As Gino D’Acampo returns to Italy to explore the picturesque villages, towns and islands along his homeland’s coastline, so why not venture out on a coastal trip of your own?
Take a trip down the NSW South Coast to discover plentiful produce, great climate, and cultural stories.
Here are five diverse food destinations to visit along the NSW South Coast - all are located within three hours of Sydney and Canberra.
1. Restaurant Santino, Wollongong
One of Wollongong’s coolest eating venues is . Stepping into this inner city laneway restaurant is like venturing into a brooding Italian restaurant of the 1950s.
It’s the kind of place where you can either sample a single bowl of freshly made pasta or feast on a three-course meal as you sip a Campari and orange and listen to Dean Martin sing in the background.
“We want customers to feel transported to another place when they come here,” says Kevin Duarte, who co-owns the restaurant alongside brother Fred. “You could be in Wollongong, New York or Italy.”
Valerio Montesi, the restaurant’s head chef from Rome, has worked with the Portuguese-Australian owners to create a unique Italian-inspired menu that’s culturally rich and full of traditional flavours.
To start, there’s duck parfait with a cassata spin, served with a house-made panettone and preserved orange. Or, you can try vitello tonnato topped with smoked beans and large dried capers that give a crunchy salt kick. The crowd favourite main is spatchcock, flavoured with subtle hints of chilli and garlic, dressed with a sweet carrot agrodolce. Pair the bird with a side of grilled romaine lettuce doused in melted pistachio butter, and chunks of dried olives and apricots for the ultimate sensory experience.
(L to R): Co-owner of Restaurant Santino Fred Duarte, sous chef Eugenio Russomanno, co-owner Kevin Duarte and head chef Valerio Montesi. Source: Photo by Yasmin Noone
2. Love Eating Asian Food (LEAF), Nowra
This casual Thai restaurant, located off the Princes Highway, is seriously unassuming but enticing.
Owner of, Thai-born Pakping Pichetpongthorn (who also goes by the name of ‘Ping’) explains that she offers a style of traditional dining at lunch that stems from Buddhist culture based on communal food offerings.
“This is the real Thai way of eating,” Ping says. “After a blessing at the temple, you can take food made by someone you have never met, who simply wanted to share their cooking with you. This happens every day in Thailand.
“A la carte dining is also a western style of eating. In Thailand, we eat many dishes from the one plate. It’s a lot more fun.”
To taste one of the spicier lunches available, order the Thai-style ‘bento box’. It features chicken wings with jaew dipping sauce; som tam (papaya salad) with fish pickle; larb chicken mince; sticky rice; and fresh cucumber and lettuce.
LEAF at Nowra (L to R): LEAF's Vietnamese pancake made with a Thai influence, Thai-style bento box and red curry with duck. Source: Photo by Yasmin Noone
The dinner menu at LEAF includes familiar Thai classics like red duck curry or pad Thai made with vermicelli rice noodle and king prawns. You’ll also notice dishes from India, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia gracing the menu. Ping says LEAF’s broad take on Asian cuisine symbolises the many historic influences on Thai food.
“I just ‘Love Eating Asian Food’.”
Owner of LEAF, Thai-born Pakping Pichetpongthorn. Source: Photo by Yasmin Noone
3. Bangalay Dining, Shoalhaven Heads
Whether you’re staying in a caravan, cottage or luxury villa in Shoalhaven Heads, a visit to by the beach is a must.
Holidaymakers can grab a takeaway bacon and egg burger for breakfast or enjoy South Coast oysters, charcuterie and discounted drops during happy hour (3-5pm). Or, for a more casual luxe experience, you can go the restaurant at dinner and sample a feast of locally sourced and foraged ingredients.
Diners can try Ulladulla venison loin paired with fresh blackberries; kangaroo rolled in wattleseed and saltbush; or roasted lobster bug with bug head custard, salmon roe and finger lime.
The menu stems from Simon Evans, the executive chef’s long-standing relationship with Indigenous food supplier , partnerships with small-scale producers, and a sustainable friendship with surrounding the land and sea.
“Growing up in Wales, I was always taught to cook what was around you in your village or town,” says Evans. “So here on the South Coast, it just makes sense to forage and use ingredients that grow around us naturally.
“A lot of the stuff they cook in the Sydney restaurants is also sourced from down here. So we have a taste advantage on our doorstep.”
4. Fisherman’s Wharf Café, Ulladulla
To experience the true essence of seafood culture on the NSW South Coast, eat at the in Ulladulla.
This destination, situated near the mouth of the harbour, has both historic and culinary ties to fishing in the region. The café and adjoining fish shop are owned by Josi Young (maiden name, Puglisi). For over 40 years, the 73-year-old has run the businesses with the help of her Italian-Australian family that has strong ties to the local fishing industry.
Young says the family’s love of cooking seafood shines through the café’s menu. “We don’t just offer pre-prepared fish and chips like a regular fish and chips might,” Young tells SBS. “Almost everything we sell here, we make ourselves from scratch– from the breadcrumbs we use to crumb our fish to our fish cakes. I have spent a long time testing all the recipes we use. Once I have gotten a recipe right, I don’t change it.”
Owner of Fisherman’s Wharf Café in Ulladulla, Josi Young with her two brothers from the Puglisi family. Source: Photo by Yasmin Noone
The café is locally famous for its seafood chowder – its recipe is over 20 years old. Diners can also sit down in the cafe with a glass of wine and indulge in a fisherman’s basket, garlic prawns, seafood crepe, oysters or calamari. “I have owned this place for a very long time. I am very proud of it.”
I have spent a long time testing all the recipes we use. Once I have gotten a recipe right, I don’t change it.
5. Rick Stein At Bannisters, Mollymook
You can’t look past this south coast seafood restaurant, perched high up on a cliff top above the headland at Bannisters. For decades, the name ‘Rick Stein’ has been synonymous with a passion for quality seafood, international travel and foreign flavours.
These themes continue at as the iconic eatery manages to perform the tough job of living up to its namesakes’ reputation.
The kitchen uses fresh, local seafood to make iconic dishes from Stein’s travels abroad and modern recipes that celebrate multicultural flavours. Try the Basque country favourite, oysters Charentaise, which requires diners to eat oysters just as Stein once did in France. There’s also a Moroccan seafood tagine and Sri Lankan fish curry on the menu.
The restaurant wouldn’t be ‘very Rick’ if it didn’t also feature simple seafood dishes done very well: from tuna sashimi to steamed whole snapper with ginger, soy sauce, crispy garlic and shallots.
“First and foremost, I try and keep the dishes as simple as possible,” Stein tells SBS. “I remember being once asked by a publisher what my [food] mantra was. I said ‘there's nothing more exhilarating than fresh fish simply cooked’. So that's what I've stuck to.”
