McVitty Grove Cafe is on the remote and winding Wombeyan Caves Road about 7km from Mittagong. Rolling hills quickly take over the scenery and you instantly ease into a relaxed frame of mind. The Cafe is an independently run enterprise located within the winery. An elevated outlook has sweeping views of this rural highlands property.
We got talking to the manager and it seems the vineyard has an uncertain future. The Cafe, however, is still running at the time of printing and we hope it continues for some time to come. It’s a great location and does some amazing food, including their delicious slow-cooked lamb pie.
Running Stats:
- Distance: 14km
- Pie Running Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Pie Charts:
There was one pie on the menu on our visit and it was a good one. A 12-hour slow-cooked lamb pie.
- Pies: 12-hour slow-cooked lamb pie
- Pastry: Only so many superlatives can be used to describe pastry. Over the past month we’ve been to all ends of the spectrum. This sat squarely in the middle.
- Filling: I have to think back to the Beer, Beef, Bean pie at the Courtyard Cafe to compare the influence of the beer based gravy. It had decent chunks of beef in amongst a sweet gravy and the lamb was so soft and tender it just melted in your mouth.
- Cost: $20 (with a side salad and fries + drink)
- Sauce tax: Sauce was included. Not needed on the pie though.
Southern Highlands Pie Trail Run
The Southern ‘Pielands’ Trail Run went for the month of June. As ambassadors for ‘Pie time’ we ran to all of the 26 bakeries on the official Pie Trail to see what they had to offer. See our reviews of all 26 bakeries, their stories and their pies.
About The Author
Warren
Ever since venturing out the back gate into the bush as a kid, I've had a curiosity to escape and explore as often as I could. It's fair to say that my curiosity has continued to grow instead of fade as the years go on. It eventually came time to turn a few scribbled notes into some legible stories and travel tips for anyone with a similar curiosity as me.