Cape Tribulation Beach House Bitro

Cape Tribulation Road
Cape Tribulation
Queensland 4873

The bistro at the Cape Tribulation Beach House resort was another recommendation from the people running our accommodation. We probably wouldn't have it up the unmetalled road and then after parking, down the long track past the accommodation blocks in the dark rainforest to the bistro.

We found a table in the busy area, most of the space was on decking under a large awning with an open counter.

I had the snapper on a nicoise style salad. The skin was crispy and it was far better than the blurred photo...

We ordered a side of chips, which were almost too big!

The generous fillet of salmon came with a great herb crust.

Some of the staff were obviously new, which slowed things down a little, but it was still a nice spot to have a meal.

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Cafe on Sea, Thornton Beach

Cape Tribulation Road,
Thornton Beach,
Queensland 4873

Perched between the road from the Daintree River up to Cape Tribulation and Thornton Beach, Cafe on Sea lives up to its name in a very enviable location...

After a walk on to the beach we grabbed an outdoor table with an ocean view, and tried to keep away from the many deep fried options on the menu.

We ordered the Mezze plate to share for lunch, and it was a little smaller than we expected, and the quality of the fayre varied.

You wont find many locations to match this spot, its a beautiful, remote place place to stop. The food perhaps isn't as special, but its still worth a visit when passing.

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The Sand Bar

LOT 11 Cape Tribulation Road
Cape Tribulation
Queensland 4873

Cape Tribulation Camping has been around for nearly 10 years, and in 2011 “The Sand Bar” complete with wood fired pizza oven opened in what seemed to be the centre of the camping area.

Our accommodation recommended it as a good spot to get pizza and we decided to give it a try. Initially we found some bar stools near the counter, before ordering and then grabbing one of the outdoor picnic tables.

The table was near the wood fired oven, which seemed to be very active trying to supply plenty of hungry diners. The outdoor seat gave us plenty of opportunity to gaze skywards and we even observed a satellite passing overhead.

I had the cheese free vegetarian pizza topped with spinach, which was noticeably lighter and fresher than the margherita with added anchovies. Both the bases and all the toppings were good quality and well prepared.

 It took a while for us to get our pizza's but it was worth the wait. The Sand Bar isn't glamourous, but serves good food in an idyllic location.

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Port Douglas Surf Lifesaving Club

The Esplanade
Port Douglas
Queensland 4877

Right on 4 mile beach, the Port Douglas Surf Lifesaving Club, is situated away from the throng of Macrossan street.

The majority of the seating is set up on the terrace beneath the canopy, with views through the trees to the sand and coral sea.

There are separate counters for food and drinks, and the menu was up on the board as well as the printed versions.

We shares a serve of the Fish Taco's, accompanied by guacamole, salsa, nachos. They were a decent size and contained battered fish, faloursome sauce and coriander, a definite winner.

I had the cioppino or tomato based fish stew, filled with mussels, prawns, scallops and fish and topped with basil and served with bread and aioli.

The grilled reef fish with chips, rocket and tartar wasn't spectacular but delivered the goods.

The food came to around $60 and was pretty good value. It is certainly a good choice if you are keen on beach side dining.

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Star of Siam, Port Douglas

1/12 Macrossan Street
Port Douglas
QLD 4877

With its wide open doors and windows, eating 'inside' at  the Star of Siam doesn't feel to enclosed, in fact you still feel close to the action on Macrossan Street.

Inside there is a definite Thai them to the decor, from the pitched roof of the bar to the chair backs.

The menu offers several classic Thai dishes, plus some less common ones and house specialities.

We shared the fish cakes as an entree, which turned out to be a good plan as they were the largest Thai style examples I'd seen, the texture and flavour didn't suffer either.

The veggie and tofu green curry lived up to our expectations with a good kick of spiciness and  the other expected flavours.

The Banana fish or baked barramundi arrived wrapped in the leaf it had been cooked in.

