Q STATION/BOILERHOUSE RESTAURANT - MANLY, SYDNEY

Q Station 
Boilerhouse Restaurant
North Head Scenic Drive
Manly, Sydney

The Boilerhouse Culinary Dinner Series is an impressive group of culinary experiences. The good news is that even though two have already been held, a third is on its way (Thursday 24 September). It's something well worth going to for the food, the wine and the venue. Each event is sold separately too so you haven't missed out - yet!

We were fortunate to attend the second event - The Winter Wine Feast. It again featured the food of enigmatic Ambassador Chef Matt Kemp. Paired with this was the tasty offerings from Ross Hill Wines in Orange and their laconic James Robson. Of course the idea of a six course menu with matching wines wasn't exactly a hard concept to deal with, especially with what was on offer.

We started with bubbles. The 2010 Ross Hill Vintage Brut that was in abundance was a tasty drop and a nice way to start a wet Sydney evening.

Our first course for the night was under the heading of bouchee - which is really just a very small starter.

It was simply described in the menu for the evening as braised duck leg croustillant with beetroot. Croustillant means crispy - and this dish certainly lived up to its name. Now we both love a good duck dish if the truth be told - and this was good!

Course two was our very decent sized starter. It was Jerusalem artichoke and chestnut pithivier. A pithivier is basically a pie made from two pieces of pastry pressed together. This was very good - and getting to watch Matt Kemp walk us through how to make it was even better. The delicious 2014 Ross Hill 'Pinacle Series' Pinot Gris was a great match for the dish too.

Next was our "Fish Course". It was baked fillet of Palmers' Island Mulloway with savoy cabbage, smoked pork belly and celeriac. Again, we saw it being created and plated and then it arrived at our tables as a sharing plate to be served individually by us all. It was a fun way to enjoy great food. The lovely pairing of a tasty 2014 Ross Hill 'Pinacle Series' Chardonnay capped off this dish nicely too. 

Slow cooked meat really works doesn't it. Done well, the meat just falls off the bone, it's that tender. The 48 hour short rib of pasture-fed beef, creamed onions, charred leeks and parsnip fondants did just this - and the flavours that came with it only added to the taste. The full flavoured 2014 Ross Hill 'Pinacle Series' Cabernet Sauvignon again went well.

Our "Pre Dessert" was poached quince jelly with lemon posset. Whats posset - it's a milky, spiced, alcohol infused liquid - a bit like an eggnog in a way. This was a refreshing tangy palate freshener.

Then it was time for the finale - dessert. It was baked Eve's pudding with rum and raisin ice cream. For Sir it had everything needed, pudding, rum and ice cream! Even though it was again a sharing dish - he had seconds!

A fruity and sweet 2011 Ross Hill Late Harvest Riesling was a lovely dessert wine that combined well.
























Q Station is an impressive, historic, in fact heritage, venue. It's on 36 hectares and was Australia's first Quarantine Station - from 1833 till 1984.

Now under the Accor brand, it offers accommodation, events, weddings, food, tours - right on the harbours edge. This culinary dinner was great - and Matt Kemp and James Robson were very entertaining.


Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Q Station. Special thanks to Matt Kemp and James Robson - love your work guys! Big thanks to Candice Teo from Espoir PR and Communications for arranging our visit.

 

DANIEL SAN - MANLY, SYDNEY

Daniel San
55 North Steyne,
Manly, Sydney

Daniel San serves great Japanese street food with a fun, playful side. This quirkiness flows through the entire place. Clearly named after the Karate Kid term used by Mr Miyagi to describe the main character, it has a retro 1980's Japanese rock and roll diner feel to it. It's different and it works!

Executive Chef Benjamin Orpwood has a strong history of good food, having previously been sous chef at Toko. He's certainly let his creative juices flow here and developed a fun-filled menu.

Sitting right across from the beach at Manly means Daniel San also has amazing views.

They've used their location very well too, with plenty of outside seating to grab views and raised inside seating to share them too.

Aren't edamame beans a great nibble to start a meal?

At Daniel San there are two versions - steamed, or for just a little more cost, the spicy ones (which we had).

