Heading down the coast? Try this pub for dinner, it's just a bit fancy

The summer of 2022/23 was bookended by reviews of Rick Stein at Bannisters in Mollymook and Small Town Milton, just up the road in Milton. (Small Town is now closed, but do make sure you check out Delly's Really Good Sandwiches in the same spot, run by the same people - the lovely Alex Delly and Jo Thomas - they are making really seriously good sandwiches and living a more family friendly life. All the power to them.)

It's only just occurred to me now that this part of the world might have just become "my spot". I can't remember the last time I turned right at the roundabout. (But I've pencilled in Narooma and the restaurants of Merivale for over the break.)

Maybe it has something to do with the abundance of great places around Milton-Ulladulla and Mollymook. The aforementioned, alongside MilkHaus, Cupitt's Estate, Gwylo, Small Town Provisions. You really are spoilt for choice.

Tonight I'm at The Milton Hotel. There's a date, 1870, high on the exterior facade, one can imagine the local foresters and farmers heading into town for a cold lager. But you bet your bootstraps that they'd never be expecting lamb rump with spinach and fermented black olive or chicken liver parfait with a raisin chutney and house brioche.

This is a pub menu like no other. There's not a schnitzel or burger in sight. Sure, there's a pool table tucked in one corner and if you're there around knock-off time, you might see some tradies perched on stools in the front bar, or out on the deck downing a cold one.

But that deck has views across to the ocean and the cold ones are likely to be Dangerous Ales, brewed on the premises. Maybe a coconut, mango, vanilla and milk sugar sour, or an Uncle Damo's oatmeal stout.

Back out onto the deck. This is where I'm perched tonight. I'm dining early to avoid the live music planned for later; when did I become so middle-aged? I have a view of the ocean on the horizon, there's a light breeze and laughter from a group of young kids in the playground down below. It's a pretty family friendly spot at this time of the afternoon.

Even though it's just me, I order a few little plates. It's nice to be able to sample different things rather than committing to one large meal. Although, here, the Oaky wagyu rump looks good, as does the barbecue pork scotch fillet with fermented honey and cashew.

You'd be mad not to start with oysters with this view. They mix them up here. The week I was there they were served with fermented tomato and pork jowl. Kind of a spin on Kilpatrick. The oysters have been licked by the heat in the wood-fired oven which takes pride of place in the kitchen, but the real heat comes from the tomato, which has a bite, and the pork jowl, thinly sliced, is salty and tasty. The oysters are plump and delicious. The dish is $30 for four oysters. Recent coastal travels suggest the bivalve molluscs are going for about $6-8 each at the moment. It hasn't been an easy couple of seasons for oyster farmers so there's no begrudging them that price. Particularly when they taste so good.

Next up is a plate of wood-fired prawns with curry butter, tamarind and lime ($35). I'm delighted to find six meaty prawns on the plate. I've been to some places where you have to specify the number of prawns you want. But this is a proper meal, not from the snacks menu. I've seen a couple of riffs on this dish. Small Town Milton did a prawns with njuda butter, oregano and lemon; Rebel Rebel did a prawn with bay leaf butter dish last time I was there, where I just wanted to lick the plate clean.

These ones might have topped it. The prawns are a good size, served butterflied in the shell. Sure, it's something of a hassle retrieving the meat, but being able to lick that curry butter off your fingers all but makes up for it. There's a real richness to the sauce, with a tang from the tamarind and lime, and the prawns are well doused in it. I just wish I had ordered some bread to mop it all up.

I get a side of fries ($12.50). All pubs have to pass the chip test and these do. Crispy and golden, even nicer as I use them as a bread substitute to mop up the curry sauce.

I probably didn't need dessert, but the view was too nice. There were a couple of choices. A burnt pav with stout curd and vanilla cream and a shiso panna cotta with mandarin. Mandarin is an underrated fruit so I took that option and was a little disappointed. The whole dish was a little bitter for my liking. The panna cotta was smooth, the sorbet-like topping was refreshing, but it wasn't the dish I was hoping for.

There's a reason why The Milton Hotel has been awarded a hat in the Good Food Guide Awards for two years running. It's challenging all those perceptions of what good pub food is.

Address: 74 Princes Highway, Milton

Phone: 44540727

Website: themiltonhotel.com

Hours: Wednesday to Thursday, from 3.30pm; Friday to Sunday, from noon. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Chef: Damian Martin

Noise: If you're there just for dinner go nice and early before the live music kicks in.

Dietary: Plenty of interesting options.

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