Bella Vista Restaurant, Santa Barbara

We had heard great things about the sunsets at Butterfly Beach  and the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara, so on our last night, we decided to head to the resort for dinner around sunset.

Parking was a breeze, right out front near the beach, or you could valet if you wished. The staff were fantastic, remembering us from earlier that day and welcoming us individually by name, ensuring we were seated in an area with a great view over the beach and that we were warm enough - thanks to the lovely fire pit and gas heaters.

The service was excellent. Our waiter was attentive, but not intrusive, and very knowledgeable in relation to the food and drinks menu, even down to outlining ingredients in some of the sauces.

Our meal that evening:

Entrees:
Grilled Octopus - Green Olive Potato Salad, Warm Pancetta Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
Wild Boar Pappardelle - Pinot Noir Braised, Morel Mushrooms

The octopus was the star of the show here, beautifully smokey, yet delicate flavors.

Mains:
Organic Chicken - Porcini Bolognese, Soft Polenta, Romanesco Broccoli
California Duck Breast

The duck proved the better dish here.


Sides:
Truffle Parmesan Fries, Roasted Garlic Aioli


We rounded the meal off with some very strong (be careful if driving) but yummy cocktails - the end to a perfect evening.

This restaurant boasts a beautiful location with the beach just across the road> We were treated to an amazing Santa Barbara sunset and some other diners advised that earlier, they had seen a few pods of dolphins, so you never know your luck.

The atmosphere in the outdoor seating area was relaxing and romantic, the perfect end to our stay in Santa Barbara.  Highly recommended

Social Eating House, Broadbeach, Queensland

Social Eating House is a newish restaurant, in Broadbeach on teh Gold Coast.  It focusses on a shared dining experience and offering a great range of small and large sharing platters with plenty of flavor.


As we were staying at Peppers on Broadbeach, the restaurant was conveniently located just downstairs on Oracle Boulevard.


We visited in December 2013 and were very impressed with our meal, drinks, the restaurant and the staff. We enjoyed:

  -  ½ Shell Hervey Bay Scallops, Red Curry, Tomato and Kaffir Lime
  -  1kg Boneless Salt Bush Lamb Shoulder, Slow Roasted In Sheep’s Milk Yoghurt and Lamb Stock
  -  Grilled Red Claw Yabby, Tarragon and Brown Butter Emulsion, Shaved Fennel, Jamon and Rockmelon Leaf
  -  Roasted Chat Potatoes, Caper and Lemon Mayo
  -  Green Leaves, Fennel, Peas, Feta and Mint

The lamb was by far the star of the show. Slow cooked, packed with flavor, moist and tender, melt in the mouth goodness. The green leaves, fennel,peas, feta and mint where there perfect friend for this huge piece of meat allowing us to ensure we finished the entire piece (it was slightly larger than expected).

We have tried a few slow cooked lamb shoulders at other restaurants however, this one is by far the best

This casual, relaxed and trendy restaurant/bar is a great place to catch up with a  group of friends. We will definitely be visiting again.

http://www.socialeatinghouse.com.au/

What are the criteria for receiving Michelin stars?

'The star symbols judge only what’s on the plate, meaning the quality of products, the mastering of flavors, mastering of cooking, personality of the cuisine, value for the money and the consistency of what the restaurant offers to its customers both throughout the menu and the year.

One star indicates a very good restaurant in its category, offering cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard. A good place to stop on your journey.

Two stars denote excellent cuisine, skillfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality. Worth a detour.

Three stars reward exceptional cuisine where diners eat extremely well, often superbly. Distinctive dishes are precisely executed, using superlative ingredients. Worth a special journey.

Along with the rating of stars, the MICHELIN Guide provides a written description of each locale with a variety of symbols to give further insight into an establishment. Ambiance, specialties, and wine are just a few of the factors. Comfort is also rated by 1 to 5 forks and spoons for a restaurant and 1 to 5 pavilions for a hotel.'

http://www.michelintravel.com/michelin-selections/selecting-our-stars/

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2014

SYDNEY

Two hats

Aria, The Bridge Room, Buon Ricordo, Claude’s, est., Four in Hand Dining Room, Gastro Park, Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Longrain, Lucio’s Italian Restaurant, Marque, MoVida, Mr Wong, Ormeggio at The Spit, Pilu at Freshwater, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple, Tetsuya’s

One hat

Aki’s Indian Restaurant, Ananas Bar & Brasserie, The Apollo, Arras, Balla, The Bathers’ Pavilion, Berowra Waters Inn, Billy Kwong, Bistro Moncur, Bistrode CBD, The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay, Bodega, buzo trattoria, Cafe Sopra, Catalina, China Doll, Clareville Kiosk, The Devonshire, Flying Fish Restaurant & Bar, Foveaux Restaurant & Bar, Glass Brasserie, Gowings Bar & Grill, Hartsyard, Jonah’s Restaurant, Kepos Street Kitchen, Monopole, Ms.G’s, Oscillate Wildly, Popolo, Porteño, The Restaurant Pendolino, Saké Restaurant & Bar, Sean’s Panaroma, Sixpenny, Sokyo, Three Blue Ducks, Tomislav, Uccello, Ume Restaurant, Xanthi

