The South Coast seems to becoming somewhat of a gastronomic destination with a number of places making the foodie bucket list such as St Isidore and Cupitt’s kitchen. However, the famous and favoured seafood restaurant by Rick Stein is holding its own. It is located in the luxury getaway boutique hotel, Bannisters in Mollymook. You don’t have to be staying in the facility to eat in the restaurant. We often pay this place a visit on our journey down the south coast and have dined here on a number of occasions. If you’re planning on heading down, it’s a 3. 5 drive from Sydney and certainly is worth it.
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Came here for a birthday dinner. Started with a margarita at the pool side bar. Was a bit sour and not a great balance but views great. Went inside and started with a few oysters which were ok. I then ordered the fish soup. OMG was incredible. Came with a paste you spread onto croutons sprinkled with parmesean cheese then put on top of the soup. I could of had another bowl it was so tasty. Even my 12 yr old changed her order to the soup. Next i had the coconut chilli prawns. They were plump, juicy and in a cococut curry broth. Also came with indian bread to dip into the sauce. It was delicious. Nice kick of spice without ruining the subtle taste of the prawns. My husband had the Hervey Bay scallops and seafood curry. Although both was very nice he admitted my choice was better esp. The prawns. Finished with spiced banana brulee which was perfect. My daughter had 3 scoop icecream which she devoured and husband chocolate fondant. Staff are very friendly and eager to please although they forgot an order which worked out well as i cancelled it as was so full. Rick Stein's was everything i hoped it would be and will definitely be back but maybe at the Port Stephens location as closer to home. Only slight downside was they didn't wish me a happy birthday although my husband told them when booking.
Beautifully designed restaurant which isn't too overcrowded.
I had the zucchini flower entree which was ok but a little too much to eat all three in the entree, would maybe help to put something fresh with it. However my family all had the oysters with side of sausage and loved it!
Main was the steamed snapper which was beautiful, the meat was so juicy and not over powered with seasoning/sauces, the meat fell off the bone and made it so easy to eat (without accidentally swallowing a bone).
Service was good, not too over the top but at the same time didn't leave us sitting there trying to catch ones attention.
Situated in a beautiful spot in Mollymook, I'd suggest to visit if your holidaying around town.
Such a wonderful restaurant with spectacular views of Mollymook. Every single dish we had was divine with amazing flavours. Standouts were the seafood pie and Snapper fillet. Be sure you save room for dessert.
100% worth the 3.5 hr drive from Sydney.
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Weekend getaway with four friends dined here on our first night. Upon arriving we were greeted by friendly waiters. We opted with few oysters from different regions; it was prepared well and ultra fresh, a perfect start. Then each ordered entree dishes. I ordered mussels with almond and garlic on slight creamy broth which were everyone's favourite. I loved tuna sashimi marinated with passionfruit and corriendar. It was truly fabulous especially it had sweet flavour but it worked perfectly well with aromatic corriendar. this is my favourite dish of the evening hands down. For our main I ordered fish pie and others got a whole snapper and seafood curry. Every dish was great; the pie was not what I expected - i was expecting a crusty pie but it was more like seafood on creamy sauce topped with bread crumbs. It was unique and I enjoyed it. Snapper with Orange was zesty and well flavoured. From our main dishes i thought the curry was a surprisingly good. It was really well spiced had slight kick which was pleasantly delectable. All in all enjoyed our dinner; fantastic start of holiday :)
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One of the highlights of a trip down to Mollymook should be to experience the dining pleasures of Rick Stein’s only restautrant outside the UK (I think).
It’s located at the end of Mitchell Parade on Bannisters (not Bannisters Pavillion). Bannisters is a swanky upmarket holiday joint (think white walls, white linen, men in white trousers and shirts and panama hats - OK I’ve taken some liberty to the description). Outside are parked Porsche Cayannes, Range Rover sports and a couple of Mazdas (you get the picture).
We are greeted by the sounds of the pool lounge singer downstairs doing her rendition of Noiseworks “Reach Out” [OK, this now probably classifies me as a 1980s Aussie Rock afficienado - yes its a bit sad]
All the wait staff were fab. Whilst some were probably on a working vacation, they all seemed like that they had a private school education. It was formal yet casual; courteous and friendly but not too matey.
