Cutty Sark Teneriffe

Six months B and I have been seeing each other and we decided to celebrate this with a lovely dinner.

photo courtesy of dimmi.com.au

In case you weren't aware, I love boats and I love water. Everything nautical really. I can't remember how I stumbled on reviews for Cutty Sark restaurant, but they were sterling. So with the name of a ship, river views, and excellent reviews, we made a booking for Friday night.

We arrive just as the sun is setting and are shown to the best table: in the corner of the restaurant facing the river. The sliding door are open and the wafting breezes are divine on the balmy Brisbane evening. Fairy lights drape from the ceiling and it has a lovely casual but tasteful ambience.

The menu is a Spanish inspired modern Australian affair and offers almost too many excellent options

We peruse the menu while sipping on one of the best red sangias I've ever tried and take in the view.

Cutty Sark offers a 'chefs selection' as well as full a la carte, the chefs selection offers a starter, entree, main and dessert for $79 and seems like great value, however on this particular night did not offer a couple of the things we were really wanting to try.

I order the Crispy Pork Belly ($17) to start, B orders the Croquettes ($12).

My last post I wrote about my love affair with pork belly, and quite often when you love something as much as I love pork belly, expectations can be set too high, which leads to disappointment. Fortunately, Cutty Sark absolutely smashed it out of the park. This was one of the best pork bellies I had ever tried. Perfectly cooked, perfect crackling, perfect accompaniments of pickled cabbage and celeriac puree, I was so impressed, I posted pictures all over social media and have told just about every person who will listen.

B's croquettes were also really really lovely. Texturally they were perfect, so light and fluffy inside and crisp and golden on the outside with such incredible depth of flavour. The pimenton aioli is also really fantastic.

For mains I was tossing up between the market fish, which was Barramundi that night or the eye fillet. I opted for the Barra as it is one of my favourites. B orders the Ricotta and Spinach Gnudi.

My Barramundi comes to the table with cauliflower puree, grilled asparagus, spinach, and citrus vierge. I have found with fish dishes, fish is either incredible or fine. There was nothing wrong with this main, it was fine, it just didn't blow me away. The fish was cooked really nicely with crispy skin and veggies were wonderful. Maybe I was just too blown away with my starter.

B's gnudi, which is like a gnocci/dumpling hybrid, arrives with forest mushroom, blistered tomato, steamed greens, truffled cream, and THIS was a great dish, everything that was served added a really desirable element to the dish and it was lovely to try different things together.

With our mains we order a side of patatas bravas which are served with tomato salsa, pepper dressing and the beautiful pimenton aioli again. These were so addictive. B and I say we'd both me happy with a table or these, croquettes and pork bellies!

I had to steal this pic from Cutty Sark's website as I didn't get a snap, and they deserve to be seen by all!

I think apart from how perfectly cooked and crispy the potatoes are, the tomato cubes really bring an amazing fresh dimension to this dish, the aioli is also just stunning with a smoky, savoury, garlicky loveliness.

Throughout the evening the hostess and waitress are really lovely and easy to get along with, attentive but never in-our-faces.

We had decided earlier in the evening that we'd like dessert, hoping we'd have room, and fortunately, we did.

I have the Kaffir Lime Pannacotta with pineapple salsa, ginger crisp and coconut ice cream, B goes for the Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie which comes with vanilla ice cream, rhubarb and mixed berries, and chocolate sauce. The desserts were outstanding, up there with the incredible starters. My pannacotta is light, refreshing and a beautiful creamy consistency and nice lime tang. The coconut ice cream is divine and everything on the plate worked perfectly.

B's brownies were rich and delicious, his ice cream also was really really good.

I really really enjoyed this restaurant. The food was fine dining in an unpretentious but beautiful setting. Lovely staff and beautiful menu and outlook. Really cannot recommend enough and I look forward to returning.

Cutty Sark Riverside Bar and Restaurant is located at Goldsborough Place on Vernon Terrace. We are 200m away from the Teneriffe City Cat terminal and Route 60 City Glider bus stop.

39 Vernon Terrace, Teneriffe, QLD 4005.

Tel: (07) 3257 2266

email: hello@cuttysark.com.au

Three Dinners in One

Saturday night: Barbeque Pork Ribs and Salad.

