Sunday night dining in Merimbula is more limited. I actually wanted to go to Ritzy (tapas) which I walked past the night before and was impressed by the general feel and food I saw. However given it is closed on Sundays, I looked for something where I could have more local seafood exposure. I was a little hesitant about Pier One as I figured if I really liked the sound of it (and reviews) I would have penned it in. But in the end, with not many other options than the RSL and fast food, this was the choice.
I'm glad I came here.
- Gorgonzola Tart (with pear & walnut salad) $16.50 - very mild cheese (which I prefer) presented in a tart with the salad wedges on top;
- Tempura Tasting Plate $18.50 - 2 scallops (well cooked to rare in the middle), 2 king prawns (flesh had crunch) and 3 Merimbula Lake oysters (juicy and tasty) in well seasoned (slightly salty) tempura batter with Wakame seaweed;
- Swordfish served on Thai-inspired Red Coconut Curry (with jasmine rice & tempura battered soft shell crab) $31.50 - the swordfish was overcooked unfortunately. The curry is coconut based but not red. Nonetheless it is a delicious slightly sour lime and coconut concoction that I wish there was more of. The soft shell crab is the star of this dish with exceptional flavour, meaty crab and fried crispness;
- Reef & Beef Wellington (eye fillet pieces with prawns & scallops wrapped in puff pastry topped with king prawns, served with Tuscan potatoes & drizzled with creamy Chardonnay sauce) $33.50 - usually the fillet is medium (but they tried to accommodate me with as rare as possible) and ended up a tender medium-rare. The prawns and scallops were a pleasant surprise, potatoes crisp and flavoured and the sauce was excellent to cut through the flavours. A good dish overall.
The food I had this evening was great, particularly the mains. It is reasonably expensive, but given the view and general Australia seafood prices it isn't out of place.
Next time I would order either of those two mains again (or any of the mains to be honest) but I'd probably try the calamari or baby octopus as the entree.
