Eling Forest Winery Cafe: Sutton Forest, AUSTRALIA

6 days ago · 3 min read · New South Wales

Eling Forest Winery: Sutton Forest, AUSTRALIA.jpg

This is a place that I've been meaning to visit for quite some time... it is on the road between Sydney and Canberra, and many colleagues stop by to have a leisurely morning or afternoon tea....

... but when I'm driving, I'm often by myself in the weird hours... and this winery is just not open. And if it is, I'm more likely to hit up a 10 minute pitstop at the servos to get petrol, pee, coffee, and then hop straight back on the road.

But this time, I was travelling with my family... and so, with kids... you have to stop somewhere for a bit longer... and my wife isn't fond of the crappy food that you get at service stations. So.... I suggested this!

The Space

When we dropped by, it was early afternoon... and as a sign of the place's popularity... all the indoor seating was already taken up... that said, it was pretty windy and cold outside, and it was nice and toasty warm inside... so, there was that as well. But still, outside was still quite nice...

... and we parked ourselves on a long table away from the open front area... it was a touch too windy there, and this area was sheltered by the heavy plastic that kept us shielded from the worst of the wind and drizzle.

The Menu

An all day breakfast and lunch menu was on offer... with lots of nice looking things also in the cake and pastry cabinet. Honestly, there were quite a few things here that sounded great... and all done in a nice farmhouse/winery style as well.

The Food

A bacon toastie for me and my wife (we had learnt that we should just order one thing for the two of us, as we would be cleaning up the rest of our kids meals...).... and this was one very luxurious toastie! Foccacia bread, thick cut high quality bacon, aioli sauce... quite spectacular... and very very dense and filling!

A lovely classic hamburger for my oldest daughter... a touch on the large side for her, so I ended up finishing it off. Wow, this was one very good burger... and the bacon was the same as what we had. Weirdly enough, she didn't like the bacon... she loves bacon normally, and I have no idea why she didn't like this one... much tastier, and a good deal less fatty!

... and a little burger and chips for the little one. Also a great patty... but without all the extra bits.

A very decent chai latte for my wife...

... yummy hot chocolates for the girls... except for the marshmallows, they hate these floury soft Australian things...

... and a much needed flat white coffee for the driver of the day!

The Experience

I can definitely see why my colleagues recommend stopping at this place. Nice staff, pleasant surroundings, a winery cellar door nearby... and great food, if a touch expensive.

If I was doing more leisurely trips between cities, then I would definitely stop here much more often... but travel is just a means to get from one place to the other for these trips... and so, I'm not sure when I will return here again if I'm not travelling with the family again.