DETAILS(quote from Mid North Coast News)
Zest - the very name stimulates the tastebuds with the promise of culinary delights: fresh produce, perfectly prepared. But more than a mere name underscores the credentials of this elegant restaurant, nestled in the centre of Port Stephens’ main dining enclave at Nelson Bay.
Zest boats an impeccable reputation, evidenced by its award of a prestigious “chef’s hat” - the toque - by the respected Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide: it’s the only restaurant to hold the distinction across eastern NSW between Newcastle to the south and Bellingen in the north. In a tribute to Zest’s continuing high standards, it has retained the accolade across three successive seasons, in the meantime garnering other industry awards. To maintain the restaurant’s commitment to quality, head chef and owner Glenn Thompson begins preparations for the evening early in the day. He’s on hand to take a special delivery, for example, of Margaret River truffles and supervise venison being readied for an entrée plate. A sous chef meticulously grinds fragrant parmesan while Thompson sets to expertly deboning and tying off sections of Flinders Island suckling lamb. These will be slowly pot roasted with capers, anchovies, lemon, white wine and stock until they reach melting tenderness, just in time for dinner.
Zest has become a regional institution over the past six years and Thompson believes the Good Food Guide’s imprimatur has helped put Nelson Bay as a whole on the map as a dining destination. His cellar of premium labels from Australia, New Zealand, France and Italy is painstakingly researched and acquired, and much sought-after by knowledgeable wine aficionados.
Otherwise, though, the emphasis is on sourcing ingredients from the region: “We like to support our local producers whenever possible,”
Thompson insists. “For instance,” he declares, “Port Stephens’ Sydney Rock Oysters are absolutely second to none!”