If you’re in Canberra and fancy a foodie weekend away, you don’t necessarily need to head to Sydney or Melbourne.

Wagga is about a 2.5-hour drive away – and I reckon it’s got more than enough good food to justify making the trip.

Riverina may have a reputation as Australia’s fast-food capital, but scratch beneath that and you’ll find seriously good restaurants, from Moroccan and Thai to modern Australian and some very good steaks.

Best of all, you can actually enjoy your weekend. No spending half the day stuck in traffic, circling for a parking spot or queuing for a table.

I recently had what I reckon was the perfect Wagga foodie Saturday, and if you’re a Canberra food lover looking for an easy weekend escape, here’s a lead you can follow.

Breakfast at Al Maghrib

First stop was Al Maghrib on Fitzmaurice Street, which I believe is the only Moroccan restaurant in regional NSW.

Owner Mustapha El Mourtazak is one of those welcoming chefs who make a restaurant feel like a restaurant. He’ll charm you while pouring Moroccan mint tea from what seems like an impossible distance, and his enthusiasm for his food and culture is infectious.

I went for the Moroccan pancakes, known as msemmen.

They’re nothing like the fluffy pancakes you might expect at an Australian cafe. They’re thin, flaky and layered, with a slightly crisp, golden exterior and a buttery, almost pastry-like texture inside. I had it alongside a spicy omelette served in a clay pot.

Al Maghrib describes itself as a contemporary Moroccan cafe, with traditional dishes including shakshuka and tagines.

And the best part is that you don’t need to take out a second mortgage to eat there.

Lunch at Mr Lawrence

I barely digested breakfast before I was back at it.

Mr Lawrence, also on Fitzmaurice Street, is one of those places that makes it difficult to order sensibly.

It describes itself as somewhere between a cafe, restaurant and bar, and its menu moves comfortably between breakfast classics, lunch dishes, cocktails and more adventurous combinations.

I went for the sticky pork taco, served on pan-fried roti rather than a traditional taco shell, with kimchi, coriander, shallot, sesame and sweet fish sauce.

The result is a terrific combination of sweet, salty, spicy and fresh, with the crisp-edged roti giving it far more character than your standard taco.

I also shared the ginger and prawn dumplings, served with tamari, chilli and fried shallots.

They were a good little preview of what is coming next from owner Jamie Shepley, who is about to open Wagga’s first Asian fusion restaurant, Madamelle, upstairs.

Dinner at Hide Steak & Bar

By dinner I was ready for the main event. Steak.

I’ve lived in Sydney and Buenos Aires and eaten at some of the great steakhouses around the world.

I reckon Hide is the best. That might sound like a big call for a Wagga restaurant, but I stand by it.

Chef Sârn Rudd and her husband Darren now own Hide; they took over from Jamie Shepley and have continued to build the restaurant around Australian beef and locally grown produce.

The restaurant now operates from Morgan Street and cooks over local mallee charcoal, with a dry-ageing program designed to develop more flavour, tenderness and character in the beef.

We started with lamb cutlets, served with Wagga Black Garlic, and homemade focaccia. Both superb.

The Black Angus scotch fillet I ordered for a main had great caramelisation – a dark, salty, almost burnt crust giving way to beautifully tender beef underneath.

My wife Jenna ordered the Wagyu inside skirt. I spent quite a bit of the evening trying to steal it – it was beautifully tender and practically melted in the mouth.

But perhaps the best thing about Hide is that the staff know the menu backwards. Tell them what sort of meat you like, how hungry you are and what you’re drinking, and they can steer you towards the right cut and a wine to go with it. That makes a big difference.

The verdict

Didn’t think Wagga was a foodie haven? Think again.

We’re blessed with some seriously good food in the Riverina – and it’s not just Wagga. Albury, Griffith, Leeton, Narrandera and Junee can all hold their own.

I also love Larry’s, Meccanico Espresso + Wine Bar, Nabiha’s Kitchen, Banh Mi 88 and Thaigga, and there are plenty more I haven’t even got to yet.

Wagga might have mastered the drive-through, but it has also quietly built a food scene that’s well worth the drive.

Original Article published by Oliver Jacques on Region Riverina.