Pilu at Freshwater

For our anniversary dinner this year, we decided to go to a restaurant that we'd thought about going to for years and years - ever since we saw Giovanni at a Taste of Sydney festival almost a decade ago. We braved the torrential rains that night and headed to Freshwater to dine at Pilu and was greeted by really nice and friendly waitstaff. Needless to say, the beautiful ocean view was denied for the night.

Because of our indecisive natures, the degustation was the ideal choice for the night. We were initially served with a welcome gift of savoury cookies. These cookies were pretty tasty, slightly cheesy in flavour and definitely served to whet our appetite.

The bread we got for the night was freshly baked, warm, crunchy outsides and soft innards. The butter was nicely whipped and quite tasty.

The first course we got was the Hiramasa kingfish. Thinly sliced really sweet kingfish was accentuated with the mild spice of friggitelli and pine nut pesto, and a really delicious side salad of corn (and singular caper).

 The next course smelt delicious but was rather confusing. Mr Giovanni came out and served the milky, cheesy pecorino consomme himself and poured it atop the tiny hand-rolled fregola, sweet pumpkin cubes and cavolo nero (ie the green stuff). It was so fragrant... but a bit of a let down. But then again, I've never been a fan of soupy rice, whatever flavour it may be.

I found the next pasta dish was much more appetising, even if it initially did look like little green worms on a plate. The parsley flavour in the pasta mixed really well with the orange chilli paint in the bowl. Bits of mussels and chickpeas were mixed in, but the pasta and sauce itself was tasty enough.

Next up was the fish. A perfectly cooked piece of Mulloway sat atop the most sweet and deliciously charred cabbage. Yummy buttery shrooms were good but not necessary on the plate. The black paint was delicious squid ink. The orange mustard sauce was slightly less so.

Next up was Pilu's famous suckling pig. You definitely don't get much of this signature dish but the bits that you do get are wonderfully deliciousness. The skin is crispy and the meat is really nice and tender and flavoursome. You get sides of pickled raddish, cabbage and roast potatoes. All really tasty really.

Dessert-wise was a bit of let down for me. But that's probably cos non-chocolate desserts are not my preference. The more refreshing of the two desserts was the textures of pear. A soft-poached pear with pear sorbet. I think if you like pear, you would like this.

The other dessert, and the finale of the night was a Sardinian fried pastry filled with ricotta and sultanas and drizzled with honey. The pastry was nice and crispy and there was a decent dollop of ricotta in it. The pastry wasn't too sweet and I guess it was OK... still would have preferred something more chocolately :P

 All up, a decent meal at Pilu. Not the best 2 Hat restaurant we've been to, but it was decent - the food was a bit more traditional than other restaurants. I'm sure that if it was a good clear day, it would be a meal with an amazing food.

Ratings:
Food - 7/10
Service - 7.5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 6.5/10
Overall -  28/40

Pilu at Freshwater
Moore Road
Freshwater
NSW 2096
Tel: (02) 9938 3331

Public Dining Room - Balmoral Beach

Before Christmas, we took my parents to Public Dining Room at Balmoral Beach. I love this beach and I love all the eating places around this beach but I have never actually dined at Public Dining Room before. Having flicked through the menu, I was full of anticipation.

It was an awesome summer's day and so, a table by the window gave us a fabulous view of the beach and all the beachgoers. And as the sun doesn't set until after 8pm, we had this amazing view for a while.

The four of us ordered two starters to share - the scallops and the smoked ocean trout. The scallops were seared to perfection and served with sweetcorn puree and chorizo. Did you know that scallops are perfect pairs with corn and chorizo? Cos this was absolutely deliciousness!!! The cured ocean trout was also refreshing, really fresh tasting with flavours balanced well.

scallops with sweet corn puree and chorizo

cured ocean trout

Perhaps they had too many customers and were understaffed but our mains took seemingly forever to come... Luckily, when they did come, it was really good! Hubby had the Brodetto, which was an Italian seafood soup. This was really seafoody and flavoursome. The prawns were massive and the broth was rich. My only qualm with this was that the bread came in the soup, making it soggy an mushy... I would have wanted the bread on the side so that I could choose when I want to soak up the juices.

