In-house dining for hungry culture seekers and their kids

8th April 2021 | Moira Geddes

I love when school holidays finally come around and I get to spend quality time with my kids. But quite often, as a solo parent, it starts to feel like the activities we do are always about them. So if you’re looking for something a little different to do with your children these school holidays that doesn’t involve eating overpriced junk food on the go at a shopping centre or theme park, I’ve got a great suggestion.

Located in Sydney’s South West, the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and its in-house dining destination, Bellbird Dining + Bar, offer a delicious garden-to-plate dining experience which you can enjoy before taking in the exhibition. Since mid-February, the gallery has been opening its doors, free to the public, on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s the only major gallery to do so, giving nocturnal lovers of fine food and art an exclusive invitation to admire the artworks in the gallery’s exhibition spaces at night.

You don’t have to eat at the restaurant if you don’t want to, but as a seasoned foodie, I highly recommend doing so. In the kitchen, Cordon Bleu-trained Head Chef Federico Rekowski draws on his passion for showcasing locally-sourced, seasonal produce, with much of it coming from the on-site garden, to develop a mouth-watering dinner menu.

In the video below we share our evening at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Bellbird Dining + Bar, which changes both programming and menus in line with the seasons.