LOCAVORE.
LOCAVORE.
L O CCoffs
AV OCoast
RE
Sunscreen, Frosty Fruits and a pit stop at the Big Banana have long been hallmarks
of holidays on NSW’s Mid North Coast. Now a new wave of passionate producers is
bringing fresh energy to the Coffs region. Chef Clayton Donovan takes us on a tour.
142 delicious.
delicious. 143
LOCAVORE.
LOCAVORE.
SEEK THE HYDE
Half vintage nest, half cosy cafe, Hyde Bellingen
(62 Hyde St, Bellingen) is owned by the mother and
daughter team of Jenni (who has a penchant for
vintage collectables sourced from around Australia)
and Elyse (latte art champion and dedicated barista
with a knack for design and homewares). Settle
in beside a living wall in a well-styled nook for
a perfect piccolo with a wedge of lemon myrtle
cheesecake or salted caramel and walnut slice
from popular local bakery Homemade Goodness.
orn and raised
on the Coffs Coast,
chef Clayton Donovan,
whose ancestors
were the first
Australians in the region
(Gumbaynggirr country),
is known for his
creative use of native
ingredients. “I’ve
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NEIGHBOURHOOD FAVOURITE
Chef Stefano Mazzina packed his knives and left Lake Como in northern
Italy eight years ago to set up shop in Coffs Harbour, where he opened
Fiasco Ristorante & Bar (22 Orlando St, Coffs Harbour). Here he channels
the rustic flavours of rural Italy in his traditional trattoria menu – from housemade
squid-ink spaghetti with prawns and calamari, to woodfired pizza with a thin,
crisp base, topped with prosciutto, rocket and buffalo mozzarella.
been eating bush foods for as long as I can
remember. When I was a little fella I would go
out hunting for local oysters, Davidson plums,
lemon myrtle and more.” Clayton opened
Jaaning Tree Restaurant in Nambucca Heads in
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2008, showcasing the ingredients he grew up
with. Although his restaurant has since closed,
Clayton continues to share this passion through
his ABC TV series, Wild Kitchen, as well as
through mentoring programs and pop-up
dinners (visit: jaaningtree.com.au for details).
Clayton is not alone in his quest to bring
the best of the region to a wider audience;
flourishing farmers’ markets that offer
plenty of quality locally grown and
organic produce. Meander through
we took a tour around Coffs Harbour, the
neighbouring seaside town of Sawtell and
(second and fourth Saturday of the
month) to meet the farmers and sample
the hinterland communities of Dorrigo and
Bellingen, where an innovative and dedicated
group of restaurateurs, chefs and baristas
their treasures, some of which include
Dorrigo’s famous potatoes, fragrant
Coffs Coast honey, sweet Nana Glen
beets and the curliest Ulong kale.
are making their mark on the Coffs Coast.
144 delicious.
RICH PICKINGS
The push towards local and
seasonal is front and centre in many
businesses in the region, supported by
Coffs Coast Growers Market
(Thursdays in Coffs Harbour City
Square), Coffs Harbourside
Market (Sundays at the jetty) or
Bellingen Growers Market
WORDS LARA ZILIBOWITZ PHOTOGRAPHY BRETT STEVENS
FOR MORE DETAILS ON THE REGION, VISIT: COFFSCOAST.COM.AU & VISITNSW.COM
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FOR THE LOVE OF BEER
Courtney and Laura are a couple with a passion for Australia’s burgeoning
craft beer industry, and opened Mothers Milk (63 First Ave, Sawtell) to
celebrate the diversity of our nation’s brews. The menu hinges on a rotating
selection of beers on tap, ranging from light lagers, perhaps Port Macquarie’s
Black Duck Summer Swallow, to darker drops, including New England Dark
Farmhouse ale from Uralla. The matched seasonal menu also ranges from
light to hearty – snack on almond-crumbed olives with aioli or tuck into
Dorrigo pork belly with green papaya salad and kaffir lime caramel.
delicious. 145
LOCAVORE.
NOTHING BEATS A RETREAT
At the boutique hideaway Friday Creek
Retreat (pictured – 267 Friday Creek Rd,
8
Upper Orara), you can choose from nine
individually themed, different-sized cottages,
including this French-rustic one-bedroom
nook – with sunrise views over a mist-covered
valley and state forest. Down Bellingen way is
the equally magical North Farm (165 Hydes
Creek Rd, Bellingen), which offers simple but
stylish, “bush-zen” accommodation complete
with a thriving kitchen garden, fruit orchard,
and native beehive. The herd of happy goats
provides milk for the haloumi, feta, ricotta
and yoghurt served at breakfast and lunch.
After decades spent in kitchens
in Michelin-starred London
restaurants, including Apsleys,
chef Duncan Elliot with wife Leesa
moved to the seaside town of
Sawtell to open Cafe Treeo
(18 First Ave, Sawtell). Don’t
be fooled by the ‘cafe’ moniker,
the swanky breakfast menu
is the stuff of refined restaurants.
Deliberate over the likes of
dessert-for-breakfast ricotta
pancakes with banana, peanut
butter ice cream and caramel
sauce, and fluffy corn-fritter
bombs with cured salmon,
avocado and prosciutto (right).
146 delicious.