We ordered the:
- sashimi as a starter (hmm, its a Stein staple but to those who have had sashimi from Japan, this is average)
- shellfish soup as a starter (Wow! just the way it should be It packs a lobster-shellfish bisque punch. Love it)
- The indonesian curry served with basmati rice and a midly-spice salad condiment (Lovely, almost brings you back to Indonesia)
- The special of the day; which was the whole baked/fried baby snapper in orange sauce (O’la’la, this was FAB! I have always despised the ideal of Duck’la orange and the like; but this since dish and experience has fundamentally shifted my preconceived notions of a ‘sweet sauce’ for a main fish dish.)
Lovely place, lovely decor, lovely service, lovely food. Next time I am up Mollymook, I will do another visit. Probably after I have saved up enough. You may want to go with a wealthy friend or partner. PS: going to try the hot-cold shellfish entree next time.
Bannisters at Mollymook is a must visit destination if you are ever in the area. Apart from the beautiful location, it is the Australian home of Rock Stein. On this second visit, I took some friends with me which made for an already entertaining evening. The staff were lovely but had a slight mishap with a gluten free roll that was frozen on the inside and nuclear hot on the outside (I'm thinking it might be a microwave issue)! The rest of the meal was delicious, timed well and cooked to perfection except for the fish pie which was a little too (temperature) hot. I give them 4.5 mainly because it is a lovely restaurant, the staff are very accommodating and the menu is excellent. Definitely recommend if you love seafood.
Was lucky enough to visit Rick Stein at Banniters couple weeks ago.
I thought it was very nice and I really enjoyed my meal. Seafood dishes are the stand out and I loved the salmon tartare.
Mains were also amazing - fish fillets with Asian flavours done so well. But I'm a dessert person and the mandarin trifle! Wow absolutely amazing.
I didn't find it too expensive considering what we had.. Worth a trip down..
Love this place. Zucchini flowers were crisp and light - a perfect starter! Then we had the special - the crab ravioli which was divine. For our main we shared the grilled lobster... 10/10. And finally, for dessert we shared the special - chocolate ganache which was a perfect ending to our meal. Everything was great from start to finish. Highly recommend trying out this place!
Does My Bomb Look Big In This
+3.5
"There's plenty of people who want to be out here," our waitperson says, as we apologise for the trouble of relocating our table indoors when the late summer sun made lunchtime dining unpleasantly warm.Once ensconced in our new digs, we enquire after our wine, missing in action for at least twenty minutes.When it finally arrives, our super-heated wineglasses struggle to do justice to Gary Mills’ 2014 Jamsheed ‘Harem Le Blanc Plonk’ ($58). They usher this blend of Upper Goulburn and Grampians Riesling quickly past fresh ginger and kaffir lime, and straight towards funkiness and sweet.Around me, the open-plan restaurant oozes casual coastal luxury, with a slight Mediterranean twist. While staff seem relatively plentiful, we find ourselves topping up our own wine glasses, and, once emptied, our water glasses too.We wolf our bread with cleverly briny nori butter, and make short work of Oysters ($4/each). They’re not cheaper by the dozen, so
After several days of backbreaking work trying to get our new home into a habitable state before moving in, in early January we had a few days to relax and recover down at Mollymook. It is a pleasant three hour or so drive from Sydney, and you can opt for a scenic coastal route or drive through some nice green towns with cosy looking coffee shops, bakeries and antiques.
The bread with seaweed butter and olives on the table were a nice touch. The menu looked divine but so much on there I could not eat at the time I visited. I went with the Indonesian curry which has a great flavour but the prawns were undercooked and the squid was rubbery and hard to eat. The coconut side salad not a standout. My dinner guest had the whole trout with crispy pancetta which was delicious - for the swine lover there was A LOT of pancetta. It needed something to balance it out so we ordered greens on the side and they were a bit undercooked.
The hazelnut fondue was nice, slightly over but the salted caramel ice-cream they serve it with was smooth and delicious.
Good wine list. The battered fish looked a popular choice and the Indian curry looked delicious.
Shame they charge a surcharge on Sundays of $10pp when it is already an expensive menu. Seems very unnecessary.
Great location! Beautifully furnished! Amazing views! Staff here really friendly with fabulous recommendations. Food is fresh，wholesome and unpretentious! Will be back! Le boyfriend has done well.
