Words by Richard Cornish Images Supplied
Over the past few years, Ballarat has quietly been working on its culinary culture. It wasn’t that long ago that this was a historic city with an equally historic food offering of steak houses and deep-fried Chinese.
Now its food scene is thriving with a raft of wine bars, hatted restaurants and excellent cafes. They work together with food producers in the Goldfields region to offer a broad, locally focused experience. The city itself is a series of remarkably intact mid-Victorian streetscapes with some exceptional cultural offerings such as the Art Gallery of Ballarat and the Foto Biennale. But if you’re too time-poor to make the 90-minute drive or train trip to the city of gold, head to Victoria by Farmer’s Daughter at Fed Square this spring for a taste of Ballarat.
Every season, restaurant chef and owner Alejandro Saravia turns the spotlight of his restaurant onto a particular region so expect some interesting collaborations. On October 29, Dianne Ray from The Shared Table in Buninyong will join in a $110 per person three-course seasonal menu. On Sunday 11 September, Neill Robb from Sally’s Paddock will host a lunch celebrating his vineyard’s 50th birthday producing only red wine. Foxy young Ballarat winebar Renard is taking over the rooftop terrace bar overlooking the Yarra on 6-8 October from 5 pm each evening.
Throughout spring, the menu at Victoria by Farmer’s Daughter will feature produce from around Ballarat and the goldfields while the drink menus will focus on local drops from Mitchell Harris Wines, Red Duck Beer, Aunty Jacks, Kilderkin Distillery and its Larrikin Gin, Eastern Peake and Learmonth Cider. Ballarat’s rich cultural heritage will also be on show with works by Wadawurrung fibre artist Tammy Gilson and kinetic video projection by Ballarat artist Josh Waddell.
THE DETAILS
What: Ballarat Comes to Fed Square at Victoria by Farmer’s Daughters
Where: Ground Floor, Yarra Building Fed Square
When: September-November
More Info: Victoria by Farmer’s Daughters
We wish to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.
