Located in the quiet little seaside town of Tea Gardens, Tillermans
has been a dining favourite amongst those in the foodie know for a long time. For owners Kerry and Peter Hodges, the restaurant has been a dream come
true with the couple wanting to bring to the area a restaurant that showcased its fresh local produce with a Modern Australian flavour.
Not new to the restaurant scene by any means, prior to arriving in Tea Gardens back in 1996, Peter and Kerry were previously of Pigalle Café in Wollongong
and the award winning restaurant Rebekka’s at Bright in Victoria. Their experience and absolute passion for food and hospitality is evident in every
dish they serve.
Chatting with Kerry she explains that their menu is a little unique with the couple creating a new 3-course set menu each week.
Not even the Hodges' know what’s going to be making an appearance until sometimes even the night before. Instead, their menu selections are made based
on what’s fresh at the markets and sometimes even what’s happening with the weather.
And 3-course set menu you ask, what’s that all about?
Something else you should know about Peter and Kerry is their strong connection and love of all things French. Kerry explains that when they first started
visiting France many years ago they noticed that at all cafes and restaurants offered a workers lunch, that being a 3-course set menu, with a bottle
of wine of course, all for about 12 or 13 euros.
Peter and Kerry loved this concept so much that they brought it home with them, using just a select number of ingredients that are prepared in the best
possible way. On the day we visited the three courses looked a little like this:
Entree
Roasted Beetroot Lentil Salad on a Potato Rosti with a Light Curry Vinaigrette.
Main
Malaysian beef curry
Dessert
Fresh Pear with Buttermilk Panna Cotta
Peter and Kerry’s connection to France is so engrained that the couple not only bought themselves a property in the rural village of Sigoulès but now
share their love of the country with those wishing to explore hosting a 2-week food, wine, language and relaxation tour of the Dordogne region each
year.
You may not be able to get to France anytime soon but we recommend you taking a drive, or Ferry from Nelson Bay and exploring sometime very soon.