Love it!
The perfect experience.
Start by checking in at the hotel with oysters collected from elsewhere on the coast and a bottle of bubbles on your balcony.
Follow this up with cocktails and snacks down at the pool bar as the sun sets
Then dinner in rick steins to round out a brilliant day. Couldn't ask for anything more
The views are stunning! Not much of a vegetarian menu. But this is completely understandable considering this restaurant specializes in seafood. Mushroom risotto was probably the best I've had!
Perfect seafood and great meal. Dined here for lunch and dinner on two separate days. Both meals were delicious. We had ceviche, fish pie, lobster salad the first night for dinner. Then for lunch we tried the white fish, scallops and prawns all which were perfectly cooked. Wines and cocktails served were all delicious as well. Definitely will be back as everything lived up to expectations.
AMAZING. The oysters were super fresh, the sashimi melt worthy and the fish and chips were the best I've ever had. The staff knowledgable, friendly and attentive. Enjoyed every moment of dining at this restaurant.
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Lunch at Rick Steins at Bannisters. Saturday lunch is a nice time to go to Bannisters in Mollymook. It's quiet and laid back and when the sun is shining a very nice place to start your weekend. Marinated olives and homemade bread with nori butter are a lovely way to begin along with local Oysters at $4 each
This is a special treat restaurant. Wine is reasonably priced but the food can be steep. The quality though is without question, and the variety of local and sustainably caught seafood is encouraging. The menu meanders around the world much like the chef himself. There are a number of Asian inspired fish dishes including several curries.
Entrees start from $18- 38 and include Shellfish soup ( $19), Lobster and Foie Gras salad ($32), Prawn fritters with tomato chutney ($29) and a non fishy risotto with mushrooms ($18) . Main courses include the aformentioned curries Madras ($44) and an Indonesian style curry ( $47). Fish and chips front up with an intensley crispy batter and logs of hand cut chips for $35. A crispty skinned line caught barramundi with soy butter reduction and spring onion mash was satisfying ($44). and sides are $7. The desserts are a bit of a let down with a rolled pavlova and a chocolate fondant pudding leading the charge. Altogether a nice experience with good service and a relaxed feel. A great holiday treat
We had a terrific night. Delicious food and great service. We read some of the bad reviews thinking they couldn't be right. And they weren't. Beautiful flavours throughout all our seafood courses and wines. Dessert also great. Really liked the atmosphere and decor too. Friendly and attentive staff. We'd come again.
Solid food & wine experience: oysters naturale w chirizo & prawn frittes w Mitchell Watervale reisling, fish pie (yum) & Indonesian curry w Cape Barren Goose GSM (yum). Nothing funky here; simply pleasant efficient service, enjoyable food & wine in a pretty setting on the cliff. Cocktail pool & pizza recommended also. A truly beautiful area.
Gem on the South Coast. Had always wanted to try this place and booked at last minute so were pleasantly surprised to turn up for the 6.00 sitting and get the plumb positiion in the corner overlooking the sea. We plumped for all entrees as they sounded tasty.Started with a glass of Croser champagne and 3 oysters from different areas - a great way to start. We then had the sashimi - very fresh, marinated tuna (thought the passionfruit gave it a nice tang and not overwhelmingly so), then the scallops - very delicate, the mussels were delicious, finally the warm shellfish. Had a couple of sides to round it off. Everything enjoyable. We had a bottle of wine with that and were told we were welcome to take the remainder down to the pool area to relax. Felt very special and the service was excellent.
Great food, atmosphere dated.
Loved loved LOVED the fish pie (so gorgeously creamy with ?cauliflower mash and shaved truffle with generous chunks of seafood. The whole crispy snapper was also delicious with such a gorgeous tang to the sauce I could have had a side dish just for that.
The entree tuna carpaccio was a bit wierd with the lime and passion fruit 'cooking' the fish and making it taste metallic with a dry texture - perhaps in need of more oil/fat.
Although staff were very friendly, and dining area new and nicely furnished, there was a 'WASPiness' about the place that made the atmosphere stiff and a bit too formal for my liking and not in harmony with the local area (personal view here).
While your here worthwhile grabbing a drink at the refreshingly casual pool bar overlooking the cliffs.
