Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/111460
regionalstopover Round-up GET THERE Rex flies daily to Merimbula from Sydney and Melbourne. 13 17 13, www.rex.com.au STAY Bimbimbi House B&B 62 Nutleys Creek Road, Bermagui 02 6493 4456, www.bimbimbihouse.com.au Albacore luxury apartments Market Street, Merimbula 02 6495 3187, www.albacore.com.au EAT & DRINK experience and a passion to produce the very best," he says. Soroka has lived here for more than 30 years and says that some of the area's greatest attributes – "pristine ocean waters, wilderness, climate and distance from the rat race" – are also significant to the quality of his products. A visit to the Sapphire Coast wouldn't be complete without having a meal at one of its biggest dining drawcards, Merimbula's Zanzibar Café, which was awarded a hat in the 2013 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. Owners Huw Jones and Renee Loftus are proud to own the area's first hatted restaurant. They bought Zanzibar, their first solo fine-dining venture, in November 2011 and were surprised and delighted to be awarded the hat just 10 months later. Zanzibar's seasonally influenced menu has a local focus, as the couple supports as many Sapphire Coast producers as possible. The wine list features local drops from Rusty Fig Wines in Bermagui and Rocky Hall Winery in Towamba. "As local produce comes into season and is available to us, I try to incorporate it as much as I can," Jones says. Menu stand-outs are the entree of pork belly confit with Eden smoked eel fritters, baby beets and blackberry gel and the dessert of rhubarb and raspberry terrine. Special mention also goes to the side of chickpea chips with garlic aioli. The food, the friendly, informative service and the intimate dining room more than live up to the expectation of hatted-restaurant dining. Yet it's Zanzibar's unpretentious atmosphere that sets it apart and continues to entice locals. "This ambience is intentional," says Loftus. "We want people to feel comfortable when they're here. When they do, they enjoy themselves and the whole experience." Perhaps Zanzibar's owners best sum up the secret to the Sapphire Coast's evolving array of satisfying, engaging gastronomic options that are attracting new fans and compelling existing ones to come back for more: local restaurateurs and producers truly believe in what they're doing and want their customers to understand their passion and enjoy the experience as much as they do. XXX Mister Jones Espresso Bar and Open Studio Shop 1, 4 Bunga Street, Bermagui 0403 755 672, www.misterjones.com.au Bermagui Gelati Clinic 6 Bunga Street, Bermagui 0404 813 323 Tathra Oysters 1 Reservoir Street, Tathra 02 6494 1453, www.tathraoysters.com.au Wild Rye's Baking Co 26 Quondola Street, Pambula 02 6495 6649 Eden Smokehouse 20 Weecoon Street, Eden 02 6496 2331, www.edensmokehouse.com.au Zanzibar Café Cnr Main and Market Streets, Merimbula 02 6495 3636, www.zanzibarmerimbula.com.au MORE INFO www.sapphirecoast.com.au Above, and right: Zanzibar Café's raspberry terrine; Merimbula's Fishpen at sunset.