Bicheno Food Trail 2024
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These were the places we visited and ate at, as regular paying customers, on the Bicheno Food Trail 2024 in Bicheno, Tasmania, Australia.
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Day 1
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Blue Edge Bakery
@ 55 Burgess Street, Bicheno, Tasmania 7215, Australia
Opening Hours: Daily 6am – 3pm
https://www.facebook.com/p/Blue-Edge-Bakery-Bicheno-100063557649916/
Founded by Ian Cunliffe in 2008, Blue Edge Bakery is a casual restaurant and bakery that serves breakfast and lunch in the town of Bicheno, Tasmania, Australia. We stopped by Blue Edge Bakery on our road trip, to stock up on some of their wide range of pastries and confectioneries.
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| Blue Edge Bakery Exterior |
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| Blue Edge Bakery Interior |
Ambience at Blue Edge Bakery is casual functional. The space has limited indoor and outdoor seating, with most customers opting for takeaway. They get ample natural sunlight, perhaps a tad too much. Service is friendly and efficient, with staff attending to customers and fulfilling orders quickly, moving the line along. Largely self-service, with ordering, payment, collection, and cleaning up done yourself. Food at Blue Edge Bakery is classic American, British English, and Australian cuisine, focused on bread, pastries, pies, cakes, and confectioneries. Freshly made daily, using locally sourced ingredients. Portions are sized for individuals. Prices are affordable, budget about AUD $12 per person.
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| Seating |
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| Blue Edge Bakery Menu Food |
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| Blue Edge Bakery Menu Drinks |
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| Display Of Pastries |
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| Display Of Pastries |
The Cornish Pasty (AUD $7.80) is large and hefty, a full meal on its own. Has a rustic country style, and while filling, the taste didn't quite appeal to me.
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| Cornish Pasty (AUD $7.80) |
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| Cornish Pasty |
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| Cornish Pasty |
We loved the Meat Pie Scallop Mornay (AUD $10.50), quite different from the usual curried rendition around these parts. This features tender juicy morsels of deshelled scallops, diced potatoes, white onions, and carrots, in a creamy mornay cheese gravy. Served within a crumbly pie pastry crust that is nicely butter glazed, has a sweet savoury milky cheesy salty flavour. Good!
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| Meat Pie Scallop Mornay (AUD $10.50) |
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| Meat Pie Scallop Mornay |
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| Meat Pie Scallop Mornay |
The Fairy Biscuit (AUD $2.40) was a fun and playful morsel. Layered with raspberry jam, this has a firm crunch to texture, with bright biscuity candied earthy floral sweet flavour. Worth ordering!
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| Fairy Biscuit (AUD $2.40) |
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| Fairy Biscuit |
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| Fairy Biscuit |
We enjoyed their rendition of the Sausage Roll (AUD $4.50). The exterior puff pastry was crisp flaky with buttery sweet savoury flavour, while the interior filling of minced beef and carrots was tender with meaty vegetal salty sweet savoury flavour. Dressed with tomato ketchup for added vegetal sour sweet flavour. Liked it enough that we ordered another one! Highly recommended!
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| Sausage Roll (AUD $4.50) |
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| Sausage Roll |
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| Sausage Roll |
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| Sausage Roll |
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Devil's Corner Cellar Door
@ 1 Sherbourne Road, Apslawn, Tasmania 7190, Australia
Opening Hours: Daily 10am – 5pm
https://www.devilscorner.com.au/
Unveiled at their new site overlooking the Moulting Lagoon and The Hazards mountain range in December 2015, the Devil's Corner Cellar Door is a cleverly curated attraction, featuring a discrete cellar door, a food and wine market, a cafe, lounge, and unique lookout. The picturesque Devil's Corner Cellar Door is designed to echo the region's traditional rural settlements.
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| Devil's Corner Cellar Door Signage |
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| Devil's Corner Cellar Door Facade |
Ambience at Devil's Corner Cellar Door is stunningly beautiful. Designed by Cumulus Studio, the use of natural wood (oak, yellow gum), clear glass, and open-air spaces make this feel like a rustic village set in a rolling natural landscape, blurring the line between outdoors and indoors. It's homely and natural, yet free and wild. Service at Devil's Corner Cellar Door is attentive and polite. Staff demonstrate deep product knowledge, and engage customers effectively. There's a good range of experiences here, from holding business meetings or private parties, to dining at the cafe, to sampling a tasting flight of curated wines. They clean up leisurely though. Food at Devil's Corner Cellar Door is Modern Australian cuisine, focused on dishes and small plates that complement their range of wines. Quality is above average, and customers go out of their way to dine here. Portions are medium to large for individuals. Prices are slightly higher than elsewhere, budget about AUD $35 per person.