Had the Indonesian fish curry. It was divine. The taste of the fish was amazing. The food in this place could not be faulted. The service was really really slow, no idea why it was a Wednesday night, not booked out but so slow. If you're happy to wait around it's worth it. We went back for breakfast the next morning and again very very slow service. It was a warm evening but not hot and the doors were open, mosquitoes all over the place so much so that the waiter brought my friend some aeroguard, seriously they could have closed the doors.
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Perfect Day. We had a perfect Sunday lunch at Rick's. The sun was shining, the ocean was sparkling - the waiter was great (thanks Phil) - the service was as good as any we have ever got in Sydney.
We dined on the verandah for lunch, the view is one of the best I have ever experienced, overlooking a perfectly manicured green lawn, through gum trees onto a small bay where you can hear the waves gently crashing on the rocks.
Maybe we were just lucky, but it was hard to fault.
It isn't cheap, same prices as the best restaurants in the city. Especially if you have the lobster and lots of great wine.
But then again its very rare to get this level of sophistication and service anywhere outside of Sydney. Which we appreciate.
I recommend you save your money and enjoy the special experience.
My recommendation is to go down to the pool bar afterwards, enjoy the live music (which seems very rare these days), and more of that gorgeous view, sip on a beer whilst overlooking the acqua infinity pool. This might help ease any pain you experienced from paying the bill . Then collapse upstairs in one of the well appointed comfortable rooms.
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Great food, great atmosphere all for reasonable price. We stayed in the hotel over the weekend just before Australia Day.
It's no understatement in saying that the quality of food at this restaurant is the best seafood I have ever had !
For the entre I had Fish and Shellfish soup. The taste of this soup was scintillating with the perfect combination of flavours on the pallet and you could tell that the seafood was fresh.
For the main I had the seafood pie. Again, it is no understatement to say that the quality of this was au inspiring. The white wine they added to the ingredients was perfectly matched to the seafood with a sweet taste that went together perfectly.
In addition to the quality of the food, the service was impeccable and you could tell that the staff had been very well trained and knew exactly what your needs were.
Our room was the luxury suit just above the restaurant which was perfect - how many times can you eat at a high quality restaurant and be sleeping in the hotel room just above the restaurant !
It is no wonder this hotel is always fully booked out most of the time.
I will definitely be back again and would like to try out some of Rick's other restaurants in the UK......... P.S don't tell anyone else :)
I have just stopped in here for a quick visit to the restaraunt and have been presently suprised. This resraraunt is truely delightful. I must admit i am feeling a bit left out on my own. This is definately a location for couples. The food is very good, definately on par with any of Sydney's top hotels.
I was a bit apprehensive after reading some of these reviews but we had a beautiful meal and good service. Our 3 courses & medium priced bottle of wine worked out at $120 ph which is great value for fine dining. No hesitation in going back to or recommending this restaurant.
Grilled Lobster. For main course I selected the Grilled lobster, priced at an eye watering $21 (£13.60) per 100 gms. My 878gm example set me back a whopping $184 (£119.14) and goes on record as the single most expensive main course I have ever consumed!
It was delicious but not worth the price. To be honest I would have been happy with half.
Great food, but a bit expensive. I enjoyed the warm shellfish entree and snapper fillet for main. The service is great and the place has a great relaxed atmosphere. I would recommend if you are in the Ulladulla area to give it a try...
Ricks hit on something here. His restaurant is the only top notch eatery in the Mollymook/Milton /Ulladulla area, with a brilliant outlook from it's position on Bannisters head. The food is fantastic and fresh with an English slant for some dishes. Only time I've seen kippers and mushy peas on an Aussie menu. Worth a drive at least once.
Another day, another fine dining opportunity. We've taken the scenic drive from Bowral, through the southern highlands, and down the hill through the spectacular Kangaroo Valley to the south coast. Amazing journey on a fine day with the top down.
Onehungryhen.blogspot.com
+4.5
The price of mains is around the $50 mark, entrees and desserts were from $20-$30. Given the quality of food and service as well as the great location, I think this is reasonable.
If you are visiting the south coast, Rick Stein at Bannisters is a cut above and well worth a visit.
