Sydney Eat Street: 10 places to try in Maitland
A SHORT two-hour drive from Sydney along the banks of the Hunter River you’ll find a city rich in heritage with a blossoming foodie scene.
Eat Street
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A SHORT two-hour drive from Sydney along the banks of the Hunter River you’ll find a city rich in heritage with a blossoming foodie scene.
Take a tour of the area’s best eateries right here with The Sunday Telegraph’s Eat Street. Are you hungry for more inspiration? Follow us on Instagram.
For a chance to feature your food picture in The Sunday Telegraph, tag #SydneyEatStreet.
THE RIGBY
TAKING note of Maitland’s desire to push the envelope of mainstream eateries, Howard Bourne, along with his son Nick, set out to convert this former Stationary store into a destination for simple yet contemporary dining, complemented by sophisticated cocktails and an astute wine list.
The two have paid homage to the building’s late 1800s heritage by exposing the original brick walls and adding furnishings indicative of the era, a style that Howard refers to as “industrial elegance”.
Guests can sink into the deep leather lounges while chatting over a glass of buttered run or one of Nick’s creative cocktails that regularly feature market fresh ingredients such as sage, citrus and rhubarb.
For those feeling peckish, add to that an assortment of share plates such as the mushroom arancini, smoky lamb ribs and prawn dumplings.
Or move into the dining area for an a la carte menu featuring scallops with butternut pumpkin and maple bacon; confit chicken with sweet corn and pearl couscous; or the pork belly, with pickled Chinese cabbage, dishes that head chef Daniel Shafer describes as “simple done well”.
The essence of The Rigby can be summarised in Howard’s motto that “Guests must leave happier than when they came in” and whether it’s for a quick morning coffee, a brief business lunch or a lingering dinner, this father-son team certainly delivers.
— 307 High St
THE CUNNING CULINARIAN
FOR a many a great chef, the love for cooking harks back to childhood memories of the family kitchen.
The same holds true for renowned caterer and queen of the Brownie baking scene, Alina MacKee who developed her passion for cooking while baking alongside her grandmother as a child.
Keen to share this enthusiasm with a younger generation, Alina has been bringing kids up to the table with her after school cooking classes.
Once everyone has been issued a chefs hat, she begins to teach them how to make a pizza from scratch, which in the end, they get to take home for the “family dinner”.
For years, these classes were run out of community halls, that is however until she and partner chef George found an old building on High St they could make their own. Over two months, they tirelessly transformed it into a charming place with a commercial kitchen suited for catering plus enough additional space host events such as artist exhibitions.
Mainly though, it has allowed them to grow their cooking school which will begin to offer adult cooking classes, including ones that will feature recipes from George’s Peruvian-Chilean background. In between classes though, they’re busy running the cafe side, offering light meals, The Little Marionette coffee, pastries and of course, those divine brownies.
— 245 High St
READERS CAFE AND LARDER
AMORELLE Dempster, has one simple rule: “If it’s not in season, then it’s not in the kitchen” and in case you’re unsure whatever produce is prime at the time, it’s the stuff that’s also for sale in the wooden crates stacked upfront, all of which is sourced from local farmers.
It’s essentially a guide to the specials board which notes the day’s seasonal tart, frittata and salad as well as a hint as to whatever else Amorelle, a trained chef, may be tempted to make,
including a massaman curry variant from her homeland of Sri Lanka.
This approach is part of her commitment to the Slow Food Movement, a global initiative established to “prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, counteract the rise of fast life and combat people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat”, something that she has also carried over by spearheading the local Slow Food Earth Markets.
— East Maitland Library, 3 Garnett Rd
MYRTLE AND PEPPER FINE CHOCOLATES
A TYPICAL trip around Australia usually means hitting the top tourist spots but for Rachel King, who’d just opted to leave the corporate life for motherhood, hers led her off the beaten path as she hunted for Australian native ingredients such as wild strawberries, river mint and lemon myrtle, whose flavours are suited to artisan chocolates in any number of combinations.
“Because the ingredients are not widely utilised there are no blueprints or recipes available,” says Rachel, adding that because of this she gets to create her own.
Fortunately, most of the ingredients she can either grow herself or source from local markets.
For the final product, Rachel sets out to balance flavour, texture and design.
“Texture plays an important role,” she says, noting that many of her creations are multi-level, including the three-layered Davidson plum cheesecake bonbon where each level has a different textural and flavour experience. Can’t wait to see what experiences are next on the list.
OMETTO PIZZA BAR
A MAN on a mission, Giuseppe Maviglia, set to show the people of Maitland what true fast food is all about, as with a custom made woodfire oven direct from Italy, he is able to serve up piping hot pies in mere minutes.
Not just any pizza though, as Giuseppe is adamant about delivering traditional Italian pizzas where the yeast has set for 48 hours producing a light crispy crust, perfect for the telaggio e porcini, a mushroom pizza with a cheese base.
For tomato-based versions, he insists once again on going for tradition, using a specific strong yet sweet San Marzano varietal, which along with the cheese is imported, direct from Italy.
Opt for one of Giuseppe’s favourites, the Quattro Stagioni (Four Seasons) with mushrooms, artichoke hearts, ham basil and olives or something spicy, try the Calabrese Piccante
with hot salami.
— 489 High St
MUST TRY
CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY MOUSSE
GET in early as like any good country bakery, this place sells out fast. They’ve made their name off the delicious and gorgeous cakes, but the savoury pastries are closing in for the win.
Still, it’s the sleek glaze of the chocolate raspberry mousse that entices you back over to the
sweet side.
— The Icky Sticky Patisserie; 27 Belmore Rd, Lorn
ESPRESSO BAR
COME in for the artisan brew coffee and you’ll invariably stay for the conversation — whether that’s with the local heritage society at the long “community table”, the music aficionados behind the counter or with owner, Tim Skinner at his bike workshop out back.
Linger longer with one of their gluten-free nut bars or the classic smashed avo with fetta
on sourdough.
— The Bikesmith & Espresso Bar; 326 High St
BURGER AND CRAFT BEER
THE area may be on the fringe of wine country but here, craft beer reigns supreme and it’s the local ones that take the crown. A fixture on the tap is Newcastle’s own Rogue Scholar Brewing, perfect companion to one of the weekly gourmet burgers.
— The Pourhouse; 327 High St
VEGATO
THE glass case is filled with tubs of housemade gelato boasting flavours that reflect the region including sweet local honey and home-baked apple pies.
A true treat here though is the unique Vegato, a vegan version of the iced dessert that has a slightly denser texture. Try the salted caramel or Turkish delight for a tasty treat.
— Jubilo Gelato; 8/1A Ken Tubman Dr
GAOL JAM AND JUICE
THANKS to the ladies of the East Maitland Country Women’s Association (CWA), prison food has gone gourmet as they’ve created a line of Gaol Jams and Juices from the surplus fruits of Maitland Gaol’s kitchen garden.
It’s part of an initiative, along with seasonal dinners to be led and prepared by Amorelle Dempster of Slow Food Hunter Valley, to show the roll of food and gardening behind bars.
— Maitland Gaol, 6-18 John St