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I adore the scenic landscape here, just love to sit on the benches and look out into the distance. And have a wine glass in hand.
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Love the Mulled Wine (AUD $14), which was smooth and rich, served warm, carrying deep fruity sour earthy sweet spice flavour. Highly recommended!
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| Mulled Wine (AUD $14) |
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| Mulled Wine |
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| Mulled Wine |
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Day 2
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The Pondering Frog
@ 16494 Tasman Highway, Bicheno, Tasmania 7215, Australia
Opening Hours: Daily 8am – 7pm
https://www.ponderingfrog.com.au/
Established by Lester John Donges and Collette Joan Van Dieren in July 2014, The Pondering Frog is named for its iconic statue and its large collection of frog related memorabilia. Open 365 days all year round, The Pondering Frog is a 140-seat cafe and camper van stop-over, offering simple yet hearty dishes for travellers on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia.
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| The Pondering Frog Exterior |
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| The Pondering Frog Interior |
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| The Pondering Frog Statue & Lake |
Ambience at The Pondering Frog is casual and rustic. The brightly lit space has rustic comfortable wooden furnishings, and the majority of decor is dominated by frog related memorabilia. There's a play area outdoors for children. Service at The Pondering Frog is good, with staff being attentive and efficient. They demonstrate good product knowledge, and clean up quickly when diners leave. Food at The Pondering Frog is traditional Australian and Chinese cuisine, focused on simple dishes like sandwiches and stir-frys. Quality is above average, with good use of seasonal ingredients. Portions are sized for individuals. Prices are affordable, budget about AUD $28 per person.
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| The Pondering Frog Facade |
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| Decor |
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| Seating |
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| Slide |
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| Flowers |
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| Flowers |
The Beer Suntrap Session Ale (AUD $6) is a session ale, brewed by the Bicheno Beer Company in Bicheno, Tasmania, Australia. Inspired by the sun-drenched coves along the bay, where waves lap gently against the granite rocks. Pours a brilliant golden yellow hue, with aromas and tastes of roasted wheat, barley, pineapple, and peach, has fruity grainy bitter sweet earthy flavour, smooth and light and refreshing body with a gentle finish.
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| Beer Suntrap Session Ale (AUD $6) |
The Black Bean Sauce Beef (AUD $22) is delicious, featuring tender sliced beef flank stir-fried with crisp red onions, tender broccoli, tender carrot, and soft zucchini, in a thick black bean gravy, bursting with smoky meaty savoury salty vegetal earthy sweet flavour. Served over fluffy steamed white rice with grainy sweet flavour, this carries good wok hei / breath of the wok, and pairs nicely. Highly recommended!
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| Black Bean Sauce Beef (AUD $22) |
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| Black Bean Sauce Beef |
The Honey Chicken (AUD $22) is tasty, amongst the best renditions I've had. Features crispy tender battered chicken fillets stir-fried with honey in a sweet and sour gravy, sticky and sweet savoury sour honeyed in flavour. Served over fluffy steamed white rice with grainy sweet flavour, this carries good wok hei / breath of the wok, and is addictive. Highly recommended!
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| Honey Chicken (AUD $22) |
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| Honey Chicken |
The Soy Garlic Chicken Wings (AUD $12) were unfortunately forgettable.
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| Soy Garlic Chicken Wings (AUD $12) |
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| Soy Garlic Chicken Wings |
The young-at-heart all love the Ice Cream Peanut Butter Chocolate Top (AUD $7), featuring creamy smooth peanut butter ice cream with nutty floral sweet flavour, coated in a crunchy firm chocolate shell with chocolatey milky sweet flavour. Among their more popular ice cream options here, this was a delightful dessert to round off the meal. Highly recommended!