The Coffs Coast region belongs to the
Gumbaynggirr people, including indigenous
elder and National Parks and Wildlife Service
Discovery Ranger (and Clayton’s cousin) Mark
Flanders (pictured). Organise a private or group
tour with Mark in one of the nearby National
Parks of Muttonbird Island, Bongil Bongil or
Dorrigo (visit: nationalparks.nsw.gov.au), where
you can learn about Gumbaynggirr culture
and its Dreamtime while snacking on juicy
sandpaper figs, white flowering raspberries,
aniseed-flavoured sarsaparilla leaves and
tender-crisp native asparagus. “Fruits, protein
sources, medicines and plants for making ropes
and baskets can be found throughout the bush
– if you know where to look,” says Mark.
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BREAKFAST
WITH THE LOT
NET GAINS
Coffs Harbour
Fishermen’s Co-operative
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FRUITS OF OUR LAND
(69 Marina Dr, Coffs Harbour)
has been going strong since your
parents visited in the 1950s. Stop
by in the morning to see the day’s
haul – distributed to restaurants,
fishmongers and fish markets
around the country – and pick up
everything from trawled eastern
king prawns, octopus and cuttlefish,
to line-caught snapper, mackerel,
kingfish, long-line-caught eastern
rock lobsters, or house-smoked
goods from the retail space.
Or have your chosen catch of
the day cooked at the hot counter
and served with thick-cut chips.
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FIND THE CURE
Feast your eyes on the cabinet
overflowing with local and imported
meats and cheeses at Pansabella
Providores (R49 Coffs Central
Harbour Dr, Coffs Harbour),
including Bangalow triple-smoked
ham and Produce Awards Hall of
Fame winner Holy Goat La Luna. Put
together your own platter (pictured)
and pair it with a glass of sangiovese
for the perfect late lunch. When
Clayton wants lunch on the go, he
stops by Mario’s Deli (Cinema
Walk Arcade, Coffs Harbour) – the
ultimate porchetta and smallgoods
paradise. “The panini of the day
is simple and perfect – top Italian
salumi toasted with provolone and
tomatoes on ciabatta,” he says.
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LOCAVORE.
INTO THE WILD
Drive one hour inland from Coffs Harbour to find yourself in World Heritage-listed
Dorrigo National Park, an exquisite rainforest renowned for its dramatic
waterfalls and unique wildlife. Head out onto the elevated Skywalk for boundless
views high above the tree canopy, or, if time allows, set off on the full Wonga walk,
which takes about two and a half hours, past Crystal Shower Falls. On the way
back, stop in at Dorrigo town to visit Red Dirt Distillery (51-53 Hickory St,
Dorrigo), which makes its unique vodka, gin and Italian-style liqueurs using Dorrigo
red soil sebago potatoes and locally harvested honey, green walnuts and ginger.
DAILY GRIND
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Go third-wave (that’s coffee-speak for AeroPress, syphon, cold-drip and
V60 pour-over) at cosy hangout Artisti Di Espresso (37 Vernon St,
Coffs Harbour). Luke Floyd launched his cafe and roastery about four
years ago and has been pushing the coffee boundaries in the region by
introducing innovative techniques with house-roasted and blended beans.
Try one of his many blends – and have it brewed whichever way you like.
SWEET SURRENDER
Sugar levels dropping? Make a beeline
for K’Pane (17/361 Harbour Dr, Coffs
Harbour) for a wicked pastry or three.
Owner Bret Knight learnt his craft as
head pastry chef at Otto Ristorante
in Sydney before moving to Coffs and
opening this sourdough bakery and
patisserie with his wife, Kristy. The
quality shines through – from the rustic
sourdough batard to the embellished
pastries, such as tangy passionfruit curd
tarts and devilishly good ‘Isle of Skye’
(a layered chocolate, pistachio and
Drambuie cream number – pictured).
“No shortcuts are taken, with everything
made from scratch using top ingredients
– we only use the finest couverture
chocolate,” Bret says.
148 delicious.
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FEEL THE LOAF
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The hippie heartland of Bellingen
is not short of food infused with
love, but Hearthfire Bakery
(73 Hyde St, Bellingen) is up there
with the best of them. Baker
Dave Larson is famous for his
loaves made using traditional
methods of hand-shaping,
sourdough leavening and
woodfired baking, with seasonal
specials flavoured with fruits,
vegetables and herbs grown by
friends in the area. “We source
a large amount of our produce
within a 100km radius, removing
the need for transport and
maximising flavour,” says Dave.
Drop in for a Hearthfire BLT
with locally smoked bacon and
housemade chilli jam, or perhaps
one of its seasonally changing
selection of excellent pies.
LOCAL LOVE
One of the pioneers of the
Coffs local food scene is Kim Towner,
whose grocery store and cafe, The
Happy Frog (16 Park Ave, Coffs
Harbour), showcases local producers,
distributes their wares and dishes up
wholesome and healthy vegetarian
fare. “I wanted a way to give back
to the community,” says Kim. “We
share all the stories of the produce,
whether local, chemical-free or organic,
as a way to connect producers and
consumers.” And the riches are plenty,
from deliciously gnarled organic fruit
and vegetables to the cabinet packed
with homemade frittatas, pies, patties
and seasonal salads.
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FINE TIMES
After a day exploring Dorrigo
National Park, sit down to a candlelit
dinner and enjoy the gentle hum of
cicadas and sweeping views of the
surrounding bushland at Flooded
Gums (N Bonville Rd, Bonville). Head
chef Michael Urquhart took his parents’
highly regarded No. 2 Oak St restaurant
in Bellingen (now closed) from one chef’s
hat to two. Now his refined skills and
complex flavour pairings are being put
to good use in dishes such as his scallop
boudin blanc, a riot of texture and
flavour consisting of a melt-in-the-mouth
‘sausage’ of scallop paired with charred
squid, nasturtium and saffron aioli. d.
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