Yellowglen bottles as salt and pepper shaker, ingenius!
Morpeth, one of the most beautiful little towns in New South Wales that I’ve visited. Only a 2 hours drive from Sydney, Morpeth is tucked away just a little further north in the Hunter Region. I first discovered this tranquil little hidden gem when I joined the Hunter Valley food and wine tour back in 2008 organised by Helen. Oh wow, just realised that post was written when I first started this blog and only received one comment! Such fail… but the lunch at Morpeth Sourdough restaurant was delicious! You have to read it.
This time I am in Morpeth again, but with The Pom to pick up his spanking new car from the Maitland’s Volkswagen which is only a stone throw away from Morpeth. Hence it totally makes sense for us to give the new wheel a spin and headed into Morpeth to have lunch there.
We also have our pooch Amelie with us on the road trip so finding a dog-friendly restaurant with outdoor seatings is always on the back of our mind. But we have no difficulty finding one as there are quite a few options in Morpeth that we have spotted with outdoor seatings, and eventually we settled at Maggie G’s of Morpeth.
First thing I noticed is Morpeth doesn’t seem to be short of visitors as the town is still buzzing with tourists and pensioners arriving in coaches on weekdays. The restaurant itself also seems busy with many tables outside are already occupied by customers is always a good sign. We are given the menu once seated, and immediately a few items on the menu already caught my attention. The menu is impressive, with gourmet sophisticated dishes to simple country affair. My heart already settled on the simple country meals with many that I actually never heard of. I spotted grilled lamb’s brain, intrigued but perhaps on my next visit.
Iced chocolate - 5.00
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We first order our drink, my iced chocolate is lusciously sweet and rich, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream floating on top hidden underneath all the whipped cream, while the chocolate syrup is slowly dissolving around the glass like a Dali painting in 3D. Not for the faint-hearted.
The Pom orders the country old styled caramel flavoured milkshake which is served in the classic milkshake tin cup which I absolutely adored. I bet every sip of the sweet caramel milkshake will taste like nineteen fifty five all over again.
potato skins - 8.80
For starter, we order some potato skins to share, something I don’t see very often on a menu. It looks almost like an oyster shell but in vegetable form. The potato flesh had been scooped out leaving a sculptured potato skin, grilled to a golden perfection with a crispy flaky skin. I always love potato wedges over chips, but these have to be my new favourite. The potato skin acts like a perfect edible spoon for the sweet chilli and sour cream dip. What not to love?
Ploughman's Lunch - 16.50
This is my first time having a ploughman’s lunch which is totally not what I’ve expected. I initially thought that it would be a roast with three vege, but it is actually a cold dish which I’ve been told is once enjoyed by the ploughmen after a hard day work at the field under the scorching heat. However, some believe that it is simply a marketing strategy to boost sales of cheese.
The portion size of the ploughman’s lunch is huge! My serving plate is jam packed with cold cuts of leg ham and roast chicken; accompanied with cheddar cheese blocks, gherkins, pickled onions, chilli tomato relish, and a healthy dose of beetroot salad on the side. The plate is simply not big enough for two more slices of white bread which comes separately on a side plate. Despite its humongous portion size, I find it refreshingly light for a hot Australian summer day we have encountered recently.
Morpeth's famous sausages - 16.00
But the show stopper has to be the Morpeth’s famous sausages that the pom has ordered. The gourmet sausages are served on a bed of mash potato and mixed vegetable, topped with bright orange strips of sweet potato crisps – it is a Dale Chihuly’s glass sculpture on a plate. The sweet potato are shaved to paper thin and oh so crispy from deep fry, it is so brittle and simply crumbles into nothingness. I simply couldn’t resist and keep stealing those sweet potato crisps from the Pom’s plate.
Despite the prices are certainly aimed towards tourists, our lunch at Maggie G’s was excellent and I totally enjoyed it. Morpeth is definitely a place worths a visit, or two.
Maggie G's of Morpeth 129 Swan St, Morpeth NSW 2321 P: (02) 4933 2477
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting to read about the ploughman’s lunch. Here in oz, you’d probably get corned beef.
As for the lamb brains, you should try it. It was once very popular and was even sold in the Spencer Street Station Cafeteria (now known as Southern Cross Station) in the olden days (well the 1970’s). I remember seeing lots of old female pensioners digging into the meals with gusto.
yewenyi´s last blog ..Beyond the Sea
Yummy looking potato skins! I hope they are not like the ones on last week’s episode of Kitchen Nightmares, where the restaurant scooped out the potato for mash then froze the skins for use three weeks later!
Awesome looking potato skins – always my favourite as the skin holds more flavour
Shanks´s last blog ..Free Pork? What to do?
Don’t think I’ve seen any potato skins on menus since I stopped eating at Sizzler’s, haha! But great to see they’re so evenly golden here and, as you said, act as an excellent scooping device =D
mademoiselle délicieuse´s last blog ..Epicure Recipe Card #9: Grilled Chicken with Salsa Verde
I have to concur with mademoiselle delicieuse, the last time I saw potato skins was at Sizzler back in the mid 80’s. Yummo!
The sausage dish looks very nice, you just have to go digging for them!
john@heneedsfood´s last blog ..Bagan Burmese Restaurant, Strathfield
mmm potato skins! This all looks so good. I’m living vicariously, since my student budget no longer allows me to eat out.
Not surprised you didn’t go for the brains with all that delicious food on the menu. My Grandma in VIC loves the stuff, and still insists it makes you smarter. She always has it canteen-diner style, though, and I can’t say it has ever looked particularly appetizing.
Jisusu´s last blog ..A Quick Listen
Gorgeous potato skins, you must go back and try the lamb’s brains, I first tried them in a French restaurant, fried in garlic butter, so creamy!
Moya´s last blog ..Free Pork? What to do?
I think I like those sweet potato crisp.