Berry ~ a bite-size gem in New South Wales' south coast

Berry is located in the Shoalhaven region of the New South Wales south coast. It is approximately 140km south of Sydney and a leisure 2-hour drive along the Princes Highway will take you into the heart of this little town of about 2,000 residents. Its main street boasts some great restaurants and cafes which proudly use fresh local produce to create some great culinary experiences for both locals and visitors alike. City dwellers are attracted to this location for its laid-back feel and friendly locals. We had lunch at the Berry Sourdough Bakery & Cafe and were not disappointed with our choice of Duck confit with beetroot gnochi, slow-baked shoulder of lamb with olive salsa and kipfler potatoes.

It also has a host of rustic shops where you can find unique bric-a-brac for your home.

The Berry Flea Market is held on the third Sunday of each month and is located in the car park of the Great Southern Hotel.

Berry is also conveniently close to the wine growing region of the Shoalhaven coast and wine lovers can take the wine trail and sample some good wines from this region.

Visitors to Berry will invariable have the option to see Gerrigong and Gerroa, two of the south coast's most beautiful and scenic coastal towns.

Built upon the principle of "less is more", the Berry Sports & Recreation Hall won the best sports building at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona in 2009 beating, among many from all over the world, the Wimbledon Centre Court's roof redevelopment and the training facility for the New York Jets.

Design by Allen Jack & Cottier architects and costing a mere A$1.3 million to build, the distinctive feature of the design is random and irregular holes on each side of the building. From afar, the holes of the building are illuminated like little stars by lighting from within and blends into a starry Berry night sky. This is a clever design which marries a man-made creation with the beauty of nature.

Hungry Duck is a modern Asian restaurant right in the heart of Berry. Executive Chef David Campbell uses the freshest local produce from his farm to create bold and unique flavours on the plate. He strives to reduce the restaurant's carbon footprint on the environment by recycling food waste to help fertilise his garden of herbs and vegetables.

The entries and mains at Hungry Duck are true to the Asian culture of being shared among all diners. The duck 3 ways - duck spring roll, rare caramelised breast and a crispy sichuan peppered leg was an excellent contrast of sweet and tangy flavours as well as texture, the soft and succulent breast with the crunch of the spring roll. A Josef Chromy pinot noir "pepik" range was a perfect complement to this beautiful creation.

Crab raviolli with seaweed salad and soy vinaigrette brought out the fresh flavours of the crab and the vinaigrette gave contrast to the roasted sichuan peppercorns.

The braised wagyu beef brisket with konyaku noodles and Tasmanian shitakes was a revelation. The meat was tender and flavoursome while the fresh shitakes soaked up the bold and sweet taste of the gravy.

Lamb wrapped with bean curd and cloud-ear mushroom was deliciously succulent and full of contrasting flavours. 

David Campbell, who is an ex-chef of Billy Kwong and Tetsuya's in Sydney obviously knows how to create tantalizing flavours using the best and freshest of ingridients.

City slickers who are looking for a "tree change" or "sea change" will note that real estate prices in Berry has been declining over the last few years.