Why Ballarat is Victoria’s hottest foodie destination
WITH a string of hip hospitality newcomers exploding onto the heritage town’s rapidly evolving hospitality scene, here’s how to brunch, lunch and drink your way around booming Ballarat.
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MOVE over gold and raspberry drops.
These days, it’s the hunt for scrumptious breakfasts, fine wine and sessionable brewskis that is enticing hungry foodies to Victoria’s new gastronomic mecca: Ballarat.
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With a string of hip hospitality newcomers having exploded onto the heritage town’s rapidly evolving eat scene, you can barely walk down the main street without stumbling across a trendy cafe, speciality coffee shop, renovated gastropub, craft beer or boutique wine bar.
Fish and chips shops are being converted into all-day eateries, stables into craft beer watering holes and corner stores into bustling cafes, with no cuisine too bold and no craft beer too floral for the ‘Rat’s increasingly discerning palate.
It’s a cultural and culinary shift that has seen Ballarat establish itself as one of the state’s hottest drinking and dining destinations, with people flocking from all over Victoria to get a taste of the region’s epicurean delights.
Here’s how to eat your way around this burgeoning gourmet playground.
CAFES
Over the last few years, Ballarat’s cafe scene has undergone a bit of a transformation. Young cafe-preneurs (cafe entrepreneurs) have moved in, bringing with them acai bowls, specialty coffee and canned kombucha.
If you like to start your day with a little sweetness, the yoghurt panna cotta with poached fruit, apple gel and supersede sprinkles at Webster’s Market and Cafe (61 Webster St) is a must-try. So too their pumpkin pie-spiced brioche French toast. Wash them down with a cup of specialty tea or a house-made soda.
Head to Namaste Nourishment (54 Victoria St) — Ballarat’s first plant-based breakfast and dessert bar — for healthy wholefood meals, allergy-friendly options and all the vegan treats. Hello, buckwheat pancakes and blackforrest doughnuts.
Coffee is king at Golden Plate award-winning cafe Ballarista (2a Lydiard St South), but the breakfast burgers and egg and bacon toasties are also a treat.
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Get around the Spanish omelette at Cafe Lekker11 Doveton St.
Stop into L’espresso (417 Sturt St) for a bite to eat and a jazz record or CD to take away.
Fairy light-lit Europa (411 Sturt St) has been dishing up brunch hits for more than 23 years. They’re also fully licensed so you can wash down a slice of lemon tart with a glass of local sparkling wine.
Little Bird (205 Sturt St), with its retro fit-out and laid back atmosphere, is a cosy spot to kick back with a coffee on a winter’s day. But good luck getting out of there without grabbing one of their tempting homemade cakes.
The specialty beans at Fika Coffee Brewers (36A Doveton St) are pretty hard to beat. Swedish for coffee break, FIFA — which has Sensory Lab on pour — is bringing basics back. And by basics, we mean — great coffee, bagel sandwiches, Kwak Scrolls and Doughboys Doughnuts.
Get off to a good start with Coffee Supreme specialty beans and acai bowls at Start Cafe (96 Humffray St), formerly Vegas and Rose.
Another place to try is Yellow Espresso, whose coffee is made with Axil specialty coffee beans.
Suburban corner shop cafe Tin Roof (302 Macarthur St) is slinging some of the best eggs and bacon going round.
The Local (313 Lydiard St North, Soldiers Hill), a cafe, produce and homewares store, is bringing serious style and even more serious coffee to Ballarat’s backstreets. Wrap your mouth around sourdough Holy Crumpets with house-made lemon curd, ricotta, local raspberries and gluten-free granola.
You’ll have a hard time choosing what to order at Hydrant Food Hall (3 McKenzie St), because everything on the menu sounds delicious. Try the chive and potato waffle with confit duck, a fried egg and chilli onion jam.
And for some of the best baked goods in town, head to Skipton St Bakery Cafe (502 Skipton St). Their steak and pepper pies are next level yum.
RESTAURANTS
It’s not just Ballarat’s cafe scene that is booming. Restaurants are also upping the ante, with many on-trend eateries stamping global tastes on the Ballarat map. For mouth-watering, cooked-to-perfection steak, head to Ballarat Steakhouse (10 Grenville St).
Or, for a more fine dining steak experience, Dyer’s Steak Stable (27 Little Bridge St), which is housed in an 1860s stable in the heart of Ballarat, has been grilling locally sourced, high-grade produce for more than 45 years.
Get in while it’s still open — the city’s acclaimed Thai eatery Catfish (42-44 Main Road, Bakery Hill), was ranked number 44 in the Herald Sun’s delicious. 100 countdown for 2017. The menu is designed for sharing so head in on a Saturday night for the $60 banquet, sit back and enjoy the ride. If cooking is your thing, they also offer weekly Thai cookery masterclasses.
Moon and Mountain (220 Mair St) — an east-meets-west eatery and bar — is fusing Asian culinary flavours with fine Aussie wines.
Asahi (5/7 Humffray St) is the place to go for moriawase (mixed sushi and sashimi platters). The asahi carpaccio — layers of salmon sashimi and avocado with sweet miso and mayonnaise — is zesty and beautifully balanced. For more comfort-style Japanese, it’s pretty hard to look past the teriyaki beef.
