06 September 2010

The Boathouse: Freshly Shucked Oysters, Glebe (4 Sept 2010)

End of Ferry Road, Glebe NSW 2037
http://www.boathouse.net.au


Oysters are best freshly shucked

One of my longest standing friends decided to have his 40th birthday at the The Boathouse which is apparently home to the much famed signature dish of the Snapper Pie ($48) as mentioned many times on Eatability (7.6 score after 213 reviews) — but this is something I'll have to try next time. He generously treated his guests to a 3 course set dinner menu (3 choices of entree, main and dessert) including sides, wines and oysters shucked to order. To be honest, it's an expensive restaurant and oysters cost more than $4 each but there's nothing quite like a freshly shucked oyster to appreciate its pure taste. To start, 3 types of oysters were provided including Claire De Lune ($4.20 each), Wonboyn Rock ($4.20 each) and Port Stephens Rock ($4.20 each) — all very good with Claire De Lune being my favourite of the night and matching so well with the Kawarau Estate 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Central Otago NZ ($54/bottle). The accompanying migonette sauce was quite strong and perhaps a little too overpowering so I preferred having the oysters natural so you could really appreciate the oysters fresh briny taste. My light entree of Cured New Zealand King Salmon ($27) was nicely presented and the flavours of baby fennel and grapefruit worked well together — the salmon was soft and buttery as hoped. The Carpaccio of Hot Smoked Wagyu Beef ($27) came with a perfectly cooked soft boiled quail egg and it's flavours were a bit more robust. The delightful looking School Whiting & Scallop Roulade ($27) was complimented with slivers of tasty chorizo.

My main of Pan Fried South Australian Kingfish($41) had a nice crispy skin as hoped and came with silky smooth eggplant puree. The mixture of red peppers & almonds was quite nice and wasn't as spicy as I was expecting. The Roast Cone Bay Barramundi Fillet ($41) came with braised brisket, turnips and turnip puree with a decent crisp skin as well. Even though the menu is predominately fish I thought the Roast Loin & Breast of Lamb, Spiced Carrot Puree, Baby Carrots & Lentils ($44) was the stand out dish of the night with beautifully tender meat complimented with delicious lentils — I certainly had dish envy. A nice match with the smooth tasting Kilikanoon Killerman's Run 2008 Shiraz. I was impressed with the Mixed leaf salad ($10) which was very fresh as if it had just been picked from the garden and came with a simple vinaigrette. Long pieces of semi-crispy Hand cut chips ($14) came at a premium price but were enjoyable nevertheless.

Feeling quite full at this stage there was still a bit of room for dessert of a Cheese plate with a nice selection of quality cheeses which came with ample crackers and bread. The Chocolate & Prune Tart ($18) with Coffee Ice Cream looked quite decadent although the delightful looking Macerated Strawberries, Passionfruit Curd, Meringues & Basil ($18) was perhaps the choice of the night with a nice balance of flavours which wasn't too sweet. Coffees were fairly smooth and not too bitter and I liked how they provided a choice of brown sugar cubes instead of just packaged white sugar. As a final sugar hit the birthday cake was an Adriano Zumbo croquembouche which was very nice which wasn't too sweet although the toffee base was super hard making it unfortunately inedible. The only thing missing was some lovely spun sugar and flowers. Guest received fun gift box filled with lollies and toys.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Nice decor and ambience, Water views, Quality wines, Freshly shucked oysters, Quality ingredients, Good presentation, Professional service, Nice ambient lighting and background music
CONS: Very expensive, Limited street parking
MUST TRY: Oysters, Roast Loin & Breast of Lamb

Birthday set menu

3 types of bread

Oyster share platter: 12 Claire De Lune, 6 Wonboyn Rock, 6 Port Stephens Rock

Claire De Lune oyster ($4.20 each)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

6 Wonboyn Rock oyster ($4.20 each)

6 Port Stephens Rock oyster ($4.20 each)

School Whiting & Scallop Roulade, Fresh Peas, Chorizo & Olives ($27)

Carpaccio of Hot Smoked Wagyu Beef, Sfot Boiled Quail Egg, Green Beans, Mushrooms ($27)


Cured New Zealand King Salmon, Baby Fennel Salad, Grapefruit Vinaigrette ($27)

Roast Cone Bay Barramundi Fillet, Braised Brisket, Turnips & Turnip Puree ($41)

Pan Fried South Australian Kingfish, Eggplant Puree, Red Peppers & Almonds ($41)

Roast Loin & Breast of Lamb, Spiced Carrot Puree, Baby Carrots & Lentils ($44)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Hand cut chips ($14)

Mixed leaf salad ($10)

Chocolate & Prune Tart, Coffee Ice Cream ($18)

Macerated Strawberries, Passionfruit Curd, Meringues & Basil ($18)


Cheese plate: Blarlaith Cheddar, Stilton Bishop Cropwell Blue [third cheese not identified]

Long black with side of milk

Cappuccino

White and brown sugar cubes

Kawarau Estate 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Central Otago NZ ($54/bottle)

Kilikanoon Killerman's Run 2008 Shiraz

Adriano Zumbo croquembouche birthday cake


Guest party boxes filled with lollies and cute toys

Other customers order: Snapper Pie with Smoked Tomato & Mashed Potato (25 min) ($48)

Wine rack

Oysters chilling on ice before opening

Waiting bar area

Dining room during and after peak service

View of Anzac Bridge

On the waters edge

If you're stuck for street parking there's valet parking

Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay on Urbanspoon

5 comments:

Sara @ Belly Rumbles said...

I love The Boathouse and it is totally for the oysters. The rest of the menu, is fine, nothing wrong with it, but I come for the oysters.

From my trips to The Boathouse, I have worked out I prefer sydney rocks from southern waters and really don't like them from northern waters.

It is amazing to taste a range of the same oyster "syd rocks" for example and see the amazing difference between each one, such an education to the palate.

Kristy Sayer-Jones @ Southern In Law said...

I'm not a fan of oysters WHATSOEVER, but my dad is - so this might be the perfect place to take him.
Knowing him he's probably already been though :P

Richard Elliot said...

All of the food looks fantastic, what a generous friend you have!!

I always think the entrance to the boathouse looks unpromising, sharing a tin shed with the rowing club.

thang @ noodlies said...

the wagyu beef looks hot!

Simon Leong said...

hi sara, it's certainly a great place to appreciate so many different oysters all freshly shucked. can't really think of anywhere else that does this except Sydney Fish Markets but it's limited in the choices.

hi kristy, i reckon if you dad is a big fan then he'd love this place for a special occasion :-)

hi richard, the entrance is quite plain jane isn't it. such a big difference once you enter inside though.

hi thang, actually it was cold but i know what you mean hehe ;-)

Simon Food Favourites Map

View Simon Food Favourites in a larger map Key: BLUE - Location visit and review PINK - Simon Favourites and places offering something special

Small Bars in Sydney map


View Small Bars in Sydney in a larger map