For a treat, you should for one lunch or dinner head about 70k up the road to Bodalla, and enjoy what Malibu Mex has to offer. It’s very kid friendly, and while it’s been a while since I was there, when I tried to get a booking recently it was booked out, so that probably tells you something.

Interesting post, and I totally agree with you, (even if it is a bit first world!). We have a place down at Merimbula and I’m constantly amazed that in the peak of summer there are one or two decent places to eat. So you end up at Woolies buying stuff for a bbq instead. When we first started going there, we went to the RSL. Firstly, absolutely gobsmacked that it did not have an outdoor area – it’s all about the pokies, footy watching and bar and stunned that it cost us $100 for two adults and a small child to eat, not including drinks.

The best place in Merimbula is Cranky Pants cafe – it’s right on the beach road and does breaky, lunch and take out dinners in the summer – and kid friendly. And great food that is slightly outside of the square. Great really cheap Thai in town, and nice Thai at Pambula.

Well that’s just club food in general, IMHO. Most Canberra clubs do your standard boring “steak, fish, parma and chips with everything”, which is apparently what the punters want. Personally I wish they’d take the opportunity to be a bit more adventurous. There are a couple of local exceptions: When Gingers was at the Tuggie Town Center club, we’d go there weekly (Alas they’ve moved-out and it’s back to beefsteak and boredom). The Mawson club used to try a few more interesting dishes and the Helenic’s restaurants are all very good. Even the Helenic’s “trough” (bistro) does quite good food in bulk.

Perhaps if you started-up some snarky “anti-review” website to get the debate going?

It’s probably worth considering the stats of the areas and their ability to sustain a higher quality (i.e. higher cost) eating establishments beyond the 3 or 4 week tourist season each year. They’re probably just hiring short term temporary workers to deal with the peak demand over the holidays, the rest of the year the place is probably fairly quiet and wouldn’t be able to sustain much more than what you’re describing.

So, be nice… go easy on them and be thankful they have a town with infrastructure we can all swarm to during summer each year… having these beautiful sleepy towns within driving distance of us is a privilege not a right.

http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/quickstat/UCL115133?opendocument&navpos=220

Tathra…

People 1,526
Male 759
Female 767
Median age 49

Families 403
Average children per family 1.8

All private dwellings 887
Average people per household 2.2
Median weekly household income $882
Median monthly mortgage repayments $1,300
Median weekly rent $200

Yeah, never heard of people going to Tathra for high dining. The beach? Yes. Swimming? Yes. Fishing? Yes. Watersports? Yes. Fine dining?

No.

We’ve had some delicious meals in Merimbula at the Vicolo, the Thai Noodle House, the Waterfront Cafe and even the RSL – each being well priced for what they are and certainly better than equivalents around Batemans Bay. No complaints here…

Some young thing was raving about the sausage rolls at Tathra on a cooking show just yesterday! Anyone care to guess where she meant?

The cafe on the beach, and the place that’s a gallery downstairs and a cafe upstairs used to be good, but I haven’t been to Tathra for three years, so they could be gone now. Pity the wharf was so variable, such a nice location.

As long as they have a booze and a courtesy bus, I’d be happy with E. coli infested bar snacks…

MsCheeky said :

For a treat, you should for one lunch or dinner head about 70k up the road to Bodalla, and enjoy what Malibu Mex has to offer. It’s very kid friendly, and while it’s been a while since I was there, when I tried to get a booking recently it was booked out, so that probably tells you something.

Big +1 for malibu mex

No decent restauranteur in their right mind would open an establishment at the South Coast. Yes they’d make a killing for 1 month, but who’s gonna pay the bills for the other 11? That said, you wouldn’t think it was beyond anybody to produce food to a basic developed-world standard.

Eating at RSL’s, Bowls & Golf clubs? Do you take your car to be serviced at the butchers? Do you go to your dentist to buy your shoes?

The northern end of the south coast is a bit better, possibly because of the levels of Sydneyites and Canberrans getting angry if the food’s crap. Huskisson Pub, in Jervis Bay, is legendary for the excellence of its club-style food.

Local fish and chipperys should be good, as they have to survive when the blow-ins arent’ there, but if the local population is clueless and likes stodgey deep fried stuff made with dirty oil, then you have a problem.

stop in mogo on the way and try tyler’s pantry – duck and pea jaffles, mmmm, croque monsieur, mmmmm again. and very nice coffee. (they had a fantastic sister establishment, fine dining, in one of the coastal strip villages south of b/bay [forget which one], but it closed – due, as noted above, to the paucity of clientele year round)

Roadrage77 said :

No decent restauranteur in their right mind would open an establishment at the South Coast. Yes they’d make a killing for 1 month, but who’s gonna pay the bills for the other 11?… .

http://www.bannisters.com.au/restaurant
?

If you are eating in clubs you get what you deserve and clubs here are no better and in some cases worse just slop

Caesar salad with no anchovies? At least there’s one kitchen in Australia that knows that a Caesar salad does not have anchovies in it. The absence of egg is a bit more of a problem.

Conan of Cooma said :

Yeah, never heard of people going to Tathra for high dining. The beach? Yes. Swimming? Yes. Fishing? Yes. Watersports? Yes. Fine dining?

No.

there’s a great bistro at Bermagui and they have fantastic, fresh seafood, beef and homegrown veges.

EvanJames said :

The northern end of the south coast is a bit better, possibly because of the levels of Sydneyites and Canberrans getting angry if the food’s crap. Huskisson Pub, in Jervis Bay, is legendary for the excellence of its club-style food.

