Sunday, July 5, 2009

Ripples, Milsons Point

What’s better than sitting in front of our beautiful Sydney harbour on a perfect warm winters day having a 2.5hr lunch at a fancy restaurant?.......having all this during work hours and having work pay for it - woo hoo!!


Today we had a team lunch @ work and it was a toss-up between this restaurant, which we could not get a booking on our last team lunch or the one vote by a colleague who has a strange fetish to dine at Campbelltown Sizzler (yes apparently it’s one of three still open). The choice was a no brainer for me!!

Talk about location location. Ripples is located right under the north side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge just in front of Luna Park and the aquatic centre. The outdoor seating is virtually 2m from the lapping waters of the harbour. A fantastic view of the bridge, yachts sailing past and the general relaxed atmosphere of Milsons Point it is the perfect setting for some fine dining...so let’s bring on the food.

Turkish bread with 3 dip tapenade
(Spicy Capsicum, Basil Pesto, and Olive). ($8)


Unfortunately my bread would have been better on the grill for a bit longer for a crispier texture or I would have preferred sour dough.

Seared Scallops Asian Style ($19 entree)

Scallops I thought the sauce was bit strange. I could taste spicy satay, pea-nutty with a hint of Dijon mustard all mixed together. It tasted ok but I personally found it a bit over-powering for the scallops.

Tempura Prawns ($19 entree)

Prawns were cooked perfectly, you can taste the sweetness of the prawn through the crispiness of the light batter. Served with an Asian salad with a light, sweet vinegarette on bed of jasmine rice. Oh and I loved the Nigella Lawson-esq / Max Brenner-esq sauce jug – gotta get me some of those!!

Soft Shell Crab with Soba noodle salad ($29)

I generally tend not to choose a main that’s similar to my entree, for a bit more variety, but the Soft Shell crab look too appealing on the menu. When it comes to soft shell crab I prefer the smaller ones as they give a better crab meat to soft shell ratio. This was perfect; the legs were quite meaty and cooked well. The batter was not greasy at all and really complimented the light soba noodle salad. Again I couldn’t pick the sauce or remember what it was called on the menu. It was much better than the sauce on the scallops. A very herb flavoured creamy sauce with a hit of lime that accompanied the sweetness of the crab.



















Chocolate Honey comb cheesecake with Persian Fairy Floss ($14 not including Mushu)

Boy did this sound good, but sadly didn’t live up to its description or my expectations. The cheesecake itself was quite dry and desperately needed a side of ice cream. I was also expecting large shards of honeycomb that would crunch and melt in your mouth with every bite but not much and no crunch. The Persian Fairy Floss was awesome and always a talking point, which I enjoyed separately even though it was described by friends to resemble fur from my dog Mushu – ooi!!

Overall, an excellent experience. Table service was prompt and friendly. I thought the prices were quite reasonable given the size of the portion and who could complain about the awesome view. Now with my appetite fully satisfied with good food & wine, conversation, and a leisurely walk on a glorious 19 degree winters day, I had to figure out where on earth I could find motivation to go back to work for the next hour and a half– eek!!


Till next time ... we eat!!

Shanks

13 comments:

  1. always love a good soft shell crab and this one seems to look pretty good.

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  2. $19 bucks for 4-5 prawns??? Though must agree, the crab does look pretty good! Mushu looks so cute, infinitely more lickable than the cheesecake, hehe!

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  3. Aww your dog is adorable! I've always wanted a dog like that and what a cute name. I think Ripples is great value for the waterfrontage and they do good food (when so many don't because they have a good view). I loved the food at the Pyrmont Ripples especially!

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  4. I’ve always wanted to eat at Ripples, especially because of the view. The food doesn’t look too bad, either. Maybe when the weather gets warmer. PS: I just love your dog – so cool and fluffy!

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  5. Hi Simon, I've only just discovered the softshell crab fad (don't get out much these days) but yeah it was very enjoyable :)

    Hi Yaya, Caught!!..there were actually 7 prawns. Unfortunately work collegues have not embraced the food blog etiquitte and nabbed two prawns before the shot. Should of reshuffled them for the photo :)

    Hi Lorraine, Thanks, he's a good dog. We joked about his name (basing it on Mushu Pork) and it kinda stuck. Yeah I read your blog on Pyrmont Ripples and it looks like I'll have to make a trip south of the bridge :)

    Hi Belle, the view is awesome. They had heated lamps and a clear plastic tent to ward off the chilly sea breeze which kinda spoils the view so yeah warmer months would be better. Mushu gets a bit too fluffy in Spring when all that fur comes off :)

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  6. oh i miss sydney harbour so much, it hurts...and i need some mushu love here

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  7. I love Soft Carb! Your looks so Tasty and Delicious! Your Dog is so cute!

    Thanks for sharing your photos!

    Welcome~~~
    http://foodcreate.com
    Post your comments, Join our food cummunity!

    Have a wonderful day! and if you can visit me I can visit you:)

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  8. How come you get to go on team lunches?!! We have the sauce jugs at work. Would you like me to find out where they get them from? He he!

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  9. I have to get down to Ripples. I've been to Aqua Dining above..and that was FAB. I think a trip in Spring is in order.

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  10. Hi Rita, You should head down under soon. Licks from Mushu - he he!!

    Hi FoodCreate, after that dish I too am a fan of the SSC. Thanks :)

    Hi GB, You get sauce jugs, I get team lunches - sounds fair lol!! Yeah it's be great to get some to add to the collection. Thanks :)

    Hi HB, We'll do a swap as I've wanted to go to Aqua Dining. :)

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  11. Hi HB, Won't need it if I can twist work into it for our next team lunch - he he he!!

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  12. Sarah's mum knows the owners of Aqua Dining - I've been there and it's fabulous!

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