Saturday, May 15, 2010

Berowra Waters Inn, Berowra

Berowra Waters Inn

L.O.V.E.

Berowra Waters Inn
Locaton, location, location

It was an extraordinary dining experience. It truly was. How often do you get whisked across the Hawkesbury River on a private ferry? Or find yourself in a gorgeous restaurant built on a site where indigenious Australians once lived over 10,000 years ago? Or enjoying, quite possibly, one of the best meals of your life? How about all of the above?

Berowra Waters Inn
Love the glass lourve windows. And the views through them.

If you are after a short review, let me tell you Berowra Waters Inn ticks all the boxes. The location. The VIEWS. The architecture. The decor. The professional yet friendly service. The seasonal menu with the fresh produce. And most importantly, the meal was simply amazing. It did come at a price though - AUD145 for five tasting dishes or AUD200 with matching wines. But it was my birthday. And it was worth it.

Berowra Waters Inn
The simple yet stylish decor

In case you are wondering, I am a proud member of Generation X. Nearly made it to Generation Y. Child of the 80s and 90s. Former fan of New Kids on the Block. Don't laugh. I blame my sister on the last one. Her obsession with Jordan Knight in the early 90s deserved an Olympic medal. You know how some people like to return to their school or university years? I'm not one of them. I spent years and years in academic pursuit, so I do not want to relive those years again. And the age doesn't worry me at all (ask me again in 10 years).

Berowra Waters Inn
L: Lemon cured salmon with salmon roe and avocado puree on a crisp biscuit. R: Carpaccio sea scallops, mud crab, celeriac, wild rocket, sweet green pea.

Sorry, where was I? The amazing food. My favourite dish was the sea scallops carpaccio. It was simply divine, beyond optimal in fact. Quite generously portioned, the sea scallops and mud crab were delicately sweet, and the thinly sliced celeriac introduced a slightly different texture. I'd be quite happy to eat this every day for the rest of my life.

Berowra Waters Inn
Chilled vichyssoise, oscietra & salmon caviars, beignets of Hawkesbury oysters

This was one of mr foodwink's favourites. The beignets (a.k.a. deep-fried) of oysters were delicious. The batter was light and the accompanying chilled vichyssoisse (a.k.a. leak and potato soup) was creamily smooth, with croutons and oscietra and salmon caviars providing the occasional burst of flavours and texture.

Berowra Waters Inn
Murray cod fillet, sort of minestroni

The minestroni was a gentle companion to the subtle flavours of the cod fillet, which was beautifully cooked. The baked cheese slice added an interesting touch.

Berowra Waters Inn
Slow cooked ocean trout, Hawkesbury calamari, cauliflower and kalamatta olives

The slow cooked ocean trout was a melt-in-your-mouth wonder and the calamari swirls tender and moist. My favourite element of this dish was the cauliflower puree, which was creamily soft and delicious. The kalamata olive paste was not overpowering and tied in all elements together.

Berowra Waters Inn
Ballontine of local quail, foie gras and yabbies

Another one of mr foodwnk's favourites. The ballontine of quail was beautifully cooked - extremely tender meat with an oozy foie gras paste at its core. The yabbies were fresh and juicy. It was another standout dish.

p/s: Sorry Kate Winslet. I won't have foie gras again after this meal.

Berowra Waters Inn
Roast pheasant breast, leg confit, parsnip, brussel sprouts and chestnut

The pheasant breast was moist. Perhaps the most tender poultry breast meat I've ever had. The leg confit was a slight letdown though - too salty on the palate and overpowering for its delicate vegetable neighbours.

Berowra Waters Inn
Sweet corn and saffron soup

Berowra Waters Inn
Lamb shank, steamed bone marrow dumpling, spinach, roast shallot jus

I've never seen lamb shank served like this. Nor steamed bone marrow dumpling, but this dish worked beautifully with the roast shallot jus.

Berowra Waters Inn
Rangers valley grain fed "minute steak", peppered oxtail croustillant, pumpkin

The most interesting component of this dish was the peppered oxtail croustillant. Mr foodwink thought the oxtail was gelatinously good and soothing. But I found the crunchy croustillant wall to be overly salty. Perhaps seasoned by the same guy who did the pheasant leg confit.

Berowra Waters Inn
Watching the world goes by while enjoying pineapple jelly with Malibu foam

Pre-dessert was refreshing. Love the fresh pineapple pieces in the jelly.

Berowra Waters Inn
Dessert variation on a theme for two

To be honest, we were quite full (and sleepy) by now. It's true. Eating is a tiring business. But who could say no to four beautiful desserts arriving on the same plate?

Berowra Waters Inn
L-R: Pithivier with new season quince and cinnamon gelato. Nougat glace with fairy floss and slow cooked rhubarb. Dark Amadei chocolate tart with raspberries and yogurt cream. White peach souffle with blood peach sorbet.

