It's easy to keep the conversation going with a foodie if you ask them where they have eaten lately. Chances are, if they haven't been to one of Sutherland Shire's hot spots, they will be making a beeline there for bragging rights.
Eadie's Organic Wholefood Market
Word spread as fast as a pat of Pepe Saya's butter when Eadie's Organic Wholefood Market landed in Woolooware. As well as supporting local artisan producers such as Pepe Saya, Thoroughbread Bakery and KEX seeded crackers, lovely owner Eadie sources organic fruit and vegetables, ethical meats from suppliers such as Feather & Bone, award-winning cheeses from Binnorie Dairy and eggs from Mulloon Creek and Glen Rose. The flagship Woolooware store also has a wall of vitamins and a protein smoothie bar and extensive vegan- and vegetarian-friendly range. Ask the team led by herbalist Eadie about the GF granolas, vegan dairy, vegan pies and No Grainer Gluten-Free range. There are also Her Royal Highness vegan treats in the glass cabinet and exceptional sangas by White Horse Coffee. 53 Wills Road, Woolooware.
Betty's Burgers & Concrete Co.
Follow the crowds following the haze of fragrant smoke across the road from South Cronulla Beach and into Cronulla's latest shrine to meaty goodness and milkshakes: Betty's Burgers & Concrete Co. Read the menu online before you go so you can have a Homer-Simpson-like game plan when it comes to attacking one of Betty's Crispy Chicken Burger with Southern-fried chicken, lettuce and tomato alongside a cup of so-called 'concrete' comprising a rich custard ice cream and peanut butter brittle. If you're weaning yourself off meat, enjoy a bowl of Betty's Garden Salad alongside crisp fried beer-battered onions. Shop 1, 59-65 Gerrale St, Cronulla.
Fratelli Fresh
Fratelli Fresh is an Italian institution with an established fan base thanks to its outstanding pizzas and pasta dishes and from 13 Dec will have an outpost in Westfield Miranda. Extend your love beyond the carb fest at Fratelli Fresh to the Build-your-Own-Salad (lunch only) where you can toss truss tomatoes with avocado or pelt radicchio with pomegranate as you please. Fratelli Fresh is owned by Rockpool Dining Group, which also owns The Bavarian and El Camino Cantina at Westfield Miranda. Start with a selection of antipasti, progress to pasta, pizza and mains and then segue into those crazy-good salads and sides such as baby Dutch carrots, crispy Brussel sprouts and broccolini with anchovy dressing and pangrattato. Located on Level 2, Fratelli Fresh Miranda accommodates 200 guests. Kingsway Restaurant Precinct, Level 2, Westfield Miranda
Our Father
This family-run business in Caringbah doles out dishes that will satisfy the mightiest MAMIL-clad weekend warriors: on offer here is avocado by the truckload and healthy(ish) comfort food of the highest order such as a bacon and egg roll and overnight oats topped with coconut yoghurt, blueberries, lemon zest, maple syrup and toasted almonds. The corner café has been well and truly colonised by locals, so if there's no room in the white-on-white-on-wood café head to the communal courtyard out back. Make your 'Saturday lunch situation' one that includes pink snapper fillet with cherry tomatoes, avocado, Sicilian olives, basil, carrots and mascarpone, chilli flakes and brown butter. Kick on with a coffee shake by Coffee Supreme. 182 Burraneer Bay Road, Burraneer.
Six Smith Create
Shire boy Toby King is somewhat of a hometown hero in the South Cronulla 'hood where locals feel lucky to be eating such good food at a café just 50m from where they live. Less than a year after it opened, the cute little corner café run by Graham and Sarah Taylor remains packed to the rafters, with much of the fresh produce grown in the kitchen garden outside. Order Merna's Crumpets with whipped mascarpone, lemon curd, local honey and hazelnuts or Sixsmith poached eggs with hummus, lentils, quinoa, cauliflower, yoghurt and za'atar. Bring your eco bag and fill it with Six Smith granola and jam from the pantry and visit the fat hens out back to see where your eggs came from. The French toast and seasonal bruschetta are worth driving across town for. 143-145 Ewos Parade, Cronulla.
Farmgate to Plate
A new butcher's shop has taken over from Mountain Valley Meats on the corner of Gannons Road and Burraneer Bay Road in Caringbah. If you've been to The Shire Farmers' Market, you would have seen the frenzied grilling that happens at the shop's Farmgate to Plate sister stall. The boutique butchery next to Our Father in Caringbah has cuts that are rarely seen in suburban butcher shops, such as grass-fed and finished hogget and mutton and a butcher who loves to share his knowledge about the various cuts. If you want to try something different, what about an eight-year-old retired dairy cow aged in the dry ager? Christmas orders are now open at the butcher's and our money's on the rolled pork roasts with extra crackling and the free-range geese. You can also make this a one-stop shop and order Aussie prawns and oysters. Burraneer Bay Road, Burraneer.
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