Three Blue Ducks opening soon in Bellingen - but it’s the unexpected menu that’s got locals in a flap

The Bellingen outpost of Three Blue Ducks opens on Thursday, July 13. But it’s the food as much as the location that’s attracting local attention, with the menu drawing inspiration from Asian ingredients and dishes.

What’s a team more familiar with duck a l’orange doing in Peking duck territory? “Bellingen already has some really good food, we got out there and asked [locals]: ‘What does it need?’” co-owner Darren Robertson says.

Robertson points out the Ducks team has long toyed with Asian dishes – the tofu and macadamia pot-sticker dumplings on the Bellingen menu first popped up at the original cafe in Bronte. And Robertson himself was once head chef at Japanese-French gastro temple Tetsuya’s.

“We’re going to do bone-marrow dumplings, and use some of the local mushrooms … and ingredients growing around the area,” he says of the new menu.

“We’ve always loved working with spice, lemongrass, ginger, chilli [and] makrut, and after working closely with the local producers and farmers, we’ve created a menu for the Bello restaurant that showcases these flavours.”

In addition to those pot-stickers, there’ll be beetroot koshu with Davidson plum salt; “dirty duck” with lemon, line and sour plums; and a chocolate-yuzu eclair.

The sprawling 180-seat venue is located at The Lodge, a luxury resort with mountain views just outside the picturesque NSW town.

Open Mon and Thu dinner; Fri lunch and dinner; Sat-Sun breakfast, lunch and dinner.

1381 Waterfall Way, Bellingen, threeblueducks.com/bellingen