Shopping: The Fresh Fish Place

Shopping: The Fresh Fish Place

www.portlincolnseafood.com.au

Port Lincoln

On a recent visit to Port Lincoln, I was hard pressed to find a seafood shop believe it or not. Surprising that a town known for its tuna and Coffin Bay only up the road famous for its oysters, that the town isn't bursting with its local catch.

I was soon led to the Industrial area near the racetrack where the famous Makybe Diva grew to be a champion.

The shop not only had local catch, but local artist's work. I came home with a quirky little painting of a yellow fin tuna... perfect for the kitchen!

This is a working fish shop. An industrial shed used for the wholesale market sits out the back. The selection wasn't huge for the time we were there (January), but I managed to get some "spiders", scallops and kingfish.

As would be expected, the fish was irresistibly fresh. I have really grown to love Port Lincoln, and its fishing industry is truly what makes it special. The staff at Fresh Fish Place, were friendly, helpful and the prices were ridiculously cheap.

Restaurant: The Oysterbeds Good Food House

Restaurant: The Oysterbeds Good Food House

61 Esplanade

Coffin Bay

Approximately 40kms from Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula is the picturesque town of Coffin Bay. Home to less than 700 people, the summer sees the town swell to 3000. It is no wonder why, as the bay is not only picture postcard perfect, but is home to an abundance of sea life drawing fishermen and nature lovers alike. The town was discovered by the famous explorer, Mathew Flinders in 1802 and was named after his friend Sir Isaac Coffin. I did find that bit of information a bit disappointing. I liked to think "coffin" may have had to do with a casket of some description as opposed to just the name of an explorer's friend!

Being a foodie and oyster lover, it was a given that while holidaying in Port Lincoln, I had to take the pilgrimage to Coffin Bay for their famous oysters. Driving into town, the beautiful bay welcomed me with oyster beds, and across the road sat the Oysterbeds restaurant.

A cute, mainly outdoor restaurant drew us in with their amazing specials board. I was of course, on the hunt for oysters but was tempted by a number of things on offer. We were disappointed that there were no outside tables left, but settled inside after ordering from the friendly bar staff.

Inside, the walls were covered in a local photographer's work. Interesting art, but something in the restaurant seems to be missing. Perhaps its the 90s style chairs, it just lacked character. Also unfortunate was the fact that the smokers outside were sitting close to the door, allowing the toxic smell to filter into the inside of the restaurant. The music playing was great. A Leonard Cohen tribute album played while we had lunch... a great choice! I noticed they occasionally have live music as well. I can't think of anything better.... looking out at the Bay and the oyster beds that call it home, while eating oysters, drinking Sauv Blanc and listening to some live Jazz.

We had a bottle of Adelaide Hills wine, "The Lane" ($38). Not a bad drop, but not near the quality of a good NZ Sauvy. The Adelaide Hills are getting better and better but I think we are still a few years out from having a Sauv Blanc to rival the Kiwis! The kids had the regular blood orange pelligrinni, which unfortunately was forgotten by the waitress. Quickly rectified, the kids enjoyed a couple as we leisurely drank our wine and took in the view.

With so many choices of different ways to have my heavenly oysters, I finally settled on 1/2 doz natural ($11) and 1/2 doz Chilli Teaser ($14). The oysters were so fresh just as you would expect. How lucky is South Australia to have the BEST oysters in the world!? The oysters were perfect. I loved the touch of the little seashells on the salt. A great presentation. Drawn back later in the week for a day of fishing out on the bay, we went back to the Oysterbeds and I tried the lime and sweet chilli ($12) with the natural. All were equally as wonderful and fresh.

As much as I loved my oysters, the stand out dish was definitely the Coconut Lime Calamari and Prawns ($20e/$32m). A flawless dish with so much flavour. The batter was so light, it was almost non-existent, just there to hold the flavour. The crunchy salad was a great contrast. On our second trip to the Oysterbeds, we ordered the Salt and Pepper Calamari and Prawn special. It was just as good. Using dukkah as the batter in that case was an interesting and welcome to change to the regular Salt and Pepper seasoning.

The Sashimi of Kingfish and Bluefin Tuna ($20) was fresh and served simply in a Japanese style. Although incredibly fresh and tender, the price tag of $20 seemed a bit excessive. It was quite a small serve for that cost.

The kids menu was fantastic. Loads of choices from Scotch Fillet, to Fish to the decided Ham and Cheese Pizza ($8.90). Not only were there 3 different types of pizza to choose from, the base was obviously homemade and the ham was beautiful pieces cut from the bone.

The menu was definitely a seafood lovers menu, but I don't think that a person would struggle to find something appealing that wasn't seafood. I have fallen in love with the beautiful Coffin Bay and its fresh bounty. The Oysterbeds is a showboat of local delights and well worth the visit.

