Dead Ringer, Surry Hills, SydneyCredit: Nikki To
Slow-roasted chicken at Dead Ringer, in Sydney’s Surry Hills.
#lovensw #newsouthwales
A spicy Middle Eastern feast to start the morning? Queue-worthy pastries? Crumbed eggs on toast? Tortillas and coffee? There are plenty of delicious and caffeine-powered reasons to start your day in Sydney’s Surry Hills, a few minutes' drive from the city centre.
Dead Ringer
The sister restaurant to the award-winning Bulletin Place cocktail bar does brunch with a difference — and not just because there’s no avocado toast on the menu. Dead Ringer begins the day with an inspired selection of dishes (think pulled pork and black bean tostadas, baked ricotta tarts and slow-roasted chicken with braised zucchini and lemon yoghurt), which are paired with bottomless mimosa spritzes. You can “brunch harder” with extra espresso martini and dessert, too.
Nour
For a bottomless brunch with a Middle Eastern twist, head to Nour on Crown Street, Surry Hills’s main eatery-filled thoroughfare. Here in this slick restaurant, brunch means falafel crumpets, Baalbek fried eggs with tahini yoghurt and fried cauliflower with roasted grapes and smoked labne. Try one of the two extravagant banquet brunch options if you are ravenously hungry, and wash it down with a bottomloss Persian spritz, in which Persian lime, elderflower and cucumber are topped with sparkling wine.
Nour, Surry Hills Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying Middle Eastern cuisine at Nour Restaurant, Surry Hills.
#ilovesydney
Nour, Surry Hills Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying Middle Eastern cuisine at Nour Restaurant, Surry Hills.
Bills
In 1993, Bill Granger opened his first Bills cafe in Darlinghurst. Its staple dishes — avocado on toast, ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb and butter, sweet-corn fritters — would become brunch classics over time. This institution now has outlets in Asia, the US and the UK, as well as at Bondi Beach and on Crown Street. Need a post-brunch sugar rush? Stop by the original Bourke Street Bakery location: people have queued out the door for its ginger brûlée tarts and pork and fennel sausage rolls since 2004 and this bakery now has outposts across Sydney and has even launched in New York.
Paramount Coffee Project
You’ve heard of eggs on toast, but what about crumbed eggs on toast? This industrial-chic Surry Hills café on the ground floor of Paramount House Hotel serves oozy crumbed eggs and other brunch highlights such as buttermilk fried chicken waffles, ginseng congee with house-made kimchi, and coconut mango sago pudding. Paramount Coffee Project’s selection of beans from different roasters (Reuben Hills, Small Batch, Seven Seeds) will perk you up for the day — as will a fitness session at the Paramount Recreation Club upstairs. Book in for some strength training, rooftop yoga or Pilates to go with your breakfast roll or banana and walnut bread.
Reuben Hills
It’s clear that you’ll get a good espresso or filter coffee at this micro roastery. The Reuben Hills team travels around the world to select, purchase and import coffee beans. You can even watch employees roast them in the café, ensuring a quality cuppa each time. Their menu is inspired by trips to coffee-growing regions in Central and South America, so expect huevos divorciados (fried eggs with red and green salsa) and Honduran baleadas (tortillas deliciously stuffed with pinto beans, smoked cheese, fermented salsa and scrambled eggs) as well as brunch classics like avocado on rye. Need a further caffeine fix? Stop by Artificer Coffee for specialty single origins and blends from Colombia, Honduras and beyond.
Bourke Street Bakery, Surry Hills Credit: James Horan; Destination NSW
Dessert served at Bourke street Bakery in Surry Hills
#ilovesydney
Bourke Street Bakery, Surry Hills Credit: James Horan; Destination NSW
Dessert served at Bourke street Bakery in Surry Hills
Artificer Coffee, Surry Hills Credit: Destination NSW
Barista making morning coffees at Artificer Cafe, Surry Hills.
#ilovesydney
Artificer Coffee, Surry Hills Credit: Destination NSW
Barista making morning coffees at Artificer Cafe, Surry Hills.
More Inspirational Stories
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, CorowaCredit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a visit to Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa.
#feelnsw #newsouthwales
Feast on the riches of one of Australia’s most important food bowls on a road trip through the Murray, named after the mighty river that flows through this southwest area of New South Wales. Float down the river on a historic paddlesteamer wine cruise, stop by farm gates to sample incredible fresh produce, and dine at chic restaurants and bars in this unique culinary playground.
