It was a Saturday morning when I rose early, had a facial appointment, ran some errands and returned home at noon. To find Mr NQN fast asleep like a baby. The poor thing works terribly hard but I did think that rousing him at noon seemed a reasonable hour. “Wake up, it’s sunny and gorgeous today!” I exclaimed.
“Mmhummpummh” he muffled into his pillow.
An hour later we were driving across the bridge along with half of Sydney winding our way down Military Road into Sydney Road in Manly and then making our way to the promenade on the beach. The Pantry is situated in the old beach house and information centre and it is smack bang on the beach. As far as locations go, there really isn’t much better.
Reservations aren’t taken for breakfast but they are for lunch and dinner and it is open all afternoon. Service from our first waitress is on the cold side only reaching the warmth of a smile once or twice which seems unusual for Manly where service is usually very warm and friendly. Another waitress is friendlier and there seem to be plenty of waitstaff floating around but none to take our order.
Iced coffee $4
The astonishing thing about this place, and I hope it doesn’t change, is the prices. Considering the view which is rather priceless and you can practically smell the salt water on the surfers paddling out onto the waves, the prices are incredibly reasonable. We didn’t try Laporello’s iced coffee but he assures us that it was good and worth a repeat visit for.
Nduja $10
Nduja is that very popular now Calabrian spreadable sausage in a casing. We ask the first waitress to check that this is their nduja whereas we’ve mostly had the traditional nduja which spreads like pate or rillettes. This is a salami similar to the one I had at La Piadina made by Quattro Stelle and is the hard or piccante version without olive oil added to give it that spreadable consistency. The nduja piccante salami is very thinly sliced and very dry and spicy although not what I was craving for which is the spreadable nduja.
Pickled octopus $9
They had just sold out of their last order of the arancini balls so we go for the pickled octopus. Served cold and tender it evokes memories of Mediterranean holidays and beachside meals. It’s just the right side of vinegary and has a great texture without a hint of rubberiness.
Angus beef burger, onion jam, coleslaw & chips $18
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| November 7th, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella
My favourite time to eat at places with a water view is during the day. Sure the night time might be more romantic especially when you’re with your partner but unless it’s during Summer when it gets dark late, Winter and Spring dining with a view means missing out on the well…view. But during the day the vista is ablaze with colour and mood. And as much as I travel a lot, there’s no view quite like the view of home, that of Sydney Harbour.
So when Alice, Beau and I are headed across the bridge to Manly Pavilion to try out their new high tea we’re all thanking the heavens that the rain that had seemed to drench Sydney for the past week has somehow cleared up, that the clouds had exhausted the sea and given up bucketing us down with precipitation. We nab a miracle park outside the entrance and make our way down the stairs to the restaurant floor. It has been about a year since my last visit and I was smitten with the food and the Italian influence extends to the Italian High Tea or Afternoon Tea. And yes I know the difference between the two but they call it high tea here 
We order our tea and take a look at the menu. I was interested to note how different this afternoon tea menu was to a regular one. The tea is $50 for the regular tea or $70 with matched wines. Would Italianating it mean simply including panna cotta and artisan salume in the sandwiches? This one looks very different indeed with the Manly Pavilion modern Italian style in smaller portions and served on a three tier stand-I suppose it’s easier for the kitchen this way. The tiers are served with tea, coffee or Italian hot chocolate which we see too late-we’ve already ordered our tea but we make a mental note to revisit that hot chocolate before we leave.
Our plates arrive along with a plate of fat bread slices and excellent olive oil. Then another bowl of bread comes and it features some crisp savoury crostini and small warm bread rolls. The menu appears more of a guide than what you will receive as from the menu there should be both parmesan and balsamic crostini but there is only one.
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| September 26th, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella
What do Justin Bieber and Bono have in common? Well apparently they’ve all taken in the view I am looking at right now. No it’s not of a stadium full of screaming fans but instead the surrealy beautiful blue water of Whale Beach. Whale Beach or Palm Beach is the playground of the moneyed and if you’re fortunate enough you might have a house to go to on the weekend up here-or you could just stay for a weekend at Jonah’s. And I am about to cut traffic time by engaging in a mode of transport that ensures that instead of driving 50 minutes from the East to the far North, we make it there in a mere 12 minutes.
