The Boathouse is on the Pittwater side – through Governor Philip Park towards the Barrenjoey Lighthouse. You look out over the Barrenjoey Marina – watch the seaplanes take off or you can sit outside under the norfolk pines with a view of the park. You order inside the boathouse and grab your own table – a long wait to order but it wasn’t too long for a table.
The food – pretty much standard fare for a beachside cafe – the obligatory fish and chips, burgers, steak sandwich, bucket of prawns. Trying to break from the obvious, we went for the szeuchan salt and pepper squid with asian salad ($21) and the trout pate ($20) with a couple of glasses of Innocent Bystander rose.
The smoked trout pate was fairly innocuous – more smokiness would have lifted the flavour, maybe? The mixed leaf and macadamia salad was the highlight – lots of macadamia nuts lifted what was a pretty lack lustre dish especially the massive hunks of panini on the plate. The squid was tender and a nice flavour and again the shredded Asian salad was fresh – a good crunch and nice sharp edge with the dressing.
The coffee, and the location are the winners at the Boathouse – the food is pretty much what you’d expect in a seaside cafe/restaurant like this. Well cooked, tasty but with basic effort in the presentation.
The Boathouse at Palm Beach is not a cheap lunch – it is sharper than some of the other Palm Beach cafes and a great place to spend a couple hours – with a uniquely Sydney beach feel.
Go for: Coffee, a glass of wine, the essence of Palm Beach
Don’t go for: a special meal or innovative food presentation.
The Boathouse at Palm Beach
Barrenjoey Boathouse, Governor Phillip Park, Palm Beach NSW 2108