If you're more observant than us - which probably isn't hard - then you may also notice that there are two bowls - one has the beans and the other is for the husks after you eat them!

Sausages at a Japanese place? Well if it's Daniel San then expect the unexpected. Listed as Osawa San's Japanese snags they arrived in a serving of three, skewered and with a decent sized dollop of kewpie mayonnaise. These snags were so juicy and dipping them in the mayo was even better!

If you haven't had chicken karrage then you're missing out on one of the tastiest treats going around.

Here, it's basically marinated chicken that is lightly coated in buttermilk and bonito flakes and then rapidly deep fried to create a crispy crunchy coating.

Here the outer crunch revealed tender juicy chicken inside that we then eagerly devoured.

The steamed buns are very popular here - and for good reason. There are several interesting varieties including honey glazed Berkshire pork belly with spicy cashew sauce and snow crab with avocado, but we decided on vegetarian.

The spicy tofu with grilled avocado guacamole was fantastic. The whole combination worked so well and the different textures gave it plenty of variation. In servings of three it's well worth trying a few different ones.

Japanese for many of us conjures up fresh sashimi - and you won't be disappointed here. They have some impressive choices in both quality and presentation.

The Deluxe Sashimi Boat includes the Chef’s selection of five different types of fish, freshly sliced and served on a "boat" with various traditional garnishes. Heads turn when this arrives at your table, and the standard is just as good.

Dessert at Daniel San is again just as varied and playful. The strawberries and cream cheesecake is served deconstructed.

You get the base crumbled on top of a delicious mound of cheesecake with a strawberry topping.

It's a huge serving too - with lots of tables sharing dessert as each bowl could satisfy two people.

In keeping with the quirky style here, the other dessert we had was just as "different".

Ever had tofu for dessert?

Sounds a bit odd doesn't it - but this is nothing like you may be imagining.

The milk and white chocolate tofu with coco nibs is a killer finish to a meal and we'd highly recommend it.

Daniel San is lively, fresh, fun and tasty - all in one.

You can just drop in for a drink and a nibble, or you can stay for an entire meal from the fun and funky restaurant menu they have. Your call!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Daniel San. Special thanks to their floor manager Sukh and Andy for looking after us so very well. Big thanks also to Alex Cohen for arranging our visit.

OUT OF AFRICA - MANLY, SYDNEY

Out of Africa
43-45 East Esplanade
Manly, Sydney

Executive Chef/Owner and author Hassan M'Souli has created an exotic and charming restaurant in Manly that's almost been kept hidden by loyal locals who heavily visit it for a taste of Africa. Out Of Africa is almost across the road from Manly Wharf - in fact it actually looks out to it. The Moroccan government has even commended him for his outstanding contribution to promoting Moroccan cuisine in Australia.

The decor here is great - the uniqueness of the African artefact's around the room almost transports you there - it has a great feel to it verging on tribal, There's even black and white "zebra" prints on the bench seats and the high back chairs add even more atmosphere. It's also a decent sized place seating 110 (and even going to 120 at a pinch for a party).

Starting a meal with a cocktail is so nice - especially when it's a tasty African Punch. It was a killer drink for a hot day - served in a cocktail glass looking very inviting with vibrant red colour and garnished with a strawberry and a slice of orange.

The African Punch was made from vodka, Bacardi, triple sec, port, red wine and of course fresh fruit.

We left the dishes in the hands of the staff of Out Of Africa and the first dish was a lovely fresh salad of fig, labna, goats cheese, scallops and pomegranate.

It was very pretty with the pomegranate dotted around a tasty pile of ripe figs and tender scallops.

All the textures and flavours went well together in this fresh and light dish.


We sipped on some lovely global wines as well - Sir on a 2013 Dry Pinot Gris from Drumsara Central Otago in New Zealand and Mlady on a 2013 Pinotage Rose from Swartland Winery in South Africa.

Next we had the Soul Sardines - fresh filleted sardines marinated in a blend of exotic herbs and spices, lightly pan-fried and immersed in a spicy tomato sauce

Oh this was good, an amazing dish. The spicy tomato sauce had bite and we loved the preserved lemon on top - so underutilised these days,

It was great from colour to taste and we enjoyed the mild crunchiness from the pan frying.

