Honourable mentions from the Bellarine Peninsula and the Surf Coast
Last week I had 5 days of decompression at the beach. The plan had been to have lazy barbecues after surf lessons, but instead it was inside time with unseasonal hail pelting the tin roof (a few days later, I was back in Melbourne with mild heat exhaustion!). The Significant Eater was on a budget, so we packed a sharp knife, some good olive oil, smoked trout, rice and other essentials to do some leisurely cooking at the beach house we had rented. The weather dictated soup, curry and hearty grains.
There was no grand dining but I had 2 of the best takeaways in a long time that deserve special mention.
Queenscliff Fish and Chips, in the main street of Queenscliff was the best fish and battered prawns I’ve had in years. The King George whiting was available in different sizes (pricey but worth it) which was rolled in a light coating then grilled (for a few cents extra - its interesting the effort involved in flipping a piece of fish over rather than dunking it in the deep fryer universally attracts a surcharge in this country). The batter tasted like a light, savoury pancake and complemented the tender flesh. Instead of chips we went for calamari rings and battered prawns. Both great, but the prawns were a stand out. The lunch was eaten overlooking the wild sea on a grey day, out of the paper in a steamy car. Perfect!
Seaweed Sushi, 22 Pearl St, Torquay. This little Japanese eatery is hidden away, around the corner from the main shopping strip. They get special commendation due to the fact that brown rice is an option in some of their cooked meals and in some of the Tokyo Rolls and squares. Also some inventive vegetarian sushi – sweet beancurd skin and mushroom being especially delicious.
Moby (Torquay) and Barwon Orange were also up to standard. Moby got extra brownie points on their great customer service when they had messed up an order. Sadly the local pub at Barwon Heads hadn’t improved in the interim. You know that food will be average at best when you see a menu with some curious cross-cultural food pairings, like a Thai green curry with Indian condiments.
I’m still hankering to crack open the picnic rug and load up the basket. Maybe next week!
There was no grand dining but I had 2 of the best takeaways in a long time that deserve special mention.
Queenscliff Fish and Chips, in the main street of Queenscliff was the best fish and battered prawns I’ve had in years. The King George whiting was available in different sizes (pricey but worth it) which was rolled in a light coating then grilled (for a few cents extra - its interesting the effort involved in flipping a piece of fish over rather than dunking it in the deep fryer universally attracts a surcharge in this country). The batter tasted like a light, savoury pancake and complemented the tender flesh. Instead of chips we went for calamari rings and battered prawns. Both great, but the prawns were a stand out. The lunch was eaten overlooking the wild sea on a grey day, out of the paper in a steamy car. Perfect!
Seaweed Sushi, 22 Pearl St, Torquay. This little Japanese eatery is hidden away, around the corner from the main shopping strip. They get special commendation due to the fact that brown rice is an option in some of their cooked meals and in some of the Tokyo Rolls and squares. Also some inventive vegetarian sushi – sweet beancurd skin and mushroom being especially delicious.
Moby (Torquay) and Barwon Orange were also up to standard. Moby got extra brownie points on their great customer service when they had messed up an order. Sadly the local pub at Barwon Heads hadn’t improved in the interim. You know that food will be average at best when you see a menu with some curious cross-cultural food pairings, like a Thai green curry with Indian condiments.
I’m still hankering to crack open the picnic rug and load up the basket. Maybe next week!
Labels: reviews
posted by GS at 2:03 pm
4 Comments:
i would LOVE to be at the beach right now! ahhhh summer...
i still love reading your blog but i've just started raw veganism.. however you'd be amazed how beautiful, tasty and living the food is.. have you ever eaten at a raw restaurant? are there any in victoria you know of?
keep up the great blog
xo
m
What were the Indian condiments served with the Thai Green Curry?
Anon: Popadams! Very soggy ones cooked at too low a heat at that. Might have been chutney too. Very odd.
M: I think the Raw Foods thing peaked a couple of decades ago I have a raw fruit salad 'pie' which I haven't made since the 80's that I have been thinking about unearthing if I can find the recipe. I'll keep you posted.
dear AOF
yeah the raw foods movement was in its peak back then i guess but it did have a bit of a revival more recently in nyc and la. however that is not why i'm doing it, it makes a lot of logical sense to me right now, plus medically speaking it is something i would suggest even to my patients (in the right circumstances).
would love to see your raw fruit salad pie recipe! there's a beautiful book called "raw food real world" by matthew kenney and sarma melngialis if you ever see it at the bookshop have a squiz for fun. :)
still craving carbs at the momemnt though! haha
xo
m
Post a Comment
<< Home