Leura Garage

I would like to now hop back to Sydney and talk about the most perfect getaway lunch or dinner. This time, I’ll be sharing with you a modern bistro-style place called Leura Garage up in Leura, a small town in the Blue Mountains.

To get up to the Blue Mountains, head over to Sydney’s Central Station and take a train on the Blue Mountains Line. It’ll take you about to hours to get up to Leura, but you’re not going to be bored along the way. For the first half of the train ride, you will see the local Sydney suburbs with its styles of houses, cricket and rugby grounds as well as local grocery shops. The half way mark is at Penrith, which is the bigger town in the area, as represented by its decent-sized Westfield’s Shopping Center. With a bit more patience and a few songs on your iPod or phone, you will do well to kill time and enjoy the beautiful, green scenery of the Blue Mountains region. 

Once you get to Leura, you will immediately realize the drastic change in temperate and weather. Before you take a trip up here, be sure to check the latest news on weather conditions. Leura Garage is one of those places that you should be nicely dressed in. You don’t need to go as far as putting on a nice suit with polished shoes, but a decent pair of jeans or pants with a polo or a casual shirt will do the trick just fine. And don’t forget the jacket and an umbrella, when appropriate.

This cafe / restaurant / bar is open from noon until late everyday of the week but Tuesday and Wednesday. They’re actually close from today, 26 January and will open their doors again on 7 February as the hard working team will need their annual holidays. This should give you more than enough time to plan your trip up here! If you’re wondering about what to do up here since it takes two hours on the train one way, then have a read at my previous post concerning what to do in the Blue Mountains, namely Katoomba and Leura!

The food here is amazing. I think what they do best here is sourcing amazing local produces and not messing around with them too much. I was there for my father’s birthday dinner and it was a great dining experience. The food was delicious and the menu had a playful variety. You could pick anything to suit your current mood from steaks to pork ribs, pizzas to parmesan arancini, and desserts from chocolate torte to a classic panna cotta. 

Like every good Australia restaurant, the chefs are always on the look out for what’s in season so that they could further develop their menu. For that special dinner, we ordered at least five different items to share, from light starters to more meaty stuff. To kick off the night, we had some delicious stuffed zucchini flowers, battered then deep fried until perfectly cooked and textured. Along with a bottle of local wine, we then had another dish of crumbed sesame seeds or something similar, with I think either lamb or fish hiding inside. Moving on to something more concrete, we had some seafood, in the shape of mussels with a toasted piece of bread. I couldn’t really understand why they only gave us one small piece of toast when they were five people on the table, but anyhow. For more of the heavy stuff, we had a Middle Eastern-inspired dish of minced lamb balls with yogurt sweet sautéed onions. Lastly, but I don’t think we stopped at this, we had pork ribs with a side of broccolini. The food is great for sharing, but the portions are tiny. They now say that their platters should do the trick for sharing between 3-4 people, so perhaps the portions are much bigger now. Nonetheless, this is a unique place to try out good food and good wine away from the hustle and bustle of Sydney. 

Ideally, Leura Garage is a casual dining spot perfect for sharing. The menus are diverse and is almost a more fancy version of typical Australian pub foods - I say this in a good way! The service here is great as they always look out for young, vibrant individuals who are understanding of the dynamics of the hospitality industry. I can say this with confidence since many of my friends from the hotel school did have part time positions at the place. 

The prices here are quite high but they’re only a reflection of the service, the ambience, and the quality of the food. I did not include quantity as an element, but as I said, this may have changed over time by now. I personally believe for what you pay up here, the experience is a lot more different, casual and relaxing than the same price you would pay down in Sydney in a more formal restaurant. Unlike Paris, Sydney lacks bistros that offer fine food for prices a step before fine dining restaurants. 

Located a minute’s walk from Leura Station, the restaurant is right opposite the bus stop. If you ever feel lost, just ask the friendly locals where this place is, or type in 84 Railway Parade into your phone. They take their food and drinks very seriously here, so either its for a coffee or a dinner to celebrate something special, Leura Garage is sure to set your palates (and eyes) alight. Oh and lastly, I have never mentioned this, but tips are optional here in Australia, even in fancy restaurants. Unlike the United States and other places, tips are not mandatory here, since the pay for employees are relatively higher. You’re more than welcome to tip the restaurant or individual staff members if you feel the need to from their product and/or service; in other words, it’s your call and no one will be mad at you!

Leura Garage - http://www.leuragarage.com.au/

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