Bistro dazzles with art, food and music
A visit to the warm and inviting Village Bistro in Bathurst is the perfect antidote to whatever earthly concerns you might have.
As you walk in, you’ll receive a welcoming smile from either Anne Hartley, co-owner Lizz Briggs or the charming Maritza van Wyk, and from then until you reluctantly drag yourself away later, the conviviality will continue unabated.
The Village Bistro opened their doors during last year’s Christmas season and the enthusiastic support they received then has been sustained even out of season. Visitors to the quaint and endearing hamlet of Bathurst are spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding on a place to eat out, but somehow the bistro has managed to carve for itself a niche that is all its own.
Everything about it is quirky, and, on arrival, you’ll be asked to select an artist and you will then be given a board to be placed on your table bearing that artist’s name. “Sorry,” you might be told, “Picasso’s gone but how about van Gogh, or would you prefer Batiss?”
That will identify you for ordering purposes and then, while you deliberate on what to order from the eclectic and varied options available, your eyes will scan the paintings on the wall, most the work of talented local artist Cherylyn Hoey, and it all adds further to the aesthetic appeal of the place.
The décor is warm, vibrant and the colour choices on walls work well. It all blends perfectly to give visual expression to the feeling that you could well experience of being removed from the banality of your more regular world.
Old vinyl records are used as place mats and, in the very unlikely event that you and your partner need a little mental stimulus, you could always ask each other Trivial Pursuit questions from the cards on your table.
If you would like your week to culminate on a high note, then the bistro would be well worth a visit on a Sunday evening.
Bathurst punches above its weight in so many fields of artistic endeavour and the musical talent would be no exception. On any Sunday night, between about 6-9pm, there will always be live music of high quality and variety. Anne’s artisanal bread, baked in a wood-fired oven, is much in demand. They do not yet have a liquor licence so you can bring your own. They do not levy a corkage charge.