Agrestic Grocer in Orange

This is one of our favourite spots to go during the weekend, especially in winter has they have a log fire blazing and live music on Saturdays and Sundays between 12 - 3pm.

The Agrestic Grocer has formed a restaurant in the former packing shed, offering great locally sourced produce with an interesting and ever changing menu. 

We always try to book a table as breakfast is very popular, my most favourite dish is the Croque Monsieur with Trunkey Creek ham, caramelised onions and gruyere cheese - it tastes as naughty as it sounds! The fresh pressed apple juice is also delicious with fruit coming from the owner's orchards.

Things also get busy most lunchtimes so it is worth being organised and booking a table to avoid disappointment. The ploughman's platter continues to be a hit and is excellent for sharing with friends.

The restaurant is licensed so you can indulge in a nice glass of wine or try some of the Badlands Beer which is brewed on site. They even do tasting paddles which are good fun and mean you get a little sip of all the beers produced on site. There is both inside and outside dining so dependent on the weather you can take your pick.

After dining, we usually head into the farm shop where you can pick up all kinds of amazing fruit from the owners' orchard and lovely fresh veggies grown locally. 

As if this wasn't enough, the Agrestic Grocer also do fruit and veg boxes which you can order weekly for your family.

The Agrestic Grocer, is not afraid to try new things and are currently running music nights on Tuesday evenings which are selling out. I'm off to a Paul Simon tribute night in June - so will let you know all about it first hand in a few weeks.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Orange Wine Week - Part 1

We have quite possibly just finished one of the best Orange Wine Weeks ever created, Mr L'Orange and I are actually feeling a bit sad it is all over! I have so much to fill you in on that I am going to have to do it over several posts.

Orange Wine Week - Part 1

We have had four wine loving friends come to visit, a new puppy and a packed house but still managed to squeeze in the following:

Wine & music on the lawn at Philip Shaw's. This is an excellent concept as the cellar door offers views, lawn and plenty of space plus delicious pork rolls and a fantastic range of Philip Shaw wine. Only criticism would be the music which only the DJ was dancing to (never a good sign), a live guitarist would have been ideal. There was a good turn out of people and the lovely sunshine got everyone in the mood.

Swift Sparkling Launch. Held at the Byng St Store around the corner from our house and totally free. This was a chance for people to try the two new Swift sparklings (cuvee and vintage) accompanied by the uber delicious Byng St Store canapés.

Byng St Store - Swift Cellar Door

I was very impressed with the Swift Cuvee which was extremely drinkable and totally hit the spot in its balance between sweet and dry, hoping to see this on wine lists all over Orange as currently the local sparkling offering is very limited. If anyone is needing a caterer in Orange, speak to Jeremy Norris at Byng St Store his mini delights are utterly divine.

Gorgeous art deco promotional material

Boozy BBQ at our place. We finished off the night with some extremely good wines from the Fesq & Company portfolio (thanks Andy), accompanied by an array of bbq meats and then watched the rugby and passed out.

Susan & Xanthie trying Swift sparkling

Waffles with the Winemaker at Patina Wines. A quirky way to start a Sunday, great option when friends are staying. To read in full click here.

Just when we thought we couldn't manage any more wine or socialising we had to head off for our Burgundian Lunch booking at the Old Convent. Full story on this decadent day tomorrow....

Factory Espresso - By Night

Orange has a new swinging hot spot in the form of the Factory Espresso cafe at night time. The decor is identical to the day time,  except with some candles on the tables so the atmosphere can prove a bit sterile.

My girlfriend and I were they only ones in the place for a good hour until larger groups starting wandering in. Clearly a bit more marketing needed to get the word out there that it is open for wine and food at night. I hope this does happen, just so I can continue to have somewhere good to go on a Friday!

Being the only ones there we got to settle into the comfy lounges, which have a very regal air about them!

The wine list features plenty of local wines along with several European additions to mix things up a bit. Nothing stands out, I'm sure most people will be going in for pimms, belinis & beers anyway. I'd say room for improvement, but better than the pub options of McWilliams or Rosemount.

The tapas ranging from $8 - $10 include bowls of olives (I'd be giving these away for free just to encourage people in), garlic potatoes with chorizo, pate & bread etc etc. Unfortunately like all forms of tapas outside of Spain, you don't get very much for your dollar.

I really like the concept and the opportunity to socialise somewhere trendy, probably just needs to be busier and offer better value to customers. I will definitely be going back in the interests of good market research of course!

The Old Mill Cafe - Milthorpe

Just back from a gorgeous lunch at the Old Mill Cafe in Millthorpe, this establishment has been taken over by new owners who (unlike the old ones) seem to be doing everything right.