Brodetto

Mum had a really awesome pasta. Short strozzapreti pasta was served with massive king prawns, nz clams, zucchini, bottarga and a hint of chilli. I have to say, I actually really liked this slightly creamy concoction. Tasty! Dad's 'fish of the day' being wild caught barramundi was possibly my least favourite of the night. Not that the fish wasn't cooked well... it just lacked the 'wow factor' that the other dishes had. The fish got served with clams, cuttlefish, and chorizo, all cooked perfectly.

strozzapreti with king prawns

wild caught barramundi

My dish was the 'melting' huon tasmanian salmon. It was gorgeous! Sous-vide to perfection, flaky and melt-in-your-mouth. Sooo good. Atop of the amazing salmon was crispy salmon skin. Perfect pairing! Moreover, there was a little salad of purple potato, asparagus, quinoa and watercress puree. Loved it!

Sous-vide Huon Salmon

The sides that we ordered, baked broken potatoes and brocollini were both good but not as awesome as our main dishes.

We were all super full but I couldn't resist but some dessert - or at least, I couldn't. I ordered the 'four tastes of valrhona, aero style, which the waitress had lots of trouble explaning to us what it comprised of. I believe that they melt various flavours of valrhona chocolate (milk, white, dark, sweet) then pump air into it, reform the chocolate, then chop it up in various shapes. It did taste a lot like Nestle's "aero". And I'm super thankful that the waitress bought out four plates and forks cos there was no way I could have finished this on my own!!! Definitely one for sharing!!!

Valrhona chocolate, aero style

I loved the food at this place. It's a great dining venue with really yummy food. Maybe I'll try to book this place again when it's less busy as I didn't like waiting 45mins for my mains... but I guess that my food was so delicious that I could overlook it... a little.

Ratings:
Food - 9/10
Service - 6.5/10
Ambiance - 8.5/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 31/40

Public Dining Room
2A The Esplanade
Balmoral Beach
NSW 2088
Tel: (02) 9968 4880

Jonahs - Whale Beach

Looking for food with a view?
This is it.

Jonah's

For my birthday dinner, my partner booked us in for dinner at Jonah's. Situated at Whale beach, the restaurant is perched high up in the cliffs but looks down to a simply amazingly clear blue watered, yellow sand beach. Breath-taking!

We were welcomed by friendly waiters who allowed us to chill with cocktails at their terrace overlooking the breath-taking views until we felt like settling in for dinner which was definately a nice touch. And when finally seated, we were again served by a friendly (yet not hassling) waiter.

Canapes and bread were complimentary. For the night, we got foie gras with crispy hammon and heirloom tomato. The hammon was super thinly sliced yet flavoursome through and through. The foie gras, thought just a tiny blob, was distinct and strong. Not a bad start.

foie gras with crispy hammon and heirloom tomato

The damper style bread we were served with was warm and soft yet crispy hard on the outside. More damper-like meant that the bread was quite a bit more dense. I think I prefer normal white bread :)

warm damper bread

My partner and I decided to share two entrees. The first was an angel hair pasta with Queensland spanner crab and tossed with lemon zest, garlic, chilli flakes and parmigiano reggiano ($28). We had overheard the next table rave on about how awesome this pasta was. And it was good. Subtle. But it wasn't the most excellent pasta I've ever had.

Queensland spanner crab and angel hair pasta - $28

The other entree option picked was the "avocado con frutti di mare" ($30). This comprised of a seared Hervey Bay scallop which was cooked really almost perfectly, a good dallop of burnt avocado mousseline, 2 pre-peeled king prawns, an avocado tomato salmon roe tower and a Sydney Rock oyster with avocado oil. The dish was again fresh and subtle. The avocado mousse went with pretty much everything which was awesome!

"avocado con frutti di mare" - $30

For mains, we ordered two fish dishes. One was grilled yellowfin tuna AND ocean trout AND Hervey Bay scallops ($49). Yes. It was quite hectic and slightly chaotic. The tuna steak was very very dense. A bit too heavy and strong for my liking. This was contrasted by the super soft tender and light ocean trout which I preferred muchly! The scallops were again cooked almost perfectly but I guess when I'm comparing to the giant scallops we got in Taipei, these scallops were definately babies. These two seafood options were served with wilted snowpea leaves, snow peas and baby radish.

grilled yellowfin tuna and ocean trout and Hervey Bay scallops - $49

The other main was the seared John Dory with Blue Swimmer crab meat. This was topped with a baby herb salad which was very much refreshingness but what better, was the melted leek pile with crab meat intermixed which sat on the bottom and was drenched in the buttery sauce. Heavenly! The three sweet pea pikelets surrounding the pile of fish was slightly odd though. Very strong in pea flavour but odd. And the fish was just average ish.

