Seascape Cafe - Port Kembla NSW

The call of surf and sky, the sounds that lull into a sense of inner comfort, these are all ever green captivating us when we connect with the outdoors and Nature.   To have breakfast or lunch looking out at rather empty ocean and a beautiful horizon is a wish come true.  And you may have this at the Seascape Cafe, located at the end of a quiet Foreshore Road in Port Kembla NSW.  You walk up the stairs of the Maritime Police Centre.  It looks like a family run cafe but the owner and staff are as apple hearted as can be.  The menu does not echo of fancy or unusual, but is assured you to remind you of reliability and wholesomeness that city folks often miss and yearn for.

I went back to Seascape earlier this month and loved the ever reliable scenery.  The cafe is located on a vantage point within the Maritime Police Centre.  The ocean winds were refreshing and there was a wholesome crowd at lunch time.  I just loved the veg laden burger, not entirely healthy as it was deep fried but really yummy and of  such  large serving!  The Seascape can be a good choice for a meal if you are visiting the nearby Nan Tien Temple in Berkeley.

I am not a fan usually of lasagna but this cafe has one that made me notice their version.  It just has the right richness, taste and overall attractiveness.  On my very first visit, on the recommendation of Katie and Scott, and accompanied by Janie and Jen, I had the Seascape version of the Big Breakfast - this was like home made, generous and with all the works.  Eating on an outside table under the ocean breezes can prove challenging if the winds step up and the seagulls are watching you and your grub.

The Seascape may have started life as the cafe for the Maritime Police Centre, but its appeal I reckon goes beyond this.  


The Seascape Cafe is located at 91 Foreshore Road, Port Kembla NSW.
Park your vehicle below the Maritime Police Centre.
Opening hours are from breakfast to lunch time every day.
Book for good weather days.

 

Bergie's Fish Cafe - Thirroul NSW

If one has a single focused passion, the world is there to conquer.

A rather easy snack, with all the stuff that reminds one of growing up, with no pretensions - and it has its veg and wedges too.

The waves beckon just out there, and here we are taking in our sustenance and joy, whilst we gaze at the big blue.

The Bergies is located at 216 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Thirroul NSW
Nearest cross road  - Cochrane Road
Opened from Thursday to Sunday only, from 11am to 830pm.
Friendly staff like people we know down the road, in a place that is mostly forever summer and young.
Come up from the beach, or park by the side roads, if you cannot pull up right in front of the cafe itself.
Chat up and you may find yourself on an exciting fishing trip.

 

Kinn Thai Wollongong NSW

Look up at the ceiling as well.

Keen on Thai.  I loved the grilled southern styled chicken thigh fillets. They are not over oily but full of flavour!  Tables were filled up even on a week night.  The lemon grass squash I chose was a bit under and I then reckoned I should have had a beer like Michael.

Curries were restricted to green, red and Massaman, the troika of best known Thai curries to Aussies.  Entrees had variety of choice from curry puffs to chic wings but not the desserts.  Staff members were quick on the go and friendly.  Next I may try the Pad Thai.  On the most recent visit, with the Campbell family,  I sampled the grilled pork ribs, a must have I say.

I reckon bookings are essential.  There are both indoor and outdoor seats, but for the latter, you can be right in the face with possibly busy vehicular traffic on Keira Street, depending on the time of day or evening.  The restaurant is located as part of the revamped GPT shopping centre, sited in the midst of different restaurants and cafes.  In the middle of Wollongong city centre, Kim Thai is easily accessible after some shopping.  Every time I am there, the kitchen staff (mainly male) are often as busy as the (mainly female) wait staff.  There is a prominently placed bar counter for the cocktails and grog to accompany our palate with all these spicy stuff - it is easy to recall memories of Phuket or Bangkok.

Sumptuously prepared crab and prawn rolls.

The Kinn Thai outlet in Wollongong is one of a chain, with other restaurants in NSW (Kotara and Castle Towers), Queensland (Westfields in Upper Mount Gravatt and North Lake) and the Canberra Centre.

The menu is comparable to Thai restaurants in the Big Smoke (aka Sydney) and there is the familiar Tom Yum soup, grilled meat satay sticks, salt and pepper squid, Massaman beef curry, stir fried Pad Thai noodles, red duck curry, basil flavoured chicken and the popular soft shell crab with papaya salad.  Michael tells me he likes the stir fried spicy noodles and I can understand why, it is yummy, though different from the Pad Thai.