It's hard not to have a tajine when eating Moroccan - so we had the Moroccan Meat Balls Tajine - a signature dish of Out Of Africa.

It was spicy Kefta balls made from lean minced beef simmered in a delicious sauce of tomato, onion, garlic, spices and green peas, as served in the Harem. 

We loved that everything combined well and we also loved the spiciness,





















Sir loves his lamb dishes so we were lucky to have the Sud Afric Lamb Sosaties - another signature dish.

It consisted of tender lamb backstrap marinated, char grilled and served on a bed of dried fruit flavoured rice with sour cream and sweet madras apricot sauce.

It was sweet, meaty and tangy - all things good. The meat was extremely tender too.

Of course cous cous is a must when you're eating Moroccan food.

It's kind of like having rice with Asian food - perfect to soak up the delicious sauces and juices that go with the main courses.

It went particularly well with the spicy meatball sauce - we just kept eating and eating!

The topping on the cous cous was great too.

We were spoiled with a trio of desserts.

The creme brulee was great - so rich and creamy with a nice crunchy crust on top.

The indulgent Moroccan chocolate cake was amazing. It was a rich flourless Moroccan cake, a combination of buttery nuts, sweet ripe dates and dark chocolate.

It was served warm and we devoured it all - every last crumb.

Last but not least was the date and Kahlua crepes - lovely thin crepes served with a rich but delicious crepe sauce of date and Kahlua.

It was coupled with house made strawberry and vanilla ice cream.

You have to finish your meal at Out Of Africa with some Moroccan mint tea - it's a must try! Apart from having some very refreshing tea to drink - it's the show you get when the tea is poured at the table from a great height to aerate it. It's quite spectacular and a real eye catcher. 

Out Of Africa is an exotic hidden oasis that is really worth discovering. The food is great, exciting, big flavours and beautifully presented. Service is attentive and it's an experience there too!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Out Of Africa. Special thanks to the inspirational Hassan M'Souli for having us. Thanks also to Thomas and Dario for looking after us and also to Zoe and Jasmine for arranging everything.

BLUEWATER - MANLY, SYDNEY

Bluewater
28 South Steyne
Manly, Sydney

Manly has become such a blossoming restaurant district lately with new players entering the market all the time. Bluewater on the other hand has been here a while and based on it's continuing popularity it's here to stay.

It's in a perfect location as well, with its frontage directly opposite and gazing out over Manly Beach with its magnificent views. We were there for an evening meal so we were lucky enough to have the benefit of those views!

Mlady was indisposed this evening so I was joined by The Duchess and we had a great table close to the front - so we settled in, took in the views and started the difficult task of what to choose from the menu.

We wanted to try a variety of starters so the next challenge was which platter to choose. We ended up selecting the seafood platter which had four sections - one with soft shell crab, the next with smoked salmon, the third with fish cakes and finally skewered marinated prawns.

This was such a good way to start the meal and they were all great but the Duchess and I particularly loved the soft shell crab closely followed by the prawns!

Even though the first plate was a winner we were so tempted to try the mezze plate that we did!

As soon as we saw what it had, it had us! It was described as house made dip, marinated olives and artichokes, spiced eggplant, grilled haloumi and zucchini fritter served with toasted Turkish pide.

The Duchess and I both love pretty much everything that was listed on this plate!

The dips were lovely but we almost fought over the haloumi which was delish!

We also both loved the zucchini fritters as well - however there was so much on the plate we were struggling to finish it all.

Ever had an espatada? Its a specialty of Bluewater consisting of a large suspended skewer of meat with a sauce bowl over the top of it that gradually dribbles sauce down over the meat. Down below the meat is salad - which also gets some of the sauce on it. It's so good. We had Portuguese beef rump with their signature red wine chilli sauce and the other was seafood with fish and Australian king prawns with chilli and garlic butter. OMG - these things are amazing - so tender and so tasty - and the beef was our personal favourite.

Then it was dessert time - even though we were stuffed.