We walked in and the place was humming, luckily I had booked a table and high chair for baby Charlotte and the staff had reserved a spot in the corner for us. The decor of The Old Mill Cafe has that nice quaint feel without being over the top country. The first thing to grab our attention was the array of magnificent (and I mean jaw dropping) cakes, all of which looked delicious and were certainly generously proportioned!

The menu had a good mix of main courses ranging from fish and chips to homemade pies, sandwiches or scallops. I was fully checking out everything that came out to neighbouring tables and in truth, nothing looked bad.

The cafe is licensed so the ideal spot if you fancy a long lunch with friends, we just had hot chocolates which were very good.

I opted for the smoked salmon salad (got to squeeze into a dress this Sunday for the races) whilst Kate had a homemade beef and shiraz pie with handcut chips & salad.

I finished lunch off with a berry and chocolate muffin whilst my friend tucked into a stunning lemon meringue pie that looked like a piece of artwork. This place is a big hit in Millthorpe full to the brim with happy customers, people grabbing take away meals or coffee and those buying cakes for later. 

The service was excellent, ambience spot on, music was nice and relaxed and made me want to buy the album and the food was very good and well priced. 

Highly recommended for lunch especially as you can browse the shops in Millthorpe afterwards and walk off some calories. Recommend booking to avoid disappointment. Open 7 days - 02 6366 3188.

Orange Wine Week 2012

Mr L'Orange and I got our hands on the new Orange Wine Week 2012 brochure yesterday and are very excited about the programme for late October. This year's festival is jam packed with good stuff, the tough job will be selecting just a few events to attend.

The bar has definitely been raised and there is now an excellent range of wine related events throughout the week with a good mix of casual and formal. If you were thinking of making a visit, then leave your children behind and come to Orange for Wine Week which takes place from 20-28 October 2012. 

This year there are guest chef appearances from Tony Bilson, Kate Bracks the Masterchef winner and Peter Kuravita. These events have a matching guest chef price tag so be prepared to spend big, perfectly fine if you can spare the cash or want to do something unique for a special occasion. As DIY consumes almost all of our savings, we are going for the more ‘value for money’ options and my top picks for Orange Wine Week 2012 include:

Burgundian Lunch at the Old Convent with De Salis Wines

Josie Chapman is one of our favourite chefs in Orange and the Old Convent is one of the most lovely venues in the area. So the fact that they are doing a lunch accompanied by De Salis wines (another of our favourites) for the very reasonable price of $50 is a no brainer. Who else wants to join us? On both weekends during Wine Week.

Live DJ and Vietnamese pork rolls at Philip Shaw Wines

Relaxing in the sunshine whilst sipping wine, listening to music and munching on Vietnamese culinary delights sounds like the perfect Sunday to me. At $8 per person, this option is great for groups of friends/family and is pretty casual which in my view is what wine drinking is all about. Taking place both weekends during Wine Week.

Printhie Sparkling Launch at the Byng St Store

As this event is free and just around the corner from our house it immediately caught my eye. We will definitely be popping along to sample the new Printhie sparkling, meet Drew Tuckwell the wine maker and get to see the Byng St Store with its exciting wine bar set up.

BUG Bicycle Ride – 50km around the region 

I think I need to go into training to be able to complete this one, however it is a great way to get more people involved in cycling and to see the region from a new perspective. I would personally recommend using a mountain bike as the roads in Orange are shocking for bumps and potholes. Free event - meeting at the Byng St Store at 10.00am on 28th October.

Night Markets at Robertson’s Park 

Always a good opportunity to try lots of wines in a short space of time without the trouble of driving. Arrive early to avoid disappointment as food runs out and queues get long otherwise. Free event you simply buy what you wish to eat and drink. Taking place from 5.30pm on Friday 26 October.

Hopefully some of these suggestions have tempted you to book in a visit to Orange or get your friends and family up for the weekend for some Orange Wine Week action. 

To see the full brochure of Orange Wine Week events click here. If you are needing accommodation, there is always the Dalton St Studio for the perfect home away from home mini break!

Factory Espresso - Bill's Beans

The hugely popular Bill’s Beans (on McLachlan St) have now opened a bigger, brighter, better café on Kite St in Orange, NSW. The industrial style fitout has retained the original brickwalls, exposed ceilings, roller doors and added some funky flair with large pendant lights, tiled front counter and colourful crockery.

The Factory is where the Bill’s Beans coffee beans are now being roasted; customers are very welcome to watch the ‘coffee happenings’ through a glass wall in the café. With a commercial kitchen and ten times the seating space the new Factory offers all that Bill’s Beans lacks.

