Overdoing it in Orange District

City folk like me feel like we can handle anything.

Walking down dark alleys at 2am? Easy. Jay-walking four lanes of traffic? Do it every day. Chasing junkies off your front door step? Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration - but you get the point. We think we’re pretty tough. But drive me away from my noisy, fluorescent-lit world and into the eerie calm of a country town, and I start to f r e a k o u t .

But they say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and it turns out that you could say the same about a city dweller. Which is why after a weekend of F.O.O.D. or Food Of Orange District, I am happy to say that my heart and belly are both digging the country vibe.

After months of promising to drive out to Orange and see our friend who is posted (marooned) out there for work, our friend wised up and used a decoy - food. Orange F.O.O.D. Week runs every year around April, and this year was the 20th Anniversary - with a record of 123 events to choose from!

First off, was the Orange Region Farmers Market, also known as “Guys, we have to eat something before we start drinking”. Hoards of people had turned out. Oddly enough it included some Belly Dancers who were there to perform. Drinking my Apple Tea infused with Ginger and Cinnamon, with strains of Arabic music in the background, I couldn’t help but think “Right on, Orange” for embracing multiculturalism, and for making this awesome apple tea!

Then it was off to our first wine tasting of the day, actually my first wine tasting ever.

We strolled over to the historical Union Bank Wine Store. Tasting around five reds and five whites, I began to see the appeal of wine tasting. Free booze!

Next up was the Borrodell Vineyard and Orchard, also known as ‘Borrodell on the Mount’ as it sits 1000 metres high on Mount Canobolas. Folks, the view was spectacular. The beautiful deep green curves of the landscape, a backdrop to symmetrical chains of grape vines and the crisp wood and white sheet setting of the Vineyard’s restaurant. “It’s not ugly is it?” asked one of the vineyard owners as she poured us another set of wine.

We managed to score a table in the restaurant, eager to satisfy our wine-fuelled hunger. We ordered an array of dishes including the Slow Roast Pork Belly with Borrodell’s Apple Sauce. In case you haven’t cottoned on, Orange is famous for, that’s right - Apples.

I ordered the Venison, which came with a sweet fig relish. The star of the table however was the Pommes Frites (‘hot chips’ sounds better in French) with a roast garlic aioli that we all dived on like vultures in the Sahara.

Beached on our chairs, the beautiful view aided our digestion until it came time to move on to the next spot.
Dindima Wines is a boutique winery, running since 2003. These guys are the real deal, with no machinery in sight. The result is an array of award-winning smooth and rich wines.

Lounging in the sun, the owner Dave poured us generous ‘tastes’ of each wine whilst we munched on some Pinot grapes freshly picked from the vineyard. Towing with us a case of their 2008 Reisling, 2007 Shiraz, and a cone of Raspberry and Peach gelato, we headed home to recuperate.

Soon it was time to head to our climactic dinner at the Harrison Restaurant and Lounge. The restaurant has a slightly sterile interior, pepped up by the hen’s night going down at the table next to us. Three of us decide on the same meal - ‘The Harrison Surf and Turf’ - a “char grilled scotch fillet topped with a rich garlic prawn and semi-dried tomato sauce, served on mashed potato and greens”.

After bets were made about who could finish this monster of a dish, I grabbed my fork and dug in to one of the best (and biggest) meals of my life.

And so ended the day of F.O.O.D. It turns out I couldn’t finish the Surf and Turf. That’s one thing even a city mouse like me can’t handle.

By Lena Hattom