Octie Appetie: Hunter Valley

19 September 2024

One Fine Day in Hunter Valley

Perhaps not a whole day, but a decent half day trip more likely. We only visited one farm and one restaurant this time in Hunter Valley. It was one random Saturday and already late morning when we came up with this idea of driving somewhere interstate. We can dash out for a day trip within a three-hour radius, though things might get a little rushed to make it back before nightfall.

Lemon pepper squid with aioli and lemon $23

That squid was ridiculously tender and the zing from lemon aioli made the whole dish sing.

500g Beef ribeye cutlet $65

When you order main dishes, they come with your choice of two sides and one sauce. We got creamy mash and smoked corn ribs, firecracker ranch sauce and chimichurri sauce to come with rib eye cutlet. It was cooked to perfection. No negative comment on this dish.

300g Chicken schnitzel $28

A huge piece of chicken schnitzel and we ordered mozzarella and gruyere mac and cheese as well sweet potato fries and topped with creamy mushroom sauce. The portion was enormous, it can feed the whole town.

Dark grape cider $10

After lunch, we headed to nearby Alpaca farm to spend the rest of our afternoon. This farm is called Starline Alpaca, full on Alpaca here. Entry fee is $18 for an adult and $12 for kid, however if you come as a family of 4 which is 2 adults and 2 kids, you can get a family pass for $55 that includes a bag of alpaca food too. Their alpacas are tame but mind of their spit sometimes. My kids had the most joyful time here. They can feed and pat those calm alpacas as much as they wanted with hardly anyone around. Other farm animals like pig, goat, pony and chicken can be found here too.