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| Ice Cream Peanut Butter Chocolate Top (AUD $7) |
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| Ice Cream Peanut Butter Chocolate Top |
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Lobster Shack Tasmania
@ 40 Waubs Esplanade, Bicheno, Tasmania 7215, Australia
Opening Hours: Daily 11am – 7pm
https://www.lobstershacktasmania.com.au/
Officially opened in January 2024, the Lobster Shack Tasmania is an ocean-to-table casual restaurant owned by wife-husband team Sara Hess and Marcus Walkem. Both hail from born-and-bred Tasmanian fishing families, and the Lobster Shack Tasmania is a culmination of their labour of love, selling up to 25,000 lobster rolls annually, in one of the world's most picturesque and dramatic oceanside settings.
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| Lobster Shack Tasmania Signage |
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| Lobster Shack Tasmania Exterior |
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| Lobster Shack Tasmania Interior |
Ambience at Lobster Shack Tasmania is beautiful. Featuring ample indoor and outdoor weather-worn wooden furnishings, the warmly lit space overlooks the iconic ‘Gulch’ in the picturesque seaside town of Bicheno on Tasmania’s east coast in Australia. Naturally, such scenic views mean Lobster Shack Tasmania is usually crowded and buzzing with activity. Service at Lobster Shack Tasmania is mostly self-service, with ordering and payment over the counter, though staff will serve orders to your table, demonstrating good product knowledge as they introduce each dish. I note that cleaning up is done leisurely. Food at Lobster Shack Tasmania is Australian cuisine, focused on fresh seafood. Dishes are simply prepared with minimal sauces, to showcase the freshness of the seafood. Portions are sized for individuals or for communal group sharing. Prices are reasonable for a restaurant, budget about AUD $30 per person.
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| Lobster Shack Tasmania Menu |
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| Lobster Shack Tasmania Menu |
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| Seating |
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| Open Kitchen |
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| Rock Lobster Live |
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| Meal Flat Lay |
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| Meal Flat Lay |
Their Fish And Chips (AUD $25) features chunky battered fillets of Tasmanian gummy shark fish, crisp crunchy outside and tender flaky inside, with lovely meaty sweet savoury salty flavour. Served with thick cut fluffy crisp English potato chips, with starchy salty savoury flavour. Dressings of lemon juice, malt vinegar, tomato ketchup, and tartar sauce are served on the side. Really enjoyed their rendition. Highly recommended!
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| Fish And Chips (AUD $25) |
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| Fish And Chips |
Their Salmon Fish Fillet (AUD $26) features large deboned fillets of Tasmania Atlantic salmon fish, pan-fried till the skin is crispy, while the salmon fish meat is tender flaky moist in texture, with lovely smoky meaty sweet savoury fatty flavour. Served with a side of Greek Horiatiki Salad (AUD $11), featuring a crisp crunchy medley of fresh vegetables (cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onions, kalamata olives, lettuce, rocket leaves / arugula, sorrel, salt, oregano, olive oil, and feta cheese) with bright vegetal sour sweet earthy bitter spice savoury salty herbal flavours. Dressings of lemon juice and tartar sauce are served on the side. Completely satisfying and enjoyable, loved every bite of this. Highly recommended!
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| Salmon Fish Fillet (AUD $26) |
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| Salmon Fish Fillet |
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| Greek Horiatiki Salad (AUD $11) |
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| Greek Horiatiki Salad |
The Premium Seafood Platter (AUD $90) was an off-menu special that staff described to us, and we decided to order this to try. It's served with a side of fresh crisp mesclun salad (curly endive / frisée, sorrel, rocket leaves / arugula) with vegetal earthy bitter herbal sweet flavour, a wedge of lemon for zesty sour tangy flavour, and creamy thousand island sauce for added savoury sweet spice kick. Highly recommended!
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| Premium Seafood Platter (AUD $90) |
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| Premium Seafood Platter |
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| Premium Seafood Platter |
The Oyster Raw is large and succulent juicy slippery in texture, with bright briny salty sweet flavour. Good!
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| Oyster Raw |
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| Oyster Raw |
The Tiger Prawns Fresh are fresh and crunchy and juicy, coming easily off the shells, and carry meaty sweet savoury shrimpy flavour. Highly recommended!
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| Tiger Prawns Fresh |
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| Tiger Prawns Fresh |
The Rock Lobster Fresh is luxurious, with the chunky tender bouncy lobster meat coming easily out of the halved shell. Has bright briny salty sweet savoury flavour, yummy. Highly recommended!
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| Rock Lobster Fresh |
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| Rock Lobster Fresh |
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CONVERSATION