Saturday, July 30, 2005

Sails on the Bay

Introduction: Recently enlarged. Well spaced tables mostly fronting what can best be called a bay window present an attractive view over the water lapping at the sand. Strollers and joggers make for a constantly variable distraction
Ambience: Hanging bits of supposedly sail cloth off the ceiling creates little effect on the generally quiet agreeable and comfortabe atmosphere

Service: Unobtrusive
Food: the Ravioli stuffed with prawns and scallops in a Champgne and chive sauce is an outstanding taste however the sauce was a little on the gluggy side of perfect. The deep sea blue eye in a puff pastry shell was also excellent but again the cream sauce was too heavy. The roast duck and the duck Italian style differed only in what they were served with. The polenta with sage rosemary and onion stuffing accompanied by roast garlic and buttered brocholini in a light jus was very good and the vahronna icecream not to be missed.

Wine: Moderately priced with a reasonable range by the glass. I am not impressed when wine by the glass is poured without the bottle being sighted. In this instance the pinot we were first served had passed its use by date by some time. It was promptly repalced with a frsh glass

Price: Around $50 per head

Comments: Close to being very good

Score:14 /20

2 comments:

kerryn said...

My partner and I went to Sails last Friday night 29 Jan 2010.

I hadn't dined here for well over 2years, and it's in a fabulous spot right on the beach, so was excited about a romantic dinner.

Service was a bit slow to start. We did get there about 9pm and they did have 2 functions on, so allowed for that. They brought out a little fishy treat to make up for the slowness, so
that was lovely.

Our entrees were Oysters Natural for me. Very good & fresh with a nice coriander-based dipping sauce. But you'd have to be a pretty bad place to muck up oysters natural!

My partner had a Rabbit Terrine with Pate. Terrine was okay. Pate was delicious.

For mains I had the Snapper with Scallops and a Mango Coulis resting on thin noodles and greens.

It was devoid of flavour and a bit dry. My partner and I always try each others' dishes, and he also thought mine was bland.

He had Atlantic Salmon, and while it was cooked beautifully (rare), overall it was bland like mine.

My partner is a very good cook and one of his specialities is salmon on the Weber cooked with smoked hickory chips, so he is a big fish fan...he was very disappointed in Sails.

For dessert we got the tasting plate, which is a marvellous idea for a little bit of everything, and no doubt inspired by the now ubiquitous tapas style of eating
(I have even seen Japanese tapas in Bourke St!!).

Out of the range of 6, only 3 were good. Lime Cheesecake and Lavender Mousse again bland. Choc Fondant was lovely.

Great location, good service, nice ambience, but very very ordinary food ($196.00 for 2).

Kerryn

Elliot said...

Hi Kerryn
It's a long time since we ate at sails. My impression was that the chef at the time was a bit heavy handed with his sauces. No question it is a beaut site for a restaurant.