Le Wharf
A funny thing happened to me this year around my birthday. Well the book happened really and I scarcely had time to do anything. And as the case may be, the birthday planning fell to the wayside. I had wanted to visit Berowra Waters Inn for the longest time ever since my advertising days. The Thursday or Friday lunch was legendary-mainly because it was quite a distance and you weren’t expected back and if you timed it right, you ended up with an almost three day weekend. Sadly this never eventuated and this year, by the time I got myself together for my birthday it was a week before my birthday. I knew that there wouldn’t have a single spot, even on the pier itself, even if I begged. So I set it aside for next year.
Luckily, next year’s birthday came early in the form of a remarkable weekend away and Mr NQN and I were driving away from Brooklyn after our relaxing night at Dangar Island on our way to Berowra Waters Inn. We drive past what I unaffectionately term the “Hill O’death” aka the windy Berowra Water Road high above the road below and with as many twists and turns as a formula one raceway. We park the car (a tip, book for an early lunch as the carpark gets crowded on weekends and you don’t want to be schlepping your good self up the hill in heels) and we make our way down to the private ferry wharf where a ferry driver shuttles back and forth across the water picking up guests and depositing them on the wharf in front of the restaurant. It’s a short five minute ride and we alight and climb the wooden walkway (caution, leave your spindly spike heels behind) and up the sandstone stairs to the restaurant.
With floor to ceiling windows, inside is chic, very North Shore and all view and service is friendly, deferential and helpful. We’re dithering over what to get so they suggest alternating with the dessert assiette for two and possibly a cheese course if we have room which will give us a taste of everything on the menu. You can have five courses including tea, coffee and petit fours for $150 or $210 including wines or six courses with each additional course $25 each of $35 with matched wines.
Amuse Bouche
We start with a glass of Billecart Salmon champagne to soothe the nerves (not that the nerves were jangled in any way). We’re given an amuse bouche, salmon and eggplant caviar on a crisp. The crisp is warm and very buttery and the salmon and eggplant caviar lovely.
Bread with French butter stick
“Oooh look at this butter!” I exclaim to Mr NQN. because I am easily besotted by butter. It’s is a salted French butter in a foil wrapped baton shape. The bread is warm but I’m not particularly taken by it, it’s very wheaty for my taste (it sounds odd I know).
Chilled Vichyssoise, Oscietra & Salmon Caviars, Beignets Of Hawkesbury Oysters served with Hewitson ‘Gun Metal’ Riesling 2009, Eden Valley, South Australia
Said to be their signature dish, the kitchen sends out two of these so that the courses can come out in pairs as there are nine savoury courses). Lucky thing too as I might have fought Mr NQN for the moussey Vichyssoise which is light and airy as a mousse. Inside it halfway down are the two caviars, a larger red salmon caviar and a small black Osciestra caviar and on top are tiny, tiny breadcrumbs. The beignets of local oysters are crispy and hot and sit on top of a bed of creamy leeks. Heaven. I pick up the vichyssoise cup and try to lick up extra bits from the side of the cup before realising that I may be embarrassing Mr NQN when I see his expression of horror.
White Asparagus, Green Asparagus, Slow Poached Organic Egg, Fresh Black Winter Truffle From Manjimup served with Krinklewood (Biodynamic) Chardonnay 2008, Hunter Valley, New South Wales
No matter how I have truffles, I always think that they’re always best served with eggs. This slow poached egg yolk looks runny at first but it’s got a viscosity thick enough that it can hold its shape. It comes with white and green asparagus, the poached egg yolk, a mushroom emulsion and a freshly shaved Winter truffle. It’s creamy and aromatic.
Grilled Sea Scallops, cauliflower, pickled salsify, salted walnuts, green apple served with a Rusden “Christian” Chenin Blanc 2009, Barossa Valley, South Australia
This was a fairly simple dish but well balanced with grilled scallops, cauliflower puree, salted walnuts. The scallops were juicy and the thinly sliced pickled salsify gives it a nice balance as does the salted walnuts.
Buffalo Mozzarella, Espelette Pepper, Potato Gnocchi. Chanterelles, Sage Butter
By now the whole restaurant is full. The buffalo mozzarella, usually such a mild cheese is given a bit of spice with the Espelette Pepper which is a pepper cultivated in Espelette by the Basque people. The stretchy mozzarella goes well with the small pillows of gnocchi, wild mushrooms like Chanterelles and sage butter and to finish it off is a tempura sage leaf crisp.
