Have you ever just walked into a restaurant and felt right at home from the very beginning? There I was standing outside Cafe Pacifico in East Sydney. Mr NQN had dropped me off so that he could park the car-bless him and curse my heels. I took a look at the little glass display box and alongside the menu was an array of Day of the Dead dolls-what a heart warming sight! I made my way up the stairs and opened the door to be greeted by a hanging ghoul clutching a rose. Ahhh I was home…

I would think Cafe Pacifico is a great place for dining with someone that you’re a) not that familiar with or b) don’t really want to talk to. For point a, there is so much to see inside here from the $65 a shot tequila, parrots, the b&w horror film playing on the screen and b) the music is loud. Still the atmosphere is warm and when someone celebrates a birthday everyone joins in singing and the bartenders clash the cymbal . Then a girl accidentally sets their hair alight. It’s that kind of night.

Quesadillas

Tonight, we’re celebrating one of my good friends The Second Wife from She Goes who is having her first blogsoversary! Our first course of the $42 banquet menu is with the flour tortillas which are lightly grilled and filled in the centre with melted cheese and a runny creamy sauce which is quite delicious indeed. They are supposed to be served with salsa but I prefer them alone. And the photos are deliberately left with the orange hue that bathed the whole restaurant.

Bunuelos de Maiz

These were very popular with many cries of “pass me the balls”. They were round corn fritters stuffed with corn, capsicum, coriander, onion with a fritter flour and egg batter, rolled up and deep fried. It is paired with a sour cream with a layer of spicy pico de gallo underneath it. They’re moreish and I may have eaten three of these, I won’t confirm or deny

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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

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