CapitalFoodJournal May 20, 2014 Canberra , Food , NSW , Sydney , Travel , WIne For A’s birthday this year, I organised a weekend away to Mollymook, mainly to try Rick Stein’s restaurant. A’s mentioned a few times that she enjoys watching Rick Stein’s cooking shows and I thought that seeing as though we are now located on the Eastern side of Australia, we’d take advantage of visiting Mollymook after years of aspiring to visit Bannisters. When we were seated at our table, the sommelier asked if we’d like to start with two glasses of the Croser NV ($16)– a lovely Adelaide Hills sparkling wine. Both A and I accepted the suggestion and I am so glad we did – it was a lovely glass of sparkling that was perfect to start our evening with. While we looked over the menu, we nibbled on the house made bread served with seaweed butter – very moreish! For my entrée, I ordered the sashimi of salmon, marlin, kingfish and tuna ($29) however when it arrived I was told by the waiter that one element was s
Rick Stein's NSW restaurant is located in Mollymook some 3.5 hours South of Sydney. A weekend trip down the coast gave us the opportunity to book in for Sunday lunch. Now mid May is pretty much the start of winter, but we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day, and were delighted to be offered a seat on the terrace. I have to confess that I was surprised at how quiet the restaurant was on a Sunday afternoon. Food was typical Rick, the freshest seafood, cooked simply with big bold flavors.
Rick Stein at Bannisters is a beautiful seafood restaurant located inside Bannisters Lodge. We loved everything about this place—the location, the ambiance, the service, and the food (unfortunately the pics aren’t going to do the food justice).
The most divine piece of local snapper is delicately grilled and served with clams, mussels and spinach with a simple olive oil and lemon sauce.
The menu is quite extensive and very heavy on the seafood, in fact if you aren’t partial to seafood (and I’m not) there is not a whole lot of other options (if you're vegetarian they may whip up a nice vegetable tempura for you).
The hospitality of a small town are genuine and unbeatable, the wait staffs are professional and friendly, we soon find ourselves settling in comfortably over a glass of Tower Estate ‘Rick Stein’ Semillon Sauvignon Blanc with some mixed olives and fresh bread. The fruity white wine will go down well with our seafood menu this evening.
Wow what a surprise was our visit on new years eve! We booked a lunch to try it out again sonce we heard about a new French chef had take over the kitchen. And we were not disappointed at all. The food had such an uplift from the last time we visit it. Instead of heavy creamy dishes, the food was elegant, well-balanced and refined. As we love our food, we were so pleased to find such an improvement from our last visit. We highly praise the new chef and definitely will be back! The staff was lovely as well and very helpful. Highly recommend to try out the food. Especially the Smoked BBQ prawns with semolina!
We absolutely loved our lunch at Rick Stein at Bannisters. We started with a pre-lunch drink in the garden overlooking the ocean which set the mood for what was to come. The relaxed atmosphere, delicious food, impeccable service from our waiter John and every part of this experience was exactly what we needed after two years of ups and downs running our own business. It was everything we had looked forward to for so long. We can definitely recommend adding this to your South Coast itinerary.
The food was absolutely amazing. The service was next to none. It was an incredible experience. Food is expensive for what you get, but the name and service make up for it. I went all out with the seafood, and I feel like that was definitely the right choice. Next time I am in the area, I will definitely go back.
Had a lovely dinner here, despite the rain the view on the covered alfresco area was nice. The staff were very professional and friendly. The sizing portions were nice and loved their snapper!
The service was very nice with constant water top ups and fresh bread, one server continued to make us laugh and explain each dish to us, super kind!
The food is delicious and fresh. The drink options were wide.
For 6 people we ordered Sydney rock oysters and all the entrees (sashimi, fish and shellfish soup, kingfish ceviche and chargrilled prawns with soft polenta). For mains we each ordered one, mainly the grilled snapper with prawn and mango salsa. We all left full!
We were welcomed an hour before our booking with a nice seat overlooking the sea for drinks. Dinner was excellent. Having watched Rick's shows, I could hear his voice describing how to have the dish! The staff were very attentive and we really enjoyed the experience. Chalky's picture was above the fire :)
There was nothing we could fault, the service and friendliness of the staff and their knowledge and help was second to none and the food was to die for ! Everything was beautifully presented and was sensational.We will definitely be back.
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