Daylesford by mouth

The Swiss-Italian miners who settled Daylesford in the gold rush era might be surprised to stumble across a Japanese fine dining restaurant in the heart of rural Victoria, but sophistication and an international sensibility have long coloured the region’s outlook. 

Over the past 20 years, Daylesford has come to define Australian country dining at its best, but that doesn’t mean the town is resting on its gastronomic laurels. At the recently opened bistro-style Kazuki’s at the Raglan, for instance, chef Kazuki Tsuya and his wife Saori are fusing Japanese flavours with good local produce, so you can order a seaweed salad with that grass-fed pepper steak, washed down, perhaps, with a cup of delicate junmai sake. The pair epitomise the global beat to which Daylesford’s heart beats. 

After moving to Australia in search of great baseball, and disappointed to find only cricket, Tsuya turned his attention to the kitchen, earning his stripes at the multi-award-winning Lake House which under the indefatigable Alla Wolf-Tasker has set the standard by which the nation’s aspiring regional restaurants must live up to. This triumvirate of restaurant, spa and boutique hotel, overlooking the tranquil stretch of water for which its named, has become a food destination in its own right, where the paddock-to-plate philosophy is passionately followed by Wolf-Tasker and a team that has grown to a total of about 120. 

Everything from pigs and fish to sacks of freshly picked fruit and vegetables arrive daily, to be transformed into plates of charcuterie, salads and sorbets, enjoyed with one of the exemplary wines either out on the deck or in the airy dining room surrounded by artworks by Wolf-Tasker’s husband Allan. He’s also responsible for the murals on the walls of the new Wombat Hill House which has opened in a converted 1940s caretaker’s cottage in expansive gardens on an extinct volcano. 

There’s brioche and Meredith Dairy yoghurt for breakfast, salad greens, edible flowers and kiwi fruit from the garden. To call it just a café doesn’t quite cut it. As daughter Larissa Wolf-Tasker, who runs the business alongside her parents, says: "We were looking for ways to inspire our chefs, and we’d got to the point when we wanted something off-site. We thought simple food done very well, two cooks and one oven. When we run out of items in the kitchen we run out and that’s it. It’s just a very different space for our chefs to be able to play with."

Another hot new breakfast spot is Ego’s Culinaria, born out of a cake catering business and therefore offering top-notch sweet treats, along with some of the best caffeine hits in town. If you'd prefer to start your day with something stronger, the Alpine-themed Breakfast & Beer café can supply you with more excellent coffee as well as a range of Australian and international brews from morning to – night. 

There are modern European flavours to be had at Frangos & Frangos, where the bentwood chairs, boho vibe and open-fronted restaurant call to mind France or Italy – as does the restaurant’s signature beetroot risotto. By contrast, the red brick pub that is the Farmers Arms Hotel is decidedly Australian in character, though the old-fashioned flavour begins and ends with its 1857 heritage, thanks to a menu that lists the likes of casseroled beef cheeks in the style of a stifado.

Other top dining options include Wild Birch at Peppers Mineral Springs Retreat, where degustation dinners and an art deco ambience are the go, A Perfect Drop for Middle Eastern-influenced sharing platters, or Mercato, where contemporary regional food is dished up in a lovely old timber building.

The point is this: whether you’re bidding for a meat tray at the Farmers Arms or looking for Italian-inspired fine dining, this little town, 90 minutes from Melbourne, has it covered. “For a long time, Daylesford was Melbourne’s best-kept secret destination,” says Larissa Wolf-Tasker. “But now there’s such a diversity of experiences it’s really built for the residents as much as the tourists – which I think is the best kind of place.”

Published On: Thursday, March 31, 2011, 12:00 AM AEDST