The dining options in Merimbula seem reasonably limited. There's a token Chinese place, a tapas one (that actually looks very good), an Italian in there and quite a few pubs and seafood places. The pick of the lot seems to be Zanzibar Cafe apparently named after a previous owner's infatuation with something African.
Interestingly enough it holds a one-chef hat rating in the Sydney Morning Herald for 2013, 2014 and 2015 and notably is the only place south of Canberra to have one. In amongst the obscurity of the other places it seemed reasonable to make a booking here for a Saturday evening. At first the 6pm slot seemed a touch early, but given it was the only time left and the degustation took 2 hours to complete, it actually worked out very well.
The locavore tasting menu utilises a list of excellent local food sources which makes you feel better overall. Additionally the 5 courses cost $90 (whereas the a la carte 3 course costs $80) which is great for a first appearance there. My meal was washed down with a Brookvale Union Ginger Beer which was my first contact with this brand.
Complimentary Wild Rye's sourdough and soft butter starts the meal off.
- Pambula Lake Rock Oysters - better oysters than at Wheeler's and served with pickled ginger mignonette (mildly sweet with ginger) or wakame & lemon (slightly odd combination with seaweed);
- Parmesan Custard (with figs, walnuts, abamelle, aged balsamic) - strong parmesan flavour in an unusual textural form that reminded me the parmesan ice-cream at Caffe E Cucina in Melbourne about 10 years ago. The contrasting elements all work together nicely including the slightly burnt caramel-type biscuit which I'm told is the abamelle (apparently honeycomb after the honey has been removed);
- Whitefish, Scallops, Carrot Bisque - the scallop half is beautifully cooked and flavoured and a I wanted more. Ling is rolled into discs that give the appearance of a large scallop but sadly not the be. The bisque is outstanding and tastes of seafood butter creamed into a sauce. I wanted a bowl of this soup for a meal with bread! The red vein sorrel added a strong flavour and great decoration;
- Black Angus Beef (with potato puree, roasted eschalot) - I found it odd they didn't ask how I wanted the beef cooked. I was informed it was served as a "well-rested medium rare" and essentially it wasn't possible to have rare which is my preference. I'd hazard a guess the meat was sirloin but wasn't as tender or seasoned as hoped for. Meanwhile the potato puree and caramelised eschalot were outstanding accompaniments but not what the dish is meant to focus on;
- Vanilla Bavarois (with blood plum, coconut mousse, honeycomb, quinoa) - this is one exceptional dessert with all elements (bar the quinoa which is more matter-of-fact). The perfectly soft vanilla, sweet slightly tangy and chewy plum, aerated rich coconut and sweet crunchy honeycomb made this one of my favourite desserts.
The meal was very good with the bisque and dessert taking top honours. The service was a good standard as expected for this kind of place, although I must admit I think the policy on cutlery should be altered - at the beginning I was set out an oyster fork, 3 dinner forks, a spoon and 2 standard knives and a steak knife all at once.
Next time I would order a 3 course menu given I know what I like there now and want it in bigger quantities. The main and dessert are obvious but the entrees are a little harder to pick - I'm tempted to say the Leek agnolotti (Eden mussels, fennel, vermouth) given the quality of Eden mussels. A side of polenta chips (with black beans, sweet corn, lime) would top off my hunger and balance the price of the degustation.