There are also suggested set menus to ease the selection process but I prefer ordering ala carte.  Less spicy variations include the crispy pork belly, duck pancake and seared scallops (all more Chinese I must say). On the other end of the scale is the Crying Tiger Salad.  Vegetarians are recommended to try the pumpkin for mild preferences or for more spicy, the stir fry with green peppercorns.

Generous serves of grilled pork ribs.

There are hidden gems offered though like the Miang Kam, a kind of entree salad, consisting of betel leaf holding some crunchy and flavourful bits like nuts, dried shrimps and more.  As can be expected, the drinks have fascinating names like  Rambutan Mule, One Night in Patong Beach and Sugar Daddy.

Birthday celebrations seem to be the forte at this Wollongong outlet and the staff know how to churn up a celebratory mood with sparklers and music, often  with diners at other tables joining in to cheer the birthday person.


Kinn Thai Wollongong is located along the Keira Street frontage of the GPT shopping centre in Wollongong City Centre, with neighbours like Coco Cubano and Grill'ed.  Access can also be made from Coles supermarket down one floor in the centre.  Kinn Thai is a stone's throw from the start of upper Crown Street Mall.

Address:  200 Crown Street, Wollongong - this reflects more of the address of the GPT Shopping Centre, of which Kinn Thai is part.
Telephone: 02 4229 3407 and 02 4229 4417

All hands on deck!

Austi Beach Cafe - Austinmer NSW

The cafe is synonymous with summer time gelato and sorbets.

The staff member who sat us down was friendly and proactive.  I took up on her offer of the PH Balance drink, it was helpful for my budding cold. She could rattle off useful updates on dishes and items available.  I have perceived that this Austi Beach Cafe is the place to go to for summer time gelato in the Illawarra Coast, apart from the one at Panorama House, Cold Rock  and Patisccerie Massimo Papa.  However on our most recent visit,  it was imprudent to go for the cold stuff on a rather classic winter's day on the coast south of Sydney.

Austi does have an interesting food menu though. I have seen so many pulled pork offerings around the Wollongong, Melbourne and Sydney areas - so I gave the pulled lamb on toast sandwich a definite go.  I loved it, with the taste, texture and overall flavours pleasing my palate.  The ocean waves were crashing outside just across the road and fellow lunchers were huddled near the over head heater.  The drinks menu are pretty much what you expect from a beach side suburb - crushes, milk shakes, fresh juices, coffee, milkshakes and teas. 

As it is also a Gelateria, the choices in this respect are more colourful and varied.  I noticed there was an Affogato a Cafe, comprising of a shot of espresso over two scoops of the gelato flavours and topped by a wafer.  A dessert to also try is the Mandarin flavoured pudding, drizzled with honey and full of chocolate as well.

Open for dinner time on weekends, recommendations are to try the Toulouse Sausage and the king prawn Linguini, after entrees of crab and corn Croquettes or the Boston Bay mussels with fried bread.  The Cafe is normally open for breakfast, brunch and lunch. It can be a favourite stop for visitors from outside the Wollongong area on holidays and weekends.  The lunch menu is available only from noon.  Austin also caters for packaged menus.

Austin Beach Cafe is located at 104 Lawrence Hargrave Drive opposite the beach in Austinmer NSW.  It is a leisurely fifteen minute drive north from Wollongong city centre, or around 30 minutes south from Waterfall, a southern suburb of greater Sydney.Telephone 02 4268 5680The owners also operate the Point Cafe in Bulli NSW which bakes the sweet stuff for the Austi Beach.

Vehicle parking is best aimed for the Council provided parking beside the beach.

I adored this pulled pork over sourdough with veg.

Matterhorn - Te Aro Wellington

Venison Denver Leg with captivating sides.

A coolish mid June evening surfaced after the early winter sunset brought down temperatures.  The open fire places in the restaurant were being stoked and the engaging male staff in the courtyard allowed me to sit inside.  Both the food and drink menu is impressive.  The latter concentrated on New Zealand wines (especially from Hawkes Bay, Central Otago and Marlborough)  but also had several selections from Spain, Portugal, Italy and France. Crayfish, tuna  and salmon are featured for seafood but I reckoned the uplifting feature of the menu is the clever and thoughtful combination of ingredients.

