By Franz Scheurer
It’s like driving through a tropical suburb of some faraway Pacific island as you slowly wind your way down the twisty track from Pittwater Road to Clareville Beach. A hidden pocket of paradise many Sydneysiders have never experienced, it certainly warrants time out to visit and admire, and better still, there is a hidden treasure at the end of the road. Clareville Kiosk, not a kiosk, at the beach, without a water view, is a fabulous BYO restaurant that takes its food as seriously as any CBD establishment, and with all the wonderful tropical plants all around it you certainly don’t miss the water views. Pastel colours, flower motifs and very comfortable chairs contrast with perfectly set tables, good glassware and cutlery and good linen with serviettes big enough to be useful. The menu is one of those “I could order the lot” numbers, which makes choices agonisingly deliciously difficult. We start with one of the daily specials, “Pacific oysters with ginger, coriander, lemon and chilli”. They are very fresh and just the right accompaniment to the Crittenden i-Range Arneis we brought along. Next we order the “Sage & garlic roasted pork fillet with baked apple & calvados vinaigrette” and the “Warm corn cakes with Greek fetta, roasted capsicum and spicy tomato relish”. The pork is excellent, fresh, summery and the vinaigrette quite sour, contrasting the sweetness of the pork and the apples. The corn cakes aren’t quite cooked through and still rather doughy in the centre, but the taste is good and the whole dish works very well. Presentation so far is excellent. For our mains we order “Oak smoked salmon with warm potato salad and horseradish cream” and “Crispy skinned confit of duck with Jerusalem artichoke & parsnip puree”. The salmon is excellent, as is the duck. However, there are no Jerusalem artichokes, instead the confit is served with baby beetroot. This works beautifully and I loved it, but the change in menu should be announced in advance. Desserts, as so often is the case, were the letdown of the day. “The Blood plum crumble with cinnamon and Kahlua ice cream” is arguably too tart and the “Coconut steamed pudding, stewed peaches and cinnamon ice cream” is tough and tasteless, although the peaches and the ice cream are good. Service is attentive and very friendly and the atmosphere of the place is engaging. This is a fun place to visit and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Value for money is exceptional, too.
Score 6/10
For more information or bookings:
Clareville Kiosk
27 Delecta Ave
Clareville Beach NSW 2107
Tel.: 02 9918 2727