Five minutes with Hedydd Jamieson, 2 Bulls Eatery

The 2 Bulls Eatery philosophy can be summarised in a word: comfort. Photo: 2 Bulls Eatery.

In a nutshell, who is Hedydd Jamieson?

I’m the co-owner of 2 Bulls Eatery, with my husband Steven. We’re both Tauruses, hence the name. The motto here is “treat yourself”, and it only takes a quick look at the menu to see why. We’re all about tasty food that makes people happy.

It’s a tiny operation in a cosy space and we love it. Come in and have a chat sometime; we’re super friendly.

What is 2 Bulls Eatery?

We do gourmet burgers, hot dogs, loaded fries – you get the idea, it’s comfort food. It’s all made in-house, though, so nothing overly processed. It’s just really yummy and satisfying.

We opened it about four months ago because we both love a good burger but found that it was a bit hard to find what we were after outside of Wollongong. You know, proper, fresh ingredients, no filler.

What’s 2 Bull’s signature dish?

Ooh, that’s a hard one. People do love our poutine, but we’re all about the burgers. Our most popular is probably the straight-up cheeseburger. It’s done in the classic American style with the beef patty, cheese, tomato, lettuce, tomato sauce, mustard, and pickles.

We recently made a double bacon cheeseburger, served with a pepper sauce for you to dip the burger into. People went nuts over it, so we will add that to the permanent menu.

I love the “magic mushroom” burger. We’ve surprised a few people with that one. It’s made with Portobello mushrooms, but we marinade it, and I won’t tell you how, because that little secret is where most of the flavour comes from.

What’s your favourite cuisine?

It depends on the day, but I guess unsurprisingly, I couldn’t live without burgers and fries. Oh, and proper pizza. And pasta. And noodles. Yeah, I can’t just pick one.

The 2 Bulls motto is “treat yourself”. Photo: 2 Bulls Eatery.

What’s the one ingredient you can’t live without?

Bread. It sounds basic, but it’s the truth – I love bread.

What’s inspiring you right now?

I don’t really get inspired by trends or any one thing – I only get inspired by good ingredients. I just like to go out, see what’s good, seasonal, and fresh, and figure out what I can do with it.

Where in the area is your go-to for dining out?

We probably go to Kneading Ruby’s once a month. I love the atmosphere, and they have really got proper pizza [down pat].

Where would you take out-of-town visitors to show off the best of the Illawarra region?

I like Fitzroy Falls. I know it’s not in the Illawarra, but it’s only about an hour away, and it’s so pretty there. Otherwise, if it had to be in the Illawarra, Shell Cove over at the marina is cute.

Favourite bar?

I used to go to Births & Deaths, a tiny gin cocktail place in Wollongong. This teeny tiny little place had just nailed what they did, which was gin cocktails, which I love. They closed after COVID-19. Now, I hit the gin cocktails whenever I’m at Kneading Ruby’s instead.

What’s your go-to coffee?

2 Bulls Eatery, of course!

The classic American-style cheese burger with a beef patty, cheese, tomato, lettuce, tomato sauce, mustard, and pickles is a best seller. Photo: 2 Bulls Eatery.

Who do you admire in the local food scene?

I like His Boy Elroy. Obviously, they specialise in something I have a passion for – burgers. But I also really love their ethos. They do a lot of charity work and have special programs for people out of work. I like that kind of social conscience in a business. They’re putting themselves out there in the community, and not every place does that.

What’s your favourite cookbook?

I love all the Jamie Oliver cookbooks. You can’t go wrong with that man. His style is my style – rustic, no-nonsense, and all about the love of food. Whenever I try one of his recipes, I always end up with something that tastes great.

The 2 Bulls menu includes everything from hotdogs to poutine, loaded fries to chicken wings, but burgers are where it all began. Photo: 2 Bulls Eatery.

Photo: 2 Bulls Eatery.

Photo: 2 Bulls Eatery.

Photo: 2 Bulls Eatery.

Photo: 2 Bulls Eatery.

What are your top cooking tips?

1. Be adventurous. Try to imagine how something will taste, and if you think it’ll work, throw it together and see how you go.
2. Don’t count the calories, cook what you love to eat.

Located at 10 George Street, Warilla, 2 Bulls Eatery is open 11  am to 7  pm Monday to Saturday and closed Sunday.