Hursey's (Stanley - North West Tasmania) 02/2018

Tasmania is full of incredible scenery and gorgeous little 'villages' or towns mostly very close to the coast and offering outstanding sea and bush views. 

 

 They also have lots of history and many have plaques in front of some of their more important old buildings.

Stanley is one of those places. 
Thirty years ago the Hursey family, whose fleet fished the west coast of Tasmania, chose to set up a retail fishmongers and a cafe here. After a $1.5 million refurbishment including a second floor the restaurant now seats 100 and seems to be thriving. 

The entry foyer contains large tanks for live fish and lobsters and information about the life cycle of rock lobsters and of some of the fish they serve.

and has a take away food area and fish bar called Kermie's. 

Upstairs, there is also a small lift, there's a small comfortable lounge area 

and the restaurant proper in a large light high ceilinged room 

with views over the wharf

 and water.

A very short walk brings you to the water's edge, 

an aquarium and s heap of lobster pots past their use by date.

Tables, chairs, glassware and crockery are simple and unostentatious.

Decor is also simple with menu information both in hard copy and around the walls.

Lobsters are available, natural, with garlic butter or Mornay. Sashimi too but they need 48 hours notice.

The home made Mornay sauce is excellent and more impressive than the garlic and butter.
For the rest it is a better class of fish restaurant.
 Comments Score: 13.75/20

Kobe Jones (Docklands - Melbourne) 01/2018

This riverside Japanese restaurant 

is split between a Teppanyakii room and a separate room  where there are both several degustations and an a la carte menus available. 
We had no hesitation choosing "Perfect for 2" $115, with matched wines, $155, which were very generously provided.

2013 Hand picked Moscato D'AstiVallebelbo Italy

Number one Special Crab salad stuffed with avocado, then wrapped in kingfish and baked with Kobe Jones secret sauce.

Dragon Egg Tuna tartare sushi mixed with chipotle mayonaiseon a shiso leaf, topped with avocado and finished with ponzu sauce.

Waghu Tenderloin Tataki seared and chilled served with garlic, ginger and ponzu sauce.

Lovers Sashimi scallop and tuna roses finished at the table with yuzu spray and freshly shucked oysters with wasabi granita.

Salmon Moyashi Hand Roll glazed salmon moyashi, hand rolled in nori, topped with crispy salmon skin and fume sauce.
2016 Kirnhill Reisling, Clare Valley. SA.

Alaskan crab salad poached Alaskan crab meat mixed through a daicon and radish salad, dressed with sesame dressing.

Wafu Pork Pillow Japanese braised pork steamed in a light bun with cucumber and kewpie salad and a togorashi sprinkle.

2015 Fishbone Rose, Margaret River WA

Miso Citrus Lobster giant lobster tail (approx 350 gm), lightly cooked in a wafu thermidor sauce, drizzled with miso citrus and served with steamed vegetables.

Dessert was an odd collection of cheese cakes, a chocolate chop stick and a brulee with the top burnt at the table, which was a bit of fun.

Potentially an excellent Japanese restaurant KJ doesn't quite hit the mark. Service is rather quick and impersonal, whilst the setting is brilliant the place looks tired. Crockery and glassware are mundane and the dishes we ate, despite their fancy descriptions, and their attractive appearance, were not exciting. Except for the lobster, which was tough and stringy, the nori, which was hard and dry, and the dessert, which looked good but wasn't, everything else was quite good but not star quality.

It was also dissapointing that there was not one Japanese wine or saki included with the matched wines!

Score: 13.75/20

Hanging plants adorn the ceiling.

Pacific House (South Yarra) 03/2017

Pacific House has been around for a long time serving a large variety of Chinese food, especially sea food in a simple unpretentious environment. 

It's family friendly, always busy and noisy. It does empty out a lot and quietens down about 9.30 pm.

The walls are 'decorated' with menu items in Chinese.

We started with a simple soup  

which was nothing special.
Our next course, prawn dumplings,

were excellent. A good size, well filled with prawns and the pastry perfectly cooked.
Scallops in a pastry casing were also large and sweet,

however the pastry was a tiny bit undercooked and claggy.
Salt and pepper calamari were tender with a crunchy, spicy accompaniment.

Fried rice was what one would expect.

The best dishes we had were the whole fish. They had barramundi, mahwong, coral trout and parrot fish. Both the barramundi 

and the parrot fish

 

were perfectly prepared, moist and delicate. Could not have been better.

They have an indifferent wine list.

There is 1.5% surcharge for credit cards 

 Comments: A better than average quality suburban Chinese restaurant with a large menu served in simple surroundings.

Score:14 /20