Who would have thought that in 2020, hopping across the border would become a treat?

Not us. But here we are friends treating ourselves to exactly that and for very good reason.

A visit to our spectacular southern neighbour Cabarita in fact, for the opening of a stunning newbie you’re going to want to spend some time in at the earliest possible opportunity.

It’s called Nectar and it’s a stunning juice and sandwich bar by the gals who created Burleigh’s Cedar and Stone Botanicals and we are considering moving to Caba so we can visit every single day.

Found on the main strip in the beachside village, Nectar is as beautiful as you’d imagine.

A long, narrow space with white block walls, the prettiest pink tiled bar and touches of magic everywhere you look.

Shelves line one wall, stacked with take home goodies like Cedar and Stones’ range of face and body goodies, incense by This is Incense, cocktail mixers by Mr Consistent, candles by Maison Blanc, coffee table books and dried flowers to name a few things.

All of our favourites are there.

Art lines the walls, including a piece at the front by Anna and Kate’s Mum, made up of a print book the girls cut up.

It’s a space that we would absolutely love to model our home off thank you very much.

Now to eat, as we mentioned there are sandwiches and they are almost certainly the very best you’ve ever sampled.

Choose from a menu filled with options like The Janis Joplin (made with smoked chicken, lettuce, celery, cheese and roasted garlic aioli), The Johnny Cash – with salami, Swiss cheese, tomato and cashew cream cheese or The Janet Jackson with pulled jackfruit,  greens, cucumber, sprouts, avocado and mayo. There are others but we’ll let you discover them for yourself.

Of course, you can also choose your own adventure and build the sandwich of your dreams.

All the produce at Nectar is sourced from local farms so you know it’s the absolute goods.

To drink, there are some delightful smoothies including the Lunar Love with Nutra Organics lunar latte powder, banana, coconut mylk, vanilla protein and honey and the Summer Time with mango, orange, passion fruit, honey, coconut water and crushed ice. Plenty more where they came from too.

There are Cold Pressed juices, detox shots and coffee by the gang at Fonzie Abbott.

So basically all the best things can be found at Nectar, including the ocean just a few steps away.

We’re BIG fans.

Jump that border and find out for yourself. Why not make a day of it, Cabarita is the goods.

See ya there.

LOCATION: 34 Tweed Coast Road, Cabarita
HOURS: Coffee from 6am and food from 7am until 3pm daily

Words and photos by Kirra Smith

More and more these days we, the people, love knowing everything there is to know about local businesses. How they were created, how they operate, what goes into creating something that works.

Luckily for us, there are many an incredible local business popping up both on the Gold Coast and within the local surrounds that have interesting stories to tell, the latest of which is Husk Distillers.

Creators of Ink Gin (you know the magical purple elixir that changes colour), Husk Virgin Cane Rum and Spiced Bam Bam (spiced rum, love you), Husk Distillers was born in Tumbulgum, tiny little northern NSW town now home to a quite big, much-loved local brand.

Now, the impressive paddock to bottle brand have announced the opening of Husk Farm Distillery and it’s set to be an absolute must-visit destination.

Set on the Messenger family’s farmland with the stunning Wollumbin (Mt Warning) as the backdrop, the cellar door, bar and café will be open to the public in mid-June and, as you’d expect, there will be many a tasty treat.

The cocktail and café menus will showcase local produce, along with Blackboard coffee, gin and rum infused chocolates, local cheese/charcuterie boards and tasting paddles made from old barrel staves.

So all of the very best things. Plus of course, you can take home a bottle of Ink Gin or three for the cabinet slash that nights’ drinking shenanigans.

In case you haven’t heard the story; Husk is the baby of the aforementioned Messenger family, inspired by their love of all things rum and the culture of Caribbean, the family began their adventure in 2012, creating a plantation distiller on their cattle and cane farm.

Production began with their first paddock to bottle agricole rum, made with their homegrown sugar cane and capturing the flavours of the region.

