Ten great food and wine spots in Ballarat

On the surface, it's hard to see Ballarat as a great foodie destination. But scratch a little harder and there are heaps of great little spots popping up around the place.

Here, I'll run through ten great suggestions for somewhere terrific to eat and drink if you're visiting our great town or even if you live here and need a suggestion to get you up and moving for some new tastes.


1. Breakfast at L'Espresso.

A Ballarat institution. Some ripper ways to kick off the day here. I personally love the Parmesan Scrambled Eggs, a freshly squeezed OJ and a long macchiato, but there are myriad choices to keep you and yours happy and content. A top spot to pick up some cool new tunes from Greg's CD selection too!

2. CAKE Bakeshop, in Main Road

Can thoroughly recommend the "Red Velvet" cupcakes and get into some truly wicked "Grounded Pleasures" hot chocolate.

3. John Harbour, Butcher

One of our town's legends. He and his band o' butchers are permanently cheery (even on the crowded Saturday mornings) and provide consistently excellent meat. Any cut you want, plus some great smallgoods seasonally ranging from Christmas Hams to haggis!

4. Eclectic Tastes

Serving truly excellent coffee, a constantly changing menu of interesting lunches, and a must-have lemon-curd muffin after.

5. Beers at the Lake View

No better place to be in the afternoon as the sun sets over a shimmering Lake Wendouree. Some ice-cold Coopers Pale or Asahi on tap, and plenty more choices (inc. a cheeky Mitchell Harris Rosé or Fumé) in the fridge...

6. Forge Pizza

Rock up to pick up your brilliant crispy-crusted pizza and you'll see this joint is absolutely pumping. expect a bit of a wait for your dinner, but it's ABSOLUTELY worth it.

7. Campanas' Stockade Cellars

Love wandering around Campanas', always some new and interesting drops to tantalise the tastebuds, and now with a rocking deli it's got a bit of everything. Brilliant smallgoods and a great range of cheeses and other bits and pieces. A massive selection of wines both local and from afar. You can really spend ages in here.

8. Craig's Royal Hotel

When it comes to institutions, this is it. An amazing restoration of the original 1850s hotel, it now has brilliant meals 7 NIGHTS A WEEK. The absolute go-to choice especially on those difficult Sunday thru Tuesday nights...

9. The Ballaarat

This "old society" club has been restored into a fantastic restaurant with really good modern cuisine and some ripper local wines. Get in and try it out, it's excellent.

10. Dessert and Wines at Lydiard Wine Bar

This is the ideal way to see out the night. The dessert tasting platter is a particular sensation, and the extensive wine list showcases the best of our region. A very cool venue to relax and savour the tastes and ambience...


So there you go, a few suggestion for your next little jaunt.
I'll update with some newies to try out soon....

A walk through the vineyard

The Peerick Vineyard at Moonambel

 Great to have a walk through the gorgeous Peerick vineyard out of Moonambel today. What a great little oasis in the Pyrenees! Vineyard looking great. Disease free so far... 
Cabernet almost through flowering.
Looks like lower yields this year which will hopefully translate into some good concentration of flavour.
Fingers crossed for more sunny days like today!!

The Mitchell Harris 2012 Fumé