This is one of those places I'd call a hidden gem, as it's not the easiest to get to without a car, and the building itself is rather nondescript, with the entrance being off to the side and not very obvious and once inside, the views from this restaurant is absolutely breathtaking.
I had lunch here on a Friday, and although the place wasn't full, it was certainly very busy still, with most tables occupied by large groups (we were one of only two tables occupied by two people only). We ordered a dozen oysters, the kingfish sashimi, roast prawns, snapper pie, and a side of chips.
Our oyster platter consisted of six different types of oysters, chosen on recommendation of our waiter (but I forgot which ones he picked out for us). They were very fresh and delicious though, especially with the vinaigrette, although they do cut their lemon in a large round slice rather than wedges, which makes it a little messy and hard to squeeze onto the oysters properly.
The kingfish sashimi was good, very fresh, and prepared well, but I didn't taste much of the ponzu, although the dollop of sauce on the side was delicious with the kingfish. I thought it could have done without the puffed rice, or perhaps it could have been substituted with something else, as it didn't do much to add to the flavours, all it did was provide a rather bland but crunchy texture to the dish.
I loved the roasted prawns more than the kingfish sashimi, as the prawns were cooked perfectly and full of flavour. The butter sauce complimented the prawns perfectly, without being too heavy or too bland and runny, and there was a nice little hint of a roasted taste.
The side of chips with aioli was definitely hand cut, and although a lot thicker than any chips I've ever had, it was delicious, and not at all oily nor greasy. It didn't feel heavy in my stomach, and the potato itself was soft and cooked well inside. They leave the skins on also, which I love.
The dish that I had come for, however, was the snapper pie, as I read so many good reviews on it, and the Boathouse website itself calls it their "famous snapper pie", and they "wouldn't dare take it off" the menu. The presentation of the pie is quite exciting, as the waiter brings it out on a little trolley and dishes it out onto a plate for you, and you sit in anticipation, smelling the wonderful aromas coming from the hot pie.
The pie is served on a plate with mashed potato and a smoked tomato half. The mash potato was quite smooth, but not very creamy, it was a little on the dry side if anything, but not terribly. The smoked tomato was okay, you can definitely taste the smokiness, but I didn't like the texture of the tomato skin. The snapper pie itself was just beautiful. The puff pastry on top was light, crispy, crunchy on top and fluffy in the underneath layers. The filling was plentiful, and the flavours really brought out the mild sweetness and freshness of the snapper itself. The snapper is a whole fillet, so you will definitely see it, and you can taste the firm flakes of it's flesh distinctively.
The service here was good, although my friend wanted sparkling water but they served us still water, and we had to sit around for a while waiting for a waiter to notice us so we could get the water changed. The water mix up wasn't too big an issue for me though, but throughout our meal, and once we were done, I noticed it was a little hard to catch the attention of any waiters when we required it.
We paid $180 for our meal, so it is on the pricer end of things for a lunch, but the food tastes quite good overall, and it's definitely very fresh. The view is also very spectacular, and it's really a sight to behold while enjoying your meal.
TIP: when truffles are in season, they can add shaved truffles to any dish on the menu except the snapper pie, but they do a separate truffle pie (which isn't on the menu) instead.
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