The cane harvest is restricted to August – November and the months off over summer made way for the development of the ever-popular Ink Gin. Meanwhile, Husk Virgin Cane Rum and spiced rum, Spiced Bam Bam, quietly matured on oak in the background.

Ink Gin hit the market with a bang, with lucky sippers getting on board with the smooth Australian taste and quirky colour change of the butterfly pea (from blue to purple) when you add tonic. So great.

And now, after much hard work from the Messenger’s and much gin sampling from us, Husk Farm Distillery is set to be our new favourite destination drinking hole.

Bring on mid-June for bulk roadtrips down south.

LOCATION: Dulguigan Rd, North Tumbulgum

Every January the Australian Good Food Guide (AGFG) bestows upon us its much anticipated Chef Hat Awards, a discerning and definitive ranking of culinary excellence. Aka, the foodie holy grail. For hardcore dining devotees, it feels a lot like Christmas morning. Our very own cheat sheet to work our way, hungry caterpillar style, around the most esteemed and decorated local destinations.

It leaves us with a lot to unpack and, in the case of our neighbouring Northern Rivers hat recipients, plenty of reasons to pack… our appetites and venture south, post-haste. Here are 9 of this year’s most road trip worthy restaurants.

Pipit
Founded by former Paper Daisy chef, Pipit owner Ben Devlin is no stranger to the art of crafting exquisite eats – nor has he pulled any punches when it comes to his first solo venture. And AGFG clearly agrees, with Pottsville’s Coronation Avenue darling taking out the coveted top spot among this year’s most noteworthy Northern Rivers Hat recipients.

Pipit’s near-perfect 17/20 score (an elusive 20/20 has never been seen in the award’s history) immediately propels it to pole position on the day trip priority list in our books, and also according to the AGFG ‘worth a detour’ designation.

Set aside a few hours and treat yourself to the revelatory set menu dining experience, a curated sequence of flavours, textures and ideas spanning over several hours, one which Ben likens to ‘a day trip around the Northern Rivers’ in and of itself.
Where: 8 Coronation Avenue, Pottsville

Paper Daisy
Halcyon House’s beloved Paper Daisy of course also earned itself a nod, with an honourable 14. The esteemed and elegant eatery, sitting pretty against Cabarita Beach’s stunning shores – is mostly reserved for sandy-footed in-house guests, but it’s not all bad news for locals.

If you’ve got an arvo to kill, we’re all invited to see what the fuss is about courtesy of the bar, open from 3pm, or for dinner. Led by Jason Barratt, the kitchen shoots for ‘sophisticated simplicity’, where you can expect to delight in inventive and delectable dishes like Toasted macadamia kangaroo tartare or Riverina lamb rump, served with eggplant, green mango.

We’d recommend packing your appetite (and your towel, because, y’know, Caba #phwoar).
Where: 21 Cypress Cres, Cabarita Beach

Rae’s Dining Room
Byron Bay institution, Raes on Wategos came in a close second, with a stellar score of 16, with the astute AGFG gang deeming it to be (very) ‘worth a detour’ – and yes, we did take some liberties with the parenthesis.

The chic, boutique retreat, an icon set amongst Byron’s idyllic beaches, delivers a fine dining experience in its Dining Room, headed by Executive Chef Jason Saxby. A culinary showcase of the region, curated with Mediterranean influences, the menu offers Caviar service, 3-course a la carte and 6-course Tasting Menu options.

A word of warning, though – after tasting dishes like Australian Bay Lobster (bug), glazed in fermented chilli, hand-rolled fregola pasta, and the Lemon Meringue Bombe, served with lemon aspen sorbet and lemon myrtle semifreddo, you might just want to move in.
Where: 6 – 8 Marine Parade, Byron Bay

Tweed River House
Murwillumbah’s aptly named Tweed River House, perched just a stone’s throw from its banks, also scored a hat – earning a rating of 14 for its gastronomic bistro and bar experience.

The venue, housed in a spruced up, century-old colonial-style mansion – offers a panoramic river vantage flanked by wraparound verandas, and elevated eats to match.