CANBERRA

Two hats

Aubergine (Griffith)

One hat

Courgette (Canberra City), Italian & Sons (Braddon), Ottoman Cuisine (Barton), Pulp Kitchen European Brasserie (Ainslie), Waters Edge (Parkes)

REGIONAL NSW

Two hats

Biota Dining (Bowral), No 2 Oak Street (Bellingen), Subo (Newcastle West)

One hat

Bistro Molines (Mount View), Caveau (Wollongong), Darley’s (Katoomba) , Eschalot (Berrima), Fins (Kingscliff), Flooded Gums (Bonville), Lolli Redini (Orange), Manfredi at Bells (Killcare Heights), Muse Kitchen (Pokolbin), Muse Restaurant (Pokolbin), Neila (Cowra), Racine (Orange), Restaurant Como (Blaxland), Restaurant Mason (Newcastle), The River Moruya (Moruya), The Stunned Mullet (Port Macquarie), Tonic (Millthorpe), Town Restaurant (Bangalow), Tyler’s Pantry (Mogo), Wharf Rd Restaurant & Bar (Nowra), Zanzibar Cafe (Merimbula)

Vanitas Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast, Queensland

As the fine dining restaurant at Palazzo Versace on the gold Coast, Vanitas does not disappoint.

It's a beautiful restaurant with five star service and fantastic food. It boasts a great view of the hotel's lagoon style pool,is dotted with tea light candles giving a romantic and relaxed atmosphere, and, as you would expect - Versace plates, cutlery, glassware.

On arrival the staff made us very welcome, nothing was a problem and they had a wealth of knowledge in relation to menu, wine and cocktails.

We opted for the sand crab tortellini with tempura of New Zealand scampi, aoli and herb oil - this was the best entree we have had in a very long time. The pasta was amazing and the dish was fresh, had beautiful flavours and the portion size was quite large.

For main the choice was easy - roasted duck breast with sweet potato purée, bok choy and coffee sauce. The duck was cooked to perfection, the sweet potato puree was silky and flavoursome and, as someone who is not a fan of coffee, the sauce was still fantastic.

The baby spinach in butter with garlic and spiced hand cut chips sides that we chose to compliment the dishes were tasty and the portion size generous, so generous in fact, that there was room for tea and coffee but not desert.

Highly recommended for a romantic meal.

Harbour front Restaurant, Wollongong

We had been to this restaurant years ago and been bitterly disappointed.  Seeing that it was still open, we assumed it had improved.  So, for the next birthday in the group we booked the Harbourfront hoping they would be able to change our mind and praying that we may uncover another decent place to eat in Wollongong.

Unfortunately, we are now left wondering how the place is even open at all.

We waited over an hour for our entrées, the mains were delivered in such a staggered way that from a table of 8 by the time that last person received their meals, the majority of the group had finished and were patiently awaiting the drinks they had ordered 15 minutes ago that had been sitting, unattended on the edge of the bar for 10 minutes.

The raised eyebrow and looks for attention from staff were ignored and it honesty felt like we were the uninvited guests sneaking into a wedding at which, we were not welcome.

So, onto the food.  The entrée- under cooked and over salted scallops. The main - being a seafood restaurant  we opted for a seafood dish (rather than the steaks etc they also have on the menu).  The John Dory with king prawns in a creamy garlic sauce was, whilst not a bad as the scallops, still not worth the price tag of $39.90. Don't get us wrong, we'd happily pay (and have done) well above that price, but you do expect to get quality food and ingredients.  This main was served just warm, the fish has no texture (leading us to believe could it have been previously frozen) and the sauce seemed to act as a cover up to the very average quality of the fish.  The king prawns were not that large and had little flavour.

After the first 2 courses being so disappointing, we did what we often do in these cases, pull back on the drinks, decline desert and ask for the cheque - why put ourselves through another painful course and further contribute to and reward what is, at best mediocre food and high prices.

With one of the best locations in town, the restaurant needs to do one of 2 things - reduce the prices and continue on, or, increase the quality of the restaurant, food and staff and try to move forward.  The place needs a good clean and refurb and the toilets are less than desirable.   The place is resting on previous reputations and could, with minimal effort (fresh local produce, a good clean of the restaurant, more and better trained staff) easily improve and we honestly hope that it does.  Having said that, we will not be the guinea pigs and will await some serious accolades before we book again.