Little Beach Boat House is a quaint little place just beside the bay at Port Stephens. You can hear the waves coming in at night and the wait staff is a duet of twins! The two Aussie girls look so much like each other that I just had to take a photo of them.
The service is attentive and friendly and they had a special of the day, which I ordered. I actually recorded one of the twins reciting the dish in question so I can remember it, and she kindly obliged. Heh. This is one of the best restaurants in town according to Sharon, who dined with us last night.
There was popcorn on the table – a growing trend that I’ve noticed in a lot of restaurants, who serve this in lieu of bread. I think it’s great! The dishes has a bit of a modernist twist in them too, with foams, purees and jelly sauce components on most of the dishes.
Entree
Seared Scallops ($19.00)
Cauliflower puree, chorizo, salsa verde, roasted corn
This is really good! I like how the seared scallops and chorizo pairs up. Wei Zhi and I ordered different entrees and mains so we could try different things on the menu and this is her order.
Beef Cheek & Potato Croquette ($18.00)
W/ pee puree, binnorie feta & black garlic mayo
I was more interested in beef cheek – a cut which is really flavorful if done right and they do it well here. It’s generously mixed into the crispy potato croquette and a nice touch is the black garlic mayo (the fermented garlic we use to make bak kut teh back home).
Toasted Turkish Bread ($10)
W/ balsamic & olive oil, garlic & herb butter, hommous and olive & feta tapenade
Mains
Miso Glazed Salmon ($33.00)
W/ soy roasted sweet potato, cashews, steamed greens and sesame & rice wine dressing
I’m not a huge fan of salmon but according to Sharon (who also watches MasterChef Australia and offered me some) they did everything right in the “checklist” – crispy skin, no bones, juicy inside.
Seared Veal Medallions ($34.00)
W/ Jerusalem artichokes, baby spinach, green beans and parmesan & sage butter
I’ve cooked Jerusalem artichokes before, which is totally different from the globe artichoke. I ordered a Sauvignon Blanc which goes very well with my fish dish but makes the veal tastes rather bitter.
Crispy Skin Barramundi ($39.00)
Saltwater barramundi with roast pumpkin, broccolini, cherry tomatoes, bacon and a pee puree
This is my order, the special of the day. I didn’t know it was fried though, since I don’t particularly like grilled fish (any other cooking method is better) but I kept an open mind. I wanted to eat barramundi since Australia is one of two countries where you can find it. I asked the waitress for a wine pairing and she suggested either Sauvignon Blanc or a Riesling but “personally I’ll go for the former”.
I took her advice and it tasted great with the barramundi! The Sauvignon Blanc is very sweet and pairs well with the fish. The skin of the barramundi is crisp and it’s a classic white fish which flakes well but has a stronger taste than other popular white fish like cod and John Dory. The barramundi is excellent when eaten with the sweet and smoky roast pumpkin though!
Boathouse ‘3 Pigs’ ($36.00)
Crispy pork belly, pork schnitzel, prosciutto, parmesan, chorizo, corn cob, bacon mayo & apple jam
This is probably the restaurant’s flagship dish. It came on a huge wooden platter and has 3 (three) different pork items on it, including a crispy pork belly the size of a small steak! It’s beautiful and the apple jam has been jellyfied, giving it a bit of a modernist twist.
The dinner at Little Beach Boat House was great, and the company better – we talked late into the night about everything, and I learned a lot about the Port Stephens area too. Tourism New South Wales and Tourism Australia picked up the bill (thanks Duglass and Sharon) and we all had a bit of fun with the friendly twin waitresses who look so much alike! 🙂
I’m still at Port Stephens, heading back to Sydney later! I’ll be here until next week and you can follow what I’m up to on my other social media channels coz I got an AUD 2 per day data plan!
http://instagram.com/sixthseal
https://twitter.com/sixthseal
https://www.facebook.com/SixthSealcom
Posted: 8:53 am Sydney time (GMT +2)
Awesome. I guess when in Oz, best to go for the beef – fresh, juicy and tender…not like the frozen imported ones that we get here. My girl would definitely go for the salmon though… She loved it to bits!
Yeah, they have very good beef there! 🙂
I prefer dry aged beef over fresh beef…it tastes better, with a lot more flavor!
I’m not a huge fan of salmon, until one place made me change my mind. I do like sashimi though.
argghh.. i haven’t had breakie and all your food photos made me wanna go EEAAATTT !!! The 3 pigs plate looks very good though. 🙂
Yeah, that’s the signature dish of Little Beach House! 🙂
It’s a huge portion of 3 different kinds of pork!
The twins look gorgeous ! I like the salmon and steak. Anyway, all the food looks so good and the place looks so peaceful and quiet. I guess that’s make up a fine dining experience.
They’re very friendly too! 🙂
We all wondered if they’re twins coz it seemed like there was just 1 waitress but she appeared so fast again that it can’t be the same one.
Yup, it was the first dinner of the trip and a very good one, even though it looks better in the morning coz it’s just by the sea.
How do you get invited for such trips by the Tourism New South Wales and Tourism Australia?
I have been on their trips before! 🙂
I went for one in 2012 to Queensland but it was partnered with Tourism NSW.
Three Little Pigs? Lol!
It was a most delicious and witty sounding dish! 🙂
LOL at Pee Puree 🙂
Haha! I didn’t think of that rhyme until you mentioned it! 🙂
danggg, you sure do travel a lot! lol. hope you’re having fun Down Under!! 😀
Yeah, it was barely 2 weeks after we went to Germany and France! 🙂
I love to travel, I don’t spend much on other things in lieu of doing that.
the food definitely look like a piece of art. So pretty!
Yeah, especially the 3 Little Pigs dish! 🙂
It was a huge portion though – nay, gigantic!
Wow! The dishes are like beautiful Art in every plate and I love them! I am wondering why all our hawker food are filled to the brim of the bowls?
Haha! That’s a good question! 🙂
Different cuisine I guess, but yeah there are places that “deconstruct” classic hawker dishes and it turns out well too.
I guess we don’t put as much of an emphasis on plating, which is a shame as the Japanese have understood for a long time that eating is about all the senses, including sight, and have plated well throughout the ages.