Review | The Happy Wombat | Eat, drink in a beaut burrow

Part-bar, part-restaurant, with outdoor seating and indoor lounges, the Wombat can be many things for many occasions. It has become a casual working lunch venue, a place to celebrate, a drawcard for group gatherings, the lazy mid-week dinner answer, and the Friday post-work wind-down. 

Boldy setting up shop in Newcastle’s empty west end in 2014, the apartment towers and office buildings have popped up around it and the people are appreciating this food and drink all-rounder. 

Opening at 7am on weekdays, you could head there for breakfast and coffee to start your day. From porridge to pancakes, smashed avocado to shakshuka eggs, there’s something for all appetites and diets.

The lunch and dinner offerings are an assortment of shared food, hand-held delights, wraps, pizzas and larger dishes. 

Perfect for starters or sharing are the pork belly bites with a sticky Asian dipping sauce. They’re fatty, they’re meaty and there’s that sweet sauce for coating. Cheese please? Try the warm, oozy honey baked brie. The whole cheese comes deliciously melted with drizzles of honey and flat bread for scooping up the molten goo. 

Perfect for either lunch or dinner is the Glenelg burger. It’s a real winner: Hunter Valley beef burger, bacon, Swiss cheese, pickle and tomato relish. You’ll devour it, and then despite not being hungry anymore, the accompanying chunky flat chips are so good you’ll eat them too. The Glenelg is one of my favourite burgers in town. 

A fairly new addition is the Reuben sandwich. Slices of corned beef encase a mountain of finely sliced sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and horseradish cream. This is then all sandwiched by dark toasted Sonoma sourdough. It’s creamy and tart all in one bite. 

A really yummy vegetarian dish are the spiced vegetable tacos. Packed with cauliflower, eggplant, corn, capsicum and puffed rice for texture, the smoked paprika aioli and hint of chilli give the two soft tacos a nice kick. 

Salads are hearty and tasty; a Moroccan chicken salad flirts with exotic flavours like rocket, candied walnuts, oranges, goji berries and grilled asparagus. The pulled lamb and couscous salad showcases plenty of earthy meat and big chewy pearl couscous, sweetened with roasted pumpkin and spiced with mint yoghurt. 

Pizzas aren’t so ridiculously big that you couldn’t eat one on your own, and toppings lean towards the gourmet: braised fennel with artichoke hearts and bocconcini; prosciutto with pears and blue cheese; garlic prawn with semi-dried tomatoes and feta; and spiced chicken with ricotta, zucchini, pumpkin and a dukkah crumb. 

A standout on the menu since day one has been their unexpectedly good in-house pasta. Always on the specials menu, the pasta changes weekly and it's delicious. This particular night it’s hand-rolled fettuccine with creamy roasted pumpkin, basil and cashew pesto with spinach and feta. The pasta is al dente and the topping rich, unctuous and sweet. There are also plenty of big mains. Lamb rump, pork belly, scotch fillet, fish of the day and a 400-gram Daddy Wombat grass fed rib eye. 

For something sweet check the daily dessert specials. The sticky date pudding is a winner and will come into its own now the weather is turning, although the pecan and walnut brownie could give it a run for its money. 

The Happy Wombat is known for its craft beers, but wine drinkers aren’t neglected. There’s a great selection of Hunter whites, plus interesting national reds by the glass and bottle. There’s also a Spicy Wombat martini or the Eats Roots and Leaves gin cocktail.