Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay, Glebe

Uni days and tutoring are long and arduous. Some people cry, others shop, I eat. Boathouse is semi on the way to my uni but some how I managed to get us lost. Only me. 

It boasts an great ocean view of anzac bridge, the Sydney skyline and the fish markets just across the body of water and a relaxed and refined interior. 

The menu is almost seafood centric so antiquarians rejoice as all the options look incredibly interesting. The careful sourcing here is where this place stands miles above most others, with each location explicitly stated and with an equally great respect for the ingredients.

sourdough, multigrain, dark rye bread & butter

Bread was a standard so-so affair. It loses points for not being warm but gets them back with the clever clever use of an almost stale, dense, dark rye bread where a bite helps clean the palette after each oyster.

Greenwell Point Oyster 4.2
Monboyn Rock 4.2

There's a great selection of oysters to try but we don't know where to start so we're suggested a tasting of three oysters shucked to order. They arrive swimming in clean salty brine (definitely not pre-shucked to dry out in the fridge) which makes the accompanying lemon and vinaigrette a little gratuitous.  

Coffin Bay Angasi 6 each

The Coffin Bay Angasi really is the spot light here and are a real treat; salty and fresh, just really special and in the waitress's words "really in a league of its own". It was one of the first seafoods farmed in Australia but years of over fishing have left the population decimated until a recent effort to cultivate this beauty. The shell is distinctive from other oysters; flatter with a textured pretty shell on the back. Many have mentioned the lasting savoury after-taste so I won't save that it's really noticeable and best savoured til last.

Seared Hiramasa Kingfish 27
Saffron, Red Pepper, Almonds & Chorizo

Our kingfish entree was a gutsy combination with little steaks of kingfish with its meatiness matched well with the bold flavours of smokey chorizo and saffron. I don't know but, I can't quite put my finger on it. I think it was the lacking presence of something fresh and zingy to lighten up the palette and even though there's a touch of grapefruit, it's almost non-existent.

Miso Glazed Shell Harbour Bonito 27
Sweetcorn, Seared Scallops, Puffed Wild Rice

Fall in love with the super fresh, slightly chewy seared bonito which hits all the right notes with slight umami notes and the sophisticated pairing of textural and semi pureed sweet cream corn, crustacean oil and onion rings. There's enough scallop there so you don't feel duped and the waft of aroma is just intoxicating.

Poached Corners Inlet Rock Flathead Fillets 41
Abalone, Shitake & Duck Consomme

We get their rock flatheads as a main, a stark contrast to the previous dishes for it's much more cleaner approach. It's all delicate and dainty twisted with a touch of Asian influence. With the perfectly cooked fillets of fish, there's light duck broth going on, perfumed with ginger and textures of shitake and abalone.

Snapper Pie with Smoked Tomato & Mashed Potato 48

And here comes their signature: the fish pie in all its glory. This is the stuff of legend. For a moment there A got her dish before mine which was a tad unusual until moments later the waiter wheels a trolley for a bit of theater and proceeds to cut open the gloriously golden crusty lid revealing the steaming pink boneless snapper swimming in a deep, rich and creamy soubise sauce. 

The pastry is sublime; layers of crispy puff with the stretchy layers underneath drenched in a ridiculously intense fish stock sauce, made sweet with slow cooked onions and luxuriously savoury with bucket loads of truffle oil. 

Hand Cut Chips & Aioli 12

In retrospect, I think ordering chips may have been a tad overkill particularly with the whole snapper pie fiesta going on but then again I think I may have regretted not ordering the chips after knowing how splendiferous(?) they are. Nice thick cut chips; soft and fluffy inside, craggy crunchy outsides, damn close to perfection. Wait hold that thought, if these aren't perfections I really don't know what are. You know when you get the rare fast food chip that's all hollow in the inside and you get all excited? Yeah that was pretty much every chip for us. But 12 dollars for just potatoes? zzzZzzzZ that's fine dining for you.

Buttermilk Pannacotta 18
Watermelon Granita, Strawberries

A opts for the creamy buttermilk panacotta, a super clean finish to end the long afternoon topped with a really light refreshing watermelon granita studded with strawberries.

Pistachio Cannoli 18
Rhubarb Ripple Ice Cream, Salted Caramel

Although it's hard to pick a hero element for this dish, it just feels complete and everything complemented each other. Crunchy rolls of pistachio cream-filled cannoli were outshone by the really clean rhubarb ripple vanilla studded ice cream. The delicious caramel, of course, quaduples the yummy factor and just a really amazing finale to the meal.

Boathouse is one the lesser known waterfront restaurants but in itself provides unique nuances enough to be an exceptional experience. Whilst not particularly progressive (more classical and traditional cooking than anything else), and not particularly cheap for that matter, and slightly off acid balances, Boathouse at Blackwattle Bay pull all the stops here when it comes to impressing. 

Perfectly cooked fish, really amazing snapper pie, sharp and friendly service but really it's the almost unmatched preparation and respect for the oysters that hits it right out of the ball park here. The picturesque backdrop of Anzac bridge doesn't hurt either. Come for the late afternoon to watch the sun go down behind you whilst feasting away.


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Posted in: chips, desserts, kingfish, oceanside, oyster, pie, scallop, seafood