Fu Man Lou (10 Camp St) is Ballarat’s resident dumpling dealer. Pig out on steamed scallop dumplings, wontons in chilli oil and xiao long bao (soup dumplings). They also deliver, for those nights when it’s just not worth leaving the couch, ahem, house.
Tuesday night is roast carvery night at Ballarat Golf Club’s Greenside Bistro (1800 Sturt St).
Get a taste of French-inspired Louisiana-style soul food at Nouvelle Orleans (28 Main Rd). The corn bread with molasses is superb — perfect for scooping up leftover gumbo or seafood jambalaya with.
In the mood for Spanish? Meigas Tapas Bar and Restaurant has relocated to the CBD (33 Armstrong St). Try the feed me option or make a beeline for the gambas al pil pil (sauteed prawns in garlic, chilli, paprika and olive oil).
And, if burgers are your thing, head to Griffin Burger.
ITALIAN
Ballarat’s Italian culinary heritage dates back to 1971, when Eureka Pizza (316 Sturt St), the city’s first Italian eatery, opened its doors on Sturt Street. Now, more than 40 years later, the family-run, bistro-style pizza and pasta parlour is still going strong, with it’s unpretentious menu and friendly service offering something for everyone.
Can’t be bothered deciding on what to eat? Let the kitchen do the work for you at The Forge Pizzeria (1171 Sturt St). The $45 feed me menu is a great option. Also, don’t miss the metre board, which comes stacked with house-picked vegetables, imported and local cured salami, prosciutto and an assortment of olives and cheese with woodfired bread.
Meanwhile, for authentic wood-fired pizza head to Carboni’s Italian Kitchen (152 Eureka St).
GELATO
Craving something sweet and creamy? Il Piccolo Gelato (217 Sturt St) has you covered. Their Sicilian-style pistachio is one of the best things you’ll ever eat. They also do weekly specials — and the recent Royal Wedding-inspired elderberry and lemon curd gelato was worth the double scoop.
WINE + BEER
If you’re looking for somewhere for Friday night knock-off drinks, a laid-back Sunday session or even just a midweek wine date, Ballarat has no shortage of watering holes. For all things beer head to Hop Temple (24 Armstrong St North). As well as having an extensive beer and burgers list, they’ve nailed the beer food, too. Hello mac and cheese croquettes, sidewinders and duck sausage rolls. Local wines are the centrepiece at Mitchell Harris (38 Doveton St) — a casual wine bar with a refined edge and vino list that boasts more than 150 wines. Athletic Club Brewery (47 Mair St) is a small-batch community brewery with eight beers on tap and the ideal post-game atmosphere. Their non-beer menu includes a range of pub classics, burgers, salads and snacks. And, credited with pioneering Ballarat’s indie beer scene, Cubby Haus Brewing (884 Humffray St, Mount Pleasant) is one of the city’s original — and best — breweries, born out of a love for home brewing.
PUBS + BARS
It’s hard to believe there used to be more than 400 hotels in Ballarat. But, these days, though the gold is scarce, the city is still overflowing with beautifully restored hotels and traditional pubs. One of the most charming is Craig’s Royal Hotel (10 Lydiard St South), which, over the years, has hosted its fair share of regal guests, including Prince Alfred (the Duke of Edinburgh) in 1867, Dame Nellie Melba in 1908 and, just a few months ago, Prince Alfred, Earl of Wessex. Enjoy a causal breakfast in the Cafe and Larder, a cheeky glass of wine at Craig’s Wine Bar, a paddock-to-plate feast in The Gallery or an indulgent high tea in the Grand Ballroom.
For a more traditional pub atmosphere, the ever-popular Irish Murphy’s (36 Sturt St) is the place to go for seriously good craic. Originally built in 1859 on the site of Little Engine Mine, then reconstructed in 1907, the Irish-themed is the ideal spot for a casual tipple and an Irish stew.
If you’re after a meal with a view, The Lake View has one of the best outlooks in town. Found on the edge of Lake Wendouree, this 1875 icon is the only remaining of 13 hotels that once lined the lake’s banks.
The George Hotel’s new Melbourne-inspired The Lane dining precinct and pizzeria offers patrons a slice of city-style food.
It’s a family affair at Bunch of Grapes Hotel (401 Pleasant Street South), which reopened its doors in 2017. The neighbourhood local is keeping the traditional pub vibe — dishing up honest food and cold beer — but giving it a contemporary twist.
Live music lovers have been flocking to Karova Lounge (15 Field St) for more than a decade, with the popular music venue playing host to some of the country’s best musicians and bands, including Wolfmother, Angus & Julia Stone, Jeff Martin, You Am I and Gang of Youths, to name a few.
Or, for an oh-so-Melbourne bar experience, check out the recently opened Underbar, which seats 12 people and is only open two nights a week. It’s showcasing local produce and fine wines.
Also, get into the local spirit (literally) and check out the new Kilderkin Distillery — which is brewing premium gin and whisky.
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