5 Venues Where Food Equals Comfort!

We all crave a certain comfort food when we are feeling down, under the weather or just looking for a pick-me-up. It is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value and is quite often characterised by its high-caloric nature and association to childhood or home cooking.

Ultimate Aussie comfort food choices include everyone’s fave butter chicken, chicken parmigiana, barbequed snags, lamingtons, a burger with the lot and the humble meat pie…here are five venues to get a comfort food fix:

Those seeking a hidden gem dining destination in Batemans Bay head to Trappers Restaurant on Old Princes Highway. Nestling in Sunseeker Motor Inn, this stylish restaurant exudes charm from wooden table settings topped with white cloths, statement steel pendent lights and captivating wall art; making for the ideal spot to linger over a meal with family or a romantic date night.

 

Early risers stop in for breakfast tempters such as Belgian waffles with maple syrup, whipped cream and strawberries, while later dinners find comfort in starters of pan-seared scallops, avocado oil, crispy fried baby capers, capsicum, herbs, parsnip purée and toasted pine nuts; move on to mains such slow-cooked beef cheeks, sweet potato gnocchi, glazed Dutch carrots, peas, dehydrated tomato and blueberry demi-glaze.

Located on leafy Swan Street in Guildford, the historic Rose & Crown Hotel was built in 1841 and is ideally situated at the gateway to the State's Swan Valley region. Long a welcome resting place for travellers and visitors, this watering hole is WA’s oldest operating hotel among only a handful of original country classic Georgian pubs in Australia.

 

Set on 2.5 acres, the stately venue commands a prominent position alongside a variety of shops and cafes on the street; stop in for an icy brew and delve into comfort pub food classics such as beef and Guinness pie with mashed potato, peas, house gravy and a vegetable crisp, or twice-cooked pork belly, black bean sauce, mandarin, cabbage and cucumber salad and pandan apple gel.

Situated in the heart of Docklands, Renzo’s Bar Café Italiano puts a smart spin on your usual café dining experience. Step into a stylish and modern setting, where round red shaded lighting, dark wooden furnishings and red leather banquettes create a romantic, yet casual ambience to unwind and relax.

 

Choose from rustic Italian comfort pasta dishes like pappardelle with braised beef, tomato and meatball ragu, or pick up a slice of gourmet pizza topped with hot salami, mozzarella, tomato, olives and chilli; perhaps devour char-grilled lamb backstrap, chickpea purée, rosemary jus, roasted carrot and beetroot, or osso buco Milanese with oven-braised veal shank and saffron risotto. 

Find traditional Vietnamese soups and stir-fries on the plate at Phood Vietnamese Restaurant on Archer Street in Chatswood. Settle in at blond wood table settings and admire the images of the homeland on the walls, while a full glass frontage lets in an abundance of natural light and potted greenery soothes the soul.

 

Starters like barramundi fish cakes or crispy chicken wings set the scene for a memorable meal, or dip your spoon into a steaming bowl of sliced beef rice noodle pho soup; perhaps a hot clay pot roasted duck curry provides comfort, or grilled lemongrass pork chops and tomato rice, washed down with a Vietnamese iced coffee.

Taking Italian-style pizza to another level, Adelaide pizzaholics needing a fix head down East Terrace to find Est Pizzeria. This contemporary restaurant offers upstairs and alfresco dining, along with wood-fired gourmet pizza, polenta and gnocchi in an old-world charm of leadlight panels, bay windows, art deco-style artwork and dark wood, ideal for celebrations or romantic rendezvous.

 

Begin an Italian adventure with wood oven-roasted kipfler potatoes, sour cream and chives, or gnocchi with gorgonzola and spinach; then say ciao to pizza slices like prawn with provolone, black truffle and rocket, or pesto, spinach, fior di latte, roasted garlic, Parmesan, olives and pine nuts. Those who can’t decide can take the Feed Me option with a selection of pizza, gnocchi and salad for a minimum of six diners.