food and drink

Great food and drink is a highlight of travel, experiencing all the variety of cuisines the world has to offer often gets you closer to the local people. Below are our most memorable wining and dining experiences we’ve had often in the unlikeliest of places.

taormina sicily
The 10 Best Places to Visit in Sicily in 2019
21 Feb 2019

Extending off the toe of Italy's boot-shaped coastline, Sicily stands out as destination worth exploring. While planning our upcoming trip to Europe, Sicily was firmly in our sites. Rumbling volcanos,...

82 Queen Street BBQ Shrimp & Grits
7 unmissable dishes you need to eat in Charleston
03 Oct 2018

If you love food, you need to plan a visit to Charleston South Carolina, and take some baggy clothes with you! Not only is the food a big draw, this...

Nasi Goreng warung bu mangku
Nasi Goreng Tour of Bali
18 Sep 2018

Nasi Goreng, the unofficial national dish of Indonesia. This ubiquitous item appears on menus from Jakarta to Denpasar. While 'fried rice' is the literal translation, this simple dish combines many...

Autumn tree Moss Vale
Southern Highlands Weekend Escape
18 Aug 2018

Whether it be a country wedding or simply a weekend getaway that brings you to the Southern Highlands, you will no doubt be in search of some events and activities...

Southern Highlands Wine Tour
Southern Highlands Wine Tour Guide
10 Aug 2018

The Southern Highlands boasts some of the best conditions for cool climate wines in Australia. Being just over an hour's drive from either Sydney or Canberra, it's easy for many...

Pie Time
Top 5 ‘Pie-land’ Experiences
28 Jun 2018

Our expedition to sample the pies of all 26 bakeries in the Southern Highlands Pie Trail is over. With so much variety on offer when eating the humble pie, it was...

Stones Patisserie Berrima - Award-winning Head to Tail Pie
Stones Patisserie Berrima
25 Jun 2018

We began this pie trail run at the 2017 PieTime winner, Southern Rise Bakery in Moss Vale. It was fitting then that we finished it with the newly crowned 2018 PieTime champions,...

Two Skinny Cooks Berrima
Two Skinny Cooks Berrima
25 Jun 2018

Berrima is a hot spot for pies in the Southern Highlands. Four bakeries in Berrima make it to the official trail yet there are more bakeries in Berrima to choose...

Shaggy Cow Mittagong - Pie
The Shaggy Cow Mittagong
25 Jun 2018

The Shaggy Cow Mittagong is a popular lunchtime venue on the turn-off to Bowral. It has quite a gourmet and seasonal menu with all food made fresh on-site. Despite not...

mcvitty grove cafe pie
McVitty Grove Cafe
25 Jun 2018

McVitty Grove Cafe is on the remote and winding Wombeyan Caves Road about 7km from Mittagong. Rolling hills quickly take over the scenery and you instantly ease into a relaxed frame...

The Scottish Arms Bowral
The Scottish Arms Bowral
23 Jun 2018

Persistent rain on this pie run made it feel like I was in the Scottish Highlands rather than the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. Which of course was a...

southern pies kangaroo valley bridge
Southern Pies Kangaroo Valley
21 Jun 2018

I admit I was a bit delirious when I arrived at Southern Pies in the township of Kangaroo Valley. After running a marathon punctuated with 3 stops at various pie shops...

barrengarry general store worlds best pies
Barrengarry General Store
20 Jun 2018

Pie lovers would know the Barrengarry General store. It has been displaying the bold claims of 'The World's Best Pies' on its roadside sign just outside Kangaroo Valley for many years....

fitzroy falls general store
Fitzroy Falls General Store
18 Jun 2018

The newly crowned 'Best vegetable pie in NSW & ACT' the Fitzroy Falls General Store is an unassuming dark horse on the Southern Highlands Pie Trail. With no listing on...

mount ashby estate
Mount Ashby Estate
18 Jun 2018

There is no telling where running around the Southern Highlands can take you. La Palette Cafe, located in Mount Ashby Estate just outside Moss Vale was like being whisked away into a...

exter-general-store-sign
Exeter General Store
13 Jun 2018

I had actually already passed by Exeter General Store some days ago by surprise whilst heading out to Heatherbreas Pies at Sutton Forest. I thought this the first time and...

farm club australia werai
Farm Club Australia, Werai
13 Jun 2018

Farm Club Australia is a working farm, accommodation, cafe, nursery and soon to be outdoorsy mecca. It is only 10km off the Hume Highway from Sutton Forest yet it is in...