The day is gloriously sunny and we lucked out with the weather for only yesterday it was whipping windily and the seaplane flights were grounded. However today it is still windy but safe to fly out. We were warned to wear flat shoes to make getting on and off the plane easier and I am glad that I heeded the warning. I’m one person that is poorly coordinated at the best of times (I am always warning Mr NQN not to fall on things and he just looks at me like “How/why would I fall on that?). So I gingerly get onto the seaplane with my handbag and camera bag and breathe a sigh of relief as I miss having to use the folded up life jacket that we’ve strapped around our waist. I’m definitely not coordinated enough for that.
They close the door and we’re enclosed in the plane and it skims along the surface of the water until reaching a speed where the seaplane takes off into the air. The short ride is scenic but with the winds and the air pockets there are lots of tiny jumps and our stomachs are somersaulting. I’m thankful I didn’t eat breakfast that morning as my stomach continues to leapfrog and jump.
The seaplane turns smoothly to its right almost at a 45 degree angle and we land on the water. From here a small dinghy from Jonah’s will collect us and drop us at the sandy beach and from there we’ll take a minibus. Ok so it’s not exactly 12 minutes in total but it’s scenic. Our feet arrive on the sandy beach and again I am thankful I didn’t wear spindly heels. We board the bus and take the short five minute drive up to Jonah’s.
Jonah’s is set in an 82 year old house and comprises of 11 suites, 3 of which are located in a separate building called “Jonah’s Private” and is one of the four well regarded Relais & Chateaux properties in Australia. From Monday to Thursday diners can stay with them with just the room but from Friday to Sunday they have breakfast, lunch and dinner included in the tariff. And when we gaze into the blue waters below we are reminded why it is called Whale Beach as they tell us that whales were spotted only this morning frolicking in the water below ( from May onwards is the Southern whale migration). A pair of dolphins are our current companions down below diving and splashing.
Chef Alfonso Alés
As we have a seaplane booked to take us back at 2:30pm we pull our eyes away from the expansive blue view and take our seats. Jonah’s now has a new chef, Alfonso Alés who has worked at Spain’s El Bulli and Bilson’s here in Sydney and he comes out to say hello and explains his style of cuisine which will remain Modern Australian but of course be influenced by his Spanish upbringing.
Oyster gratin
The amuse bouche is a crunchy buttery topped oyster gratin which slides down the throat easily with a little crunchy edge for texture. It is briney with a creamy layer of cauliflower underneath it.
Marron Lobster, Western Australia, Green lentils cassoulet with duck confit and foie gras $35 served with 2009 Giaconda “Aeolia” Roussanne/Marsanne, Beechworth, Vic
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| September 16th, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella
Mr NQN has his sporty thing. Every weekend or so he has to run around and get it out of his system. I have a similar thing and that involves shopping. Even grocery shopping to me is fun. So when I got the chance to sneak in a little shopping amongst a lunch I get very excited. Armchair Collective is a shop slash cafe that sells…well armchairs as well as all sorts of beach side items, cushions, cups, bowls and fresh flowers.
There is sometimes an unease when you walk into a place that is full of locals. They clearly know the place well and you (or at least I) feel like an interloper. Especially when shared tables are involved and large sprawling families occupy them or girls in groups huddle for warmth or gossip. So when Mr NQN and I arrived at The Armchair Collective I felt a bit out of place looking for a table. Like we were the last two standing in a game of musical chairs as we see group after group take the remaining empty tables.
We end up perching on the end of one of the large table but then move swiftly when we see a table free up. This five month old cafe is frightfully busy but it is also quite large with lots of tables. The food comes out quickly and so turnover is fast and I don’t think you would end up waiting for more than 10 minutes for a table if that. Ordering is at the counter where you also get a copy of the menu.
Lunch is served from 12pm-3pm and there are the usual cafe staples: soups, burgers, sandwiches and salads. I’m a bit smitten with the idea of an olive oil panini and specifically their version of a BLT-the BRT with rocket replacing the lettuce. The prices range from excellent to prices that Mr NQN gristles at ($25 for fish and chips, “they’d want to be good” he says and is not persuaded by the fact that they are Whale Ale beer coated ). Things seems to be mostly around the $15 mark except for the aforementioned fish and chips and the more substantial sounding lamb and trout.
