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Grazing

The Canberra Times Top 20 for 2013: No. 16

Buried deep in the little hamlet of Gundaroo sits a country hotel that is the pin-up for anyone who fancies living the gastro-pub dream. Wrapped up in this historic site is just about every fantasy a person could have about country life.

A great restaurant that delivers super-fine country cooking. A cafe, produce store that doubles as a cellar door - and the jewel in the crown, a serious kitchen garden that supplies the food outlets with a basket of homegrown vegetables, fruits and herbs year round.

If you've ever dreamed of being on the cover of Country Life, well this place would get you there.

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The restaurant is Grazing in the historic Royal Hotel, and its corrugated iron, stone fireplace, schoolhouse-circa-1880 look makes it just about as charming as a place could be without being in a nursery rhyme.

The menu is very seasonal, as you'd expect from a country hotel with such a garden. A locally filled wine list is perfect here. You can imagine the vignerons from the area driving up on a horse and dray delivering their wares with rosy cheeks, overalls and, I don't know, galoshes on.

The menu speaks of solid country fare with an eye on current food trends such as slowcooked pork belly, the staple of any regional hotel/restaurant worth its salt, but the 18-hour slowcooking puts it right up to date, along with the condiments of braised fennel and salted grapes. There are interesting terrines that have the super-trendy-everyone-has-it black garlic and hazelnut crumble, house-cured gravlax, and rabbit tarts.

The mains have a solid, by-cripes-we-must-be-in-the-country feel: confit duck; beef fillet with chard; the Grazing pie, that is so good, filled with cod, scallops and mussels; ox cheeks; and pressed lamb shoulder finishes it off.

The food is generous in size, country in feel and overall pretty good.

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Grazing also does a serious kids' menu and has off-street parking.

It takes a drive in the country to get here, which adds a sense of occasion to the Grazing experience.

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