The Boat House, Palm Beach

June 19, 2011 — 5 Comments

Finally we had a sunny day after lots of rain, so we had to get out in the sun, along with half of Sydney. We headed north to Palm Beach, to soak up the sun and the views. I’d long wanted to visit The Boat House, on the Pittwater side of Palm Beach, so it seemed a good day to do that.

On our way in to the cafe, our eyes boggled with the mass of flowers and decorator items on display, all superb quality.

The Boat House - Entry

With it being such a gorgeous day, the line for ordering was long, but we managed to find a table to sit, and just look around the cafe while we waited for lunch to arrive (which was surprisingly quick).

Every element of the cafe has been thoughtfully styled, with a casual but luxurious feel. The masses of flowers around, for sale, add to the atmosphere, along with the mix of tables with different textures, the combination of styles of chairs. All of the food we saw go by was well styled too, looking appetising.

And then there’s the superb view along Pittwater, with the water sparkling in the sun.

Our meals soon arrived. My friend ordered the chicken burger, which had been marinated, served with avocado, tomato, and tzatziki, and thick-cut fries.

We shared some crab cakes first, which were served with aioli. They were very light, fluffy, tasty.

And then I had to try the beer-battered fish (flathead) and chips, claimed to be the best on the northern beaches, and that just may well be true. The fish was firm but tender, almost sweet, with the batter perfect. The fries were almost crispy on the outside, soft in the middle. And, it was served with a very good home-made tartare sauce.

Other items on the menu which looked particularly good included a bucket of tiger prawns served with a home-made seafood sauce, or a dish with mussels, or a seafood platter (pacific oysters, kingfish sashimi, fresh tiger prawns, smoked trout and marinated olives), or burger which was huge, held together with a bamboo skewer (served with bacon, mixed lettuce, fresh tomato, caramelised onion, beetroot tapenade and tasty cheese). But everything looked good.

A good day to be outdoors.

The Boat House is suspended out over the Beach.

From here you can also catch a sea plane for scenic flights, or to restaurants, or over to Rose Bay.

I’ll certainly be back. Good, basic food, excellently prepared, in a stunning setting, in a place with relaxed style.

I’d like to try breakfast there some day. The menu includes some interesting options such as green eggs and ham (poached eggs, leg ham, heirloom tomatoes on thick cut crusty sourdough topped with basil pesto), smoked salmon eggs (poached eggs, spinach wrapped in smoked salmon, topped with goats cheese and balsamic glaze on soy and linseed sourdough) and boathouse baked beans (housemade baked beans, grilled, smashed chat potato, poached egg and gremolata sauce). Sounds good.

Details

Here are the details about The Boat House at time of posting. Please check their web site for more current details.

Web site http://www.theboathousepb.com.au
Address Barrenjoey Boathouse, Governor Phillip Park, Palm Beach NSW 2108
Phone (02) 9974 3868
Open Open Daily 7.30am – 4pm
Breakfast 7:30am – 12 noon
Lunch 12 noon – 3pm
No Reservations taken, Seating available indoor & out
Licensed + BYO (wine only)
Menu Breakfast: $9-19 on average
Lunch: $20-30 on average
The Boat House on Urbanspoon


Where do you like to to eat on a sunny day, to enjoy the view?

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Mark Best at Gourmet Traveller Institute

June 1, 2011 — 6 Comments

Mark Best, from Marque, gave a Masterclass as part of the Gourmet Traveller Institute, on cooking seafood. Marque was recently selected by the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide as being the best restaurant for 2011.

The Masterclass was held at Harvey Norman in Alexandria.

On arrival we we were served our choice of wines, including sparkling wine, which kept on being topped up. I was glad I was not driving. 😉

First, Mark cooked a clam chowder. Not just any clam chowder. The clams were huge, and whole. The soup was light and full of flavour. I’d be happy just to have that. Nestling in the soup were tiny cucumber balls, which added a surprising texture to the soup. On top was sprinkled fried curry leaves.

The serves were generous. We found out later that canapes had been served at the beginning, which we missed, with going to Din Tai Fung and the traffic from there to Alexandria. I loved the dumplings there, so I don’t think we missed anything,

Then Mark cooked blue-eyed cod with a scampi anglaise.

On top were the finest of potato crisps (sliced paper thin, and cooked between two trays in the oven), and crispy button mushrooms.

The fish was cooked sous vide, and the anglaise prepared in a Thermomix, all technical procedures, and out of the range of the average home cook, but still interesting to see being done.

That, too, was very tasty.

As we were leaving the Masterclass we were give a Gourmet Traveller goodie bag, with the latest magazine, some chocolate truffles, and a small ice-cream tub for dessert.

The evening was interesting, almost more entertainment than a cooking class. I still enjoyed being there, watching the cooking, hearing Mark Best talk, and tasting the two dishes.

I thought we could get the recipes on the Gourmet Traveller site, but it’s hard enough to find any information about the Gourmet Traveller Institute, let alone the recipes. Certainly nothing on the Gourmet Traveller site, even after extensive searching. That’s a wasted opportunity. Still I guess they’re getting their promotion here!

Details

Here are the details about Marque and the Gourmet Traveler Institute at Harvey Norman. There are more details in the latest issue of the magazine.

Web site Marque Restaurant
Harvey Norman Masterclasses

Have you been to another Masterclass like this? What did you think of it?

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