We decided to share two desserts and first choice (for me) was the sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream.

It was big, steaming and rich but again so tasty. I have to confess that this is a favourite of mine and this version was great!

The Duchess got to choose the other dessert (generous of me I thought) and chose the classic vanilla creme brulee.

To be honest this would have been my other choice anyway.

It was a really nice dessert with great flavours and a nice toffee crust on top but I still loved the sticky date pudding just a little bit more!

Bluewater is in a prime position looking out to Manly Beach. However great views alone don't keep people coming back. Here the food is extremely popular but it is the very friendly service you get that make Bluewater what it is.

Sir and Mlady (or this time the Duchess) dined as guests of Bluewater. Special thanks to Sacha Biddle from Platinum Restaurant Group and Bluewater for arranging our visit.

WHITEWATER - MANLY, SYDNEY

Whitewater
35 South Steyne,
Manly, Sydney

Whitewater is a beautiful restaurant in such a lovely location looking out across to Manly beach.

As you'd expect from its location it has a wide range of seafood options, but there's also plenty of other choices here as well.

Whitewater is cosy, comfortable and yet quite a chic venue. There's a strong use of natural timber and stone giving the whole place a rustic boathouse feel.
Seating around 140 people it's also a decent sized restaurant - which is just as well considering how popular it is.  However its not a cavernous place - it is nicely broken into plenty of different spaces.

It's a lovely dinner venue but also a great place for a leisurely lunch gazing out across the beach!

When dining by the sea it seems appropriate to start with a seafood dish - even though there are certainly ample non-seafood choices available

We chose the prawn cocktail - a familiar favourite. This was described as a traditional cocktail with tangy mayo sauce and avocado on a bed of iceberg lettuce.

It certainly looked great with a lovely mix of colours and various garnishes protruding from the top of the bowl.

Fortunately it also tasted just as good with plenty of prawns and lots of avocado.

The sauce was great too and it all came nicely presented in a tall glass serving bowl.

Keeping with the seafood by the seaside theme we then ordered the grilled king prawns and USA scallops on a mini skewer.

This came served on avocado mousse, diced heirloom tomato, roasted red pepper and salsa verde.

The skewer was beautifully and elegantly presented. This was a meal of contrasts and they worked so well together. Yum, yum, yum!

Don't you just love calamari by the seaside?

The calamari was described as crumbed rings served with a homemade tartare sauce and a side garnish.

They smelled delicious and the blend of vibrant colours in the salad looked great too. The calamari itself was sooooo tender as well - it melted in the mouth.

If you love seafood then like us you probably really love lobster. Well we love both! So we jumped at the chance to try the 250gm Floridian USA lobster grilled with garlic butter sauce on the side, chips and a salad garnish.

The lobster was very tender, very juicy and oh so delicious. The chips were golden and crisp and the salad garnish while nice was not surprisingly last to be eaten!

After trying four entrees, yes four, it was time to move on to main courses.

Mlady fancied trying one of the pasta dishes (and there's a few available) so we ordered the homemade maltagliati pasta with crab, pancetta, veal jus and crispy garlic bread croutons.

This was a lovely dish - with the tomato based sauce full of flavour and a bit of a kick. We both loved it.

When I encounter a steak described as having a full blood marble score of 10+ it certainly attracts my attention. The rump Tajima Wagui "Kobe Style" wet, aged, 250gms was a special that was available - although the usual steak has a 9 score! Served medium rare it comes in two pieces, one basted and one seasoned. It comes served with grilled baby onions and roast potatoes. Put simply, this was a great steak that absolutely melted in my mouth and was so full of flavour. Wow - it was delicious!

Time for dessert - and there were some great options to choose from here at Whitewater.

We started with the chocolate ganache with salted caramel sauce, chocolate spiral, mango and carrot sorbet.

The combination sounded so good on the menu and the look and taste of this delicious delicacy didn't disappoint. It was sweet heaven.

We had decided to share our desserts, like we had with all the earlier courses.

Our final sweet was called Tropical Dream and it was a great dream!

It was chocolate biscuit, coconut cream and mango mousse cake with chocolate sorbet.

