Public Dining Room, Mosman

In an effort to make the most of the 2015/16 Entertainment Book, I was invited to join a last-minute small group dinner at the Public Dining Room by Balmoral Beach (note: not to be confused with the similar-sounding suburb of Balmain, as Ivanhoe originally advised... lols...). Luckily, we were able to make a booking several hours prior to dinner.

The outing started off with a coordinated pick-up after work by Ben and Ivanhoe, and after picking up Lenni en route, we gradually made our way through the long and windy roads of Neutral Bay and Mosman. By the time we arrived at Balmoral Beach, it was pitch dark (and cold) outside.

Restaurant From Outside Main Entrance

As our booking was at 6pm (opening time?), the restaurant was empty and staff were doing some last minute touches to the tables in preparation for an event. We were led to our table in an enclosed section of the balcony, overlooking the beach. Unfortunately, as it was night time, there wasn't much of a view outside:

Night View of The Beach

Soon after being seated, we placed our orders and were soon served with some lightly-toasted sourdough bread before our mains arrived:

Rye Sourdough Bread Smothered in Butter

Fresh Handmade Tagliatelle, Alaskan King Crab, Tomato Concasse,
Baby Zucchini, Chilli ($39)

According to Ben, the pasta was rather average...I didn't personally sample any so can't advise much on it.

'Melting' Huon Valley Tasmanian Salmon (Sous Vide), Cucumber Ketchup,
Pickled Onion, Ginger Beurre Blanc ($39)

The salmon was looked and tasted awesome - evenly cooked throughout and the flesh literally melted in your mouth. I found the Beurre Blanc sauce to be a bit too rich and overpowering for the salmon and the cucumber ketchup was... interesting...

Lightly Spiced Fish Stew - Market Fish (Barramundi),
Wild Caught NZ Scampi, Mussels, Scallops, Sourdough ($42)

For the fish stew, the seafood was cooked separately before being artfully placed into dish - this way, each item was cooked to perfection. Interestingly, the sourdough accompanying the fish stew was toasted to dark/hard, which I guess is ideal when being dunked into a stew, but I was amazed by Ivanhoe and Lenni in their ability to demolish the block of butter that was initially provided.

Additionally, we ordered two sides to share:

Brussel Sprouts with Walnut Vinaigrette, Pecorino & Lemon ($12)

Broken Nicola Potatoes, Marjoram Butter ($10)

This was the first time I have ever tried brussel sprouts and I actually enjoyed eating it - the walnut vinaigrette and lemon juice helped to minimise the bitterness of the brussel sprouts and the healthy dose of grated parmesan gave it a kick. The potatoes were roasted and coated in marjoram butter - just wish there was more potatoes on the plate because I could have inhaled more of them.

Overall, the food was satisfying but it wasn't mind-blowing. I'm guessing the (high) price tag is more likely linked to the view/location available during the daytime.

One issue I found in sitting in the outdoor balcony section of the restaurant was that noise had a tendency to echo - this was especially pronounced when a large dinner party slowly arrived part way into our meal and were chatting rather loudly nearby. Fortunately we were nearing the end of our meal, so it wasn't too bad and they could have the entire section to themselves after we left.