John Dory - $49

I have to say, dissappointingly, our stomachs could fit no more. Though tempted by the thought of dessert, my stomach simply protested. Next time. Maybe.

Ratings:
Food - 7/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 9.5/10
Value for money - 6.5/10
Overall - 31/40

Jonah's
69 Bynya Road,
Whale Beach
NSW 2108
Tel: (02) 9974 5599

Moby's - Whale Beach

For a sweet valentines day lunch, my partner took me to a nice but quiet, little yet not too little restaurant at Whale Beach. This restaurant had an awesome beach view, unjustified by the photo, and slightly dampened by the rainy weather.

Moby's

Greeted by warm and friendly staff, we were directed to what he described as "the best seat in the house". Given the layout of the restaurant, he probably said that to every couple who walked in on that day. LOL

We were quickly welcomed by the drinks menu - followed shortly by complementary bread which was crispy on the outside and nice and warm and fluffy on the inside. Drenched in melted butter, the bread tasted delicious!

fresh bread and butter - complementary

Shortly after we ordered, we were treated to complementary starters - thai fish-cake (made of salmon) with mango salad. Weren't the greatest fish-cakes, but it was good to know that it was actually really made of fish (enough to make me feel as if it's healthy).

salmon-filled thai fish cakes with mango - complementary

For starters, my partner and I could not resist the temptation of ordering the scallops and oysters. Or rather, my partner knew that I really wanted these two items and hence, posed it as if he wanted to order them :P

The sydney rock oysters were topped with salmon caviar and creme fraiche ($19.90 for half dozen). They were nice - smooth and tasty with that savoury satisfying *pop*from the caviar. However, my partner and I both agreed that they did not beat the oysters we had at Fine Fish (for the good food month).

Rock oysters with salmon caviar and creme fraiche - $19.90 (1/2 dozen)

The scallops were pan seared to perfection and served with parsnip puree, red peppers, and baby maiche ($24.50). I have a very slightly limited repetoire of foods I eat (I am a very picky eater), but I was tricked into eating this parsnip puree thinking it was mash. And, I am happy to say that I'm adding another wierd exciting vegetable to my repetoire of foods! Eating the scallops with the puree... mmm... delicious mix of aromas!

Pan seared Sea Scallops - $24.50

I ordered the steak and my partner opted for the barramundi (yeh, it was weird I know). As I forgot what my steak came with, I let the waitress talk me into ordering a side salad (though I was super tempted by the side wedges). The salad ($7.90) was fresh and crisp and added to my feeling of healthiness.

Side of green salad - $7.90

My scotch-fillet steak ($39.90), cooked medium, destroyed my feeling of healthiness almost immediately (but it was well worth it). The steak was super tender and super super super juicy. Eaten with the rich horseradish creme fraiche and dunked in red wine sauce... mmm... superb! The organic swiss mushies and the king brown mushies were also very much to my liking. My only complaint was that the portion was too huge! I felt as though I was eating two steaks! Luckily, my partner volunteered to help me out :)

Char grilled Scotch fillet with mushies in red wine sauce and horseradish creme fraiche - $39.90

My partner's wild gulf barramundi ($39.90) also came out perfectly cooked. I'm always scared that restaurants will over-cook my fish and make it dry and tasteless, but that was completely not the case with this barramundi. Served with perfectly cooked scallops and emersed with an asian soy-sauce taste, it was like a fusion of aussie and chinese food done well. The barramundi was also squashing bok choy, shiitake mushies, bacon, and wakame and was resting on a black bean, soy ginger broth.

Barramundi with sea scallops, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms and bacon - $39.90

By the end of the meal, I was too full for dessert (I know, it's rare), and I guess I wasn't too overly enticed by their desserts (or maybe I was thinking of splurging on dessert in Gold Class later on). Whatever the reason, we skipped the dessert.

