Friday, February 4, 2011

Berowra Waters Inn - Dumpling Girl's Birthday Surprise


This restaurant has been on my wish list for a while, especially now that Forty One Restaurant is no more, so Cheesecake Boy being the great boyfriend that he is, decided to spoil me on my birthday.

On an overcast but warm Sunday we drove off to Berowra Waters, and I was moping thinking that it was a sign not to go but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as there is no air conditioning at the restaurant and it relies on fans to keep the circulation going.
 
Getting to the food, Cheesecake Boy and I decided on the five course degustation.  I'll let the pictures do the talking for now...

Our view
Someone being dropped off by seaplane, next time it's our turn (hint, hint Cheesecake Boy)
The menu
The canapes
Monteith's Apple Cider from New Zealand, so refreshing.


One multigrain roll and the other sourdough with French butter, Cheesecake Boy was addicted to the butter.  He will deny this but Cheesecake Boy actually had three and a half rolls just to indulge in the butter.  I don't know how he fitted everything else in.

Chilled vichyssoise, oscietra & salmon caviars, beignets of Hawkesbury Oysters


Cheesecake Boy and I had a serve each to ourselves as we are crazy about oysters.  After first bite, Cheesecake Boy understood why I refused to share one plate between the two of us.

Razor clams, spaghettini and hand picked local mud crab

This was my favourite dish, and I am glad we got one each again, I would of order 5 servings of this one dish if I could.  Cheesecake boy also savoured every bit of this one too.

Murray cod, pea puree and sorry cannot remember

Now the sharing begins, now I am not too keen on fish or peas but Cheesecake Boy is not too fond of quail which was one of the other dishes on offer, so I agree to meet him half way as he lets me choose the squab that is coming.  I thought it was beautifully cooked, but I am not a lover of fish or peas so if you like fish and especially peas order this.

Minute wagyu steak with potato gratin and sorry but again I cannot remember what else

This was lovely especially the potatoes, also got the thumbs up from Cheesecake Boy.

Now here comes the squab, when Cheesecake Boy found out what a squab was he didn't look too impress, but it was my birthday so I win again.  I gave Cheesecake Boy the honour of hammering away on the terracotta, and there was our pretty squab underneath waiting for further cooking....


Squab with gnocchi, shitake mushrooms and I think foie gras sauce for two

The squab was lovely and Cheesecake boy got over the fact that it was a baby pigeon in the end.  This dish didn't need the gnocchi though as it made the dish rather heavy or may be I was getting stuffed.

Pumpkin soup with crushed amaretti biscuit

The amaretti on top was a nice touch, adding a beautiful sweetness and crunch.  The soup was not overly creamy and was foamy and light in the mouth.


The pre-dessert was so refreshing, consisting of malibu foam, pineapple pieces and pineapple jelly.

Now we got the dessert variation on a theme, and it was huge, much to my dismay but our dessert stomachs kicked in.  Cheesecake Boy's eyes were bulging with excitement, this was definitely his favourite course.

Dessert variation a on theme...for two or more guests
Mango souffle with mango pieces and mango sorbet

Cheesecake Boy loves everything mango, so I let him demolish this one.  It was delicious, this souffle is a close second to the cherry souffle that we had at Koi, Woolwich.  Cheesecake Boy begs to differ, this one wins for him hands down.
 
Semifreddo

Lol, we don't remember what this was like, I liked the fruit though and the base of the semi freddo was crumbly, crunchy and sweet.

Dark Amedei chocolate tart with raspberry sorbet

Cheesecake boy rates this one as his second favourite, this was seriously rich and gooey.  The raspberry sorbet did it for me, pure bliss. 

Custard with strawberries and glazed sugar eggplant

This was our least favourite, only because we had been so thoroughly spoilt with choice.  Our teas and coffee came, following the petit fours that consisted of pistachio macarons, jubes, dark ganache truffles and a white chocolate truffle.


I adored them all especially the the pistachio macarons and the lovely squishy jube but it was time to go as the sun was coming out and the restaurant was getting stuffy, so off to the boat we went.

Bye bye for now, we will be back
Heading back

I would highly recommend Berowra Waters Inn, the boatshed restaurant is charming, driving out this way really transports you away from the hectic rush of Sydney.  This is the type of fine dining restaurant food I love best, where the natural flavours of the food is the star and the food looks simple but is cooked with so much care.  Definitely a place to share with the one you love.


 Happy eating, Dumpling Girl.


Berowra Waters Inn
Via East or West Public Wharves
Berowra Waters  NSW  2082
Ph: (02) 9456 1027
http://www.berowrawatersinn.com/

Berowra Waters Inn on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

Helen (Grab Your Fork) said...

I love French butter. Really I could just eat it with a spoon. Breaking the squab looks like so much fun!

Dumpling Girl and Cheesecake Boy said...

Thanks for being the first fellow blogger to post, Helen. It's really made our day. Yes, French butter with a sprinkle of salt is divine and the novelty of the squab all added to the fun of the day.