Spinnakers Restaurant

Attached to the Sails Resort as the dine in option, this is not just another hotel restaurant. A standalone restaurant on its own, this was a popular venue on the Saturday night we visited, with a mixture of locals and guests enjoying a meal - we were the latter, visiting for the June Long Weekend. The layout was spacious, and was of course set up for dinner service - in the mornings it would serve host to the resorts hungry guests for the breakfast buffet. The frontage onto the marina was completely glassed in, meaning that most tables had a great view no matter where you sat. There is also outdoor seating, but as it was a cold night this was naturally vacant. We had made the reservation online and was greeted by the host, who was more than accommodating to charge the night's meal to our room. After a quick glance at the menu we ordered the 300g Scotch fillet steak with potato gratin, field mushroom , green beans wrapped in prosciutto with red wine jus , and the crayfish fritters with sautéed prawns. The steak was ordered rare, and for me it was tending a little toward rare to medium rare - but this is a very small point. It was delicious and juicy, with the field mushroom, beans and potato the classic pairing with beef, and the prosciutto complimenting it all with its umami flavour. The red wine jus finished it off perfectly, however there wasn’t nearly enough, and was left wanting for more. The crayfish fritter (as enjoyed by my partner) wasn’t my ideal dish, but the crayfish flavour was delicate and left a wonderful crustacean-y flavour rolling around your mouth. Dessert was hard to choose, as we had a coconut brulee with a pistachio crumb, walnut and chocolate brownie with anglaise and ice cream, and vanilla bean pannacotta with citrus as options. After much debate (and a very short wait) the pannacotta and the brownie arrived. The brownie was everything a good brownie should be - generous, soft, chocolaty and nutty. It was the addition of the anglaise which made this a standout out dish. Smooth, creamy and delicious, this velvety liquid surrounded the brownie like a moat, with the ice cream dolloped on top. A winner on all accounts. My vanilla bean pannacotta was also a winner but from a different perspective. Whereas the brownie was decadent and rich and creamy, this was fresh and zesty. The wobble was immediately present as soon as it was placed on the table, inviting me to dive right in - and was rewarded with a smooth textured pillow of creamy goodness, leaving a wonderfully soft mouthfeel on the palette. The zing of the citrus dressing and pieces of lime and lemon added a sharp counter to the creaminess, leaving us with another winner of a dish. I would visit Spinnakers again on future visits to Port Macquarie.

Service was excellent. Food was superb. Dont hesitate to consider a meal here. There weee families around us aswel with children, they catered to them, serving them off the menu drinks and meals. From someone who does not review often, WELL DONE!

One word, yummmm