THE Easter holidays see many Canberrans hopping to crystal-clear waters; some to pretty little Merimbula, Sapphire Coast.

Merimbula and surrounds is a playground for those who love the sea and these days it is also a food lovers’ destination. We had not been for a few years and were impressed, especially the devotion to local produce.

Let’s start with the “fresh from the farm to you” oysters at Wheelers Seafood Restaurant, a few minutes out of town. Wheelers began as a tiny kiosk selling creamy farmed oysters, then expanded to a retail outlet and then into a full restaurant.

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To get oysters fresher than this you would have to source them yourself straight out of the water. For mains, the Eden grilled Kingfish was delightful with its super crispy skin, although the yellow fin tuna sadly was cooked more than the “seared rare” promised.

Wheelers also has duck, lamb and other meat dishes and the pièce de résistance was honey vanilla and orange panna cotta with Grand Marnier and orange and strawberry salad.

Cantina Tapas and Wine Bar, recommended by a Canberra foodie friend, is a must. On Market Street, the Cantina serves tapas that pack a punch and we went back three times indulging in Eden mussels with garlic, chilli and white wine, a pizza with chorizo, caramelised onion, anchovies, black olives and parmesan and – wait for this —sizzling Spanish-style prawns.

The décor on the bar side features record albums and posters of Fleetwood Mac, T Rex and Pat Benatar, and surfy stuff. Too quirky for words.

Breakfast was yummy at Waterfront, always packed but worth the wait. The staff have “people moving” down pat and the second a table is available it is cleaned and ready to go. Fabulous coffee. A super vibe. Great people watching along the promenade. Need I go on?

Another breakfast hot spot, another short drive away is the Bar Beach Kiosk, “the place to go where the north winds blow”. It is a true local on a family-friendly, sheltered beach. More good coffee and the bacon and egg roll a steal at $7.50.

We lunched at the Aquarium Wharf Restaurant, a heritage building combining true-blue wharf architecture with a modern interior. Decent but not sensational food, although the views made up for it and it was fun watching a bunch of lads jump off the wharf. We did not fuss with the aquarium side of the operation.

Other places we hoped to suss out but could not fit in (partly because we were stuffed by the end of our three days) was Zanzibar at the top of Main Street, with new owners, and Vicolo, a little piece of Italy.

Sapphire Coast Tourism, call 1800 150457.