The luxurious and immaculately appointed interiors alone make it worth filling your tank, but decadent dishes like Confit tuna, brandy flambéd Australian Bay Lobster and pan-fried Spatchcock, served with Lyonnaise sauce certainly sweeten the deal.
Where: 131 River St, South Murwillumbah

Bistro Livi
Another noshery deemed to be one of the best in the Northern Rivers Restaurant category is Murwillumbah’s Bistro Livi, scoring the prestigious hat accolade with its total of 14.

A short 30km trek from Cooly and one of the fresher faces among its culinary cohort – if you’re yet to be acquainted with Livi, it’s an easy one to tick off the list when you’re looking for a low effort adventure snap you out of the Sunday lazies (or scaries).

Tucked within the arts precinct of the tight-knit Murbah community – the European-inspired venue radiates romance with rustic textures and an inviting, intimate ambience, while Spanish influences inform the menu. It’s certainly not just the AGFG critics that this regional gem has succeeded in winning over… #swoon.
Where: 1A 1-3 Brisbane St, Murwillumbah

Mavis Kitchen
Nestled in the foothills of Mt Warning, Mavis Kitchen & Cabins is a Tweed Valley culinary treasure, offering Modern Australian cuisine with a Middle-Eastern twist.

Set in an immaculately restored 120-year-old Queenslander and owned by Tindal Magnus and Sam McCormac – Mavis is the culinary pot of gold that awaits on the other side of a meandering day trip through the postcard-esque rolling hills of Wollumbin National Park.

Equally swoon-worthy are the signature bites, such as Grilled Kangaroo Loin and Tender Chickpea Gnocchi, crafted with love, and scoring the spot a commendable ranking of 12.
Where: 64 Mount Warning Road, Uki

Potager
Capitalising on Carool’s sweeping valley views, Potager – A Kitchen Garden has long been a favourite destination among locals and discerning visitors. The charming nosher is also somewhat of a teacher’s pet, earning a score of 13 for its Modern Australian style eats in this year’s Chef Hat Awards – along with a near-perfect 4.8 score on Google, might we add… and honestly, we’re not sure which is harder to pull off.

Set on a small 10-acre farm, the seasonal menu is informed by locally sourced produce, much of which is grown on the property. Dishes like the Macadamia & saltbush crusted Lamb backstrap, served with Stone & Wood pickled onion, are a testament to the community-minded culinary experience, while the Summer Stonefruit “Melba” Pavlova gets a mention, because #yum.
Where: 502 Carool Rd, Carool

Fins
Another ‘big fish’ in the Northern Rivers end of town, is Kingscliff’s seafoodie haven, Fins, which also earned another honorary hat for its rack with a ‘commended’ rating of 13.

Located by the beach at Salt, the Tweed Valley institution has been going strong for some 30 years now, netting a slew of awards along the way – officially Australia’s most-awarded regional seafood restaurant, if we’re getting technical.

Specialising in sustainably-minded ocean fare, the famed destination’s Degustation menu is a particular highlight, expertly paired with a curated selection of local and international wines and cocktails, of course.
Where: 5/6 Bells Boulevard, Salt Village, South Kingscliff

Harvest
Another Modern Australian nosher earning some serious cred is Newrybar’s garden gem, Harvest, awarded a hat, and an accompanying score of 13. Specialising in ‘simple and honest’ dishes with a focus on locally sourced, seasonal produce (are we sensing a theme here?) served with a side of spectacular surroundings.

Harvest’s whimsical, cottage garden residence falls right in the day trip sweet spot for those of us residing this side of the border – a scenic, one hour commute from Cooly, which is exactly enough time to work through a solid assortment of road trip bangers, if you ask us.

With everything from a hefty selection of Housemade digestif to Charred ballina prawns, served with prawn mousse & finger lime on the menu, you’ll want to take your ‘hat off’ to them, too.
18-22 Old Pacific Highway, Newrybar Village

Words by Kellie Leader.