Ah those few lazy days between Christmas and New Years. Normally days spent wandering between cafes and the beach. But given Sydney's poor attempt at sunshine this year, my bum has seen very little sand. Instead I was invited by The Jet-Setter to ‘look at’ some sand, from Pilu at Freshwater.
Who hasn’t wandered past this gorgeous weatherboard house, wrapped around with a glass-enclosed balcony and thought ‘I really have to go there for lunch sometime’? Equally how many of us have actually made the time to go? Well I finally made it.
This whole building breathes the beach. Weatherboard, blue and white, big windows, simple table settings and friendly relaxed staff. Of course given that we booked only a day ahead we don’t get one of the coveted tables out on the veranda. However it is of little matter. Just about every table in this restaurant has a lovely view of Freshwater beach. We settle in, quickly select a bottle of Tassie Pinot Noir and order from the Sardinian influenced menu. The Jet-Setter opts for mint fettuccine with lamb ragu for entrée and the seafood tomato soup for main. For an entrée the pasta dish is a large size. I’m glad I don’t have to face that down before another course! That said, the pasta is quickly devoured (with a few ‘mmmmmmm’s’ in there) by The Jet-Setter, who shows massive restraint in not eating the whole thing to save room for the course to come. I can never do that! Or so I thought…
My entrée is the salt baked NZ King salmon with saffron kipfler potatoes, baby leeks and beetroot puree. Again the size of the entrée is massive. It is a lovely no-fuss dish that allows the basic flavours of each component to shine in their own right. The potatoes are delicately floral with saffron, the leeks add crunch and beetroot rounds off the dish with earthy undertones. And, yeah, couldn’t finish it! Couldn’t risk not being able to fit my saddle of lamb with slow cooked lamb-belly, date jam and eschallots in! Gimme, gimme, gimme!
That said, the lamb is a little more cooked than I like it (the bloodier the better really) and it is not the most tender piece of lamb I have had, but the flavours are spot-on; homey, sweet, savoury, meaty. I heart. The Jet-Setter’s tomato soup is presented with a bib, and upon dramatic lifting of the cloche I can see why. Do not, for the love of God, wear white if you plan to order this dish. You deserve to look like you have been attacked by a four year old during art-and-craft time if you do! So bib donned, The Jet-Setter sets about devouring the generous heapings of seafood clamouring for space in the bowl. Octopus, mussels, fish, bugs, it’s all there. Good thing she didn’t eat all her entree.
With all these massive portions dessert isn’t really an option. But affogatos certainly are! When our lovely waitress informs us that they are out of vanilla ice-cream (a prospect she seems very upset by) she proposes the supplementation of some Italian fruit-and-nut ice cream thing which I cannot for the life of me remember the name of (any Italian readers out there? Oh and please don’t hate me for not knowing!). It works beautifully with the coffee, and I leave the restaurant full, buzzing and desperate for a swim. After that meal however I dare not expose the world to my bloated stomach. No need to thank me.
http://www.piluatfreshwater.com.au/
