A few years and two jobs ago, I had this really great manager who was so passionate about food he puts my kitchen pantry to shame. He has a Kitchen Aid with the mincer attachment which was the root of my jealousy, he would go shopping and buy 5kgs of porcini mushroom, and then later on would cook 5 litres of mushroom soup with said mushroom. I looked up to him not only as a manager but also as a food mentor sort of. He knew alot about food. He’s even friends with Iron Chef Sakai! *envy envy envy*
So, when I asked him where his absolutely, most favourite seafood restaurant in Sydney is, he only had one answer:
Garfish Manly.
Fast forward 2 years, one ferry ride, and two eager stomachs later, I finally understood what he meant.
I had another reason for going there: I actually won a bottle of wine on a Twitter competition by @GarfishSeafood. Yes, they really know the way to Trish’s heart: food and wine!
We walked in the restaurant and was immediately greeted by a friendly smile and a hand offering to take our umbrella as it was raining earlier that day. This was a warm gesture as it was indeed a trek to catch a train to Circular Quay, then a ferry to Manly so this kind of hospitality was indeed very welcoming.
We were showed to our table, with my only disconcern being that it wasn’t next to the floor to ceiling windows… which meant my photos would go from blurry to absolutely inrecognisable with the lack of natural light as the sun set. But I digress. I was there to enjoy the food, and not worry about the smaller things.
As we sat down, I discreetly took a printout of the email I received telling me I won the bottle of wine. I softly called out to the waitstaff, showed the printout and shyly asked if I was able to avail of the free wine. One look and she immediately smiled, nodded her head, and returned with the sommelier who recommended the Chardonnay from Orange.
The wine was from Orange and although I’m no wine buff, I’ve heard great reviews about Orange wines. It was the perfect accompaniment to the wonderful seafood that we were about to tuck in to!
Sourdough with extra virgin olive oil and za'atar
Upon more research, I found out from Rita of Spoon Fork & Chopsticks that Brasserie Bread, one of my utmost favourite bakeries here in Sydney, actually caters for Garfish’s breads! No wonder I devoured that sourdough in one breath!
The menu consists of some really nice selections – from different seafood choices of either fish n chips, snapper pie and squid ink fettucine to rib eye fillet and duck confit dishes. But Mr J and I decided why order anything else other than fish at a restaurant that specialises in, uh, fish?
Luckily, the menu boards offer a selection of not just different types of fish but suggestions on how to best order them: grilled or wood fired, and what sides to have them with.
While waiting for our mains to arrive, we entertained ourselves by guessing the type of dish streamed live on one of the television screens inside the restaurant:
Pretty cool, eh?
And then the mains started to arrive.
What is fish without chips?
Wood fired Barramandi with kipfler potatoes, parsnip with watercress salad & sauce vierge
The barramundi was simply devine: both the fish and the wood fired vegetables were fresh and accompanied each other very well.
Wood roasted kingfish with caponata with sauteed rappa
If there’s one thing I loved about this dish, it was the kingfish. Yes, duh. But you don’t understand… the kingfish was cooked so well, with the meat moist and tender and the skin crispy and slightly salted. Just the way I like it. The ratatouille-esque sides were a great surprise as well – the last time I had a melt in your mouth fish dish was at Cafe Bon Ton and guess what I had? Dory with ratatouille. Fantastic!
Selection of ice cream: pistachio, rocky road & vanilla
Because we almost always never order entrees, Mr J and I decided to finish off our meals with desserts. Now, Mr J isn’t a fan of desserts, chocolates or anything sweet (que horror! I bake alot and I can’t even serve it to him!), so he opted for the selection of ice cream instead. It was a mildly humid day and I remember there was rain that day, so the ice cream with the usual favourite being pistachio went down very well!
Caramelised Banana Paris Brest with Peanut Brittle
Now, this dessert is a serious one. The caramelised banana with peanut brittle middle, sandwiched between two flaky pastry “buns”, and finished off with more caramel and peanut brittle. It was like a croissant of sweet, sweet and more sweet and wonderful things in life. If sweets is what you’re after, then this is the dish for you.
Dining at Garfish Manly was everything I expected it to be: the service was almost impeccable, the fish fresh and the rest of the food divine, and the atmosphere just sheer delightful. And although getting to Garfish Manly requires a bit of travelling, let me assure you: it is all worth it.
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Garfish Manly
1/39 East Esplanade, Manly NSW 2095
Ph 02 9977 0707
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