What: The Lakehouse Cafe
Where: 11 Shoreside Row, Murrays Beach
Prices: Entrees $17.50 to $19.50; mains $27.50 to $29.50; desserts $9.90; cheese $14.50; sides $5.50 to $9.50
Chef: Paul Fear
Wines: 25 wines, 17 by the glass, from the Hunter, Southern Highlands, Mudgee, Victoria, SA, WA and NZ and a sparkling from the Loire, France
Hours: Breakfast and lunch seven days from 9am to 5pm; dinner Friday and Saturday from 6pm
Bookings: 4971 1745.
Bottom line: Entree, main, dessert about $110 for two without wine
It's a balmy summer evening, the rain's left for a while, and the heatwave is still to come. Where better to be than on Lake Macquarie watching through the tall trees as the sun dips over Point Wolstoncroft.
Murrays Beach is just off the Pacific Highway and just south of Swansea but you could be a world away. Families barbecue in the well set-up shelters along the shore, walkers stroll or power walk and the jetty is alive with anglers.
With some reluctance we drag our eyes away from the view and bring our minds back to the task in hand.
The menu is sensibly short with oysters three ways, a duck pate, scallops, salmon gravlax and roasted beetroot salad making up the entrees. The mains offer beef, chicken, fish, duck and pork. A potato puree, a salad, steamed greens or beer-battered fries can be added but most mains don't need anything extra.
It's hard to go past scallops. Four, just seared, plump specimens rest on a smooth, garlicky cauliflower puree ($19). The grilled artichoke quarters are a revelation what a difference grilling can make to preserved artichokes. Some very crisp and salty speck on top provides a nice flavour and texture contrast and the whole lot is topped with a tumble of petite herbs.
Roasted beetroot salad ($17.50), the only vegetarian dish on the menu, comes with spiky wild rocket and "crostini's", which turn out to be rather bland lavosh crisps. I just don't get this obsession with wild rocket; I'd much prefer the more gutsy, softer garden rocket. But there's nothing wrong with the wedges of golden and purple beetroot, their sweetness offsetting the tangy goat's cheese mousse.
The fish dish is barramundi ($28.50) with a surprising accompaniment white bean cassoulet with zucchini and diced tomato. The floury texture of the beans works well with the firm white flesh of the barramundi.
Confit pork belly is one must-have dish ($27.50). The pork is surprisingly lean with tender meat rolled up and perched on white truffle-scented potato puree with a bed of red cabbage providing the perfect foil for the rich meat. There's no apple and rosemary foam tonight, just a well-flavoured jus.
Four desserts and a cheese dish what to choose. Both creme brulee and panna cotta ($9.90 each) test the chef's skill and they both come up trumps. The brulee is a classic preparation. Its crust shatters under the spoon to reveal very light, very creamy, still warm custard. Creme fraiche sorbet adds a light tang.
The panna cotta is a quivering delight, wobbly and delicate with the mixed berry compote providing a perfect accompaniment.
The Lakehouse Cafe is a popular lunch and breakfast spot. On a night like this it's also perfect for dinner.
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