8 Gastronomic Choices on the Limestone Coast

8 Gastronomic Choices on the Limestone Coast

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Posted 2017-05-21 by Graeme Fanningfollow
Having made the effort to visit the South-East of South Australia a short time ago, I came to the conclusion that it never disappoints and continually surprises in what is on offer for food and wine.

The Limestone Coast is becoming renowned for its fresh, top quality cuisine, much of it allied to either the sea or off the land.



Here are 8 places that I recently discovered whilst exploring the area.

1. Bompas

Bompas , is located in Beachport , around 4 hours or just over drive south-east from Adelaide. The restaurant has a top location overlooking Rivoli Bay and functions as a cafe, restaurant and bar, as well as accommodation.

The building itself dates from 1878 and looks over the bay towards the Beachport Jetty, the second longest in the state.

The menu is varied and covers anything from burgers, seafood, pizzas, schnitzels through to chicken breast and scotch fillet. Prices will set you back for mains between $16 and $32 with one of the options being Moroccan Chicken Breast which is char-grilled served on a bed of spinach and mash potato with a creamy basil pesto sauce for $25.

Bompas also boasts the Asian House restaurant and prices vary between $19 and $28 dependent upon your choice.

The full complement of Asian style cuisine is available, including traditional favourites such as Beef & Black Bean, Honey and Black Pepper Chicken as well as Emperor King Prawns.

Bompas is open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week and breakfast on weekends. You can find them at 3 Railway Terrace, Beachport.



2. Beachport Hotel

The Beachport Hotel has been around since 1879 and has been, like most pubs in country towns the main-stay of the community and a beacon for friends and family to catch up.

Originally known as the Bay View Hotel, there has been a high proportion of women as the hotelkeepers, in fact 5 of the 15 hotelkeepers between 1900 and 1950 were women.

Several renovations later, the pub although still looking heritage from the outside has been updated and modernised inside.

The relatively new head chef is originally from Robe, so you couldn't get much more local than that!

Some of the tempting dishes on offer include parmesan herb crusted chicken with creamy mash potato and crispy skinned salmon with garlic beans and sweet potato fries.

You will find the Beachport Hotel at 17 - 21 Railway Terrace in Beachport and is open 7 days a week.



3. Robe Hotel

The Robe Hotel has an enviable position on the foreshore of Guichen Bay in the town of Robe , which is about a 3 hr and 40 minute drive south-east of Adelaide.

On the site where the Robe Hotel stands today, once stood another pub which was licenced back in 1848, the Bonnie Owl. Today's hotel was eventually erected in front of the original one, with the old building utilised as a laundry for some time.

The Robe Hotel offers a great selection of food including choices such as Apple Cider Pork, which consists of a scotch fillet of pork poached in apple cider served on braised potato, pancetta, onion, mushroom with a walnut and raisin jus. This will cost you around $26.

If you love fresh seafood, then you'll enjoy the Salt Water Seafood Platter which will set you back around $38/$39. They also have a kids mix menu for the little ones.

Another great feature of the Robe Hotel is the regular live music of varying genres.

The Robe Hotel is open 7 days a week and is located on Mundy Terrace at Robe.



4. Gather Food and Wine

Robe alone offers some good choices in cuisine and dining options and if you want to try something local, here's a good place to indulge in.

Gather Food and Wine boasts its sourcing of fresh quality produce including Woakstation certified organic Beef, Robe Dairy meats and Robe Lobster.

The chef and his wife, who comes from the Limestone Coast, run the restaurant and are certainly passionate about providing a unique and local food experience. Sustainability is also a priority for the owners, who want to leave a minimal footprint on the environment.

The site of the restaurant has historic connections, being one time known as Ormerod's Woolstore, which dates from the 1850's, originally named for Robe's leading ship merchant, George Ormerod.

If you are into all inclusive and wish to try a diverse selection across the menu, you can be served with 6 courses for $105 or with wine $140. Crayfish is always popular and caught fresh off Robe - like a few of the establishments in the area, you need to pre-order and prices will vary for a 1 kg Cray for two.

Mains will cost you between $34 and $39 and interesting options including Kingston Lamb braised and roasted with caramelised pumpkin, pumpkin seed crisp and Robe dairy yoghurt for around $38.

For dessert, choices include Rhubarb with whipped Robe dairy fromage blanc, honeycomb and soft meringue for $18.

Gather also do catering and functions.

Gather Food and Wine is open Wednesday to Sunday 6 pm to late and is located at 38 Smillie Street Robe, just off the main street.



5. Adventurous Spoon

The Adventurous Spoon can be described as a fully licensed Expresso Bar, and Eatery with a wine garden catering for day time patronage.

One of their mouth-watering specials is roasted duck leg with smoked hasselback potato, onion, green beans and blackberry jus for $28.

During the upcoming cooler weather, a nice bowl of soup sounds the trick at $12 served with ciabatta.

