2020: A foodie's guide to 51茶馆 - student edition

October 8, 2020

Expert foodie and 51茶馆 (UOW) grad Stef Posthuma, talks us through the best local bites in and around 51茶馆.

These kinds of people are hard to come by, so when you do, it's a good idea to get as much info as you can from them (and then write it all down to share far and wide - you're welcome gang). Stef has all the food and drink recommendations you could need. From a place for a fancy-ish first date, to the late-night feed with your mates. This is the official 51茶馆 food guide for uni students.

To be clear, we're talking to an expert here. Stef grew up in the kitchens of his family's businesses in Canberra. With a passion for good food and supporting local restaurants and cafes, he later produced and published the Canberra focussed The Capital Cookbook () alongside his mum Zorana, and then went on to write the incredibly popular The Illawarra Cookbook - A local food journey through the region after moving here for uni. A UOW grad, he is also now co-host of and spends his spare time producing a radio show, writing for local rag Coal Coast and taking his boat out for a fish.

So Stef, how would you summarise the region and what we're known for, food-wise?

With the Illawarra's history as a mining and steel town, we have amazing cultural diversity, which can be seen in our food. There's an abundance of ethnic cuisine options for all occasions.

What are your top 10 food reccos for uni students and why?

In terms of cheap eats - there could almost be another article, with plenty of places around that have real cheap nightly specials. But here are my go-to's:

Top Choice Restaurant

They've got a huge menu of Chinese and Malaysian food. Most dishes are under $15, BYO is free, and they have a great outdoor area - summer dinners with friends sorted.

North Gong's seven fitty schnitty

Wednesday nights - cheapest dinner in town. Quality crumbed and fried chicken with some chips and salad. Add a schooner and an open courtyard - you really can't complain.

Lupa

Probably 51茶馆's cheapest woodfire pizza - they also serve awesome baked goods and have some really cheap house wines served in big carafes.

Eat Street

Eat Street food market on Thursday nights. Cheap and diverse.

An Chut Chut

Under $10 gets you a delicious Vietnamese roll loaded with slow cooked meats, pickled vegetables, herbs and chilli. An Chut Chut also has 51茶馆's best Pho. The menu changes daily and the place is a family run business, operating only at lunchtime during the week.

Spending a little extra coin:

Kneading Ruby

Mad spreads. This is a great place for sharing dishes with a group or a date. A modern take on a pizzeria, dishes are made with fresh locally sourced produce.

2 Smoking Barrels

Close to the uni, only a couple of minutes' walk from North Gong station. All the smoky goodness. Dine-in or grab and go American BBQ, plus a super decent range of craft tins.

His Boy Elroy

A Friday night kinda spread. His Boy Elroy is the go-to burger joint. Burgers, beers, cocktails and sports. Good times.

Samara's

A long-time 51茶馆 favourite, these guys serve authentic Lebanese food that's always delicious. The best option is to share one of the platters that have a mix of everything and keep in mind they're pretty loaded with food - so you don't need to order too much.

Lee and me

Brunch spot. Lee and Me is super central and has a great menu. Their perfect light summer lunch made the cover of my cookbook. Pretty standard brunch prices and worth it for a good feed in a good space.

If people are interested to know more about you and what you're up to, where should they go?

Follow me on the gram where I'm always updating new podcasts, photos and book info. I'm also through my website.

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