23 Dec 2021
Words
Ben Hall Informer Issue 101
Delight in Every Bite
As the saying goes in the hospitality industry, ‘it’s all about the complete experience’ and we’ve uncovered some of the best restaurants in our network to highlight some of the great work going on in the industry.
Kingsley Motel & Restaurant
Manjimup, WA
Surrounded by lush pastures and some of the most productive soils in Australia, Manjimup is fast becoming known as the Food Bowl of WA. It’s also home of the newly renovated Kingsley Motel, offering quality country-style accommodation along with a contemporary dining experience. The restaurant features produce, ingredients and wines curated from the local Southern Forest Region with a strong farm-to-fork approach.
Kingsley Motel & Restaurant | @kingsleymotel
The Sebel Launceston Hotel
Launceston
Bluestone Bar & Kitchen is the latest addition to Launceston’s growing foodie culture, a contemporary restaurant serving modern Australian cuisine with a hint of Asian influence. Executive Chef Michael Mackaway’s menus aim to take guests on a culinary journey through a uniquely Tasmanian experience, combining the freshest, in season, local produce with an impressive range of specially curated wine, whisky and craft beer.
Bluestone Bar & Kitchen | @bluestonebarkitchen
Yamba Beach Motel
Yamba
Sandbar is a casual beachside bistro run by a third generation Clarence Valley fishing family, passionate about bringing local seafood and fish, fresh from trawler to table, along with the best local produce available in the northern NSW region. The ambience is relaxed, the menu has a wide range of tasting plates, and there are craft beers and cocktails along with some of the best views in town.
Sandbar - Yamba Beach Motel | @sandbar_yamba
Bangalay
Shoalhaven Heads
Located between bush and beach, and nestled into the sand dunes at Shoalhaven by the Seven Mile National Park, this architecturally designed luxury eco-resort is the home of Bangalay Dining. The kitchen is headed up by the chef-hatted Wollongong chef Simon Evans, and it’s an airy space boasting views over the resort’s gardens, pool and giant blackbutt tree, along with a fine dining experience showcasing sumptuous native Australian ingredients.
Bangalay Dining | @bangalaydining
Bannisters By The Sea
Mollymook
Rick Stein at Mollymook has been a fixture of this iconic boutique luxury resort for over a decade attracting locals and visitors alike with the promise of a fine dining experience coupled with sweeping clifftop views across the ocean. The internationally acclaimed restaurateur Rick Stein chose the idyllic Bannisters for the location of his first Australian restaurant, focussing on the abundance of freshly available NSW South Coast seafood along with a touch of his Asian culinary influence.
Rick Stein at Bannisters | @ricksteinatbannisters
Kacy’s Beach Motel
Bargara
Located on Bargara Beach in the heart of town, Kacy’s Restaurant is a casual venue ideal for a quiet drink or an indulgent three-course dinner. Some of its attractions include an extensive wine cellar with over 2,500 bottles, a wide range of draught and bottle beers, and a menu featuring dishes cooked to order using fresh ingredients from the Bundaberg region.
Kacy's Restaurant | ?@kacysbargarabeachmotel
Lismore Bounty Motel
Lismore
The Lobby Café, Bar & Lounge at the contemporary Lismore Bounty Motel is a hidden gem away from the crowds. Open to house guests and the public, the café specialises in local Northern Rivers beef and seafood with a wide range of cuisine choices, along with an impressive selection of leading Australian wines and local and imported beers.
The Lobby Cafe, Bar & Lounge | @lismorebountymotel
The Cubana Resort
Nambucca Heads
Open daily from 5pm to late, Hemmingways Bar & Grill at the Cubana Resort has an extensive gin collection, a menu of cool cocktails and a range of locally brewed beers. It also has a brand new restaurant menu with Chef Teejay Savelio working with local growers, bakers, farmers, fishermen, wineries and distilleries to showcase the best seasonal and local produce from the Nambucca Valley.
Hemmingways Bar & Grill | @hemmingwaysnambucca
The Whale Inn
Narooma
Surrounded by unspoiled beaches, this much loved Narooma motel was recently purchased by Justin Hemmes and the Merivale hospitality group. Featuring 17 spacious rooms and a relaxed community vibe, it also has a brand new restaurant, Chez Dominique, boasting views along the Sapphire Coast and offering an “intimate farm-to-table pop-up” in collaboration with local French-Australian chefs and Chez Dominique founders Elsa Marie and Julian May.
Chez Dominique | @chez_dominique_
Peninsula Boutique Hotel
Port Douglas
With an exclusive location overlooking Four Mile Beach, Hi Tide Cafe-Bar-Restaurant is one of Port Douglas’ best kept dining secrets. Along with warm ocean breezes, a cool decor, and amazing cocktails, Head Chef Adam Pownall offers a menu featuring the freshest tropical produce from sea and land, locally sourced, and with seasonal changes.
Hi Tide Cafe-Bar-Restaurant | @hitidebythebeach
Pelican Waters Resort
Sunshine Coast
Along with breathtaking views of the heritage-listed Glasshouse Mountains and the Greg Norman designed Pelican Waters Golf Course, this stylish Sunshine Coast resort has expanded its leisure facilities to include a sports bar and a pizza service. And there’s Waterlilies Restaurant, an indoor and outdoor dining venue bathed in natural light offering a menu of contemporary and modern fusion cuisine.
Waterlilies Restaurant | @waterliliesrestaurant
Peppers Soul
Surfers Paradise
Luxury apartments and enviable ocean views are just two of this resort’s main attractions. Hyde Paradiso is the American hospitality brand’s first Australian venue, with a laid-back luxe beach club vibe, a hanging garden, resident DJs and a fresh, seasonal, share-style menu with dishes embracing the exotic flavours of Greek, Turkish, Italian and Moroccan cuisines.
Lookout Mountain Retreat
Dorrigo
Located a stone’s throw from Dorrigo’s World Heritage National Park, this resort enjoys picturesque mountain, valley and ocean views. The onsite Waterfall Way Café isn’t just a highlight of a stay here, but a key attraction in the area, with a rustic decor featuring a huge stone fireplace and local Tallowwood beams and posts, and an outdoor terrace bathed in sunlight surrounded by stunning gardens and hinterland views. It’s also famous for its delicious range of Dorrigo chocolates and handcrafted fudge.
Waterfall Way Cafe | @lookoutmountainretreat
Artesian Spa Motor Inn
Moree
Having direct access to three of its own Moree natural hot pools isn’t the only attraction of this charming motor inn. There’s also the Garden Restaurant, which enjoys a picturesque setting overlooking manicured gardens and the river running behind the property, along with a menu of contemporary cuisine based on local produce.