Each and every one of the desserts was fantastic, with the nougat glace winning by a nose. Notice how the souffle had flopped a little? The fault was mine - I took toooo many pictures of it that by the time we were ready to eat, the souffle had decided to take a rest. Souffles hold a very special place in our hearts because it was on the menu of our first degustation ever. It was a memorable affair. I think it was our 5th anniversary, and the meal went for almost 5 hours at The Melting Pot in Adelaide.

Berowra Waters Inn
Private ferry

Four hours later, it was time to go home. While on the ferry, mr foodwink whispered to me that he preferred this meal to the 13-course degustation at Tetsuya's. I felt the same.

Berowra Waters Inn
Fly here by seaplanes from Rose Bay to escape from the commoners.

BEROWRA WATERS INN
Berowra Waters NSW 2082
+612 9456 1027
4/5/6 courses: AUD130/145/160 or 180/200/225 with matching wines.
Additional course: AUD25 each or 35 with matching wines.
Remember to bring your AMEX card. Payment by Mastercard and Visa attracts a 2% surcharge.
Berowra Waters Inn on Urbanspoon

Blog Widget by LinkWithin

35 comment(s):

Sydney Shop Girl May 15, 2010 at 8:57 AM  

Just beautiful!

Belated Happy Birthday.

Glad you loved it.

SSG xxx

foodwink May 15, 2010 at 9:07 AM  

Thanks SSG. Have a great weekend!

Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial May 15, 2010 at 12:04 PM  

I did my maths, and I'm guessing this was a special birthday! :) Many happies, Wink! And thank you for sharing it with us - the food looks sublime, but then again, your photos are always just so fabulous!

joey@forkingaroundsydney May 15, 2010 at 2:18 PM  

Stunning food and great photos! So happy you had such a lovely time and the weather looked perfect.

shaz May 15, 2010 at 3:12 PM  

Oh my, oh my. Heart palpitations at all that gorgeous food. I tried dropping hints to hubby that I wanted to go here last birthday, but it didn't happen. (He took me to Tet's instead so I was happy anyway :))

Very happy belated birthday from another gen-xer who remembers NKOTB ;P

Simon Leong May 15, 2010 at 4:47 PM  

oh wow. i've love to eat at this place. looks wonderful! :-)

chocolatesuze May 15, 2010 at 6:56 PM  

dude happy birthday! awesome pics as always :D

Jennifer, Decorum May 15, 2010 at 9:14 PM  

What a wonderful way to spend your special day. Many happy returns, too. It's on my list of places I NEED to go but haven't managed it yet. I might leave this up on the computer screen and someone will hopefully get the hint.

Jennifer XX

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella May 15, 2010 at 9:41 PM  

Ahh brilliant! I was thinking of going here for my birthday but alas I wasn't organised enough to book it. So good to know that the service was friendly yet professional (which for a lot of places is hard to get quite right). Happy Birthday girl! :D

Amy @ cookbookmaniac May 16, 2010 at 10:54 AM  

Oh my. I am working up quite an appetite looking at all these dishes. I shouldn't be food blog surfing on an empty stomach! I bet you awesome picture taking abilities made the food look even more yummy.

Trissa May 16, 2010 at 11:09 AM  

Okay that's it! I am sold - I am booking for the next available weekend. Everything looks wonderful - great way to celebrate a birthday!

Oli May 16, 2010 at 11:28 AM  

Lovely report as usual :) Happy Belated b'day, SL!

Anh May 16, 2010 at 12:37 PM  

happy birthday!

This was such a treat! beautiful and exquisite!

Emma May 16, 2010 at 10:33 PM  

A happy very belated birthday :)

Your photography is just beautiful!

Ju (The Little Teochew) May 17, 2010 at 12:42 AM  

Happy belated birthday! You have one fine, classy blog. I hope to take photos like you some day.

Angie Lives to Eat (and Cook)! May 17, 2010 at 9:59 AM  

Awww Happy Birthday to you!!
What a fantastic way to be spending your birthday =) Souffle's are special things arn't they?

JT @areyouhungary May 17, 2010 at 2:02 PM  

Happy Birthday - what a wonderful way to celebrate. I stayed up in Berowra waters over Easter last year and it was just stunning...although at the time the $$ for the meal seemed a bit much..

Plus, you can't blame anyone for NKOTB obsessions - they were just soo cool at the time! Thank your sis for introducing you to them! Ha Ha!

Tina May 17, 2010 at 5:41 PM  

I'm drooling all over the keyboard... WOW - what an amazing occasion restaurant! Will have to start dropping hints now.

missklicious May 17, 2010 at 9:00 PM  

Amazing location, and the food looks great too - especially the dessert platter!

foodwink May 17, 2010 at 11:41 PM  

Hi Celia - You are too kind - thanks for your lovely comments. And you were very close. The "special" birthday was last year.

Hi Joey - Thanks! Stunning food makes photo taking so much more effortless!

Hi Shaz - Awww, Tet's a great one too :D Haha, I'm sure you were one of NKOTB's biggest fans. Thanks for the birthday wishes.

Hi Simon - Please do. It was wonderful.