The staff at this restaurant were friendly and helpful - I don't know if it was just the day, or whether they are like that normally. The ambiance is perfect for a quiet lunch/dinner. Has fabulousness view. And, by the looks of what they were doing, nicely decorate your tables when you have your wedding there. My partner curiously asked how many people they catered for for weddings (answer = 150), only to be met with an over-zealous staff offering us a look at the wedding package. Definately the wrong day to ask questions such as that! LOL

Definately recommending this place though! (even if the beach is choppier and less calm compared to Balmoral)

Ratings:
Food - 8.5
Service - 8.5
Ambiance - 9
Value for money - 8
Overall - 34

Moby's
227 Whale Beach Rd
Whate Beach, NSW 2107
tel: (02) 9974 2727

Watermark - Balmoral Beach

To begin this post, I must give credit to my sleep-loving, not-always-full-of-patience, yet willing-to-put-up-with-me partner for he was woken up before 8am to listen to the long list of things I wanted to eat that day. The list included eggs and toast (maybe from Bills or Dank St Depot), huge chicken schnitzel (maybe from Una's), huge pork knuckle (maybe from Löwenbräu Keller), sausage + egg + my fav brand of 2-min noodles (aka "doll son noodles"), mashed potatos, siu mai, etc etc. When my partner finally couldn't take it anymore, he decided - Ryo's ramen it was! And by this time, it was past 11.30am (ie. no longer breakfast time).

With anticipation, my mind was filled with yummy tonkotsu-based thick-souped ramen and soft-shell crab during our drive to Ryo's - only to be overcome by disappointment as they were closed. Why do Jap people enjoy holidays when I most crave their food?!?!?!?!!

Anyway, thanks to my partner's quick thinking, we landed at our lunch destination before 1pm. Although I was hesitant to walk further than the lovely-smelling kiosk selling chips and hotdogs at Balmoral beach (I was absolutely starving!!!), we eventually made it to Watermark. And boy was I glad I didn't opt for the kiosk.

Watermark

Presented with a nice looking menu, I was indecisive (again) and wanted the beef, the chicken and the salmon. Even though I was hungry, I still don't think I could have managed three mains. To help me out, my partner ordered the beef, whilst I settled for the salmon.

Menu

Complementary bread came first. It was warm-ish and soft and yummy. But the crust was definitely hard to break off - and yes, I did make a nice little mess on my table.

Complementary bread

When our mains came out, I was all awe and amazement. WOW!
I love it when food is asthetically-pleasing and a work of art, more so when it smells deliciousness, and even more so when it gets placed in front of me! mmm... yum.

Roasted eye fillet of beef - cooked medium rare - $39

My partner's steak, roasted eye-fillet, cooked medium-rare, and surrounded by fondant potatoes, vine tomatoes, bone marrow, and topped with horseradish butter ($39) ... absolutely wonderfulness! Smelt great, looked great, and most importantly, tasted great!

Salmon - cooked medium rare - $38

And my dish ($38) - the photo does NOT do it justice! The black stroke on the right-hand side... looks so artistically like a stroke of black paint - only edible (ie. black squid ink). The pan fried salmon was super crispy-skinned yet awesomely soft and tender below. Cooked to a perfect medium rare. Accompanied with a small toss of calamari and crispy eschallot salad, it was deliciousness when eaten with the squid-ink sauce. And pea-sauce was dribbled-on just right to complete the artistic-quality of the dish.

We also ordered two sides. The green salad ($9), and the potato puree ($8). The green salad was just tossed so perfectly - not drenched in vinigarette, yet tastey on every fresh leafy component. And the potato puree... words can not describe the buttery creaminess.

Green Salad with an Italian style vinigarette - $9

Potato Puree - $8

Overall, food wins out. Such an awesomeness lunch that my partner will never have to pull me away from the yummy-tasting kiosk and convince me to eat at Watermark again - as I would be all hands up for Watermark! The service was nice and friendly. And view-wise? Balmoral is my favourite beach, so how can a restaurant which overlooks this beach have a bad view? :)

Would I come here again?
Well, how can I resist asthetically-pleasing dishes?

Ratings:
Food - 9.5/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 9/10
Value for money - 8.5/10
Overall - 35/40

Watermark
2A The Esplanade
Balmoral Beach
NSW 2088
Tel: (02) 9968 3433