It was so light and oh so tasty.

Whitewater is understandably a really popular restaurant. It has great food in a beautiful relaxed venue with excellent service and an amazing view. People come here and settle in for the afternoon or evening - some have even done both in the one day!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Whitewater and the Platinum Group. Thanks to Chrisie and Lisa for looking after us on our visit and to Sacha Biddle for explaining everything. Thanks also to Fallon Gomesz for arranging our visit.

 

CAFE MOUSTACHE - MANLY, SYDNEY

Cafe Moustache
7 The Corso
Manly, Sydney

Cafe Mostache has only recently opened and in such a great location on the bustling Corso in Manly and it's already got its regular customers. Its a casual eatery in a casual area - but don't let this mislead you into making similar assumptions about the food which is certainly high standard cafe food.

Cafe Moustache is open from 7am for an early breakfast right through to 4pm every day of the week - but if you're on the Corso you probably need to do this.

Owners JJ and Nicky both come from strong hospitality backgrounds and this shows in the food and service at Cafe Moustache. It's a cosy place that seats 30 people and it has a nice feel to it with food that you will certainly remember!

We started with a Moustache Cafe Special - their bacon and egg roll. It had a whole crispy rasher of bacon (looking like a moustache a bit) with a free range egg wrapped around it and all in a torpedo roll with house made aioli and tomato jam.This has to be one of the best bacon and egg rolls we have ever had too! It was so good.

We also had a cool refreshing coconut water in a whole coconut. This a so good at any time but so right near the beach.

We then had the lovely low and slow free range eggs on sonoma toast that were garnished with house grown sprouts.

Cooked on very low heat for an extended period these were amazing!

The butter on the side scooped on a small spoon was a nice touch too - as not everyone wants butter anyway!

Our next dish was another Moustache Cafe Special - Isaan (the north eastern region of Thailand) style baked eggs with a bread roll and chicken pate.

It was an unusual combination that turned out to be quite unique in flavour - in a good way. We were curious as to how the chicken pate would go with this but the earthy pate turned out to go beautifully with the Isaan style eggs. If you're looking for something a bit different then this may be the dish for you.

Our next Moustache Cafe Special was so pretty and beautifully presented.

It was the avocado toast with heirloom tomatoes, beetroot, tahini and homegrown micro herbs.

It was a sea of colour with different shapes reaching skyward from a base of smashed avocado. It looked great and it tasted great too. The light dressing of white and black tahini went so well with it all as well - again adding colour and flavour.

Cafe Moustache have quite a few dishes that have a real wow factor that will stay in your memory long after you finish!

A generously sized glass of freshly squeezed orange juice went perfectly with the food.

We were pretty full but the desserts here are something you just have to try.

The banana supreme was delicious. It was banana cake topped with grilled banana then smothered in melted Belgian chocolate encasing vanilla custard and garnished with walnuts.

This rich decadent tasty treat was just sooooooo good. 

Then we had the rich and spectacular dessert called Cloud Nine.

It was a house made Belgian waffle topped with strawberries, white chocolate and a vanilla cloud with ice cream and cream.

People nearby gasped when it arrived for us to try - and some people walking past outside saw it and came in to order their own! It was delicious too!

Moustache Cafe is not your average cafe. The food has some really unique twists that ends up looking very different and tasting so great as well.

If you like something a bit different there are options here - but they do the normal things as well!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Moustache Cafe. Special thanks to JJ and Nicky for inviting us.

DONNY'S BAR - MANLY, SYDNEY

Donny's Bar
7 Market Place,
Manly, Sydney

Manly is fast becoming a place for good food, good bars and good times and Donny's Bar is the new kid on the block here. It's the dream turned reality of business partners Matt Clifton and Tol Broinowski (who chatted with us on our visit) who both bring a strong hospitality background to the venture.

Donny's Bar has a real charm to it. The decor and fit out is simple but very effective. Designed by Sydney based architecture firm Luchetti Krelle but based on a very clear brief from the owners, it incorporates a two-storey New York loft style with a relaxed Australian bar. They have a great menu too - dumplings and modern Australian tapas with a bit of an Asian influence. It's a small comfortable restaurant/bar or bar/restaurant seating 26 upstairs in the main dining area with the upstairs lounge seating a further 10 and more space again at ground level.