The guy behind the counter is very friendly and asks how your day is going (and actually waits and listens for the answer!) and when I ask him he says that taking photos inside is absolutely not a problem at all. I take my large wooden number to the table and then do a bit of a walk around of the store. There are loads of gifty types of presents, a lovely range of candles by ZenDiva, mint balls which are a definite curiosity, delicious looking Australian honeycomb and lovely tea sets and glasses. Still, perhaps I was having an off day but nothing made it’s way onto my credit card. Perhaps Mr NQN has been practicising magic!
Chai with milk $4.50
I’ve had my happy lap around and I look up and see that our food and drinks are being delivered to the table. My loose leaf chai is a generous serving in a teapot boiled with milk the way it should be with a side of honey and cinnamon. It’s excellent with a delicious array of spices and even a slight hot cinnamon tingle at the end. And there was enough in the teapot to make 5 cup’s worth (this is where Mr NQN’s mum Tuulikki would beam up at the sky and express joy-she loves those “bottomless” teapots). Mr NQN had a long black, which we had to chase but was brought to us quickly. All he had to say was “Yeah it was alright” which means I should just taste it for myself next time
BRT $12
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| August 31st, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella
As former Manly residents, Mr NQN and I always like coming back. It’s the laid back atmosphere, the friendly locals and the beach views. Sure, we moved and that was because the last straw was watching a drunk guy being carried out of the notorious pub with one bouncer carrying each of his limbs which seemed to be a too frequent late night occurrence on Saturday nights. So we fled to the nearest safe enclave Mosman and then over the bridge to the East although we do like to revisit Manly as we feel like we know it like a local.
We had first heard of Frankie’s Number from a colleague of Mr NQN’s and we thought that we would try it out one weekend. We were also finally mobile after 2 months of immobility (Elphaba our naughty green car was too temperamental) and we had a new set of wheels called Purdy our new beloved Prius on loan from the kind people at Toyota and the world was our oyster!
We arrive at 7pm after nabbing a park it seems miles away. We had rung that afternoon and asked if we needed to make a booking. Since there were just three of us, the woman on the phone told us that we could come in and they’d find us a table. But knowing how popular this place was we didn’t leave it to chance and arrived at 7pm which proves fortuitous at 7:30pm when the bar and restaurant swells with people.
Decorated in a 50/60′s style with a pin up girl in their logo poster there is some fabulous retro furniture. As Queen Viv, a child of the 60′s says “They’ve nailed the 60′s atmosphere” and it reminds her of a bar set up in someone’s rumpus room “But in a good way” she adds winking. It’s comfortable and service is friendly and personable in that Manly way. And why the name Frankie’s Number? Frankie is the owners Staffordshire Terrier who used to get chased around a lot in the park so they would say to each other “Frankie, the other dogs have got your number!”
Mr NQN and Queen Viv order wines but I can’t have any as I’m driving and Mr NQN asks for a recommendation. The waiter, who we later learn is one of the owners Justyn, confesses that wine is not his forte but asks his partner Sahra behind the bar to make some recommendations. She has previously worked behind the bar at Pocket Bar and as a wine rep for Winestock. Mr NQN orders a glass of Tisdall cabernet merlot on their recommendation and it’s a good choice. All wines are available by the glass.
White Bean Cassoulet with Chorizo, Quail Egg and Toasted Sourdough $17
We ask for some menu recommendations and end up with one entree and two mains to share as well as sides. The entree is the white bean cassoulet with chorizo, quail egg and toasted grain bread. The cassoulet is quite light in flavour whereas a cassoulet is usually quite bold with all of the various types of meat like pork belly, toulouse sausage, confit legs, pork hock and salt pork submerged and cooked for hours. This is a much lighter version with just the chorizo and reminds us of baked Turkish eggs with beans that you can often get at cafes for brunch rather than the full bodied Winter beast that is cassoulet.
Pork loin, rolled in porcini dust, parsnip puree and black pudding $29
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| June 30th, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella
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