During our last trip to the Hunter Valley I discovered that Sting and Paul Simon were performing at the Hope Estate Winery on Valentine's Day. Hubby and I couldn't think of a better reason to return to the Hunter.
Given the popularity of Sting and Paul Simon, the date, and the destination, we were expecting that accommodation and dining options would be limited so we pre-booked what we could. We stayed at a motel in Cessnock that was one of the pickup points for the local bus company. These big events are well-serviced by the local transport companies and, from past experience, we knew that this would be the easiest way to travel to and from the concert. We also ordered a hamper from the Hope Estate Winery so that we didn't have to worry about taking our own food and picnic supplies.
Following are places we visited on this trip to the Hunter:
- Australian Regional Food Store and Café at Small Winemakers Centre, McDonalds Rd, Pokolbin
We had lunch here on our last trip and during that time I ran an eye over the breakfast menu. We did not return for breakfast last trip so this was my first choice for breakfast (or brunch) on the Sunday morning after the concert.
There seemed to be very few customers. Maybe people were nursing hangovers or sleeping in, or maybe we were late. Whatever the reason, this is still one of my favourite cafés. It was so quiet and peaceful sitting under the eaves looking over the grassy slopes towards the dam, watching the local birdlife while we drank our coffees and waited for our breakfasts.
Hubby opted for the eggs benedict with smoked salmon whilst I, hankering for some meat, selected eggs and bacon with a side of tomato.
Delicious! A great way to start the day (and the 1½ hour journey home).
- Hope Estate Winery, Broke Road, Pokolbin
The Hope Estate Winery was the venue for the concert. A hilly area was fenced off with chairs close to the stage and a grassy area behind the chairs. There were a number of stalls providing food for the event, and it was from one of these that we picked up our hamper and a bottle of the Hope Estate Semillion.
Hubby and I splurged and bought seats instead of choosing to sit on the grass behind the ‘seats’ area. The concert was great but we found it too difficult to eat because the seats were tied together so closely there was no room to manage cutlery and crockery, yet alone food and drink. I actually spent a lot of the concert wrangling with the guy beside me for the “sitting back and relaxing” position as opposed to the “sitting forward on the edge of the seat”, which became quite uncomfortable after long periods.
So, it wasn't until we returned to our motel room around 11:00pm that we were able to eat. We rolled my yoga mat out on the floor; played music from Paul Simon, Sting, and Sarah Blasko (who opened for them) on an iPad; and picnicked in the room.
The hamper comprised a selection of goods from local companies: bread, crackers, cold sliced meats, dips, cheese, antipasto and sweets. Perfect for a picnic but definitely not suitable for the cramped conditions we had found ourselves in at the concert.
- 221 Restaurant and Bar, Vincent Street, Cessnock
Because we were travelling to the Hunter on the Valentine's weekend, we decided we better book for Friday night dinner. We wanted a restaurant in Cessnock, something that was within walking distance of the motel, and something a little special for Valentine's. The 221 Restuarant and Bar at The Royal Oak Hotel was highly recommended on TripAdvisor Australia, and a look at their sample menu convinced us to book. Dinner on Mondays to Wednesdays is a casual affair; Thursdays to Sundays is á la carte and more what we were looking for.
We found it a little difficult to locate the restaurant because it is not clear where the entrance is from Vincent Street. The restaurant is behind the bar towards the back of the building. From Vincent Street we entered a vestibule with the door to the pub on the right, stairs to accommodation on the left, and a ‘sitting room’ through which we needed to go to reach the restaurant. Hubby felt a little under-dressed in a polo shirt and black jeans, although I thought he was fine. The dress seemed to be the ambiguous ‘smart casual’; I saw some short-sleeved collared shirts, shorts, and simple dresses but there were also some older ladies there with their good dresses and pearls.
The food was delicious and the servings were generous! To prepare our taste buds we were served an amuse-bouche that was a shot glass of watermelon and ginger. Refreshing!
For entrées we shared oysters (of course), which were served with three different dressings: finger lime and chives, pomegranate and tomato, and spinach and gruyére. They all complemented the oysters and I could not choose a favourite dressing.
For mains, Hubby had the crispy-skinned salmon and I had the steamed Balmain bugs marinated in chilli, coriander and ginger. In hindsight, it is probably not a dish I would choose again. The bugs were steamed and so soft but I still had to scrape meat from the shell and I'm just too lazy to do that, no matter how delicious they are.
We finished off with an affogato for Hubby, and shared a fruit and cheese platter. At least we thought we were finished. A petit four of jelly jubes and turkish delight was served to complete the meal.
We really enjoyed our experience at 221 Restaurant and Bar and I would recommend it to anyone looking for somewhere special in Cessnock. It was the best dining experience of the weekend.
- Taste of the Country, Hunter Valley Gardens, Broke Road, Pokolbin
The Taste of the Country is a popular and, to me, quirky café in the Hunter Valley Gardens shopping village. At the entrance is a scarecrow, a pig and a cow. Enter and the kitchen (and counter) is on your right; there are pantry shelves stocked with jams, chutneys, relishes and sauces; and on the walls are signs displaying humourous and/or heartfelt sayings.
Their signature dish seemed to be the Ploughman's Lunch for Two and was it huge! Good thing because this was our late lunch on the day of the concert. Little did we know that dinner would be nine hours later.
All I can remember was that lunch was good and filling, but did not leave as much of an impression as the 221 Restaurant and Bar. We were at the Hunter Valley Gardens Shopping Village, it was late, we needed to lunch, and Taste of the Country were promoting a lunch that was enticing to us hungry and tired travellers.
After breakfast on Sunday, we made two final stops before heading home. The first was Pokolbin Village where we stocked up on two flavoured green teas: champagne and strawberry, and lime and coconut. On our previous trip we had bought a sample of the champagne and strawberry-flavoured green tea, and a packet of the lime and coconut-flavoured green tea. We found both of them very refreshing so wanted to replenish our supplies.
Although I had bought chilli chocolate from Pokolbin Village on our last trip, I realised that we had previously bought chilli chocolate from the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company. So our second stop was the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company factory. I couldn't find the chocolate that I remembered but bought some chilli bark, thin slices of chocolate peppered with chilli seeds. Nice, but I still think the Pokolbin Village chilli chocolate was more like the chocolate that I remembered.
So ended another memorable weekend in the Hunter. These photos (and more) were all posted on my Instagram account, so if you would like to see more (especially 221 Restaurant and Bar courses), please see @fromdebskitchen on Instagram.
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