid Guinness flavour) and the BBQ chicken and avocado pizza (which was really good for a pub pizza with the avocado providing freshness to an otherwise heavy meal).

 

Details: Harrigan’s Irish Pub, 2090 Broke Rd, Pokolbin NSW 2320