Local fish and chipperys should be good, as they have to survive when the blow-ins arent’ there, but if the local population is clueless and likes stodgey deep fried stuff made with dirty oil, then you have a problem.

Ah, the Hussky pub, there’s a name to conjure with. I’ve consumed steaks and beers there on a number of occasions after being dropped off grey ships in JB, and I highly recommend it.

Richard Bender said :

Caesar salad with no anchovies? At least there’s one kitchen in Australia that knows that a Caesar salad does not have anchovies in it. The absence of egg is a bit more of a problem.

According to “Cook”, (The Australian Women’s Weekly) Caesar Salad has 5 anchovy fillets, drained, halved lengthways (plus the other essential ingredients of course).
To make the “light” Caeser Salad into a more sunstantial meal, Cook recommends adding slices of grilled chicken, crisp bacon and quartered hard boiled eggs (I prefer a quartered poached egg)
I haven’t checked the Silver Spoon yet to see the authentic Italian recipe for Caesar Salad as my wife has hidden the book (thinks I have gone crazy wanting recipies at 10.00pm).
One of the best Caesar Salads in Canberra is at the cafe at the National Portrait Gallery.

dungfungus said :

Richard Bender said :

Caesar salad with no anchovies? At least there’s one kitchen in Australia that knows that a Caesar salad does not have anchovies in it. The absence of egg is a bit more of a problem.

According to “Cook”, (The Australian Women’s Weekly) Caesar Salad has 5 anchovy fillets, drained, halved lengthways (plus the other essential ingredients of course).
To make the “light” Caeser Salad into a more sunstantial meal, Cook recommends adding slices of grilled chicken, crisp bacon and quartered hard boiled eggs (I prefer a quartered poached egg)
I haven’t checked the Silver Spoon yet to see the authentic Italian recipe for Caesar Salad as my wife has hidden the book (thinks I have gone crazy wanting recipies at 10.00pm).
One of the best Caesar Salads in Canberra is at the cafe at the National Portrait Gallery.

Just checked the internet’s holy grail of information and it never had anchovies, that is a variation which was outdated by the original by a decade.

I probably shouldn’t be telling you this because the place is already packed, but Michael’s Brasserie @ Narooma Golfy has some of the best club/pub food ever! http://www.naroomagolf.com.au/resources/michaels-brasserie-menu.pdf

“Club food despair”

I fixed that for you.

dpm said :

Roadrage77 said :

No decent restauranteur in their right mind would open an establishment at the South Coast. Yes they’d make a killing for 1 month, but who’s gonna pay the bills for the other 11?… .

http://www.bannisters.com.au/restaurant
?

and several others around that region (Ulladulla) like Pilgrims and Milton Pizza

Its not a matter of there being restaurants or not. There are already restaurants, but as the OP says they seem to not have moved on from the 1970s. Maybe that is what the locals like and they are catering to their market, while the city folk now have different taste buds. Who knows – but if they are cooking meals for the public and charging city prices, then some quality would be appreciated.

For price and quality no one can surpass Club Bega. The Drover’s Rest at Bemboka has the best grilled barrumndi. They are notopen on Mondays or Tuesdays.

I should have mentioned their schnitzel is pan fried, not deep fried like a takeaway!
http://www.clubbega.com.au/dining.html

wildturkeycanoe said :

dungfungus said :

Richard Bender said :

Caesar salad with no anchovies? At least there’s one kitchen in Australia that knows that a Caesar salad does not have anchovies in it. The absence of egg is a bit more of a problem.

According to “Cook”, (The Australian Women’s Weekly) Caesar Salad has 5 anchovy fillets, drained, halved lengthways (plus the other essential ingredients of course).
To make the “light” Caeser Salad into a more sunstantial meal, Cook recommends adding slices of grilled chicken, crisp bacon and quartered hard boiled eggs (I prefer a quartered poached egg)
I haven’t checked the Silver Spoon yet to see the authentic Italian recipe for Caesar Salad as my wife has hidden the book (thinks I have gone crazy wanting recipies at 10.00pm).
One of the best Caesar Salads in Canberra is at the cafe at the National Portrait Gallery.

Just checked the internet’s holy grail of information and it never had anchovies, that is a variation which was outdated by the original by a decade.

You are welcome to your Cyber Caesar Salad recipe – I’ll take the Australia Women’s Weekly one any day.

This is club food in the country. What do you expect? Canberra?

LSWCHP said :

EvanJames said :

The northern end of the south coast is a bit better, possibly because of the levels of Sydneyites and Canberrans getting angry if the food’s crap. Huskisson Pub, in Jervis Bay, is legendary for the excellence of its club-style food.

Local fish and chipperys should be good, as they have to survive when the blow-ins arent’ there, but if the local population is clueless and likes stodgey deep fried stuff made with dirty oil, then you have a problem.

Ah, the Hussky pub, there’s a name to conjure with. I’ve consumed steaks and beers there on a number of occasions after being dropped off grey ships in JB, and I highly recommend it.

Been eating at the Hussky pub for years, decades, and I don’t think we’ve had a dud meal yet. Just the basics, done well, with generous help-yourself salads, and the best beer garden EVER.

alhtough googling it http://www.thehuskisson.com.au/ I see with some horror that they’ve now built a decky-thing outside, rather than the good old buffalo grass and picnic tables that used to be there. Not sure I like that. A bit “Sydney”.

And this ladies and gentlemen is why country people think people from Canberra are tools

Reedy said :

And this ladies and gentlemen is why country people think people from Canberra are tools

+1.