Berowra Waters Inn (BWI) has its
unique place in Australia’s dining scene. Years ago I’ve heard great things
about BWI, but before I had a chance to go there, the restaurant closed down
leaving me with regretful thoughts. It turned out BWI only closed for a couple
of months before it changed hands, to Tony Bilson, and recently again to Brian
Geraghty (ex Astral, Pied a Terre, Quay and Bilson’s).
BWI is set in bushland on the
beautiful Hawkesbury river, and is only accessible by seaplane, boat or private
ferry. I knew it would be the ideal choice for celebrating my 7 year anniversary
with Mr M, who is always so sweet and accommodating and happy for me to make
the calls when deciding on where to go for special occasions like this. The booking
processing is simple and quick. (
The day finally came and after a 45
minutes drive we arrived at the East Wharf, where a private ferry is waiting
for us. We are blessed to have the most perfect sunny day in July. The ferry
ride is pleasurable and only took a couple of minutes to arrive at the peaceful
BWI. Greeted immediately by name we are shown to our table. They offered us one
degustation menu with only one choice to be made – to have four or
seven courses. The waiting staff told us portions are about the
same as they make each course a bit smaller for the seven courses. He also
mentioned adjustments can be made to have my 7 courses fish-free. Mr M made the
executive call to get all seven courses, one course for each wonderful year we
have spent together :)
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7 course degustation lunch
One
course for each year together with my wonderful boy
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From our table we can see the private
ferry that dropped us off
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The table in the middle of the dining room is where
the bread basket, wine, wine glasses and cutlery are placed
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| Chef and Owner Brian Geraghty working in the kitchen |
To start, we are presented with a gorgeous off the menu amuse bouche of eel apple and chicken liver parfait in a crispy tuile. Unfortunately for me, eel is still a fish so I only had the liver parfait which is ultra rich and tasty. Mr M enjoyed the eel apple and at this point we are certain it’s going to be a brilliant meal.
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| BWI degustation menu |
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| Eel Apple and Chicken Liver Parfait Tuile |
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Bread Basket full of Bacon Brioche
and Anchovy Sourdough
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Bread at a fine dining restaurant is something I look forward to. But today the bacon brioche is slightly disappointing for me – it’s not warm, although it’s buttery, it’s not light and puffy. Luckily the disappointment doesn’t last very long as our first course arrived and it is exceptional. The scallops are so beautifully seared and the slightly acidic pickled beetroot, horseradish cream and crumbles are perfect complements.
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L Loves... Scallop, Horseradish Cream, Rye & Root Vegetables
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As a substitute for the ocean trout
(which Mr M enjoyed), the chef prepared an extravagant mushroom dish for me. Truffle
sautéed mushrooms in combination with brioche (yes, the same brioche I just
complained about... though I usually love them). It is a rich dish even for winter.
The indulgence progresses with a dish of pork belly and honey bug. The bug (note:
Moreton Bay bug, not hakuna matata bug) is so fresh and sweet and the pork
belly is delish and juicy.
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Confit Ocean Trout, Smoke Milk, Dashi
& Lemon
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Sautéed Truffle Mushrooms with
Brioche
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Pork Belly, Honey Bug, Mead &
Green Tomato
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Take a closer look at the succulent pork belly
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Next up we have another fish course,
which they substituted with chicken for me, with broccoli veloute, small pieces
of prawn, pinenut and winter truffle. Mr and I agreed the main ingredient (i.e.
the flounder and the chicken) are cooked superbly well and are delicious, but
the condiments are a little overpowering and distracting.
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Flounder, Broccoli Veloute, Karid
Prawn,
Pinenut & Winter Truffle
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Chicken, Broccoli Veloute, Karid
Prawn,
Pinenut & Winter Truffle
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A closer look at the flavoursome chicken
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Our final savoury course has got to
be my favourite dish of the day. The beef rib is slow cooked for 14 hours and just
falls apart when you cut into a piece. It is coated with the yummiest crumbles
(yes, the chef here loves using crumbles and I love eating them!) and is divine
when eaten with the creamy “egg white” and slightly sweet and sour “egg yolk”. I love the presentation of this dish and our
waiter says it is what the chef calls a “steak and egg”.
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L Loves... Braised Rib of Beef, Charred Leek, Stinging Nettle
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A close look at the amazing 14 hour slow cooked beef rib
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Our waiter convinced me to try their blue cheese cigar after I told him I don’t like blue cheese. It is less pungent than the usual blue cheese but it still had the aftertaste I feared. I’m undecided on the savoury and sweet red onion sorbet. When our waiter came back and asked how I liked the dish, I gave him my honest answer: “it’s... interesting”. “Good interesting or interesting interesting?” He dug further with an interested look. “Hmmm... it’s different interesting”. Sorry I just can’t lie... LOL.
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Blue Cheese & Red Onion Sorbet
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Much more successful is their off the
menu pre-dessert. An ultra fine rhubarb foam on top of velvety cream cheese.
Mr M couldn’t stop complimenting this delicious little treat. I suspect it has
something to do with his soft spot for pink desserts (e.g. strawberry ice cream).
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Pre-dessert: Rhubarb foam & cream cheese
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Our final dish on the menu is Hazelnut,
Mandarin, Milk Sorbet. The hazelnut tastes like Ferrero Rocher but is
wonderfully soft and airy like a cross between a mousse and a marshmallow. The combination
of the citrusy mandarin gel, milk sorbet and malt crumbles reminds me of breakfast
(orange juice, milk and Ovaltine). I wish I could wake up to this every
morning.
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| L Loves... Hazelnut, Mandarin, Milk Sorbet |
We finished off with tea, coffee and petit fours. As this point I am overfull but the overall experience is delightful and I would not hesitate to recommend BWI to anyone looking for somewhere secluded and somewhere special.
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Apple Cakes & Rose, Lime &
Chocolate Macarons
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| BWI on the beautiful Hawkesbury river |
L's Verdict:
• Taste: 8.5/10
• Ambience: 4/5
• Value: 3/5
• Service: 4/5
• Creativity and other WOW factors: 4.5/5
Overall rating: 24/30
Berowra Waters Inn
Via East and West Public Wharves
Berowra Waters NSW 2082
Ph: (02) 9456 1027
Lunch Friday to Sunday
Dinner Friday and Saturday
Visited July 2013
