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Given its location, perched on the fringes of the foodie's paradise that is the Hunter Valley, you could be forgiven for wondering why Newcastle hasn’t been a go-to dining destination for decades. But as it turns out, quality produce doesn’t amount to a hill of beans unless you have a determined restaurateur with a clear vision in charge. If there is any silver lining to the triple-whammy of the pandemic shutdown, hospitality workforce crisis and the ever-spiralling cost of living, it’s that venue operators fleeing Sydney’s eye-watering overheads have looked to Newcastle as the place to replant their flag. And thanks to a renewed push to coax tourists to NSW’s often overlooked second city, most notably signalled by the arrival of Newie’s first five-star hotels, the promise of bringing together Hunter produce with savvy restaurant pros is finally making Newcastle the hospo hub it was ever meant to become.
A prime case in point is Humbug, a smart but not stuffy Italian joint taking pride of place on the newly rejuvenated main drag of the city, Hunter Street. Even at a glance, the venue stands out from the usual regional crowd. A bright, spacious dining room decked out with colourful modern prints, and long dining tables beckoning group bookings for long boozy lunches is a pleasant departure from the faux-taverna styling with small tables packed within inches of one another that you might typically find in a local pasta joint.
Co-owners Mike Portley and Stephanie Wells have clearly thought their gambit through, creating a venue that can attract out-of-towners to Newcastle’s dining revolution while also offering locals a mid-priced fave they can rely on week after week. Portley cut his teeth as a chef at Porteño, and his menu features a similar flare for playing fast and loose with Mediterranean influences, all the while leaning hard into the world-class seafood, grass-raised meat and heirloom veggies that can be found a mere stone’s throw from town.
But first thing's first: yes, the focaccia is every bit as good as the legendary loaves you can sample at Porteño and Wino x Bodega in Sydney. It's an airy, bubble-packed centre with a lightly salted crust doused with just the right amount of olive oil – enough to lick your fingers after a slice.
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From there, the menu is cleverly ambidextrous, on the one hand serving Italian tried-and-trues while on the other offering more iconoclastic riffs, introducing further-flung flavours into the mix, like a soldier of crisp Danish pastry topped with a salty sucker punch of parmesan custard and Spanish anchovy. Even more globe-trotting are the sublimely cooked pork ribs, which melt from the bone into a dressing of Thai basil, Calabrian chilli and oyster sauce. Yet more Asian influences can be found in a kingfish tataki swimming in a paddling pool of yuzu mayonnaise, cut through with a tart thrill of heat from pickled jalapeños.
The wine list is well curated, although surprisingly light on Hunter Valley drops, particularly from the most established vineyards. There are options for those hardcore natural wine fans (you know who you are) but also plenty for the rest of us who prefer a drink that’s a little less challenging. If you’re unsure, Wells and her excellent floor team are on hand to make recommendations that will pair well with your meal.
While it would be wrong to label Humbug a mere pasta peddler, such is the scope of the menu beyond the al dente, it’s nonetheless from the pasta dishes that some of the most delightful forkfuls arise. The mafaldine ragu, starring beef cheek and brisket braised in chicken stock and Pedro Ximenez overnight, is one of those plates in which every aspect – flavour, texture, bite, balance – is atomically perfect. Hefty flakes of meat swimming in a collagen-rich slick that lovingly clings to the pasta, finished with a generous dusting of dagger-sharp manchego and fresh rosemary, will be a meal that lives rent-free in your mind for a long time. Trust me, I speak from experience.
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