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.

7 year anniversary lunch @ Berowra Waters Inn

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. (Later on I indirectly realised why this may be... they only had 3 tables occupied for a Sunday lunch service. I’m a little concerned and hoping this is not the usual case for them).

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 :)

7 course degustation lunch

One course for each year together with my wonderful boy 

From our table we can see the private ferry that dropped us off

The table in the middle of the dining room is where 

the bread basket, wine, wine glasses and cutlery are placed

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. 

BWI degustation menu

Eel Apple and Chicken Liver Parfait Tuile

Bread Basket full of Bacon Brioche and Anchovy Sourdough

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.

L Loves... Scallop, Horseradish Cream, Rye & Root Vegetables

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.

Confit Ocean Trout, Smoke Milk, Dashi & Lemon

Sautéed Truffle Mushrooms with Brioche 

Pork Belly, Honey Bug, Mead & Green Tomato

Take a closer look at the succulent pork belly

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. 

Flounder, Broccoli Veloute, Karid Prawn,

 Pinenut & Winter Truffle

Chicken, Broccoli Veloute, Karid Prawn, 

Pinenut & Winter Truffle

A closer look at the flavoursome chicken

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”.  

L Loves... Braised Rib of Beef, Charred Leek, Stinging Nettle

A close look at the amazing 14 hour slow cooked beef rib

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.

Blue Cheese & Red Onion Sorbet

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).

Pre-dessert: Rhubarb foam & cream cheese 

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. 

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.

Apple Cakes & Rose, Lime & Chocolate Macarons

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

Friendly advice: Go with someone special, someone you would want to share an undisturbed afternoon with. 

Birthday Degustation @ Cottage Point Inn

A few weeks back I received a little surprise in the mail. It was a postcard from Cottage Point Inn wishing me a happy birthday and that they are giving me a free 7 course degustation (valued at $140) any day in the month of May. Having had a wonderful meal there last year, Mr M and I decided to take on their wonderful gesture and give them another visit, and oh am I thankful that we did! :)

We booked in for Sunday lunch, advised them of my dietary requests which are duly noted. Throughout the week we had heavy rain in Sydney which got me a little worried. But just like last year, the weather turned out to be beautiful on the day. Note – the drive to Cottage Point involves a lot of turns and swirls, so even if not for the view, you wouldn’t want to go there on a wet day.

The view from our table 

Once we are greeted and seated, we saw the degustation menu on our table. They have taken out from the menu fish and raw beef just as I requested. We started off with a choice of rye bread roll or sourdough bread. It is noted on their menu their bread mother is 6 years old. The bread roll is very tasty but would have been even better if it had been warm. We are served small cups of sweet potato soup (for me) and salmon consommé (for Mr M).

Our Degustation Menu

Rye bread roll 

Our first course from the degustation is an amazingly fresh salad. It is not easy to excite with a salad but they have certainly done it. I loved the interesting textures: the crisp root veges, the toasted and crushed hazelnuts and the wonderfully creamy house made feta. Our second course is the lovely little pillows of spring onion and thyme gnocchi, served with pumpkin, goat cheese, burnt butter foam, pumpkin puree and pine nuts. The goat cheese tasted like cream cheese with a citrus tang. The rich pumpkin puree is so delicious with its natural sweetness. This dish is pleasantly balanced as the pumpkin cubes had a slightly citrus taste to counter the rich and aromatic burnt butter foam.

L Loves... “Field to Feast Farm”, Vegetable Salad, 
House Made Feta, Hazelnut Dressing

L Loves... Spring Onion & Thyme Gnocchi, Goats Chèvre, 
Burnt Butter Espuma, Pumpkin Puree, Pine nuts

The next three dishes followed through with the same high standard. They are delicately prepared, cooked and presented. The twice cooked quail legs and duck breast are cooked beautifully and just right for a lunch degustation that is nourishing and not too heavy. All the dishes look vibrant and spectacular as if they are made to match the enchanting waterfront view.

Rangers Valley Beef Cheek Ravioli, 
Horseradish Cream, Braised Leeks, Sherry Foam

Twice cooked Quail Legs, Pickled Coleslaw, 

Mushrooms, Grapes, Spiced Jus   

Hawkesbury Valley Duck Breast, 

Orange, Smoked Fennel, Spiced Jus

As we watched seaplanes arriving and departing (amusing really!), our waiter came with the most delicious white peach sorbet with tiny bits of white peach on top. Just as we thought things cannot get better, we are each served a gorgeous caramel apple soufflé. The soufflé is perfect in terms of consistency – it is light and fluffy, and not too sweet. Whoever came up with the idea of serving soufflé with apple compote and macadamia crumble is a genius, it is in essence combining two delicious desserts (apple crumble & soufflé) on one plate! What really got me hooked is the moreish cinnamon anglaise... mmm I want more!!! I finished both my and Mr M’s jugs of velvety crème anglaise!

Here they come again!

L Loves... Pre dessert - White Peach Sorbet

L Loves... Caramel Apple Souffle, Apple Compote, 
Macadamia Crumble, Cinnamon Anglaise 

At this point I looked at the menu and said to Mr M: “I don’t think we need the last course, the degustation would have ended perfectly with the soufflé”. It turned out Cottage Point Inn managed to prove me wrong again, and I love it when they do this! I am not normally so fond of cheese. Don’t get me wrong, I do like cheese, but sometimes you meet the odd ones that are too pungent or too salty or too overpowering or just bland. Today’s degustation encouraged me to explore more in the world of cheese. I adored how they used the different types of cheese to add flavour and texture to the three dishes (salad, gnocchi and this final cheese course: they happened to be my favourite three dishes today aside from desserts). The manchego and radicchio salad is so delicious and refreshing and IS the perfect ending of our three hour lunch. Thanks for a wonderful birthday meal Mr M & Cottage Point Inn :)

L Loves...  Manchego, Radicchio Salad, Walnuts Pedro Ximenez Sherry

What a peaceful hideout!

Cottage Point Inn - perfect for a Stressless Sunday Lunch!

L's Verdict:

•    Taste: 9/10

•    Ambience: 4.5/5

•    Value: 3/5

•    Service: 4/5

•    Creativity and other WOW factors: 4/5

Overall rating: 24.5/30 (updated rating from last visit)

Cottage Point Inn

2 Anderson Place

Cottage Point NSW 2084

Ph: (02) 9456 1011

Lunch: 7 days from Noon to 3pm

Dinner: Fri-Sat 6.30pm to 9.30pm & Sunday 6.30pm to 8.30pm

Visited May 2013

Friendly advice: I would not hesitate in recommending this lovely place to anyone. However do note this place is a little difficult to find – some GPS may not even locate it accurately. There are instructions on their website on how to get there (you could also get there by seaplane or by ferry). Also note there is no reception at this restaurant – that’s right, it’s the perfect hideout to enjoy a long, beautiful, uninterrupted lunch!