5 Chef-hatted Restaurants for Destination Dining

As we celebrate Destination Dining this week, let’s take a delicious drive around the country to visit some of our stunning Chef-hatted restaurants where the surroundings are as important as the menu.

Here are five where the destination is as stunning as the food on the plate:

Steeped in style and elegance, multi-award-winning Darleys on Lilianfels Avenue in Katoomba, sparkles with newly revived old-world charm. Nestled in Lilianfels Resort & Spa, magnificent décor awaits guests, with an ornate fireplace, leadlight windows, crystal chandeliers and evocative artwork, setting a luxurious ambience. 

 

With breath-taking views of the Blue Mountains, this unrivalled restaurant boasts a menu to match, prepared using the best local and organic produce, complemented by an extensive wine list. Expect entrées like venison tartare, smoked eel, saltbush and cherries, before a memorable main affair of dry-aged duck breast, beetroot, dates and sides of baked potato and broccolini with stracciatella and capsicum.

Take in the aromas and vistas of breathtaking lavender fields while sipping an estate wine at Kooroomba Vineyard Restaurant in Boonah. Nestled on a six-hectare vineyard in the Fassifern Valley at Mt Alford, Kooroomba boasts a cellar door, restaurant, wedding and function venue and lavender shop, all with magnificent views of the Scenic Rim mountains.

 

Soak up a South of France ambience while perusing a Mod Oz menu embracing local produce, perhaps starting your culinary journey with cured Spanish mackerel, raspberry mojo and nasturtium. Pair a glass of estate Shiraz with a memorable main of emu, nam jim jaew, pickled peppers and sides of lavender baked potatoes and burnt leeks; before a decadent dessert of lavender ice cream, rhubarb and camel milk

Expect an authentic Mediterranean experience served with a smile at new restaurant on the Byron Bay block, The Hut on Friday Hut Road in Possum Creek. This beach-chic venue calls the Old O’Possum Creek Public School home, projecting a chilled-out coastal vibe with large windows offering garden glimpses, polished wood floors and whitewashed walls softened by potted greenery and an abundance of natural light.

 

Open for lunch four days a week, the menu celebrates the simplicity of European flavours with a particular focus on Spanish, Greek and Italian dishes; think starters like veal tenderloin, tuna mayo and fried capers, pasta plates of pappardelle with lamb ragu, horseradish and Parmigiano Reggiano, along with mains such as baked whole fish, tahini butter, wine and fried capers.

Indulge in exceptional single-vineyard wines while soaking up mesmerising vineyard and mountain vistas at Oakridge Restaurant on Maroondah Highway in Coldstream. This winery, cellar door and restaurant nestled in Victoria’s breath-taking Yarra Valley dishes up destination dining at its best with an innovative, ever-evolving menu showcasing seasonal, sustainably-farmed produce from the estate and surrounding region with everything house-made from cheese to bread and smallgoods. 

 

Enjoy offerings like pig's head, fig and green peppercorn terrine, green almond and snow peas, with a glass of 2016 Oakridge Blanc de Blancs, followed by BBQ wallaby loin, beetroot, rainforest cherry and chard, paired with a glass of 2021 864 Winery Block Cabernet Sauvignon. Perhaps slow-cooked pork belly entices served with baby broccoli and charred onion oil, along with a glass of Oakridge Close Planted Syrah.

A sophisticated tropical dining experience awaits at Zinc, on the corner of Macrossan and Davidson Streets in Port Douglas. This well-loved restaurant presents an elegant venue for a romantic dinner, or casual catch-up with friends in sleek surrounds of marble bench tops, wooden counters and glowing pendent lights, creating a chilled-out vibe in keeping with the FNQ lifestyle.

 

Choose from an extensive menu, featuring fresh local seafood and produce, perhaps beginning with Hokkaido scallops, pumpkin purée, roasted pumpkin, pumpkin chips, pepitas and crispy sage, enjoyed with a glass of Chenin Blanc; for the main, think braised beef short rib, sweet potato purée, Asian herbs and crispy shallots, paired with a Sangiovese or Grenache. Make sure to leave room for chocopalooza for dessert – chocolate brownie, chocolate cremeux and crumb with raspberry gel.