Pie Time
The Mill Cafe Bowral
13 Jun 2018

The Mill Cafe Bowral is a large warehouse whose bohemian style interior wouldn't be out of place along a street in Sydney suburbs like Surry Hills, Darlinghurst or Newtown. It's eclectic...

stones patisserie bowral
Stones Patisserie Bowral
11 Jun 2018

A contrast to recent runs, this was only a 2.5km jog through the streets of Bowral to Stones Patisserie just off Bong Bong St. A few extra runners joined in the...

robertson pie shop
Robertson Pie Shop
10 Jun 2018

Let's say up front, Robertson Pie Shop is an institution. A family run business for the last 37 years, all family and friends were on deck when we visited in...

hilltop village bakery oven
Hilltop Village Bakery
08 Jun 2018

Hilltop Village Bakery is a community-minded bakery in this remote outpost of the Southern Highlands. A scenic run was had through equally remote Colo Vale with farmlands making up much...

whatman pie bradman museum
Stumps Cafe in the Bradman Museum, Bowral
04 Jun 2018

Australia's favourite son, Donald Bradman 'The Don' perfected his cricketing talents here in the Southern Highlands before taking his unmatched skills to the world. Apart from his batting records, many...

Heatherbraes Pies
Heatherbrae’s Pies, Sutton Forest
03 Jun 2018

It was a long 26km out to Heatherbrae's Pies Sutton Forest. Winding country roads were well suited to a Sunday motorcycle ride. Alas, I'd have to proceed on two feet!...

courtyard cafe berrima
Courtyard Cafe Berrima
02 Jun 2018

We were pleased to attend the official launch of the Southern Highlands Pie Time event in Berrima. We got the low down on Pie Time events happening across June and...

Southern Highlands Pie Trail Run
The Great Southern Highlands Pie Trail Run
01 Jun 2018

There are few items you could list that immediately say 'Australia' better than the humble meat pie. That staple satisfying snack to grab on the run or road trip. A...

burrawang general store
Burrawang General Store
30 May 2018

This was the first of the 'long runs' for the Pie trail run. It was exactly 20km to run out to Burrawang. The Burrawang General Store has been in existence...

Food at the Bali Bohemia
Top 5 Ubud Eats
29 May 2018

With more restaurants in Ubud than you can poke a pair of chopsticks at, the choices soon become overwhelming. We've narrowed down our top 5 Ubud Eats to make the...

Bali Bohemia Sign
Bali Bohemia: Live Music and Cool Vibes
28 May 2018

Connecting people through the appreciation of art and music. If you are looking to get off the beaten tourist path in busy Ubud, you need to venture across to the...

Fair Warung Bale
Fair Warung Balé: Socially Responsible Dining
28 May 2018

Eat, drink and save lives! You would think that Superman is the only person who can save lives in-between courses at a restaurant but apparently we can all be superheroes...

warung biah biah
Warung Biah Biah: Tapas-Style Indonesian in Ubud
15 May 2018

The bustling Warung Biah Biah grabs you by all five senses as you enter this Ubud institution. The air is filled with delicious smells of authentic Indonesian cuisine and lively...

gumnut mittagong pies
Gumnut Patisserie Mittagong
11 May 2018

Part of the Southern 'Pielands' Gumnut franchise. The Gumnut Patisserie Mittagong acts as the beating heart of this local Gumnut pie enterprise. It forms the warehouse where the famed Gumnut...

chelsea bakery pie rack
Chelsea Bakery Mittagong
11 May 2018

Chelsea Bakery Mittagong is a dark horse in the pie trail stakes. A simple setup with some delicious pies. The run over from Burradoo felt longer than expected but relatively...

Mt Oxley Aboriginal Tribute
Gumnut Patisserie Berrima
09 May 2018

The run to the Gumnut Patisserie Berrima was up and over Oxley Hill. Running was under clear and sunny skies, yet not too hot, a wonderful time of the year...

Naughty Nuri’s: The best damn BBQ ribs in Bali
09 May 2018

If there is a list of legendary eatery's to visit around the world, Naughty Nuri's in Ubud is on that list. A traditional looking warung in Bali Indonesia; there is...

gumnut patisserie bowral
Gumnut Patisserie Bowral
08 May 2018

Repeated winners of the Royal Easter Show pie competitions, Gumnut Pattiserie Bowral is considered royalty by locals in Bowral. The shopfront windows are littered with gold medals it's difficult to...

Southern Rise Bakery Moss Vale
04 May 2018

As winners of the 2017 Southern Highlands PIE FEST it made sense to start at the Southern Rise Bakery in Moss Vale. The run was very pleasant following the trail along...

seniman-coffee-studio-bar
Seniman Coffee Studio
12 Oct 2017

If you’re looking for somewhere to nomad for a day in Ubud, the Seniman Coffee Studio is a great little café tailored to the working wanderer. Located on Jl. Sri...

greve in chianti
Greve in Chianti
20 Jul 2016

It was hard to believe that after only one day in Greve in Chianti we'd be invited out to dinner. Even more curious was that we had been befriended by...

No Signboard white pepper crab
No Signboard Neccesary
25 Mar 2013

Arriving into Changi airport my phone buzzes with an incoming message while in the customs queue. "No Signboard 414 Geylang road, Geylang". Sender was unknown. Certainly a cryptic welcome message...

Napa Valley Winery
Sipping Across Sonoma
30 Sep 2009

An hour's drive from Berkeley and we were in Sonoma. The little sister of Napa, the major town of this winery region north of San Francisco. We pulled into the...