In 2007, restaurateur James Howarth bought a mechanic's business and transformed it into a clean, green eatery called Leura Garage. The restaurant and bar has a seasonal and local ingredient-focused menu, with everything from souvlaki to baked camembert. Locally-sourced produce features in its share plates, too — such as 12-hour braised lamb shoulder with pomegranate glaze, confit garlic and rosemary — and mains, including the pork sausage wheel with crispy potatoes, caramelised onion and sauerkraut.
The restaurant is self-sustainable. It has a 22,000-litre rainwater tank that supplies water for its coffee machine, dishwasher, drinking water and the bathroom. It also has a giant composter that can chew through 200 kilograms of waste per week. Plus, instead of bringing in fancy furniture, the car hoist — leftover from the mechanic — was transformed into a bar and a bunch of tyres into a dividing wall.
And the drinks list isn't bad, either with the wine list big on drops from Orange and Mudgee.
Images: Destination NSW.