Like the annual billy cart derby that tore down the main drag for decades, this energetic cocktail bar and bistro at the crest of Port Kembla’s biggest hill brings some thrills to a relaxed town.

The race is no more, but its spirit lives on in the playfully reimagined pub classics that roll through the flashy dining room decorated with pics of those past races

Soft-boiled eggs are simmered in red wine then rested on pink strips of beef in a cool steak and eggs glow-up, the “kinda” prawn toast sees the crustaceans wrapped in a cylinder of deep-fried bread, primed to be dunked into a bowl of full-throttle fermented chilli sauce, and the lamington tiramisu replaces savoiardi with layers of coconut and chocolate-coated sponge.

Yampi’s cocktails and zippy wine list alone are worth dropping by for, so consider leaving the billy cart at home.

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