 

Inside the whole fish was topped with picked garlic, coriander, sliced ginger, and a slightly odd mix of vegetables. The selection of mostly green veggies, along with the wrapping didn't show off or enhance the barramundi but underneath the fish was nicely cooked, however not much different to how we oven cook it at home.

The roti was thinner and crisper than expected, and not so good at soaking up the curry, but still enjoyable.

The meal came to $69 including corkage, it's BYO alcohol only. The service was fairly good although it slowed down a little as it got busier while we were there. Perhaps it would be best to stick to some of the more familiar dishes if dining at the Star of Siam, as the ones we had were good and I'd happily have again.

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The Courthouse Hotel, Port Douglas

1 Macrossan Street
Port Douglas
Queensland 4877

On the corner of Macrossan and Wharf streets the "Courty" is an impressive edifice with plenty of options for sitting outside as well as bars on two floors.

We sat outside when we visited for dinner on a busy Sunday evening.

There aren't any direct views of the sunset, but looking out over ANZAC park on the inlet in the early evening isn't bad...

...then the moon made an appearance.

The menu offered up plenty of pub classics with a few Queensland twists.

 

I had the kangaroo which was nicely char grilled and just over the advertised medium rare I thought. It was served on a roast sweet potato mash, which I would have preferred uncrushed, beans salsa and gravy.

The asian seafood curry was flavoursome and packed with prawns, mussels, squid and scallops.

The meals came to around $60 and the service was efficient, from the order at the counter to delivery. The location and quality of food make it worth a try if you are in town.

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The Tin Shed

7 Ashford Avenue
Port Douglas
Queensland 4877

We had fond memories of a previous visit to the Tin Shed in Port Douglas, officially the Port Douglas and District Combined Clubs, and ended up going back on our first night in town. It has a fantastic location, over looking the river and facing west for the sunset. We arrived as the light was fading on a Saturday night and got one of the few spare tables.

After getting some drinks we perused the menu, offering a variety of classic Australian Pub and RSL style dishes and the specials board, making our selections and heading up to order at the counter.

I had the special of yellow fin tuna, which was just slightly overdone and was served on a Thai style couscous, an interesting fusion of flavours, which just about worked, but did result in damp/sticky grains.

The baked whole baby barramundi was memorably presented, had a crisp exterior and in places was overcooked. It came topped with picked ginger, and was served on lemongrass scented rice and some stir fried veggies.

The food came to around $50 and the staff coped well with the packed dining area. Our expectations, built from our memories of a previous visit weren't quite met, but I would think about going back and sticking to some of the more classic dishes. The value and views certainly can't be faulted.

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The Courthouse, Warragul

72 Smith Street 
Warragul
VIC 3820

We'd visited The Courthouse in Warragul a few years ago at lunch and we returned recently on a Wednesday evening.

The restaurant is housed in the former Warragul Courthouse building, which dates from 1887...

...and began operating as a restaurant in '96.

Inside the building retains plenty of original touches, yet also suits its new function well. There were several other diners in, but we were lucky and got a spot next to the fire.

The menu included a number of sections, including meats, pasta dishes, risotto's and pizza's. The spaghetti marinara features some enormous prawns, scallops, mussels and calamari, in a light creamy sauce.

I had the risotto di funghi which also contained red onion and rocket. It was well cooked and packed with mushrooms flavour, and I rapidly worked my way through the large sized portion!

We accompanied our meal with beers from the Grand Ridge brewery which is located not far away in this part of Gippsland. The Almighty was pleasant and flavoursome for a light beer and the hatlifter stout was full of coffee and chocolate flavours.

My long black was a little longer than I prefer and somewhat on the bitter burnt tasting side.

The service was friendly and pretty swift given that two wait staff seemed to be looking after us all. The bill came to $70 including a few drinks and was fair value. It's certainly not a bad option for an italian style meal if you are in Warragul.

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