For breakfast how about poached eggs, sauteed swiss brown mushrooms, semi-dried tomato arancini, pea puree, goat cheese and toasted sourdough for $22?

The Adventurous Spoon also serve up some wicked cocktails including the "old-fashioned fair" which is Belize Rum, orange, palm sugar, honeyed apricot and smoked hickory bitters for $15.

The Adventurous Spoon is open 7 days a week from 8 am until 5 pm and is located at 46 Victoria Street, Robe.



6. Caledonian Inn

The Caledonian Inn was first licenced in Robe in 1858 and is a historic English style pub located on the main street of Robe.

Not only is there great fare to be had, but they also provide accommodation, either in one of the rooms above the pub or in one of their cottages by the sea or perhaps Splash, which is their completely self-contained 3 bedroom house.

The cottages will set you back between $200 and $250 per night dependent upon the season, with Splash costing you between $400 and $600 a night, again dependent upon the time of the year you are visiting.

Rooms at the inn start at $60 per night right up to $120 per night.

The Cally as it is known offers a substantial lunch and dinner menu 7 days a week. For lunch, the menu varies between $16 and $28 and includes Vietnamese Noodle Salad for $18 and Seafood plate ( flake, prawns, scallops, salt and pepper squid, chips and salad) for $28.

For dinner, the menu will set you back between $24 and $38. If you value top quality seafood, you will be paying quite a bit more, for example for a seafood platter, it will cost you $90.

The Cally also offer kids meals for $15 and also cater for functions.

This year for Robe has been dedicated to the rich history of Chinese immigrants who came to Robe back in the 1850's on their way to the Victorian Goldfields and various events have been planned. One recent event was hosted by the Cally where the Mayor of Robe and the visiting Jiangsu Provincial TV crew were involved in doing a feature on the Limestone Coast for Central Chinese Television, seen by over 100 million people. A great way of boosting potential increase in tourism for the area.

The Caledonian Inn is open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week and is located at 1 Victoria Street, Robe.



7. Sails Restaurant

Another great culinary experience is to visit Sails Restaurant , across the street from the Cally, which boasts seasonally inspired food as well as regional wines. The management is taken care of by head chef Adam Brooks and his restaurant manager wife, Anna Heffernan.

Adam comes from a shark fishing family and Sails has been operating since 2010. For this current season (Autumn/Winter), Adam believes the produce should include Oysters, Shark (flake), Beetroot, Figs, Quinces, Cauliflower and Rosemary. Southern Rock Lobster is normally available from October to May of each year and needs to be ordered before 2 pm on the day of dining.

Mains on the menu vary between $28 and $40 and include Beef and Reef, comprising 300g Scotch Fillet, Spencer Gulf King Prawns, Lemon and Tarragon Cream, Fried Potatoes and Jus for $40.

Other seafood on the menu include Blue Swimmer Crabs, Calamari, Flake, Mussels and King George Whiting.

One of the tempting dessert options include a lemon and raspberry parfait, malt biscuit, chocolate soil, strawberries and mint for $13.

A kids menu will cost you $13.

All in all, an explosion of taste sensations with the opportunity to savour some great local fresh food.

Sails Restaurant is located at 2 Victoria Street, Robe and is open for lunch 7 days a week from 12 Noon to 2.30 pm and for dinner also 7 days a week from 6 pm until late.



8. Mahalia's

If you believe in supporting the local businesses and love great coffee, then you can't go to Robe without stopping in at Mahalia's for a well-deserved refreshment stop.

Mahalia's coffee is locally roasted on the Limestone Coast and distributed throughout South Australia, interstate and overseas markets. Mahalia's have been making great coffee since the 1990's and the owners of the business, Mahalia and her husband Paul are both chefs with over 30 years of experience in hospitality between them.

The great news is the sustainable nature of the business with coffee beans ethically sourced, embracing rainforest alliance, fair trade, organics, shade grown and the Swiss water method.

Mahalia have 4 major blends ranging from organic and sweet to European dark roast and have won many awards across varying categories over the years. Their factory outlet is at 2 Flint Street Robe, and gives visitors the opportunity to sit, relax and enjoy some great coffee whilst browsing the many products for sales, including homewares, gifts, teas, coffees etc.

Some of the lounges for lolling in whilst enjoying your coffee remind you of something out of the Arabian Nights with their elaborate decoration and placement.

Apart from taking some samples home with you, Mahalia's also have a great ordering option on their website, which means you can order their coffee or tea anytime.

The factory outlet is open 7 days from 8.30 am to 5 pm. There is even a nearby playground for the kids to be distracted by, whilst you savour every mouthful of that great coffee and tea.



Robe and the Limestone Coast are certainly on my list to re-visit - what's not to love with its brilliant food and wine, accommodation options, scenery, history and culture.

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205596 - 2023-06-16 05:42:46

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