Overview
A weekend away exploring the Kangaroo Valley and the surrounding areas is a feast for all your senses. And while the beauty of the green rolling hills speaks for itself, there's also some knockout foodie experiences to be had. From some not-so traditional hybrid pies to a restaurant run by an award-winning, ex-Tetsuya's chef, every taste (and budget) is covered. Here's five foodie experiences that are getting in the car and heading down to NSW's Kangaroo Valley.
LOCAL PRODUCE AT THE GENERAL CAFE
When visiting the Kangaroo Valley, The General Cafe is where you want to start your day. They serve great coffee and even make their own almond milk. Easily identified by its tin roof and wrap-around balcony, the place is reminiscent of an old country home, complete with a kitchen table adorned with baked goods. This place is nothing short of wholesome. The menu is built on locally-sourced produce and the shelves lining the front windows are stocked with homemade, award-winning jams and honey. If you're planning to go on a walk or canoe down the river, this is the place to pick up picnic supplies — The General has you covered for cheese, spreads and even house-made bread and butter pickles, and you can grab a loaf of bread from the shop next door.
151 Moss Vale Road, Kangaroo Valley.
CHEESEBURGER PIE AT SOUTHERN PIES
If someone asks if you want to pimp up your pie, you don't waste time waiting to find out what that means — you just say yes. At Southern Pies in the Kangaroo Valley, the decision to pimp will get you your choice of pie piled high with mushy peas, creamy mash and gravy. And with another shop up the road boasting the best pies in the world, pie makers in this town can't afford to sit on their laurels. To keep the competition interesting, on top of classics like lamb and rosemary, Southern Pies have combined two all-time food favourites to create the epic cheeseburger pie. And if that wasn't enough of a feat, inside their epic brekkie pie you'll find bacon, a whole cracked egg, a hash brown and smoky onion relish. Beat that.
146 Moss Vale Road, Kangaroo Valley.
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ALPACA BURGER AT THE BERRY HOTEL
The Berry Hotel may look unassuming from the outside, but don't be fooled — this is the home of burger royalty. Short of travelling to South America you'd think you would be hard-pressed to find a place that has alpaca on the menu. Pause for dramatic effect, and cue the alpaca burger at the Berry Hotel. If you're wondering what alpaca tastes like, it actually has quite a mild flavour — but this burger does not. The mix of spices in the patty, paired with slow-roasted tomato, rocket, cheese and caramelised onion make this rare find a real winner.
120 Queen Street, Berry.
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CINNAMON DOUGHNUTS AT THE FAMOUS BERRY DONUT VAN
If you've heard of Berry, you'll no doubt know about The Famous Berry Donut Van. While the likes of Doughnut Time and Grumpy Donuts have created doughnut hysteria with outrageous flavour combos like maple bacon, hibiscus and nerds, The Famous Berry Donut Van reminds us of the art of simplicity. It's the kind of place where you can unashamedly order bulk cinnamon donuts (to share with your friends, of course) and nobody will blink an eye. There's absolutely no judgement when something so simple tastes this good. Made fresh to order, you'll want to scoff these while they're still hot.
73 Queen Street, Berry.
ESPRESSO MARTINIS AT SILOS RESTAURANT
Hidden in a converted hay shed in Berry is a contender for the best espresso martini in NSW. At Silos Restaurant they've set themselves the challenge of using each of the native Australian ingredients once only on their seasonal menu. So in their martini it's the cinnamon and nutmeg-infused syrup that plays the starring role. From the complimentary parsley and whey cake appetiser to the dark cherry and olive palette cleanser, Silos Restaurant is out to spark your sense of adventure. Taking the chef's suggestion, we ordered scampi sautéed in wasabi butter, miso-pressed eggplant, asparagus, crisp chicken skin and yuzu curd and the blue eyed cod with sweetbreads, jerusalem artichoke cream, wild fungi and garlic in a red wine sauce. And even though sweetbreads have never been our thing, we put our blind faith in this award-winning chef — and so should you.
B640 Princes Highway, Berry.
Top image: Thomas Kelley.