| Silver Service Award |
One of the familyA touch of country hospitality goes a long way.One of Toni Urquhart’s regulars, an 87-year-old, has already decided and informed her host – that No. 2 Oak Street is where everyone will gather for her wake. A very, very last meal. Urquhart, winner of The Sydney Morning Herald Silver Service Award, is quite fond of her ‘oldies‘ and sends them home with biscuits for afternoon tea the next day. But then the unmistakeable host, with her black and white hair, and gregarious laugh, is fond of all her diners, applying a mix of sociology, curiosity and good old fashioned country service to their visits. She’ll make sure children are tucked up warmly asleep in the corner while their parents eat. She’ll entertain single diners just passing through so memorably that they send postcards, or pop a pair of baby socks in the post to couples after the birth of their child. Few people leave a restaurant feeling so wonderfully nurtured that it’s almost like being adopted into an extended family. New Zealand-born ‘Toni’, as every one calls her, has been at the helm of this pretty century-old cottage for the past 11 years. Her husband, Ray, cooks and their talents have seen them earn a chef’s hat for the past three years. It’s a family affair, with some Mick in the kitchen and daughter Shani assisting on the floor. Together they’ve given highway travellers a reason to divert into the picturesque hippy tinged Bellingen for a memorable dinner. Urquhart makes a point of visiting and talking to every table to find out where they’re from and engage in a spot of country chitchat. Her secret is ‘sussing everyone out – find out what style of people they are and treat them accordingly“, she says. Some want a more formal experience, closer the capital city slickness, which she is happy to deliver, while others prefer her natural ebullience. She compiles an interesting trans-Tasmin wine list of boutique drops, talks about then with infectious enthusiasm, and seems as delighted as her diners when they enjoy her suggestions. Urquhart is one of those truly great maitre d’s who make you feel completely at home, but then it’s no wonder, when she explains her love of her job: “It’s like my dining room and having a dinner party five nights a week.” Simon Thomsen The Sydney Morning Herald GOOD LIVING Magazine September 5 2006 |
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