Poached Western Australian Marron, Fermented Garlic, Sweet Green Peas, Alsace bacon served with Joseph Drouhin Chablis 2009. Burgundy, France
The poached Western Australian Marron is a stunning dish. It’s a marron tail with some fermented garlic puree, a sweet green pea dumplings and a tiny rasher of Alsace bacon. The marron tail is perfectly cooked, the fermented garlic gives it a burst of musky flavour and the delicately skinned dumpling has a sweetness from the peas.
Murray Cod Fillet, Celeriac, croustillant of Peppered Oxtail
The Murray Cod is deliciously moist inside but with a lacquered skin and is accompanied with a celeriac puree. The croustillant of black peppered oxtail has two thin pastry layers, a layer of spinach inside and the soft, braised shredded oxtail.
Ballotine Of Local Quail & Duck, Foie Gras, Oriental Consomme served with Te Kairanga Estate pinot Noir 2009, Martinborough, New Zealand
This dish comes with its own test tubes! In fact two test tubes with the consommé ingredients including Chinese peppercorns and star anise and a test tube with the warm consommé which is to be poured over the quail, duck and foie gras which is wrapped up in a roll and sliced. It comes with a lightly cooked Asian vegetables which are still a little crunchy and the flavour is rich, slightly gamey but aromatic with the star anise.
Soup
Before we have our last savoury course we get a little teacup of soup. It’s a roast pumpkin soup with crushed amaretti biscuits. The amaretto biscuits are sweet and sweet toothed Mr NQN likes this more than me.
Lamb Shank, Steamed Bone Marrow Dumpling, Spinach, Roast Shallot Jus
The bone marrow dumpling was nothing like I expected. Here it is a lamb shank, slowly cooked and rimmed with spinach and a bone marrow dumpling so that it is almost like a suet pudding that encircles the lamb shank. It’s comfort food in a tidy portion. Inside the lamb shank is some sweet confit onions and there is also a whole eschallot and eschallot jus which is quite heavy on the eschallot.
Grilled Wagyu Sirloin, braised cheek, Jeruselum Artichoke, Deep fried aioli served with Andrew Thomas ‘Two of a kind’ Shiraz 2008, Hunter Valley / McLaren Vale, NSW/SA
Yep you read right. Deep. Fried. Aioli. As in the deep fried garlic mayonnaise. After you taste it, you may be deep frying your own aioli too! 
It has a thick, crunchy golden crust and the creaminess and garlic flavour of the aioli pairs very well with the pink cheeked Wagyu sirloin. The braised cheek is thick and gelatinous and sits on top of some sauteed spinach. There is also some golden Jerusalem artichoke and I adore this main.
Cutest bottle label design!
Pre dessert
If only I could make a dessert as good as this pre dessert. It’s a sauternes custard with caramel mousse, chocolate pop rocks and buttery almond tuile. Sliding a spoon down the side of the shot glass I get a bit of everything and it’s a wonderful combination of flavours and textures-and even the pop rocks, so used nowadays work to give the creaminess and crunchiness an added …well pop. I know I have no hope of becoming a pastry chef (not that I ever harboured any dreams of that) but I know it to be the case when I have this. And this is only the pre dessert!
Dessert variations on a theme
Dessert Wines matched to the dessert variations
Do we have room for dessert? Absofreakinglutely! The dessert variation on a theme is excellent value for pairs as you get to try all four desserts and this counts as two courses. And if getting this dish brought to your table doesn’t induce stares of envy and lust, I don’t know what else would. A supermodel would probably shrink back in her chair if she saw this, totally outshone.
Dark Amadei Chocolate Tart, Strawberries, Yoghurt Cream
We start with the dark chocolate dessert as we reason it’s perhaps the least sweet which it is. It is served with a Pedro Ximenez Sherry which is sticky and syrupy. It comes with lightly soaked, sweet strawberries and is topped with a tangy yogurt cream – not ice cream, cream that tastes like whipped yogurt. Under the sublime strawberry sorbet is crushed sugared almonds.
Braised Pineapple, Coconut Mousse, warm pineapple soup
I am on a pineapple kick at the moment and this braised pineapple redolent in sweetness is paired with an airy coconut mousse which is encased with a very thin white chocolate shell. To match this we have a vanilla speckled warm pineapple soup which I pour over the white chocolate dome and it melts. The coconut mousse is divine and strong in coconut. I can feel a Meg Ryan When Harry Met Sally moment coming on!
