Restaurant review: There's nothing small about Small Town Food + Wine in Milton

Admittedly, I made this trip to Milton before Christmas, snuck in a couple of days down the coast as the year came to an end.

I've always wanted to get to Small Town Food + Wine, the little venue Alex Delly and his partner Jo Thomas opened in late 2019 after closing the doors on St Isidore just down the road. I'd been to St Isidore once before, a charming place in an old farmhouse where much of the produce was harvested from the onsite garden. It gained accolades from near and far.

But after seven years, and with an expanding young family, they wanted something just a little more manageable.

Small Town opened in the months before the bushfires. Not ideal. But they got through. Small Town Provisions, the small retail space next door, came out of that. It sells all the "things we love", says Thomas. Small batch wines, things to take home for dinner, picnic packs, drinks and snacks when the restaurant is closed.

Perhaps all of this has worked its way into the bloodstream here. The fact that it's only a 26-seater has nothing to do with the feeling that you've been welcomed into a personal space. Maybe it's the coastal vibe, everything just seems relaxed and welcoming, simplified and stress free.

I wandered in by myself, sand still between my toes, at 5pm fresh off the beach after a quick 10-minute drive up from Mollymook.

I never expected this meal to be the best one I had all year but it was.

The menu is small but it packs a punch. There's a eight-dish set menu to share at $85pp, with three matching wines for an additional $45. But the joy of eating alone I've discovered is that you invent your own little set menu and not share it with anyone. If I want to order seven starters I can. Who is there to judge?

Which is kind of what I did here. First up is some bread ($3pp) which is a collaboration with the award-winning Lagom Bakery from nearby Burrill Lake. It's a beautiful sourdough, light yet with substance.

Oysters of course ($5.50 each). These again are sourced locally, from the Clyde River, plump and meaty. I like the addition of fine slivers of celery, the crunch is fresh and welcome and not an accompaniment I'd had before. Note that one down.

Prawns next. Two extra large tiger prawns so fresh they might jump off the plate ($36), served with a njuda butter, with oregano and lemon. There's so much meat on these beauties, cooked perfectly, tender and full of flavour. Another good thing about dining alone is that you don't think twice about eating with your fingers, there's no one to get queasy if you're finding all the delicious bits tucked away in prawn heads and tails. I need to find out more about njuda, every time I've had it on a menu I've loved the deep spiciness it brings, salty too.

I use my fingers to eat the grilled quail ($30) too. Thighs and wings and breast, caramelised well, crispy skin and tender meat, served on an almond hummus with harissa, pomegranate and mint, and little halved grapes that burst in your mouth. Does anyone mind if I'm using a quail leg to wipe up the hummus (which is rich without being overpowering at all)?

At this stage I haven't used any cutlery. Isn't that what holidays are all about?

I kind of wish I had found somewhere to stay in Milton. The wine list is so interesting it would be good to take it past a couple of glasses. It changes regularly and there's a "weekly wine feature" which showcases interesting wines from around the world and you're able to try it by the glass or the half-bottle. There's a neat cocktail selection, even some sake by the glass.

As much as I love being away from home, I love it when I find Canberra District wines on the wine list. Even more so when I haven't tried them. Tonight I choose a Mount Majura The Silurian sparkling to start, perfect with the oysters, zingy and full of bubbles. Then a Sparrow and Vine sangiovese rose from the King Valley, dry and savoury. It's probably a good thing I didn't find out they had it on tap until just now.

Not going past dessert either. Three choices and I settle on the honey and yogurt parfait ($20). A good dessert should always involve a little theatrics and I love the way the parfait is standing on its edge, encased in a wafer that is crumbly and caramelly when you get into it. The parfait itself is fresh, the tartness of the yogurt offsetting the richness of the honey. Little flecks of apricot and pistachio adding texture. Apricot is an underrated fruit.

If I'm honest I could have avoided using cutlery here too. Just picked it up like an ice-cream sandwich.

Not to say Small Town is a casual place. For all its relaxed-ness (is that a word?) there is still a touch of refinement about it all.

The staff are friendly, genuinely friendly, even though I'm on my own they never rush me, attending to me just enough.

Sometimes all these things add up to an experience that hits all the right notes. And tonight Small Town sang.

Address: 4/41 Wason St, Milton, NSW

Phone: 4454 2264

Website: smalltownmilton.com.au

Chef: Alex Delly

Hours: Lunch, Friday to Saturday, from noon; dinner, Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm.

Dietary: Options available

Noise: No problem