First Class Magazine - November 2023
The Ultimate Guide to Orange (When you only have 48 Hours or a little less)
Orange does so many things well. Wineries, restaurants, live music, cafes, gorgeous gardens, heritage accommodation and more, it’s everything a traveller to regional NSW wants. But can you do the Central Tableland’s town justice in just 48 hours? We went to find out – and discovered that yes – you can.
Antica for lunch
1pm: We take our seats for a very special lunch at Antica Antica Australis (anticacarcoar.com), an award-winning restaurant that’s been so successful it is credited with saving the town. Paolo and Kelly Picarazzi do a stellar job serving their set four-course menu comprising regional Italian slow food. The locanda-style eatery is intimate, with only half a dozen or so tables, and housed in a corner store featuring a sleek yet simple refurb in keeping with the theme. Before each course, Kelly appears from the kitchen to announce then explain the upcoming dish. The food is clean, authentic and texturally satisfying to-boot. A primi of a plate of breadstick, sheep’s cheese, local salami and pickled artichoke is followed by homemade pasta, sumptuous lamb cutlets and a unique trifle. Later, Paolo tells me some of recipes are centuries old. The food is deliciously different, the flavours superb. This is the kind of experience that makes you feel like standing up and saying ‘Bravo!’ at the end.