Pear Tarte Tatin, Poire William Ice Cream
OK well this was going to have to be my favourite as I love pastry. This is lovely and caramelised dark although it is steeped in a syrup so it’s not as crunchy as I usually like it. However it comes with a divine nut brittle which delivers a satisfying crunch and a William pear ice cream. Let it be known that Mr NQN, ever the chivalrous husband said “You have all the pastry”. See why I married him?
Raspberry Souffle, Raspberry – Mascarpone Sorbet
I don’t normally order souffles. They never really do it for me. I’ve discussed it with friends and some concur that they’re a bit too “one note”. I’m willing to change my mind for this one though. With a generous blanket of icing sugar (and that’s my first complaint, often souffles are only sweet around the edge where they meet the buttered, sugared ramekin), this has personality in spades. It’s paired with a raspberry and mascarpone ribboned sorbet and cream. I eat my half of this happily and eagerly.
Petit fours
“You can have as many as you would like” our waitress says. There is a selection of four that comes with our tea or coffee and they are a dark chocolate, pineapple and pistachio chocolate cube, a blood peach jelly, a hazelnut financier and a chocolate and cherry truffle. The blood peach jelly in my favourite, and yes it’s not a misprint and not meant to read blood orange. The blood peach jelly is made from an imported blood peach puree from France. We take a bite and Mr NQN says “it reminds me of something” and then it hits me. It’s like Chinese haw flakes and peach. Crazy but true!
Seaplanes come and pick up some passengers (a wise idea for those that have been drinking). We’re stuffed and we can’t comprehend the cheese plate no matter how tempting the raw milk cheese from Switzerland sounds (I know we’ll regret it later). Our little weekend journey to the Central Coast and Berowra Waters has drawn to a close and we are reluctantly heading back to reality. We take a look at the time and see that it is now 4:30pm. Hmm yes perfect for a corporate lunch wouldn’t you say? I’m just thinking of you darlings!
And did any of you see the new Cornetto Endless Summer ad on TV with yours truly in it? There I was working on my laptop last night when I heard the ever familiar tune and freaked out a little-there I was, on my own television. How very surreal!
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever wanted to be a chef or a pastry chef?
NQN and Mr NQN travelled to and dined at Berowra Waters Inn as guests of Tourism NSW
Berowra Waters Inn
Accessible only by boat or sea plane.
S33’35’43.4 E151’07.18.5, Berowra Waters
Tel: +61 (02) 9456 1027
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60 Comments | Add your own
“You can have as many as you want”??? Did you open up your handbag, Lorraine?
This looks too spectacular for words. Oh, those desserts!
Another place I’ve heard so much about but never eaten at! Thanks for the review, but good grief, who deep fries aioli? I wonder how on earth they do it?
Ohh I haven’t seen the add yet!! I so much want too.
You know all the best places to eat, I can’t believe how gorgeous every course was! There was so much beautiful food! YUM!
hi lorraine
First happy b’day (if I have well understood your post ..) ! and secondly i must say that food is htis restaurant is very elegant : compliment to the chef !!
Pierre
Wow – it looks like you had a side of ‘perfect weather’ to accompany that meal
Oh my, look at those desserts! The dessert variations look incredible! The scallops look beautiful too – such clean looking food, if you get me. I did want to be a chef when I was young, & a pastry chef with a little French boulangerie in Paris
Heidi xo
What beautiful food! I am especially taken by the Two of a Kind label (my first dog was a daschund), and by the dessert bento box type arrangement – mmmm…
Heheh I love that you are easily besotted by butter! I am too
Also, the scallops look amazing and that souffle! Reminded me of a strawberries & cream souffle I had at Bob Bob Ricard here in London just a couple of weeks ago. they must have piped it alternately because it rose with STRIPES. I was amazedddddd!! (it tasted awesome too!)
I am still scratching my noggin over fried aioli… how do you do that Lorraine??? I can imagine that if you could do it it would be spectacular. ANother gorgeous place to visit… I didn’t know what marron was but figured it out… beautiful presentation too. I love the peas with it… must feel like spring… which looks pretty good to me since our weather is cold and damp now.