The relaxing atmosphere and excellent service (a rare find in Orange) encourage customers to enjoy a leisurely meal with friends rather than just a rushed take away coffee. You can pay with card, the cakes are divine, the food portions are generous and plenty of local suppliers are on the menu. What’s not to like?

The Factory offers a decent breakfast (until 2pm) and lunch menu plus a wide selection of sandwiches and freshly baked cakes. I can give a huge thumbs up to the baked eggs, homemade baked beans, guacamole and turkish toast soldiers we enjoyed as part of a late brunch on the weekend. The coffee oozy caramel muffin pictured was very naughty but oh so nice, I highly recommend trying one. 

You can sample a good selection of coffee blends, fresh from the factory and served with optional brown sugar which meets Mr L’Orange’s high standards. The speedy service, friendly staff, good location and restaurant quality food all have Orange locals coming back for more. 

Only downside is that the Factory is not open later for post work café socialising.

The Factory is open seven days – 8.00am – 4.00pm.

 135 Kite St, Orange, NSW

Table for Ten At The Byng St Store

It was a chilly autumn evening when the girls and I headed to Table for Ten at the Byng St Store to celebrate F.O.OD Week. The Table for Ten concept is very straightforward, get a group of 10 friends, allow chef and owner Jeremy Norris to create a unique menu for you and then turn up and get spoilt. We decided to put on our best outfits, gather as many bottles of wine as we could carry and make the short 3 block trip to the Byng St Store.

The glammed up girls

We kicked the evening off (and braved the cold) with drinks on the deck at the back of the Byng St Store. This is a fantastic little outside area, the perfect location for pre-dinner beverages and canapés. A fortieth birthday dinner was also being held at the Byng St Store that night, I think the 40 year old men thought their luck had come in as our group of lovely ladies walked on to the deck.

The restaurant is BYO and our fantastic waiter was superb at ensuring everyone’s wine glass remained full at all times. A plate of salamis came around followed by a tasty cup of cauliflower soup with truffle oil which was rather delish. As the weather got more chilly we moved into our ‘room for the night’ which features one large table in a refined homely dining room.

Our first course was a goats cheese and fig tart with rocket and lemon zest short crust pastry, this was very generous as a starter and I really enjoyed it, although the sweeter pastry had the table divided. The main course was Hereford beef on a sweet potato mash with bok choy, an excellent choice of local produce cooked to perfection. Again generous portions, the only criticism would be that the main felt very 'home cooked' rather than ‘restaurant fare.’

Dessert was another tart, this time with a decadent rich chocolate ganache filling, which was utterly divine and again gigantic. It was at this point we realised a few guys with big appetites would have come in handy to polish off the remaining food! Cheese and biscuits with fresh figs followed, accompanied by a rather large bar of chocolate to finish things off. Tea and coffee were included in the price and served with a miniature pistachio macaroon (a Byng St Store signature treat).

Perhaps because two dining rooms were hired on the night, our intimate dining space also became the main thoroughfare for the wait staff, kitchen staff and guests from the 40^th. This was fairly bizarre when guests from the 40th were looking for toilets or we were opening the door for staff to carry food through to the other party! There was plenty of chatter around our table, however a wired in sound system wouldn't go astray.  

All in all, we had a great night and the Table for Ten is most definitely on the right track and offers intimate dining in a unique setting experience.

For more information or to make a booking contact the Byng St Store.

The Byng St Store, Orange

 

This hotly anticipated new café and deli is now open on the corner of Clinton and Byng streets in Orange. The enticing bright red door leads you into a small but cosy shop full of Simon Johnson products, deluxe teas and Tetsuya vinegrette. There is also a good selection of freshly baked breads and breakfast menu available.

The décor is tastefully shabby chic and they have made good use of the small space available with more tables outside which will be great in summer. There are stools along the window for people to enjoy their coffee accompanied by a selection of homemade treats. I enjoyed a pistachio macaroon but was also tempted by the warm scones and chocolate and berry muffins.

The Byng St Store also does a range of gourmet sandwiches and has a big dining room off the shop so people can eat in. The store is open 7am – 7pm every day so is ideal for that coffee fix on the way to work or a place to catch up with friends after work. Orange certainly lacks in options after 5pm sadly.

It is certainly nice to have somewhere trendy and fresh within walking distance from the house that is open in the evenings and where the owners are clearly putting their heart and soul into getting their business pumping. Alas there is only a small selection of deli meats and no cheese as yet but  this is set to expand over time and will set the Byng St Store apart from the competition.

The table for ten dining experience will be kicking off at The Byng St Store in the near future, owner Jeremy Norris certainly has some grand plans for this cute little spot. I highly recommend a visit.