Garfish Manly

By Franz Scheurer

It’s full, it’s noisy, it’s casual and it’s very Manly. Overlooking Sydney Harbour, with a mammoth TV screen to ‘enhance’ the sunset and show glimpses of the gas-driven, wood-fired oven and the kitchen team, Garfish aims to relax, feed and put a smile on diners’ faces: it succeeds.

Be early to ensure you get a table or be late and have a few drinks and watch the action first. It’s a long day for the team as they do breakfast, lunch and dinner. Select a fish from the blackboard menu, chose the cooking method and garnish, or order from the menu hidden on the inside of the brown paper serviette holder. The food is fresh and well prepared, and it arrives quickly. The sourdough served with extra virgin olive oil and za’atar is good but the ‘wood fired crust’ (pizza bianca) arrives half-baked and when we send it back it is still considerably too pale and undercooked the second time round. Pity, you have a wood-fired oven, use it! An entrée of ‘crisp fried zucchini flowers filled with crab, salt cod and scallop’ is terrific, but the salsa verde is a mess. The fresh ‘grilled sardines with chickpeas, feta, coriander and preserved lemon’, however, works beautifully. Garfish is about seafood and chefs Stewart Wallace and Michael Nash know how to cook it. This is particularly evident in the ‘wood roasted fruits de mer platter’, a collection of perfectly roasted, premium seafood presented in a commanding 2-tier platter. The only negative: it’s expensive, as is the rock lobster supplement. In fact, Garfish gives the impression of terrific value for money, until the bill arrives and you wonder how you managed to spend that much. Desserts are good and I’d go back just for the ‘fig parfait and sable biscuit’ served with orange syrup.

The wine list is appropriate and there’s a good selection by the glass.

The floor team under the gentle but firm guidance of the experienced Jenni Heads is young and, although very motivated and friendly, needs polish. Once I discover that Garfish is a practical training ground for the students from the hospitality college up the road, I don’t only understand, I applaud.

Garfish is fun and if you watch what you order it can be good value for money.

Score: 6/10

For more information:

Garfish Manly

1/39 East Esplanade

Manly

Tel.: 02 9977 0707