This place is on my wishlist. the food looks so good
It’s a beautiful part of the world up there isn’t it? I have a friend who lives next door the Berowra Waters Inn – we spent Christmas Eve there a couple of years ago and watched Santa arrive by boat to the River – very magical!
No, I have never wanted to be a chef. I don’t like to be hot – a bit hard to avoid in a kitchen.
This food looks absolutely wonderful. I’m glad some people want to be chefs.
Thanks for inspiring me to visit the Berowra Waters Inn. It has been on my list for a long time and now that I’ve moved closer to it, there are no excuses to not go.
I’ve never wanted to be a chef or a pastry chef but I am glad that you are besotted by butter as I thought it was only me who adored the way restaurants add ingredients to this condiment. I WILL get around to making the one I tried at Tetsuya’s and once I’ve visited BWI, then I’ll add that to my repertoire as well. Love the photos too NQN.
WOW WOW WOW!
I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to be a chef but I do like to pretend sometimes!
That restaurant has the most perfect setting. The four dessert tasting platter looked like my ultimate indulgence.
Oh drool – esp at the marron. What a lovely way to spend lunch – I’ll jsut think of that as I eat at my desk…
Looks like a wonderful lunch! I always wanted to be a pastry chef – the ability to create wonderful fantasies of sugar always appealed to me! But I don’t have the patience…
Oh, Lorraine! The scallop dish looks wonderful, but my brain just abotu melted upon seeing those desserts. As someone who plans her restaurant meals around dessert, the option of getting to try everything at once makes me so happy
I’ve yet to make it here… maybe for my wedding anniversary – everything looks delicious and what a beautiful view. Congratulations on your commercial Lorrain – can’t wait to see it.
I’m heading there on Sunday for my birthday, can’t wait!
WOw! Everything looks amazing! Especially all those desserts! Oh my… I can imagine multiple When Harry Met Sally moments!
Ooh, love Berowra Waters Inn! Stunning view!
What a spectacular meal. I have never been there but now I want to more than ever. I don’t know if I have enough talent to be one in real life, but I love to play pastry chef at home.
I would like to cook like a chef but I wouldn’t want to be one.
I’m with you on souffles – too one dimensional, as is chocolate mousse. The food looks completely amazing!
I wanted to go here in the 1980s when the Bilsons had it and you had to go by seaplane because it was the excessive 80s – and based on your blog I still want to go there, perhaps not by seaplane though.
wow you waited a whole year for this experience…I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The salted French butter wrapped in baton foil is adorable..I wish all butter came like that!
I too have always wanted to go to Berowra Waters – maybe for a birthday celebration, as you have done!
Well done on the commercial! I watched the little mini interview on the website, and love your dress. Congrats!
OMG Lorraine I’m hungry now…especially seeing all those scrummy desserts…YUUUUMMMM!!!
My gawd, what a setting and what a meal! As I took in your photos, it was like each dish surpassed the next. Here, I was drooling over the bone marrow dumpling when up pops the sauterne custard followed by not one, not two, not three, but FOUR desserts. Ahh, you have such the life!
what a meal! And your photos totally capture the deliciousness
haven’t been by in a while and goodness look at all you’ve been up to. You never cease to amaze me. Also amazing is how you put away all that food and still had room for dessert:-) Surely the mark of a true food blogger!
Wow., I so want to go there, the food looks magical & just how I like it and the views would be amazing.
Congrats on the commercial.., I’ve just been enjoying your interview. Inspirational
Wonderful, wonderful food and brilliant views! Thanks for taking me there (figuratively speaking, of course).
how funny. I was talking about this place just this morning. Food looks delicious, but the desserts…oh my! Good to see the Krinklewood getting a look in.
Okay, food porn. whoa.
I’ve wanted to go here for so long! Everything looks spectacular, especially the caviar and dessert. Picture perfect!
Wow Lorraine, I’ve always wanted to go to Berowra Waters Inn! Now I must definitely take the time to make a booking and take Jean there for a romantic lunch out… Good tip about arriving early
What’s not to love? Delicious seafood, that organic egg with asparagus sounded delicious too, Espelette pepper (Jean would love that!) and a gazillion gorgeous desserts (with Amadei chocolate, or course). Oh, and Billecart Salmon rose is one of my all-time favourite champagnes!
PS: Dear Mr NQN, could we swap places one day?!
Oh my Oh my, I’m so glad you featured this spectacular restaurant.
