A trailblazing chef cooking reimagined Aussie staples at a country bowls club, a beloved winery restaurant looking plusher than ever and an Italian restaurant wedged into a delicatessen: venues outside the capital are offering some of Victoria’s most interesting eating experiences right now.

The finalists for Regional Restaurant of the Year and Flinders + Co. New Regional Restaurant of the Year, awarded by The Age Good Food Guide 2024, reflect the exciting explosion in country dining that’s taken place since the pandemic years. And they provide a list of essential dining hotspots for a summer road trip. An influx of keen young restaurateurs, as well as large hospitality groups with deep pockets, has produced a slew of new venues that push the boundaries of what makes a destination diner.

FLINDERS + CO. NEW REGIONAL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Mortadeli Pasta Bar, Torquay

You’ll be greeted by shelves of hot sauce, quality tinned tomatoes and other gourmet goodies, but you’re at the right place. Flick your eyes to the left and spot the butter-yellow bar and toffee-coloured stools, then clock the handmade pasta in front of every diner, perhaps fat tubes in peppery cheese sauce or long strands curled around garlicky clams. Initially a European deli and sandwich spot, Mortadelihas dropped a restaurant in the middle of it all - and it’s a winner.

Shop 8, 4-6 Gilbert Street, Torquay, mortadeli.com.au

Kin, Wahgunyah

You might think you know All Saints, the winery contained in a castle beside the Murray. But take another trip up the Hume and you’ll find signs of a new era underway: a more handsome cellar door, casual pizzeria and a brighter, more contemporary flagship restaurant called Kin, led by young chef Jack Cassidy. He’s putting Murray region produce on the plate in exciting new ways, and pushing the region’s dining forward with his approach.

205 All Saints Road, Wahgunyah, allsaintswine.com.au

Totti’s Lorne
Could they do it? Would NSW’s pub superpower Merivale pull off a restaurant that Victorians embrace? Totti’s Lorne answered that question with a flamboyant and Summer of Love-tinged “yes” in March, delivering a year-round coastal destination that ignored the off-season and kept pumping out Italian good times - and plate after plate of its famed puffy bread. Victorian seafood and local chef Matt Germanchis are part of its arsenal, but it’s hard to resist the pull of eating crowd-friendly pastas, wood-fired meats and snacky things by the sea.

176 Mountjoy Parade, Lorne, merivale.com/venues/tottis-lorne

REGIONAL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

La Cachette, Geelong

In the middle of Geelong, chefs Matt Podbury and Joanna Karlin apply time-honoured French techniques to a fresh menu every three weeks. You might be eating wild venison meatballs with cheesy celeriac on grey days, and salmon with asparagus and mussels come spring. The 18-seater is a tiny but mighty operation: the couple live above the restaurant, Podbury’s parents help with admin and during service, Karlin steps out of the kitchen to assume the role of maitre d’. A true charmer.

Steampacket Place, Geelong, cachette.com.au

Little Picket, Lorne

Rarely will a gourmet road-tripper set their navigation for a country bowls club. But Jo Barrett’s tenancy at Lorne’s bowlo has made it an essential Great Ocean Road stop - and a hit with locals. Call in for dim sims made with wild game, chicken Kyiv featuring rooster and wedges of fluffy sponge cake, but don’t miss Barrett’s cheffier dishes, perhaps spring greens and spanner crab on tostadas. Vegetables are sourced from a farm in Jan Juc, part of a continuation of her small footprint philosophy applied to the whole operation.

35 Mountjoy Parade, Lorne, littlepicket.com.au

Chauncy, Heathcote

A well-travelled couple with exceptional hospitality pedigree, Tess Murray and Louis Naepels knew they wanted to open a country restaurant just like those dotted around France, Spain and Italy. Lucky for Heathcote, they followed through, creating a stunningly simple offer where crisp linen and fresh flowers meet highly seasonal prix-fixe menus. A flourishing kitchen garden and strong relationships with central Victorian producers reinforce why destination dining is such a thrill.

178 High Street, Heathcote, chauncy.com.au

Lake House, Daylesford

It’s been a beacon of farm-to-table dining for nearly 40 years, pulling generations of diners and forging a path for dozens of aspiring young restaurateurs. But Lake House never stands still. It added the 15-hectare Dairy Flat farm and accommodation just before the pandemic, gave its cottage-chic dining room a subtle facelift this year, and the cooking feels more contemporary and relevant than ever in this more eco-conscious dining era.

4 King Street, Daylesford, lakehouse.com.au

Tedesca Osteria, Red Hill

Chef-patron Brigitte Hafner (ex Gertrude Street Enoteca) describes her style at Tedesca as “live cooking”. A hearth powers her five-course menus, scorching O’Connor steak until beautifully crusted and lightly grilling prawns for the opening spread of mezze. The menu might change three times in a weekend, with Hafner and her team pulling most of the vegetables from a 500-square-metre biodynamic kitchen garden, a project that was pursued during the pandemic. Lunch is luxuriously paced - why would you want to rush?

1175 Mornington-Flinders Road, Red Hill, tedesca.com.au

WHERE TO STAY

GREAT OCEAN ROAD

Sunnymead

A 1980s motel in Aireys Inlet has gone from tired to terrifically retro under new owners, who have added a spa and restaurant, as well as a daffodil colour scheme and mod furnishings that play up the building’s history.sunnymeadhotel.com.au

HEATHCOTE

Wilka Eco Escape

You’ll need to post all your photos of lunch at Chauncy before or after you check-in to this off-grid cabin on a hillside of a private farm. What it lacks in mod-cons, it makes up for with views, stillness and a hot-tub. wilka.com.au

RUTHERGLEN

Jones Winery Tiny House

When in wine country, why not sleep where the magic’s made? A tiny house on Jones’ property is surrounded by vines and gum trees, with a deck to make the most of the peace. A loft holds a queen size bed, while downstairs is a full kitchen, although the winery restaurant isn’t far away. joneswinery.com.au

MORNINGTON PENINSULA

Graceburn Tedesca

Like everything Team Tedesca touches, the two guesthouses beside the restaurant are an impeccable balance of luxury and personality, with carefully selected objects, artworks and flowers making you feel like you’ve stepped into the owners’ world. One sleeps six adults, the other two. tedesca.com.au/osteria-tedesca

The winners of The Age Good Food Guide 2024 Awards will be announced on October 30, presented by Vittoria Coffee and Oceania Cruises. The Age Good Food Guide will be on sale from October 31.