Fast Food

There’s a time and place for everything, right? And nobody loves sitting in restaurants dreaming the world away more than me. But, with one of the most exciting cars Audi has ever built sitting outside? I don’t think so. No, if you’re lucky enough to be touring the central Victorian region loosely known as Spa Country in something as coveted as Audi’s RS7 Sportback plus, the least amount of time wasted with a napkin on your lap, the better. 

But you will need to eat, and caffeinate, and over the past 10 years, the region with Daylesford at its hub has blossomed into a particularly well-endowed foodie hub, covering far more than famed diners such as The Lake House and Kazuki’s (Daylesford), Du Fermier (Trentham), The Midnight Starling and Source Dining, both in Kyneton. Those places are for another, slower time.

So if you’re thinking about a drive in the country, we want to tell you about how to do really good food – fast. 

Coffee

For a great coffee the options are vast, but if you are fussy? Our coffee joint of choice is L1, in Daylesford, local hangout for the hipster community (that’s out-of-City hipsters) where the coffee fanaticism is matched by the quality. Larder, next door, is just as fussy (same owner). Beyond that, Cliffy’s in Daylesford, is a charming, slightly ramshackle old store which makes a serious effort, and we’re always satisfied by Koukla (also in Daylesford). Moto Bean – the roastery that supplies Cliffy’s – in Malmsbury, is an obvious choice for freshness of roast and caffeine care. 

Picnic 

Put lunch in the back of the RS7 Sportback and enjoy it wherever and whenever it suits. The region is packed with ideal picnic places, from bush clearings to botanic gardens. For terrines, breads and pates, the Piper Street Foodstore, in Kyneton, would be first pick, although you’d find similar, from different suppliers, at Coliban Food Store in Trentham and Cliffy’s in Daylesford. 

Straight to the source? Istra Smallgoods (Musk) is a charcuterie producer with an outstanding ‘cellar door’ for prosciutto, salami and hams. For sweet pastries, Kyneton’s Monsieur Pierre, or Creswick’s Le Peche Gourmand, add a French touch, while the area’s best bread –plus pies, pasties and other baked picnic stuff – can be found at Trentham’s Red Beard Bakery. 

Pub lunch 

Before gastropubs we had counter meals, and they were quick and good value for money. Some of the local pubs see food as a problem; we reckon you will be happy, and not kept waiting, at Blampied’s Swiss Mountain, The Daylesford Hotel (which has a spiffing wine selection) and The Farmer’s Arms (also in Daylesford). We’d also be happy for a quick lunch at Trentham’s Cosmopolitan. All are unpretentious, well-run operations with quick turnaround.

Grazing

Eating-in doesn’t have to be a time commitment if you choose to graze rather than go a la carte. We’re big fans of the charcuterie selection at Passing Clouds winery at weekends, and the wine is the district’s best if you want to take some home. There’s an even broader selection of platters at Captain’s Creek in Blampied, where the organic wines are matched to several meats, from the property’s own cattle. Ditto the grazing platter and ploughman’s lunch options at historic lavender farm Lavandula, at Shepherd’s Flat. The-brand new Frank and Connie’s Kitchen, in Hepburn Springs, is also a destination for those with a grazing desire. 

Pizza

An important food group unto itself, we suggest the no-time-wasted slice of Italy at Daylesford’s friendly Koukla, Kyneton’s Pizza Verde or, at weekends only, local winery Ellender Estate. Paramoor and Captain’s Creek are also reputable wine producers offering the time-poor an Italian option. 

All have wood ovens; the KISS rule (Keep It Simple Stupid) should apply to any pizza, regardless of location (i.e. no Peking Duck). 

Burgers and ribs

Hungry, time poor, keen to get yourself out to the pine forests for a little mushroom foraging, perhaps? If you want something substantial, meaty and fast, then you’ll be pleased to hear Dayleford’s not immune to the Americana craze sweeping the nation. Barbecued ribs, burgers, wings… Galley Diner is a hipster’s Nirvana. Or just a good place for a multinational-free burger and fries. Your call. 

Afternoon tea

After a hard morning strolling the shops, or bric-a-brac markets, driving to picnic spots or bushwalking in the numerous state forests, you will need, and have even earned, afternoon tea. An extension of the category ‘Coffee’, afternoon tea is distinguished by the legitimacy of cake and other sweetish things taken alongside your Earl Grey or long macchiato. There are, again, literally hundreds of places in the district happy to take your money. Our picks, however, are more targeted. 

At Cliffy’s, the food and coffee is done with lots of love. Further up Wombat Hill, still in Daylesford, Convent Gallery adds the twist of

local and farther-flung artists work to browse, while in the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens itself, the cafe, with its open fire (in season) is home to an excellent selection of cakes from the Lake House kitchen. The Boathouse, right on the famous Lake Daylesford, has possibly the best vista of any of them, and new proprietors have lifted the standards. Afternoon tea is also big business at lavender farm Lavandula; The Trentham Collective in the pretty little township of Trentham; La Peche Gourmand, in Creswick; and at Kyneton patisserie Monsieur Pierre. 

Our chariot

Our RS 7 Sportback performance – or Fast Food Express – came with a cracking Bang & Olufsen hi-fi system. Moot point. 

We turned it off and just revelled in the utterly glorious sound of Audi’s 445kW V8. Up through the gears with a thrump at each shift; down again with a snap, crackle and pop on over-run. Even my wife said this was “one sexy car,” and her idea of sexy is typically the perfect pannacotta.

The RS 7 proved to be one of the most flexible cars imaginable; with judicious throttle usage in ‘Comfort’ mode, the ride and cabin ambience is that of a refined sedan, with the convenience of a hatchback. Start pressing and the tone changes; a suggestion of that quite awesome engine/transmission and quattro system begins teasing the senses.

Switch that mode to ‘Dynamic’ and, well… If you’re someone who enjoys driving a car with exceptional performance, the smiles just don’t get much wider. 

Hitting the gas hard at 90km/h to overtake produces the kind of thrust even race drivers would recognise as urgent. It is, after all, a 3.7-second 0-100km/h weapon.

For me, the RS 7 is a truly exceptional, hi-tech Grand Tourer that doesn’t scream ‘look at me’. But it handles, accelerates and stops – on ceramic discs – like a sports car, when you want it to.  Truly a car that is both intoxicating and addictive. 

John Lethlean is the restaurant critic for The Australian.