Breathtaking Lunch @ Jonah's Restaurant Whale Beach

Back in May I received a birthday gift certificate from Mr J & Miss J to dine at Jonah’s restaurant (thank you so much J & J for spoiling me every year)! I am told this beautiful place is best visited during daytime. With Mr M & my busy schedule, it took us over four months to find the perfect day to visit. I can now say it is well worth the wait. We gasped as we entered Jonah’s restaurant. The view looking over Whale beach is mesmerising and we wordlessly thank God for the perfect weather.

The waiters we encountered today had strong European accent. They are extremely mannerly and pronounce “Bon appétit!” delightfully. The service is seamless and the timing between each course gives us the right amount of time to digest and admire the view.

As Jonah’s rightly states on their website, their food is quite possibly the only thing that could divert our attention from the stunning view. Executive chef Peter Ridland has spent time in cooking in various 2 and 3 Michelin star restaurants in France and London. Spectacular view, great service and delicious food - what more could one ask for?

We started off with delicious warm bread, served with sea salt, butter and olive oil. Our amuse bouche is a shot glass of chilled potato leek soup and a spoonful of goat’s cheese, pickles and crumbles. My entree of Brekshire pork belly is fatally fatty and flavoursome. Mr M’s entree of Hervey Bay prawns are refreshing on the other hand. Mr M and I shared our entrees and found that to give us the right balance.

My North Atlantic Scallops came as a main size serving. When it comes to scallops, it is rare for me to like the accompanying elements on the dish more than the scallops. But today the carrot is the covert star in many forms – sautéed, pureed, thinly sliced to wrap around scrumptious cheesy sauce. Nom nom nom! 

Mr M’s Wagyu ramp is perfectly cooked to medium rare - crusty on top and ruby-red within. The braised cheek is likewise wonderfully succulent and full of flavour. At this point Mr M pointed out he had expected the seafood here to be extraordinarily fresh, given they are so close to the waters. Even though the seafood here did not particularly wow us, their meat, especially the Wagyu rump is a knockout dish.

Our pre-dessert of honey crème brulee is served in Chinese soup spoons. As much as I embrace pre-desserts, I prefer something light and palate cleansing, like a yogurt sorbet. Mr M however demolished the creamy brulee in a mouthful and proclaimed it to be very, very good. 

Mr M’s eyes lit up again when he saw his impeccably puffy, fluffy soufflé, served in a mini saucepan. Digging his spoon into the airy soufflé, devouring it with the deliciously smooth and milky hazelnut ice cream, I could tell he’s in paradise!

When I made our reservation a few weeks ago, I asked if it is possible for the chef to make vanilla or yogurt panna cotta. They responded they will pass on the request to their chefs and see what they can do. Although in the end they are unable to accommodate my request, I decided try their coconut panna cotta anyway (I just can't say no to panna cotta!). And I'm really glad I did. This dessert is a piece of art. The panna cotta is surprisingly light with a slight hint of coconut flavour. The dried cumquat slices on top of the mini panna cotta and the passionfruit sorbet are pleasantly citrusy. The tuille is thin, crispy and delectably buttery. It is a superb dessert that is beautifully presented and well balanced. 

As we polished off our petit fours of soft marshmallow, mini strawberry macaron and friand, we looked out and saw a group of guests coming out of a wedding reception that is held in the private function room next to the main dining area. Although this meant we could not go to the beautiful balcony area today, we are happy for the newlyweds that they've found such a picturesque venue and I’m sure they would have had an unforgettable day. We certainly had an amazing time and look forward to come back another day!

Bon appétit!

L Loves... Stunning view from our table

Amuse bouche – chilled potato leek soup

Berkshire Pork, NSW

Braised belly with croquette, sugar snaps, fennel and pear espuma

Hervey Bay Prawns, QLD

Confit in shellfish oil with romesco sauce, garlic and green papaya

L Loves... Wagyu Rump Cap, Oakley Ranch, QLD

Roasted with braised cheek, celeriac, asparagus, kipfler potato and wild mushroom

North Atlantic Scallops

Sautéed with carrot, serrano jamon floss, pea and ham

Pre-dessert – honey crème brulee

Mr M's fav... Limoncello Soufflé with hazelnut ice cream and tuille

L Loves... Coconut panna cotta with roast quince puree, 

passion fruit sorbet, cumquat and crisp tuille

A closer look at the wonderful, fluffy souffle

And the lovely, light panna cotta

Petit fours 

One last look at the stunning view before we leave our table

L's Verdict:

•    Taste: 8/10

•    Ambience: 5/5

•    Value: 3/5

•    Service: 4/5

•    Creativity and other WOW factors: 5/5

Overall rating: 25/30

Jonah’s Restaurant

69 Bynya Rd

Palm Beach NSW 2108

Ph: (02) 9974 5599

Open 7 days

Breakfast: 7:30am — 9:30am

Lunch: 12 Noon — 2:30pm

Dinner: 6:30pm — 9:15pm

Visited Oct 2013

Friendly advice: If you’re looking to spoil someone, find a day with nice weather and head to Jonah’s. Request for a table by the window, the view is absolutely breathtaking you would want to stay there ceaselessly. They also have an extensive wine list offering more than 1,250 vintage Australian and international wines.