Wollongong foodies make a southerly change to Lake Conjola Bowling Club

A well known face around Illawarra eateries, former Collegians executive chef Andy Anderson and his partner Georgia Owen have made the move south and taken the helm at the Lake Conjola Bowling Club’s brasserie.

Born and raised in Haworth, a small country town in West Yorkshire, Andy brings an English flavour to the club’s restaurant, now aptly named The White Rose – the heraldic badge of the royal House of York.

Andy will be running the kitchen, while Georgia will lead the front of house team in the restaurant frequented by members of the tight-knit lakeside community which triples in size during holiday times.

Andy says, while the move is a downsize from what they’re used to, he knows it will be very busy in the holiday periods.

After he started work in the kitchen at 12 years of age, Andy ran his own restaurants in the UK before travelling to Australia for a holiday in 2012.

“I never made it to my return flight home as I didn’t want to leave Australia,” he said.

Since then, he has worked in the Gold Coast before heading to the Illawarra in 2016 and taking up a role as the head chef at The Aussie in Nowra, Ocean Beach Hotel in Shellharbour, The Shellharbour Club and finally Collegians in Wollongong.

He met Georgia about six years ago while they were both working at the Shellharbour Club.

Born and raised in the Illawarra, Georgia has spent most of her working life at Wollongong Golf Club, after starting at the age of 18 and becoming a duty manager at 19. She continued developing her skills, eventually progressing into senior manager roles.

She also spent time travelling overseas, living and working in Banff Canada as a server in 2018, where she made lots of tips!

The pair said they were looking forward to the quieter lifestyle and settling into the Lake Conjola community. Georgia is eager to test her skill on the bowling green, while Andy is super keen to get out on the water and catch some fish.

“We love coming down the coast for little getaways, anywhere between Husky and Batemans Bay, and have always wanted to live down this way for a more relaxed lifestyle, and fishing,” Andy said.

“When this opportunity was raised, we were very eager to jump onto it.

“The people in Lake Conjola are amazing and welcoming; we are very blessed to be a part of such a great community!”

Diners at The White Rose Brasserie can expect modern Australian dishes such as fresh fish build-your-own tacos, crispy Korean pork belly and tea smoked salmon and chilled asparagus salad, as well as classic, English-themed dishes, such as Yorkshire fish and chips with mushy peas, house-made chicken Kiev and steak ale pie.

The menu is both modern and fresh with a selection of share plates on offer, as well as pizzas and mid-week specials such as Tuesday burger night, Wednesday steak night and Sunday roast with Yorkshire puddings and “proper” gravy.

While he raves about his home-made chicken Kiev, Andy’s favourite dish is beef Wellington, “because it’s a classic English dish and is delicious”.

His favourite place to eat is Firedoor in Surry Hills Sydney and his menu is inspired by “knowing the demand of what people want, and providing a menu suited to the local demographic”.

Andy is excited to meet South Coast producers and to incorporate more local produce into his menu where possible.

“I am looking forward to meeting local farmers, providers and fisherman to provide our guests and members with the finest, freshest ingredients,” he said.

The White Rose Brasserie is located at the Lake Conjola Bowling Club, Entrance Road Lake Conjola and is open for lunch Wednesday to Saturday noon – 2 pm and dinner Wednesday to Sunday from 5:30 pm.