Take the back roads for gourmet treats
Head off the beaten path along The Backroads Trail, a 250km driving route that passes through the small pastoral towns of Barham, Moama, Mathoura and Deniliquin on the upper reaches of the Murray River. Sink your teeth into fresh olives, avocados, free-range pork, honey and citrus fruit from farm gates along its loops and trails, and taste the region’s wines at vineyards such as Restdown Wines. While you’re at this winery, venture out along the Restdown Wetland Walk to encounter Aboriginal cooking hearths and an old sheep camp.
Cruise along to The Old School Winery & Meadery in Womboota to pick up wine, pottery and honey mead. Or seek out Ivy Joyce in Barham to indulge in a warm space, offering local produce from farms for a truly paddock to plate experience in the heart of Murray River country. For more snacks and meaty fare such as British-style pork pies and sausages, head to Pacdon Park’s factory shop in Moama.
You can work up an appetite as you build your own itinerary on the theme of food, paddocks and produce, and find suggested routes and maps to Murray River farm gates, at the Echuca Moama Visitor Centre.
Wine and dine along the river
Embark on a wine tour by water in Moama, where the first steamboats made their way up the Murray in 1853. Take a Murray River Paddlesteamers Wharf to Winery Cruise from the town to Morrisons Riverview Winery for a leisurely lunch. Or drive along the river, stopping in at Three Black Sheep for risotto and woodfired pizzas, and tasting crisp dry whites and full-flavoured reds at St Anne’s Vineyards, where you can nibble on a cheese platter overlooking a scenic lake.
Head east along the riverside roads to rest and recharge in the town of Tocumwal, known for its riverside beaches, golf courses, glider flying and iconic Big Murray Cod statue. Start the following day with a solid foundation of breakfast pizza (topped with bacon, eggs and a hash brown) at The Old Bank and indulge in a scoop of ice-cream or sorbet from Tocumwal Ice Creamery – flavours include rocky road, green apple or macadamia. If you’re in town on a Saturday, pick up honey, fruit, vegetables, olive oil, dressings and other condiments made by local producers at the Tocumwal Foreshore Markets.
Continue your odyssey along the river to Corowa, the birthplace of Australian Federation. Immerse in the town’s rich turn-of-the-20th-century colonial heritage as you make your way to the former 1920s flour mill housing Corowa Distilling Co. Here you can book a whisky tasting and behind-the-scenes tour and buy locally made chocolates and sweets from sister shop Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory. Work off an indulgent afternoon with a walk along the river before settling into the stylish Circa 1936 hotel, which is housed in an Art Deco former bank on the main street of Corowa.
Celebrate regional ingredients in Albury
From Corowa, follow the Riverina Highway eastward to the city of Albury, a food, wine and culture hub. Taste how seasonality and locality are expressed at The Proprietor, a former butcher shop turned cafe offering brunch treats such as fruit toast with Beechworth honey and whipped ricotta, and banana waffles with Gundowring vanilla ice-cream. Or try the all-day breakfast offering at Mr Benedict, from cheesy bacon waffle with popcorn chicken to one of its signature eggs benedicts, including one with cider-braised ham hock.
At The River Deck restaurant, local ingredients are celebrated alongside stunning river views, and dishes may include chicken Caesar salad with Milawa eggs or beef brisket braised in coffee by Albury roaster The Brothers Cup. At tiny and elegant Bistro Selle, complement warm Gooramadda olives with a buttery Australian chardonnay and fresh market fish. Yardbird offers a bold-flavoured menu featuring dishes like scorched Albacore tuna, along with meats grilled in a Spanish woodfired oven.
In between meals, stroll along the Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk and take in the contemporary artworks by Aboriginal artists that line the Wagirra Trail. Meander through the Murray Art Museum Albury’s contemporary photographic collection, Aboriginal art and works by renowned Australian artist Sir Russell Drysdale. Afterwards, order lunch or dinner at the museum’s excellent Canvas Eatery – try the saltbush lamb rump or one of their Neapolitan-style pizzas.
The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota Credit: Destination NSW
Couple taste tasting mead at The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota
#feelnsw #newsouthwales
The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota Credit: Destination NSW
Couple taste tasting mead at The Old School Winery & Meadery, Womboota
Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available from Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama.
#feelnsw #newsouthwales
Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available from Morrison's Riverview Winery and Restaurant, Moama.
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa Credit: Destination NSW
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate located in a 1920âs old flour mill in Corowa.
#feelnsw #newsouthwales
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate, Corowa Credit: Destination NSW
Corowa Whisky & Chocolate located in a 1920âs old flour mill in Corowa.
Canvas Eatery, Albury Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available at Canvas Eatery in Albury.
#feelnsw #newsouthwales
Canvas Eatery, Albury Credit: Destination NSW
Food and wine available at Canvas Eatery in Albury.