As I have chosen the 'quiet life' (for the moment anyway), the highlight of any particular night is dinner (and Come Dine With Me, reading Game Of Thrones et al). I had my Sainsburys delivery due for Sunday, but had to pop out to get something yum for Saturday Night In.

As I waited for the ready made ribs to cook in the oven I prepared my starter: the very retro, prawn cocktail. I LOVE prawn cocktails! I get quite narky when I see celebrity chefs bemused at people presenting prawn cocktails as a starter. Yes, it's simple, yes it's easy, but it WORKS!

My cocktail or Marie Rose sauce, I have been making since I can remember: full egg mayo, tomato sauce, Tobasco, lemon juice, salt, pepper. Today I also added spring onions and flat leaf parsley for a bit of extra zing.

The prawns were pre-packaged from the supermarket freezer. But as I have found (and mentioned before) I'm yet to find a good prawn over here- these ones actually turned out not too bad. I was surprised that on the packaging they didn't mention the country of origin, and I looked really hard.

I plated the prawns on a bed of mixed leaves and topped with the Marie Rose.

The very simple, but ridiculously tasty main of barbeque pork ribs and pre-made Italian salad, was exactly that: put the salad on my plate, took the ribs out of the oven and put them all on the plate.

Ready made ribs are fantastic, always so moist and tender. I just love them. The ready made Italian salad, well, it was about as Italian as nachos, or sashimi. Mixed greens, cherry tomato and red peppers, no dressing included. Fortunately I had some broccolini and snap peas,and dressed it with extra virgin, balsamic and lemon juice.


Sunday Night: Steak!

The Sainsburys delivery was due for between 7pm and 8pm, and I was starving by 5 but didn't want to ruin my appetite.

Unfortunately for me, Mr Sainsburys driver couldn't find my street, and didn't get to mine till right on 8pm... I was famished. Luckily steak only takes a few minutes to cook.

Tonight: rump, crushed potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, and a white wine and cream sauce with mushroom and diced celery.

I hate that there are brown bits on the broccoli, I cut them off before eating.

The steak was beaaauuuttiiffuuuuullll! The potatoes which were 'Sainsburys Roasting Potatoes' were so fluffy, like really fluffy. When I need to eat fast, I cube the tatties to maybe 1-1.5cm squared, they only take about 5-7 minutes to boil, once I drain them I throw them back into the pan on the hob and evaporate any remaining moisture, and get some nice crumbly edges and brown crunchy bits.

The sauce was diced celery and mushroom sauteed, then 50/50 cream and philly cream cheese finished with flat leaf parsley.


Monday: Char-Griddled Veg with Guacamole and Thai Curry Pumpkin Mash.

If you've had a read through my blog you'll notice that as much as I love meat, and I LOVE meat, I am not adverse to a bit of veg, actually my veg cravings can come on quite hard and fast. Tonight I had one of these pangs for veg.

 I cut courgette (zuccini), red pepper (capsicum), celery, mushroom, and placed them on a really hot, oiled griddle pan and allowed them to char slightly.

The guacamole was avocado, diced tomato (runny, seedy bits removed), spring onion, Tabasco, lemon-salt and about a teaspoon of philly, mashed together and seasoned with pepper.

I had some 2cm cubes of squash (pumpkin) boiling away, and when they were done, I drained, added a teaspoon of thai green curry paste, a big blob of butter and mashed.

Then arranged all on the plate with flat leaf parsley.

The vegetables were so lovely and sweet, and with every mouthful you could combine different flavours the peppers with the squash was divine.

The squash mash would make an incredible dip to serve with crackers.

I just can't get over the stuning colours in the veg. Veggie dishes make me really happy.

The next time I crave Potato Bake... (Roast Pork Loin w/ dauphinoise Potato)

I had had a craving for Potato Dauphinoise (Or pah-tay-dah bake as we call it back home) for days now... the niggling craving that never leaves your mind.

A clever move would have been to pick up a single serve potato bake from Tesco. No, I got home and decided that my tatties were to be accompanied by roast Pork Loin, roast veg, a sauce and broccoli. Oh no-one was home, just me. It just felt like the thing to do.

