No2 Oak Street - Reviews

Reviews

Good Food Guide 2006 – Awarded Chefs Hat

Host Toni Urquhart treats guests like old friends, welcoming them with jovial sincerity into the homely, 1912 weatherboard cottage with polished floorboards, pastel walls and soft lighting. Husband Ray shows similar compassion on the pans, cajoling the most out of top-notch ingredients by imparting just a gentle twist of his obvious talents.
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The Coffs Coast Advocate 2006

Awards night turned out to be more than Toni could have imagined

Take your hat off to No 2 Oak Street

Toni Urquhart was stoked enough about No.2 Oak Street scoring a hat-trick in foodies bible, The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide but when she heard she had also won one of six prestigious awar5ds, she was floored.

“We frocked up and went down to Sydney for the announcement dinner,” Toni said.

“Once they said we were getting the hat, we thought that was fantastic because we’re the only restaurant with a ‘hat’ between Newcastle and Byron Bay”.

ABC "Delicous" Magazine 2005

Coffs Coast

Look beyond the fantastic beaches and you’ll find that this part of northern NSW has even more to offer, from rainforest retreats and picturesque towns to organic producers.

Good Food Guide 2005 – Awarded Chefs Hat

As you lift the gate’s latch to enter this cute 1912 cottage, it feels almost as if you should knock before entering. Don’t bother; wine buff Toni Urquhart is always thrilled to receive visitors, showering then with hospitality. She has kept the dining room simple but smart, with white walls, polished floors, white cloths, tea lights, muted lamps and, if you’re lucky Diana Krall on the CD and a fire crackling beneath the mirrors.

Australian Gourmet Traveller 2004

Restaurant Guide 2004

It’s a great comfort visiting a small country town knowing you’re going to have a good food experience. Chef/owner Ray Urquhart and his wife Toni’s front of house have been producing consistently good food and service at No. 2 Oak Street for almost nine year now. They source local ingredients where possible, such as Bindaree beef and local venison and serve then with a minimum of fuss, but full-on flavour. The slow-cooked duck with braised red cabbage and crisp prosciutto is a particular favorite. During summer, you can sit outside on the veranda and in winter a cosy fire is welcoming in the simple dining room. The wine list is small but varied, with some interesting surprises. Expect to be charmed by Toni’s efficient, friendly service and local knowledge; she will point you in the right direction for where to shop or where to have the best picnic.

Voyeur Virgin Blue Magazine 04

December 2004

A visit here and you’ll understand why this is regular entry in the Sydney Morning herald Good Food Guide. Fish of the day was fresh snapper with tomato and herb stock, creamy mash, Asian greens and roast garlic aioli. Delicious!
Bookings essential.

“For me one of the hidden treasures of Bellingen is a restaurant named by it’s street address; No. 2 Oak Street. Try the Coramba venison and organic chicken and, if you can fit it in, roasted quince with honey mascarpone. Unbelievable!”

Bryce Courtney - Author

From tableland to tide

From tableland to tide – a taste of Coffs Coast

The World Heritage rainforests of Dorrigo National Park plummet down steeply to the coastal plain. Creeks tumble over sheer rockfaces, joining the Bellinger River as it flows on to slip quietly between willowed backs thorough the hinterland of Bellingen. Here, in a tree- shaded byway off the main road, is a restaurant that just keeps on collecting national awards – the National Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide in 2003/04, the Sydney Morning Heralds Good Food Guide for 2000 to 2004, and the Restaurant and Catering Fine Dining Awards from 1999 to 2004. This is No 2 Oak Street, where Ray and Toni Urquhart offer a winning combination of creative mod-Oz cuisine and peerless professional service.

Top Aussie restaurant

Bellingen restaurant, No 2 Oak Street had been named the winner of the Formal Modern Australian Restaurant Category at this year’s Restaurant and Catering NSW Northern NSW Region Awards for Excellence held in Coffs Harbour last week.

No 2 Oak Street will now represent the Northern NSW Region as finalists in the Restaurant and Catering regional Awards for Excellence next August.

The Bellingen Shire Courier –Sun
Wednesday April 14, 2004
By Greg McLagan

Good Food Guide 2004

Bellingen is a pretty town and the enticing glow of the 1910 cottage, just off the main street, only hints at the delights inside. On cooler nights, you can sit of the bistro chairs by the open fire in the cosy, cream coloured, softly lit dining room. Warm weather entices you outside along the verandah as ebullient host Toni Urquhart flits from table to table spreading good cheer and offering the insider tips on Husband Ray’s honest country fare with Asian twists.

Holidays for Couples

Coffs Coast

Restaurants, rafting & romance in Russel Crowe country.

… But the surprise ticket is the fact that he region is also emerging as one of Australia’s cultural hotspots. “A lot of people used to think this area was pretty dead culturally a few years ago,” Steve Bush, director of the John Gordon Gallery, says “But it’s really coming into its own – we showcase local artists and at every opening we get over 300 people. There are a lot of people moving here every year from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, awareness is really growing.” Simone Nye from Lake Russel Gallery agrees. “Even in just a few years, this area has changed,” she says. “The art here is fantastic, there’s a lot to great local artists. People used to say Coffs was ‘Byron for beginner’, but it’s more than that now.”

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