DineOut - WaterFront Cafe Bar & Restaurant

Quayside views can easily woo the punters, but even an idyllic eatery will struggle to put valuable bottoms in seats if dishes lack flavour and a bit of panache. Luckily, Wakefield Quay’s Waterfront Cafe Bar & Restaurant has both in spades. And that stellar bird’s-eye perch? Icing on the proverbial cake.

We popped in for supper armed with critiques from friends, all agreeing the food was just fine, but service a bugaboo. Generally, if courses are timely and followed with a measured check-in from wait staff, we’re fine. As it is, service was nearly hitch-free at the Waterfront on this night and the comfortable menu executed so surprisingly well we were, quite frankly, a little taken aback.

Entrees ranged from a hearty sounding crème fraiche-kissed chowder with prawns to a home-cured gravlax. But we gravitated toward slow braised pork belly with bacon consommé and the chicken liver pate paired with apple-ginger compote and croutes. After sampling numerous local takes on like dishes, the pork belly preparation was a little surprising. Rather than a tender, smoky belly wedge, which we love, the cut was rolled and served roulade-style with a small flask of broth. Inventive and flavourful? Absolutely. It lacked some of the fatty goodness normally expected of the dish, but was scrumptious nonetheless.

Our pate, on the other hand, proved a gluttonous temptation; sweet, buttery and well-balanced, yielding to the knife with little protest, I was hard-pressed not to play greedy and finish it myself. Even a wish for simple toast-points or toasted baguette rounds in place of the house croutes, which I thought initially too fussy and brittle, was crushed by the bliss of the dish.

Waterfront’s menu bravely boasts whole stuffed and baked daily fish. Intriguing as it was – and how often can you find it on a regional menu these days - after one-too-many heavy-handed takes on fish of late, we shied away, opting instead for confit duck leg and marinated lamb rump. Proving artful, delectable and generously portioned, the lamb was pleasingly tender, cooked with precision and care, while the confit fulfilled its promise: seasoned well and gently done.

Finishing with the dessert platter for two bordered on the ridiculous, but buoyed by the meal we dove in, all the more satisfied. Our server nearly did a runner before illuminating us to the array of puddings, but we pressed her to dish the details. From a dense, dark-as-night chocolate truffle slab to a moreish berry sorbet, the mango-Cointreau bavarois reigned as favourite: deceptively light and fruity, yet creamy bordering on buttery.

With such a promising first outing, Waterfront’s whole fish still beckons. Eaten quayside with a bird’s eye view of tugs shepherding liners past Haulashore Island? So be it. Like those little tugs, this patron is definitely up to the task.

IN BOX
NB
We received word on the day of print deadline that the Waterfront Cafe Bar & Restaurant is closed while it is in the process of being sold. Being to late in the piece to replace this review, we haven’t. We hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Editor.



Address: 341 Wakefield Quay, Nelson
Phone: 03 546 6685
Open: Breakfast 9-11:30am Sat & Sun, 10-11:30am Thu through Sat; Lunch 11:30am–2pm seven days; Dinner 5pm to late Mon through Sat.

IN SUMMARY:
Rating: 3 1/2 tomatoes
Food: Fresh seafood and classic favourites done with care
Service: Friendly, measured
Atmosphere: Windows, windows, windows and congenial downstairs bar to boot!
Drink: 2009 Mt. Difficulty Roaring Meg Pinot Noir