 I picked up a pork loin reduced to £2 from £8 (WHAT?!) At the Co-Op.
No real prep, just oiled up the pan, heavily seasoned with salt and pepper, threw in some chunky chopped carrots and shallots (skin on- TRUST ME).

 Here is my Dauphinoise in its embryonic stage: very thinly sliced new potatoes, thinly sliced onion and single cream to cover, plus a secret ingredient.

Add a bunch of cheese... pictured- cheddar and parmesan... and ground black pepper, and it's done.

 Oh... the secret ingredient? Vege soup mix. Mix it in with the cream. It is totally good. Seriously. Try it.

So I popped both trays into my preheated oven to 225C to give it an early blast of heat. I was really trying for crackle.

After 10 minutes I turned the heat down to 180.

 After 30 mins I came in to baste the mean and turn the veg.

Total time for the meat and veg was 45 mins with 15 minutes to rest (taking it out of the oven, covering in foil and wrapping in tea towels to hold in a bit of the heat. It stays warm anyway).

And here she is at full time.

Leaving the skins on the shallots and garlic is great... not just because do don't have to spend hours peeling them, but the insides still caramelise, but they don't burn. Thanks for the tip Jamie (Oliver).

 Just before the Tatties were finished and the meat had rested for about ten minutes, I made a cheat gravy of pan fried mushrooms, boiling water and gravy granules, white wine and cream; and briefly boiled my broc.

How I long for a gas stove top.

Cutting of the meat!

 The beautiful bake... pictured: where I mashed my fork in to have a taste before remembering to take a photo.

 Ta Dah!

Roasts are so easy! And including prep it took me 1 hour 20 total. (40 minutes I was sitting watching Come Dine With Me.

The meat was a tad overcooked for my liking, but I am funny with meat, and the lovely fat around the outside added to both flavour and texture.

I did manage the slightest crackle sliver on the very edge of the skin.

Needless to say I had seconds and now I have to write this horizontal in my bed, 'cause I can't move. Whoops.

Two Vegiful Dinners.

Feeling a bit blugh and bloaty? I have been... the easiest fix i know is getting as many doses of fruit and veg in as possible.

Last night, on the way home from the gym I ducked into the Co-Op very quickly, picked up an armful of salady bits and some tuna and headed home.

I threw together a salad containing baby leaf salad mix, finely sliced cabbage, celery, the tips of young brocolini and very finely diced shallot. I dressed it with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and pear balsamic vinegar.

I wish I could be happy with just a green salad for dinner, but I can't. I'd be hungry in 15 minutes if I settled on a salad with no protein.

To a bowl I added tinned tuna steak, 2 tablespoons of whole-egg light mayo (light not by choice) some lemon juice and tobasco and mashed together.

I plated a good heap of salad then piled the tuna on top.

A very delicious dinner, and one I will be doing again.

I think the salad and dressing base would be great with just about any protein: chicken, fish, poached egg, roast veggies. Nummmmm.



Tonight's recipe came from ehhmmm, laziness and a want to not walk to the store to pick up any dinner.

I had some new potatoes and carrots which I left skin on and boiled till just ready. Then sat down to watch Come Dine With Me.

As the scores were given and show ended I made my way back to the kitchen to try to make a decision as to what I was going to do with my carrots and spuds!

I managed to scrape together chestnut mushrooms, spring onions, asparagus, parmesan and salami.

I sliced all these ingredients and shaved the parmesan, with the vague idea of a veggie fry up.  Heated some oil in the frypan, and added the mushrooms till they started to brown, then the stalks and tips of the asparagus and the salami for just a minute or 2. I then added the tatties and carrots which had cooled sufficiently to slice quite chunky, with the spring onion on a high heat, and waited till the tatties became brown and crunchy around the edges. Right before removing from the heat I added a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, salt and cajun mix.

I added a dollop of mayo to my plate, then scooped the contents out and topped with the shaved parmesan and some spring onion..

All the veg were cooked perfectly, the asparagus had a lovely crisp bite. The salami has become crisp and the tatties and mushroom had help their shape.

This was awesome. And got my five a day!