Donny's Bar serves a decent variety of food but many start their meals or snacks with some of their great dumplings.

We tried the pork 'n' chive dumplings which arrived in a serving of four. They came with a lovely dipping sauce and also sensibly with a small jar of toothpicks.

The dumplings were delicious with a quite subtle delicate blend of meat and spices.

We then moved on to crispy chicken 'n' shitake dumplings.

Again this was beautifully presented and arrived with a lovely dipping sauce and the standard side jar of toothpicks.

I have to admit that I'm quite partial to fried dumplings and so I really liked these crisp and tasty treats that again had great flavours.

We were then surprised by Executive Chef Richie with a tasting plate with one of their BBQ pork dumplings and one of their organic vegetable dumplings.

The BBQ pork bun was so light and fluffy and was very tasty. The organic vegetable dumpling was very unique.

It almost tasted like meat and looked like it too. It was a very full flavoured dumpling.

We freely admit we love burgers and their little cousins - sliders. Donny's Bar has wagyu beef sliders in a serving of three. They come with caramelised French onion, double cheddar, tomato relish and you can order a side of chips as an extra if you want.

These looked great, and they were great, with juicy meat and plenty of punch with the sauce and extras. The crisp beer battered chips were lovely as well.

Eating all this lovely food was thirsty work. Mlady chose a Mandarin Ginger Sidecar - described as sugar, spice and all things nice. It was made with Hennessy VS, mandarin and ginger which was then shaken with lemon and served up in a coupette. She loves ginger and found the drink very refreshing.

I chose one of the most popular drinks here - Peachy Keen. It's a drink designed for sharing between two people although my plan was to share as little as possible! It was a mix of white wine, Absolut peach and vanilla all topped with apple juice. It came served in a carafe which gradually disappeared as our meal went on!

We then had a beautifully plated dish of roasted scallops.

They came "as pretty as a picture" with broccoli puree, toasted pistachio, asparagus ‘n’ garlic and lime aioli.

It was such a colourful and fresh dish that tasted as good as it looked. This was healthy at its best - not dull but full of flavour.

Then another work of art arrived at the table - four towers of taste and appeal.

Described in the menu as Prosciutto ‘n’ Goat’s cheese they stood tall on the plate with garnishes of asparagus, toasted hazelnut and a drizzle of red wine vinaigrette.

It was again a healthy tasty treat that had a real wow factor to it.

We kept getting one surprise after the next - and it was not stopping yet!

A beautiful signature dish arrived of beetroot and basil puree topped with with salmon and barramundi on a bed of asparagus and spring onion and garnished with a big juicy plump prawn.

This was a killer meal that looked so impressive yet again, and tasted so lovely.

We were bulging a bit by now but there's always room for a sweet ending to any meal!

We tried the classic baked blueberry cheese cake with poached cinnamon pear. It was a delicious cheese cake that was rich and decadent.

The surprise was the beautifully poached pear pairing that actually went so well. A nice garnish of sangria infused strawberries topped it all off.











Another pleasant and sweet surprise was our final dessert plate - coconut pandan - light balls of goodness with pandanus leaf flavouring.

They came in a matching pair resting on a bed of raspberries.

As with everything here the appearance was impressive and matched by the taste. We loved these!

The retro bathroom

The retro bathroom

Donny's Bar is impressive. It has great atmosphere - very New York but at the same time very Australian. It's a lovely blend of restaurant and bar all in one with great food and drinks on offer. It really is a nice place to drop by - with plenty of different spaces for everyone and every need. Service is friendly and helpful - there's a real customer focus here.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Donny's Bar. Thanks to owners Matt Clifton and Tol Broinowski. Thanks also to Executive Chef Richie and Stefano and Matteo for the amazing and yet surprisingly healthy food and to Gemma for looking after us so well on our visit. Special thanks to Amanda See from Sweaty Betty PR for arranging our visit so capably.