Four top chefs share best regional Victorian food and drink destinations

Victoria boasts some of the best food in the country — sometimes you just need to get off the beaten track to find it. Four of our finest chefs reveal where they are prepared to travel for a good feed.

Du Fermier at Trentham. Picture: Supplied

Sometimes the most memorable food experiences are as much about the journey as the meal.

Everything tastes better after a leisurely country drive, especially when the produce was grown by a farmer up the road.

And it’s no different for some of the state’s finest chefs.

We asked four culinary gurus for scoop on where to eat in regional Victoria.

For Oakridge pastry guru and co-executive chef Jo Barrett, local ingredients are the key to her widely acclaimed menu at the Coldstream winery.

But when she has a day off from cooking, her favourite country dining destination is a place close to her heart — Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula, where her parents and brother live.

“There’s so much good food down there now, but my favourite would have to be Igni (in Geelong),” Barrett says.

“(Owner/chef) Aaron Turner represents the Geelong region so well. It’s a small restaurant, so the menu changes according to what’s been harvested in the region.

“I really like the vegetable focus, and the local seafood.”

Barrett also loves the seafood at Captain Moonlite (100 Great Ocean Road, Anglesea), perched on the cliff above the main beach in the town’s surf lifesaving club.

“It’s eating seafood right on the beach,” Barrett says. “It’s always so fresh and delicious.”

The beach forms a big slice of her downtime, which usually includes a surf at Ocean Grove or an ocean swim with her mum, Kerry.

Still cold from the winter water, Barrett heads straight to the Starfish Bakery in Barwon Heads for her favourite post-surf meal, a bacon and egg roll known as “the Squishy”.

“The Squishy is full of nostalgia for me,” Barrett says.

“It brings back memories of summer holidays at the beach with my family.

“You’d get up and go for a swim, or a surf, or go for a run and then everyone would meet up for a coffee and a Squishy.”

Local produce is also the key to a great day in the country for Guy Grossi, the celebrity chef behind Melbourne institution Grossi Florentino and five other Italian restaurants.

“In the Central Highlands, there are so many amazing producers and great places to eat,” says Grossi, who beats a well-worn path between Daylesford, Trentham and Kyneton.

“For wholesome, nurturing food in a beautiful setting, I visit Annie Smithers at du Fermier (in Trentham).

“You could spend hours here eating and drinking and forgetting about everything else.

“You know everything will be fresh and seasonal, much of it from Annie’s garden. If you’re lucky there’ll be a delicious terrine and some sort of succulent roast meat like duck or roast chook.

Red Beard Historic Bakery in Trentham. Picture: Supplied

“And while I’m in Trentham, I have to stop at RedBeard Bakery, but you have to forget the diet … the bread is so well crafted and there are beautiful pastries and cakes. Also get a sausage roll,” Grossi says.

He also loves visiting Kyneton for Tansy Good’s cooking at Tansy’s in Piper St and the classic dishes at nearby Midnight Starling.

“And of course, there’s the Lake House (in Daylesford),” says Grossi.

“It’s such a special place. The food and service are world class and the setting, unbeatable.

“It’s too hard to choose from Alla Wolf-Tasker’s menu, so I go for her signature tasting menu to experience all of her great dishes.”

A visit to Daylesford must also include a side trip to Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm in Shepherds Flat for snacks and a spritz among the lavender fields, along with a morning stop at Cliffy’s Emporium in Raglan Street.

“When I walk into Cliffy’s, I’m like a kid in a candy store,” Grossi says.

“The shelves are lined with beautiful products like anchovies, teas, honey, preserves and oils, and the menu is simple and delicious.

“I usually have an omelette or eggs on toast and it’s always great. The coffee is fantastic, too.”

Victoria’s Central Highlands are also a much-loved destination for Jerry Mai, the powerhouse chef behind Annam and Pho Nom in Melbourne and Glen Waverley’s new Bia Hoi.

“We love driving up the Calder Highway to Castlemaine for a simple pub lunch at the Railway Hotel,” Mai says.

“It’s close enough that (toddler son) Harry doesn’t get too crazy, as it’s only an hour-and-a-half drive.

“Living in Richmond and working in the city, it’s like a concrete jungle and everyone’s in too much of a hurry.

“We love getting into the country for some fresh air, even when it’s a bit cold.

“We turn the phones on silent, and sometimes even turn them off, and we just decompress.”

For Casey Wall, executive chef and part-owner of Capitano Carlton and Fitzroy’s Bar Liberty, every day off is an opportunity to explore more of regional Victoria on his bicycle.

The North Carolina-born chef is a competitive cyclist, riding up to 450km a week — with some delicious food in between.

“I reckon I’ve seen more of Victoria than most Victorians,” Wall jokes.

“But my favourite place to visit is the High Country, especially as the weather’s getting warmer.

“I always visit Bridge Road Brewers (in Beechworth). Their beers are right up there at an international level.

“They win awards … I usually go for their pizzas, depending on how far we’ve ridden on the day.”

He is also a big fan of Reed & Co Distillery in Bright, the distillery, bar and restaurant by Rachel Reed and her partner, Hamish Nugent.

“Their food’s really tasty and clever, all cooked over a wood-burning oven,” Wall says.

“It’s warm and homey in the winter time, and it’s always very cool to see everything being cooked in front of you.”

His training rides often end at The Wandi Pub (580 Morses Creek Rd, Wandiligong), a welcoming country pub near Bright.

“The Wandi Pub is one of the best pubs in rural Victoria,” he says.

“I didn’t grow up in Australia, so the whole pub meal thing is new for me, but this place is awesome.

“I’ve been there 15 or 20 times and I’ve never ordered the same thing twice. I’ve had some really good steaks there, too. They have really good rotating specials.”