New eatery is off to a flying start
21 Jul 10 @ 03:51pm by SCOTT HOWLETT

Seared scallops served with a corn puree and salad of corn, speck (pork or bacon) and herbs is one of the delights offered at The Deckhouse. Pictures: BRENT McGILGARY

DECKHOUSE, which is owned by the same group that operates the Sydney Rowing Club in Abbotsford, Pyrmont’s Flying Fish and the Kirribilli Club, opened on July 1, and already has people talking.

The cafe and function centre is located on the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust-owned (and still working) Woolwich dock and overseen by head chef Samantha Lockrey.

Lockrey has worked with chefs such as Kylie Kwong of Billy Kwong, Rockpool’s Neil Perry and Serge Dansereau of The Bathers’ Pavilion at Balmoral Beach.

Her modern Australian menu, with French and Italian influences, is also selective.

There are eight dishes served up in the morning and about 20 for lunch.

The views over Sydney Harbour to the Sydney Harbour Bridge are first rate.

Breakfast ranges from the simple, toasted muesli with apples, walnuts and almonds ($8.50) and scrambled eggs on sourdough bread ($8.50), to the more substantial, for example, the Deckhouse fried eggs with slow-cooked tomato and pork and fennel sausages ($12).

For lunch there are Sydney rock oysters, served two ways ($2.50 to $3.50), and seven other lunch starters ($16.50 to $18.50), with seafood featuring in more than half of them.

They include cured salmon with a potato blini (thin pancake), chargrilled prawns with a fennel salad and saffron aioli (garlic and olive oil sauce) and seared scallops served with a corn puree and salad of corn, speck (pork or bacon) and herbs.

Mains, all seven of them ($25 to $29) include barramundi fillet with carrot puree and blue swimmer crab linguine, served with tomato, garlic and chilli.

Also worth a look is the chargrilled spatchcock, which comes with a white bean puree, rocket, hazelnuts and romesco (a combination of roasted capsicum, tomato and hazelnuts).

Meat eaters will be glad to see they have not been left out, with a cider-glazed pork cutlet or grass-fed scotch fillet, served with a bearnaise sauce and fat chips, on offer.

Chocolate lovers are well advised to have a look at the chocolate fondant, which is served with ice cream, for dessert ($12).

Bookings are recommended.

A top spot.

Courtesy of Northern District Times