Hi suze - Thanks dude <3

Hi Jennifer - If someone still hasn't got the idea, give me his email address. I'll tell him directly :)

Hi Lorraine - Thanks! If this helps, we booked three weeks prior to the special day.

Hi Amy - Haha, I've lost count of how many times food blogs (including yours) make me hungry! Thanks gal :)

Hi Trissa - Thanks! Looking forward to hearing about your experience on your wonderful blog!

Hi Oli - Many thanks :) I've checked out your blog - it's great! Lots of great, artistic pictures there!

Hi Anh - Thanks! It's such a great restaurant for special occassions.

Hi Emma - Thanks! You're too kind.

Hi Ju - Thanks for dropping by. Not sure about "some day" - your photos are already fantastic!

Hi Angie - Thanks. Love souffles to bits.

Hi JT - I bet you were a massive, massive fan! My sis was really crazy. Beat this - she collected EVERYTHING from pins, official magazines, concert videos, posters to cartoon series. But yeah, it sounded soooo coool at that time.

Hi Tina - Hehe, I provide a free service for delivering more "direct" hints should your hinting attempts fail. Thanks for dropping by!

Hi missklicious - I know, so much yummy goodies on one plate!

Juliana May 18, 2010 at 7:56 AM  

Wow, everything is so perfect! Great pictures as well, really enjoyed every one of them :-) By the way, Happy Belated Birthday!

tangerine eats May 18, 2010 at 12:28 PM  

Everything looks so stunning! Love the way everything's been plated up. Definitely going on my list now, thanks for sharing :)

Maria May 18, 2010 at 5:46 PM  

The photos on your blog are truly amazing! I've been wanting to go to this restaurant... Maybe on the next special occasion ;-)

greenbeenfood May 18, 2010 at 6:55 PM  

wow - your photography is an inspiration to me - i just received as a present a new canon slr. beautiful blog - keep going and keep inspiring please. Dayle

Cheryl May 18, 2010 at 7:37 PM  

Happy Belated Birthday! Your dessert looked so colourful and yum.

Jordan Knight fan? I used to be one too, now Step by Step is playing in my head... eek!

YaYa May 18, 2010 at 10:05 PM  

These photographs are wonderful! I am inspired to definitely try it out some time soon!

Cotton Socks May 18, 2010 at 11:14 PM  

your photos are always so lovely!
cant wait to see your japan food photos!

i love it when places serve sorbet in those chinese soup spoons.
i dunno why! i just love it!
its so cute!

OohLookBel May 18, 2010 at 11:25 PM  

I L.O.V.E the unbelievably beautiful food at BWI, and of course, your photos!

Anonymous May 20, 2010 at 9:39 AM  

This restaurant is beautiful! Thanks for such a beautiful post :)

Phuoc'n Delicious May 21, 2010 at 5:22 PM  

Aww.. Happy Belated Birthday! Sounds like you were definately spoilt, you should have it no other way!

I will definately keep this in mind when I'm rich and want to spoil the boy.

foodwink May 22, 2010 at 8:31 AM  

Hi Juliana - Thank you so much!

Hi Tangerine - The dishes are gorgeous, aren't they? Make the blogger's job easy! Thanks.

Hi Maria - Thank you! Please do - it's wonderful. And if you live near Rose Bay, please consider taking the seaplanes, hehe.

Hi Dayle - Thank you so much! Have fun with the DSLR - I bought my current Nikon a year and a half ago, and it was one of my best purchases ever!

Hi Cheryl - "Gonna get to you girll ...". Haha, I still remember the lyrics. They are, unfortunately, forever ingrained in me. I sometimes drive mr foodwink crazy by singing NKOTB songs to him :) Thanks for the birthday wishes.

Hi Yaya - Thanks! Looking forward to reading about your experience on your blog!

Hi Cotton Socks - Thanks! I can't wait to get to Japan. Haha, the spoons are cute in a east meets west way.

Hi Bel - Hehe, and T.H.A.N.K. Y.O.U. for dropping by.

Hi Ellie - Thank you!

Hi Phuoc - Thank you! Hehe, I'm someone who's rather have one GREAT meal like this than 10 average takeaways. Hope the thesis writing is going well!

Adrian @ Food Rehab May 23, 2010 at 9:08 PM  

Ok. The first photo made my eyes all beady like a kid seeing candy for the first time!

Food porn at it's best. Happy Birthday! If I had to choose, I'd go for the dark chocolate tart..omg...

Spencer @ Moo-Lolly-Bar August 13, 2010 at 11:05 PM  

Sensational photos. The food looks divine.

foodwink August 17, 2010 at 12:11 AM  

Thanks Adrian and Spencer!

Simon Leong January 2, 2011 at 10:18 AM  

I'll be finally trying this place today for my birthday lunch. i hope it lives up to my high expectations :-)

About foodwink

foodwink is written by a Sydneysider to catalog memories related to food, travel and anything in between. Email: foodwink [@] g m a i l [.] c o m.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.

Creative Commons License

Cool People

  © 2010 copyright foodwink. photoblog template edited by foodwink.

Back to TOP