21 years ago this was where my lovely man popped the question as I gazed at the beautiful surrounds and sipped and ooheed and aahed over how perfectly the Champagne bubbles went with the parsley salad.
And was I quietly thrilled when the clay that my pigeon was baked in was cracked open by Gay Bilson herself? Yes I was!
So what better way to celebrate our 20 year marriage this year than by re-visiting? And what better way to get there on a perfect afternoon but by seaplane? Everyone should do this at least once. It’s a perfectly unique Sydney experience.
Dietmar Sawyere has done a fabulous thing – Berowra Waters Inn was special all those years ago, and he has made it special again.
Oh my, this looks amazing!!!
Got to take my parents there next time they visit, what a treat!
It all looks positively spectacular, especially the……well I couldn’t pick just one. But I did love the look of the soup in that cute teacup.
Your hubby has a good life
my mouth is totally watering at those delicious photos!! I can almost eat my laptop right now…
I don’t really want to be a chef but my bf does and he’s not bad at cooking
I think I really just want to eat 
I don’t know if I would like to share that dessert plate!
Even though I’m already a chef, I would love to complete a pastry chef course, but it’s not offered here in A.C.T. I would love to be the first gluten and lactose free pastry chef around. I love getting the perfect crunch of pastry, and the perfect wobble on a pannacotta. Delicious!!
ah berowra waters inn.. i had one of my first chef hat restaurant experiences here and it was absolutely amazing. i loved it. would love to go back… also think that their sourdough and butter (i believe it was called Échiré.. simply amaazing – best bread and butter i’ve ever had!
I haven’t seen the ad, but my God girl, I am jealous of your birthday lunch. I don’t even think I had lunch on my birthday … ( And a husband who gives you all the pastry? He’s a keeper!
Oooh I want to go HERE for my birthday, birthday or not! Fabulous food and worth stomping up a hill in high heels anytime!
I was enjoying this post so much & so many of the dishes & then I got to the desserts & completely forgot everything that went before! I want!!
As always, I want to eat everything from the computer screen (if I only could…). Lovely pictures of gorgeous food.
My jaw dropped after every photo Lorraine – I love my food and long lunches but my golly I don’t think I would have room for everything, and then they throw in as many petit fours?? My oh my this place is moving higher and higher on the wish list! I have to drop a few hints to the other half!
Except for the oysters, I’ll have one of each. A double order of the chocolate tart.
And a lifetime membership to Jenny Craig’s.
Oh, and Mr. NQN is A-OK!
What a meal, Lorraine! Everything is stunning. I can never resist scallops and they look perfect! I have to say, that butter baton would have totally made my day too!
oh wow Lorraine your photos are so stunning.. every dish in that picture looks to die for. i would love to go too someday.. thanks for sharing this post..have a nice day.
BEAUTIFUL! I’ve wanted to go here for a while, and it has just moved to the top of my birthday lunch wish for next month
I was actually reading this post yesterday, and last night I dreamt about marron.
I haven’t seen the Cornetto ad yet! And yes, in my dreams I would love to be a chef, probably a pastry chef, but I couldn’t handle the kitchen!
Berowra Waters Inn has been on my to do list for way too many years now.
Chefs are overworked and underpaid.If it weren’t for that dark aspect,I would love to be a
chef,..with my own restaurant or
bakery. I have a great respect for chefs and a reverence for the
ingredients. These photos of the
gorgeous food are superb!
Linda- Pink Elephants coffee,LLC
My childhood dream was to become a Cordon Bleu chef but alas it didn’t happen. I love beautiful pastry as well and have Emmanuel Mollois’ book et voila’, it’s divine! Next time I’m in Melbourne, I’m going to his beautiful pastry shop on an empty stomach haha
I’ve never had the pleasure to dine at Berowra Waters Inn but this menu is incredible and I would so want to try it but I don’t know how you and Mr.NQN managed to eat it all. I would have been busting at the seams lol.
Looks as amazing as I remember it – with a few familiar dishes in there too. Makes me want to go back and indulge!
I’ve always wanted to go there Lorraine, nice work!
OMG! look at that Amuse Bouche!
I can’t blink looking at it!!! how was it taste?? please tell please tell please….
I am sure that you could be a pastry chef if you wanted! I don’t watch too much commercial tv, so I looked up the ad on youtube and you look so great in the ad. Well done!
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