Eating in Jindabyne and Perisher, NSW's Snowy Mountains

One of the (many, poor) excuses I have for my extended absence here is this: almost every spare moment of my winter has been spent sliding down a mountain.

While the skiing itself isn't cheap, the food available is another thing altogether. If you want to eat on the mountain, in the resort, while skiing, you have to dig deep into your purse. And you don't get much for it. Second rate pies, soggy pizza, and nasty looking fast food is mostly the go, and yet, when there's no other option, folks are willing to pay.

Having said that, it's not all bad news. Especially once you get off the mountain.

I've previously blogge about the fabulous Wild Brumby Schnapps Distillery, and my ongoing love affair with Crackenback Cottage near Jindabyne, in NSW's Snowies.

More recently, I've had the opportunity to eat at Journey Food & Wine Bar in Jindabyne. It's a newer, trendy looking place with really rich, modern, food, making it a stand out for a special meal in the area (our wedding anniversary was spent there this year).

Family and casual meals aren't hard either. The Sundance Bakery in Nugget's Crossing, Jindabyne, is my absolute favourite bakery in the world. I have a lifetime of memories spent here, and even if I am (maybe just a little) biased, their pies and quiches are the best I've ever tasted. Even better? There's a smaller Sundance Bakery in the Perisher Centre--my pick for the single best value place to feed anyone when skiing or boarding for the day.

Every time we visit the snowies, we eat at Mario's Mineshaft, situated just behind Nugget's Crossing in Jindabyne. Woodfired pizza, and an enormous open fire place, make Mario's a great family restaurant. The service is always friendly, and very fast, especially given how busy the place is.

The Sydney Morning Herald's Miss Snow It All wrote about eating at the snow, which got me thinking. There are so many great value places to eat out in the area, and so much to do, but like everything--sometimes you have to look around.

Hold the Meat, Please

For the last year--much to my father's horror, and my poor husband's patient tolerance--I've been eating vegetarian. I've nothing against the meat eaters out there, I just went off meat a bit.

Cooking at home is easy, if sometimes a little dull. Of course, like anything, you get into a rut, and end up repeating yourself (eating the same meals over and over), but it's harder with restaurants. I could wind myself up into a tizz about the lack of vegetarian options at restaurants, but truly, most folks are very accomodating. Most restaurants we go to have a couple of very good options for the difficult people like myself, and to be honest, I always had trouble making up my mind when eating out. Two options, rather than twenty? Oh, it's bliss. Makes my lovely hubby happier, too.

I just enjoyed an article in SMH about restaurants and vegetarians. I really cannot fathom either extremes of this argument: passionately anti-vegetarian chefs, and vegetarians with a sense of entitlement. Like one chef said: "A lot of the time, we bend over backwards... we have a tiny kitchen and, when we're busy, we can give them one choice."

I thought the different opinions and experiences of the folks in this article were interesting. I've never had a problem in a restaurant, but then again I'm pretty relaxed. I don't understand people who would deliberately cause a fuss over themselves, or deliberately upset a customer, but each his or her own, eh?