I thoroughly enjoyed the duck variations with brioche entree.  Creative, imaginative and tasty on the palate, degustation of the several duck variations inspired my expectations and uplifted my comfort. Perhaps a mark of the return of head chef Sean Marshall from late last year.  Settling down in an Indian Runner cocktail, I did find the place rather too dark for its own good and the tiny flickering table lights did  not much help in reading the menu.

The Matterhorn in Wellington CBD is located hidden inside a passageway - after the sign outside on Cuba Street mall side, there is no other indication of where the restaurant is.  The staff were diligent in ensuring my drinks did not run out, whether non-alcoholic or not.  Seated near the bar, I could catch the banter of guests who treated it more like a pub.

Duck in the dark with brioche.

Being such an established institution in The Land of the Long White Cloud,  the Matterhorn carries a heavy burden in reputation and delivery.

I enjoyed the Franco-German theme and feel of the set up, provided with a finesse in the way the kitchen prepared meats, grilled and cured.  I selected the Venison Denver leg for my mains as it is local Kiwi produce  and I was looking forward to how the Matterhorn served it.  When the dish came, I was immediately distracted by the side servings, especially the eggplant caviar plus the Miso mix with sweet potato - this was an elegant representation of the best from the land.  Black sesame with other grains echoed absolute globalisation.  Oh yes, getting back to the venison, this had a deep flavourful texture.  It held its firmness and yet it was subtle on the bite.

Perhaps it was too early a start.

It had not been easy to zoom down to my final choice of starters.   The coddled egg had gravy over accompaniments of oyster mushrooms, polenta, garden peas and chicken wing bacon, all on one plate.  Another entree, wild rabbit, was enhanced with Spanish sherry, flavoured with cardamom and served with Shitake mushrooms, wild greens, barley and Heritage carrots.

For  lighter mains, Matterhorn offers the house Agria Gnocchi, made with seasonal harvest , pecorino and nettle pesto.  For heavy eaters, the Plate of Pig jumped out to my attention, served with pickled pumpkin,  Savoy cabbage and cider sauce.  Very German, very Oomp Pah Pah!

For those not having a course meal, the Matterhorn offers an interesting option to go with just drinks - the Grazing Food section.  An example of informal flexibility, you can have small serve items like mussels  bathed in malt vinegar, a Charcuterie board, Momma's fried chicken, Tuna sashimi, polenta fried zucchini dipped with spiced Tahini yogurt and simple Dukkah bar nuts.   Just great for after office chill outs and group drink sessions.

There are two outlets for the Matterhorn in New Zealand:

1.  Wellington - 106 Cuba Street, Te Aro

Open Monday to Saturday from 3pm till late;  Sundays from 1pm till late.
Nearest cross road  - Ghuznee or Dixon Streets
Telephone:  04 3843359

Bookings recommended on weekends.
Atmosphere - relaxed and diverse, with business, family and social groups
Sit down section inside and outside  with a joint bar section.

2.  Auckland - 37 Drake Street, Freemans Bay at the Victoria Street Markets  (not visited at this stage).

Open Monday to Saturday from 3pm till late;  Sundays from 1pm till late.
Telephone: 09 9292790

My impressions of the Matterhorn in Wellington:

Ambiance:  It can be a pub, it can be a fine dining experience.  Relaxed and diverse, one can be sitting near boisterous guests or have a private corner.

Taste:  More than satisfying.  Accompaniments bring the diner to higher sensations on the palate.

Location:  Not exactly ideal and such food created deserves a better waterfront setting.

X factor:  The chef's clever combination of ingredients to create exciting and well blended dishes.

Attentive mindset by most staff.

Would I return?  Yes, for the inspiring menu.  Also to soak in with the English Patient Martin Miller's, Saffron Gin, lemon, sugar and hopes made ginger liqueur.  There are only four Australian wines that evening if I saw it right - the Knappstein Shiraz from the Claire Valley South Australian; Shaw & Smith chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills;  Adam's Rib chardonnay from Beechworth and the NV Chambers Muscadelle from Victoria.  One USA choice  - the Zinfandel from California.