Wedding Celebration @ Sails on Lavendar Bay

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending a wonderfully cheery wedding reception at Sails on Lavender Bay. The first thing we notice when we entered the restaurant is the stunning view of the waterfront, the Harbour Bridge arching across the bright blue sky framing the Opera House underneath it. The dining room is long and narrow, with all tables alongside the floor-to-ceiling windows. There is room for up to 90 guests for a sit down reception and the layout allows for all guests to exult in the spectacular view.

The stunning view from our table

A few staffs circled around with a number of canapés and graciously offered them to seated guests. Sails pride themselves in their seafood and we are swayed by their delicious calamari. The calamari hidden inside the tasty crunchy coating is soft and so morish. We urged the staff to hand over the entire dish to our table as we vowed to demolish them while we chit-chat away.

The Menu for today

Pork, black bean and shallot pastille

L Loves… Salt and pepper calamari, lemon aioli

Dauphine Potatoes

After the entrance of the gorgeous bridal party and the glimmering new couple, we are presented with beautiful entrees of seared scallops and Crystal bay prawns. The scallops are so tender and delicious with the slightly sour yoghurt and the sweet, creamy carrot and ginger puree. The prawns are fresh and plump it almost seemed like they are caught at the waterfront on the day.   

L Loves… Seared scallops, carrot and ginger puree, cumin yoghurt, baby coriander

Crystal bay prawns, crab and lemon agnolotti, celeriac puree, chorizo, celeriac puree

After some interesting dancing, extraordinary singing and a few moving speeches we moved onto mains. The rib eye is slightly on the dry side, but it is meaty and flavoursome. Cooking the perfect steak is always a challenge when catering for a large group so overall I would say Sails did a great job. The portions for main are sizeable and if the steak doesn’t fill you up, the rich and buttery potato gratin is guaranteed to.

Cone bay barramundi, cauliflower puree, pine nut, caper and currant salsa 

Grainge rib eye, potato gratin, chimichurri butter

After our stomach for savouries are well beyond satisfied, it’s time to look after our desserts stomach. We are presented with the silky dark chocolate torte and vanilla and lemon crème brulee. The dark chocolate torte reminds me of Quay’s eight texture Valrhona chocolate cake, which I also had at a wedding reception. I still prefer Quay’s version though – I can still remember how rich and smooth and crunchy and nutty and chocolaty all at the same time! The vanilla and lemon crème brulee is massive. Call me old fashioned but I still prefer the traditional vanilla flavour when it comes to crème brulee. Sandwiched between the crumbly shortbread is the heavenly pistachio cream that is almost the consistency of a panna cotta. For me they are the covert hero of the dish, along with some of that citrusy lemon curd.

Dark chocolate torte, white chocolate mousse, milk chocolate sorbet

Vanilla and lemon crème brulee, lemon curd, shortbread, pistachio cream

L Loves… Lemon curd, shortbread, pistachio cream

All of the three courses we had are available on their current a la carte menu. The bridal party did a fantastic job at picking the dishes, placing emphasis on their exceptional seafood. Big congrats to the new couple for a beautiful wedding with lots of love and lovely food. I would happily go back to Sails and recommend it to anyone who is looking to impress anyone!

L's Verdict:

·      Taste: 8/10 

·      Ambience: 5/5

·      Value: 3/5

·      Service: 4/5

·      Creativity and other WOW factors: 4/5  

Overall rating:  24/30

Sails on Lavender Bay

2 Henry Lawson Ave

McMahons Point NSW 2060

(02) 9955 5998

Lunch: Tues to Fri, Sun 12 noon to 3pm

Dinner: Mon to Sat 6pm till late

Visited October 2012

Friendly advice: Sails on Lavender Bay is accessible by ferry, private boat or car – so pick your option and arrive in style.