The Three Blue Ducks Team Has Opened a Road Trip-Worthy Restaurant in the Snowy Mountains

Much-loved farm-to-table eatery Three Blue Ducks has expanding its ever-growing suite of establishments to regional NSW, with the Sydney restaurant group opening an outpost at Nimbo Fork Lodge, at the bottom of the Snowy Mountains, in late November.

Originally opening in Bronte back in 2010, before expanding to Byron Bay, Rosebery, Brisbane (in the W Hotel) and Melbourne (inside a surf park), the restaurant collective is known for its dishes packed with locally and ethically sourced produce.

The group's latest iteration is no different. The menu has been designed around the on-site kitchen garden, award-winning sustainably farmed Provenir Beef and trout from local Tumut waterways. If the locally sourced trout isn't fresh enough for you, though, you can head out to the renowned fly-fishing areas nearby and provide your own catch of the day for the chefs to use.

You can eat that trout as an entree — smoked atop crisp bread with dill and crème fraîche — or as a main, where it comes whole, butterflied and with lashings of garlic, lemon and dill. Elsewhere on the menu, you'll find crumbed pork terrine, roasted beets with almond cream, Nimbo tomahawk lamb chops and harissa-spiced cauliflower with chimichurri and roasted hazelnuts.

The Three Blue Ducks team by Nikki To

You can pair this food with cocktails filled with Aussie ingredients and spirits, such as the Native Negroni made with Brookies gin and Poor Toms Imbroglio; all-Aussie brews, including Bright Brewery sour ales and Heaps Normal's Quiet XPA; and local and international wines helpfully listed under headings like 'fruit forward and food friendly red' and 'light and aromatic white'.

For a sweet finish, you've got three options: crema catalana (very similar to a crème brûlée), sea salt meringue with lemon curd and, the most decadent option, self-saucing choc pudding. We think the latter will be just what you're after when you head back to the lodge after a chilly day out on the snowfields — or down by the river fishing for trout.

Because, of course, it's all about location at this latest Three Blue Ducks. While you could, on some days, convince us to drive four hours for the perfect chocolate pudding, that's not the only drawcard here. Located in the heart of the picturesque Tumut Valley, 30 minutes' drive from Gundagai, Three Blue Ducks is situated inside a boutique hotel with six cottages, five suites and a bar and restaurant.

There are a host of activities you can experience nearby, including bike rides, bushwalks, fly-fishing and horse rides — or, if you're an avid skier or snowboarder, you can jump in the car and head to Selwyn Snow Resort, just under two hours away, when it reopens. The snowfield was extensively damaged during the 2019-20 bushfires, but is currently being rebuilt.

The new restaurant is open for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday, with lunch available on weekends.

For more ideas, check out our guide to activities in the Snowy Mountains region.

Find Three Blue Ducks at Nimbo Fork Lodge, 330 Nimbo Road, Killimicat. You can make a booking at the restaurant here and at Nimbo Fork Lodge here.