Restaurant: The Bridgewater Mill

Restaurant: The Bridgewater Mill

http://www.petaluma.com.au/?show=restaurant

Mt Barker Rd

Bridgewater, SA

If you are looking for that "special" place for lunch in the Adelaide Hills, you just can't get past the Bridgewater Mill. The Mill has set a gold class standard when it comes to both that business and the romantic lunch. It is one of THE special occasion restaurants and is a must-do for restaurant lovers.

The Mill was actually the first water powered flour mill to operate in South Australia in the 1860s. It is a beautiful bluestone building that not only houses the amazing restaurant, but an equally amazing cellar door.

(photo from their web site)

The Mill's chef, Le Tu Thai is nothing short of brilliant. A Vietnamese boat refugee, that started out as a kitchen hand at 16, he is now easily one of Australia's best chefs. I love a feel good story of hardship and success and Le Tu Thai's story is one of those that truly tug at your heart. He was originally from Vietnam, and fled Saigon with his sister, leaving his Chinese parents behind in 1978. After arriving off Australia's northern coast, they were relocated from Darwin to Adelaide. Le started working in 1979 washing dishes in a a French restaurant, and the rest is history as they say. The chef of L'Epicurean (Jean Mahe) , took Le under his wing and he moved from kitchen hand to chef. He cemented his reputation at the Mill, and continues to surprise and delight through his ever-changing menu. The food at the Mill is definitely French, but Le uniquely weaves his Asian heritage into the dishes.

Doubling with a cellar door definitely has its perks, particularly for wine lovers! Their range is varied(see list https://www.petaluma.com.au/ssl/process.php) catering to all. The Sauv Blanc is one of the best in Australia so it was only fitting that I indulged in one of my all-time favourite wines while dining at its namesake restaurant.

Trying to lay off the bread was pretty much impossible. The crusty warm roll was just too inviting.

You know when you are going to have a great lunch, when even the side green salad ($9) is a work of art. So pretty, and seriously.... the tomatoes were so sweet and fresh, I was expecting to see a veggie patch below us. The pure sweet tomato taste was reminiscent of my childhood, eating veggies from our extensive garden.

I started with the Wild Venisone Terrine with White Anchovy, tarragon aioli and frisee ($27). A beautifully executed dish. I don't taste the "wild" taste of venison in Australia, I suppose growing up in Canada and eating truly wild venison, I expect a more gamey taste. To be honest, I thought the terrine not only lacked that gamey taste I crave, but any taste at all. However, the little baby cornicans were cute and crunchy and the rolled anchovy was a fantastic addition.

Also ordered as an entree was the soup of the day...Hot and Sour Carrot and Coriander soup with Sesame Oil($24). What a brilliant soup. The sour after taste of the tamarind was perfect, and the coriander was subtle and wonderful. The only complaint I can come up with is it was a bit too large of a serve.

Awwwwww the pork belly. Look, I know that some people have a problem with it, and yes... it IS basically fat. Crispy on the top, chewy throughout.......... but full of flavour. I love Asian food, and pork belly is a welcome addition to many Asian dishes. The marriage of pork belly in this case of Braised Pork Belly with Seared Scallops, Bean and Pork Crackling Salad, Tamarind Glaze ($28) with the scallops was fantastic. The crunchy little salad was light and crunchy, a nice contrast to the rich pork and scallops.

I followed my entree with Salmon Tartare with Swet Pea Panna Cotta, Beetroot and Vinaigrette ($26). I loved the way this looked when it came out! Such delicate flavours. Wonderful and light. I never thought that beetroot and salmon would work so well together, but it really did. Definitely the highlight dish of the meal as far as I'm concerned.

Very rarely do I order dessert, but I just couldn't miss out after reading the dessert menu and I certainly wasn't disappointed. I had the Lemon glace souffle with Vanilla and Walnut Sable, Croser Curd and Cassis Foam ($18). I seriously was reluctant to eat this when it came out........just beautifully presented! Loved all the flavours together. Wonderful wonderful. LOVED the cassis foam.

Also ordered was the Passionfruit Tart with Almond Florentine, Apricot Yoghurt and Strawberry Parfait ($18). The strawberry parfait was excellent. Again, so beautifully presented,!

We finished with some spectacular coffee. What a lovely lunch. Even making the booking, I was already impressed by the friendliness of the staff. It was a beautiful summer day,and the veranda was a lovely place to sit to watch the wheel of the mill turn the water around. Financially, the Bridgewater Mill is not a place you could go every week, but it is certainly is a great special occasion spot. It always surprises me how a chef that has been entrenched at the same place for so long, can continue to surprise me.