What: Scottie’s Fish Cafe
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Where: 36 Scott Street, Newcastle
Prices: Entrees $16 to $19; mains, $32 to $35; desserts $14; sides, $8 to $9
Chef: Emryn Butler
Wines: BYO
Hours: Lunch and dinner,Wednesday to Friday; breakfast, lunch, dinner, Saturday and Sunday
Vegetarian: Not on menu, but ask when booking
Bookings: 4926 3780
Bottom line: Entree, main, dessert about $120, plus drinks, for two
Time passes and restaurants evolve. While the present day Scottie’s may be less innovative and more mainstream than before, seafood is still the star; and the barefoot brigade can still pick up great fish and chips from the side servery.
Be warned; servings are substantial. It might pay to check out the blackboard dessert menu before ordering an entree if you consider dinner is not dinner without something sweet.
Case in point; salt and pepper squid could make a satisfying main. A generous pile of lightly crumbed, tender squid sits on a presentation board with sweet chilli sauce for dipping to one side. Bean sprouts, herbs and julienne carrot and red capsicum in the Asian salad make a pleasantly crunchy accompaniment.
The pick of the entrees has to be the seared whiting fillets. A tangle of vibrantly green choy sum and perky fish fillets sits on a bed of bright orange carrot and ginger puree. The flavour and texture combinations just seem to work.
On the other hand, Atlantic salmon with Moroccan spices and rose petal tea broth promises more than it delivers. The flesh is moist enough but the skin lacks the expected
crispness. There’s also something missing; perhaps there’s not enough spice, or the rose petal broth needs more drama and flavour intensity. And a serving of carbohydrate would absorb the broth much better than the floret of undercooked cauliflower. This is one dish where you need that side of hand-cut chips.
You can have linguine with blue swimmer crab as an entree ($19) or a main ($32). The entree size boasts a decent amount of crab in its creamy sauce, and a burst of flavour from a couple of confit cherry tomatoes.
There’s just one meaty main, starring a 300-gram Angus sirloin. This one’s a beauty, cooked to perfection, well rested and full of flavour. The steak is crowned with battered onion rings and surrounded by swirls of cauliflower puree and a rich jus for a balanced dish.
The rice in the classic seafood paella is moist and al dente with crusty edges, and supports a good mix of seafood, fish pieces and bacon but could do with a bit more vegetable. This is another substantial serving for one; two might consider sharing, particularly if you choose entrees first.
The fish pie features a well flavoured veloute´ sauce containing chunks of line-caught blue eye trevalla and potato in a deep pie dish under a golden pastry crust. A neat raft of green beans finished with crisp toasted
almonds on one side is a welcome addition.
When it comes to dessert, I usually look for something fruity. Tonight there’s a poached pear with ice-cream; and it’s not just any old poached pear or ordinary ice-cream. The poaching liquor is infused with saffron; saffron
threads cling to the glistening, tender pear, and the ice-cream is house-made pistachio.
I like a restaurant that doesn’t stand still.
Further changes are imminent, but whatever happens this busy little place will always give value for money.