Sergeants Mess, Chowder Bay

When I first received my invite for this wedding, my first thought was.. where the heck is Chowder Bay!? Having never ventured to Middle Head before, this place was foreign to me. A few friends made comments about area being a good food location and online searches indicated that Sergeants Mess was some fancy restaurant so I was entering here with high expectations.

Prior to the wedding reception, there was about an hour of drinks and canapes served in the foyer area as well as the external balcony, which gave some amazing harbour views:

Chowder Bay at Sunset

Panorama View of Chowder Bay

The interiors were absolutely incredible - high ceilings and beams, lighted by these massive chandeliers:

Chandeliers Decorating the Dining Hall

On route to the toilets, the hallways were decorated with these large wall mirrors and fancy plush armchairs that my friends saw fit to pose on.

Entrée

Prawn Tortellini, Grilled Octopus, Tomato and Lemon Dressing

Slow Roast Pork Belly, Fennel Puree, Green Apple and Tarragon, Iceberg Lettuce

I've never had any form of squid-ink pasta before so this was my first experience eating it - it didn't taste any different to normal pasta so I guess it was more there more for the visual factor but otherwise the tortellini was good. The portion size was rather small (especially when placed on a massive plate) but I guess it's appropriate for fine dining. My fellow neighbour commented that the pork was ok but seriously, that fennel puree looked fluoro!

Mains

Roast Barramundi Fillet, Kipfler Potatoes, Asparagas, Tomato and Saffron Broth

Roast Veal Rump, Boulangere Potato, Sauté Spinach Capers, Chives and Mustard

The barramundi fillet had a crispy skin (yay!) and still moist. The broth was flavoursome - not exactly something you'd pair with a roast fish but it worked. The veal rump was medium-rare (so a definite tick) and was accompanied by a rather large block of sliced potato bake.

Dessert

Fig and Almond Tart, Sesame Ice Cream and Port Glaze

Chocolate Mousse Cake, Almond Tuile and Raspberry Compote

I was served the fig and almond tart, which was the first time I had ever eaten figs, and loved it so now that I want to replicate it at home. Ice cream with anything is always good although it was already melting when it was served. The presentation of the chocolate mousse cake could seriously have been improved.

Overall, I thought the food was very good, appropriate for its setting within Chowder Bay, and probably one of the top Western reception places I've been to. They must have spent some mega bucks in constructing/renovating this place because it definitely shows in the decor. The only problem was that there is limited parking in the area (and paid as well) and guests are instructed to park 1-2 km away at a car park close to the nearby barracks. Fortunately there is an organised shuttle bus to transport guests to/from the car park to the restaurant.