The Bega Downs Motor Inn Restaurant, Bega NSW

http://www.begadowns.com.au/dining.php

Food: 2/5
Atmosphere: 2/5
Service: 2.5/5
Cost: 3.5/5

This is a small restaurant mainly catering for guests staying within the motor inn itself. I like the fact that it's a quiet venue, but it's too quiet for my liking. I always find myself lowering my voice during conversations, sometimes to a whisper. I personally have never seen more than eight diners at one time in the restaurant for dinner, and that number includes the four of us (my family). My father introduced me to this restaurant and we have been several times, however this will be the last.

The head chef hasn't changed the menu within the last ten months, at least. My father tells me that on one past occasion he had some 'bad' oysters, but that obviously hadn't stopped him from ordering them again. I guess  in a small country town, with limited decent restaurants, you tend to come back - even after a bad experience.
Based on past dining I would have recommended the 'giant' vegetarian spring rolls however on this occasion they were very oily! The spring rolls also come with two types of dipping sauce, one is a sweet chilli sauce (which is suitable), the other is pure kecap manis - FAR too sweet for a dipping sauce. I'll also add that there was far too much of both dipping sauces left over as well.

The Downs does have one good thing going for it, and that's their wine and beer selection. Not bad for a small licensed establishment. I've learnt that to thoroughly enjoy a good meal here, you need to be somewhat tipsy. There was a specials board which unfortunately I only managed to notice after we had finished our meal.

Here you will find the entree menu and for some reason, their website contains a second entree menu, but no main menu is available to browse online. You will also find the prices of entrees at these links too.

The service is relatively fast, yet atrocious. The meals were not piping hot, particularly the mains, leaving me to assume that the risotto was simply slopped into it's serving bowl and left on a semi-warm bench for the uninterested young waitress to collect after we had finished our entrees. As I had mentioned before, I hadn't noticed the specials board until after the meal had finished so it would have been great if the waitress (and the only waitress) had mentioned the specials to us after she had us seated.

On a similar note, every time I have been to the Downs for dinner the chef has had inappropriate music blaring loudly in the kitchen which flows on out to the silent dining area, kitchen doors opened OR closed. I found this to be irritating and quite unprofessional. On top of that, the usual waitress used to singalong whilst she was in the kitchen, and at times I have heard the conversations between the staff while we have been dining - and the conversations haven't been work-related. I'll just leave it at that. A positive is that I have never known a time when the waitress has made a mistake on any of our orders.

Unfortunately I will be choosing not to dine here again, which is a great shame because that doesn't leave many other establishments in the township of Bega to head to for a decent, refined meal.

 The entrance.....I'm not saying a word......

 Oysters Kilpatrick  $20.50 Dozen

 Gourmet spring rolls  $11.00

 

 The filling tastes great, however the roll itself was very oily to the touch.

 Mushroom and vegetable risotto - not overly appealing....

The Bega Downs Restaurant is a fully licensed restaurant open every evening at 6pm.

Cnr Princes Highway & High Street
Bega NSW 2550
Phone: 02 6492 2944

Wheeler's Oyster Farm & Restaurant, Merimbula NSW

www.wheelersoysters.com.au

Wheelers Oyster Farm & Restaurant is located just outside of Merimbula, on the Sapphire Coast of NSW. Although their website claims that they have 'been producing the finest Sydney Rock Oysters for almost 100 years', being a local to the area, I had no idea that this was the case.

Having the opportunity to buy their oysters straight from the farming area of this establishment is a great idea, as it is directly next door to the restaurant. Unfortunately it seems that every time I have visited with my family for lunch or dinner, their retail outlet never seems to be open for purchasing produce, or even for a chance to have a guided farm tour. The website states that their oysters can be enjoyed with 'other local seafood and produce' which you can also find at the farming premises. I have a feeling that they might buy their seafood from another local seafood outlet in Merimbula, but I could be wrong. 

Wheeler's Restaurant in particular is a clean, spacious establishment that I frequent with my family whenever I visit, without fail. I enjoy their fresh oysters and their menu selection, and the fact that you can opt for indoor or outdoor dining is a bonus. The menu specialises in seafood, however patrons can pick from a decent variety of Modern Australian cuisine, and the menu can be found here.

The service is pretty basic, however it's a higher standard than other restaurants on the Far South Coast. The floor staff are young in comparison to other restaurants I've been to that are on this same level, however they do their job well. Unfortunately, there were two points of criticism that I can mention - on one occasion I did have to remind the waitress to bring out an already ordered glass of champagne. Another downside was that on one occasion in the past, we had turned up 15 minutes before our lunch booking and we were advised by (I'm assuming the floor manager) to come back later. I would have expected to have been seated and offered drinks whilst we waited for the kitchen to open. Instead, we decided to go over the road to the Sapphire Coast Golf Club for a cheaper drink.

Wheeler's is affordable for a couple, however when it comes to a family of four adults who also drink alcoholic beverages with their meal, it can be pricey. Having said that, you get what you pay for - fresh, large, creative meals.

Don't expect Wheeler's Restaurant to be a quiet, placid dining experience during school holiday periods, particularly summer or Easter. Children, and possibly international visitors, may be lucky enough to see the many kangaroos that graze on the green grasses of the well-kept garden that surrounds the restaurant. 

Wheeler's Restaurant has a family-friendly atmosphere, as well as a sophisticated air about it. For me, it's a fantastic place for a perfect family dining experience,for both young and old.

Dishes Ordered

Wild Rye Fresh Baked Panini Bread         $7

Served with butter, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic and confit of garlic 

Seafood Pasta         $29

A selection of fresh seafood tossed through fettuccini with a mild chilli, garlic, herb, extra virgin olive oil sauce finished with a squeeze of lemon and parmesan cheese

Mixed Plate of Cooked Oysters          1/2 Doz $18 / Doz $28Plumrick - crisp bacon & sweet & spice plum Worcestershire
Rocky - tomato, bacon, basil, onion & grilled cheese
Mornay - mornay sauce & gratin cheese

Recommended Dishes

Mixed Plate of Cold Oysters        1/2 Doz $18, Doz $28 
Japanese - pickled ginger & cucumber salad with wasabi aioli
Salmon - smoked salmon, chives & champagne
Natural - with seafood sauce & lemon

Four Tastes of the Sea                  $22

Oysters Japanese

Plumrick and natural smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill roulade with red pepper relish

Tasmanian scallops grilled in half shell with caper sage butter

Banana prawns with seafood sauce

Hours

Lunch: 7 days 12-3pm
Dinner: 7 nights from 6pm (restaurant only open for Sunday dinner during peak season)