Baked In Berrima — Restaurant in Berrima

On a day trip to the Southern Highlands, we stopped by the historic Berrima for a peaceful walk around town and sit-down lunch. Whenever we're in unfamiliar territory, we always seek out the locals to help us with locating the best in the town. That's when we gazed down the steps next to Mrs Oldbucks Pantry where the buzz of people having their morning coffees reverberated alongside the hum of cicadas.

Baked in Berrima is a literal hole-in-the-wall selling French and Italian baked goods out the door and a line going in. The place is coated with the smell of toasty bread as the amicable staff scamper between the sandwich press and the coffee machine.

While waiting in line, our eyes were immediately drawn to a rack of golden, bubbling pizza on display. This turned out to be the potato, rosemary and taleggio pizza they sell by the slice. Mind you, I usually order the whole circular pizza but this slice was enough to fuel us till dinnertime. With a thick, crunchy crust and base, the dough has the strength to hold up the avalanche of creamy potato and melty cheese. The mixture of flavours and textures is absolutely indulgent, further intensified by potent aroma from the sprigs of rosemary baked in. Just the crust itself is not admirable as it cuts the roof of your mouth, so the pizza is better enjoyed with the fluffy toppings in between.

If you're thinking of dropping your weight, then sadly, the options are slim with Baked in Berrima serving up a hefty slice of ham, cheese and mushroom rustico. The pastry is a picturesque sight with a stunning, brown marbling on top and an equally pretty cross-section lined with gooey cheese and thick cuts of smoked ham. It immediately flakes apart in your mouth and strikes you with the sharp taste of cheddar, then the briny and woodsy meatiness from the ham and mushrooms combined. All within a buttery casing that rounds out the savoury delight.

Afterwards, we made our merry way through Berrima on a gastronomic high. In this small country town, Baked in Berrima makes its mark as a must-visit for any...

Stayed at the motel across the road cause we were in town for a wedding and grabbed some stuff for Sunday morning breakfast pretty much right after they opened. I'm vegan and they unfortunately hadn't prepared any of the vegan options yet but the guy started making it straight away when we asked about it.

In the meantime the rest of the family grabbed other stuff including the brekkie roll, croissant with tomato and avoid, focaccia with ham and cheese and a chocolate brownie which they really enjoyed. The place was constantly buzzing with people walking in with their dogs and grabbing coffees and it was just a really nice and intimate little place so different from the rush of Sydney city.

My garlic and oregano focaccia with roasted veggies (pumpkin, mushroom and avo) came about 20 minutes later and it was amazing. It was so good that after I'd finished my brekkie, I decided to buy 2 garlic and oregano foccacias (just the bread) after that which was another 25 minute wait hahaha. well worth it. Just in time to check out and...

We were driving home from Canberra, when we made a last minute decision to stop in Historic Berrima, and it was a GREAT DECISION. We walked up and down the main strip and came across this absolute gem of a bakery. This bakery is hidden, out of the way, down the side street that you can't really see from the main drag. But it is SO worth it. We had the pizza/foccacia that was superb - light and fluffy with a toasty/crisp base. The sweets were fanastic - the lobster tail had a hint of orange candy, and the pastry was light and crispy. The staff were patient and polite. The price was a bit higher than expected, but it was well worthwhile. They had outdoor seating, undercover, so wasn't in the direct sunlight. They played classic, relaxed music, so very happy. It was so good that I'm looking for an excuse to drive down here and have another lovely lunch from this...