Darwin Trailer Boat Club

8 Atkins Drive
Fannie Bay
NT 0820

The Darwin Trailer Boat Club is cities oldest seaside club dating from1958, when it was based in a modified caravan. It faces west is providing great views of the tropical sunsets over the water.

We didn't quite manage front row seats for the sun slipping below the horizon, but were happy with our spot none the less. It actually got quite dark at our table later which wan't a problem, except for the photography! After selecting our dishes, we headed up to the counter which also featured a giant version of the menu and the specials board.

The Thai chicken salad contained green paw paw, bean sprouts, rice noodles, cucumber, coriander and peanuts, was dressed nicely and went down well

I went for the Barramundi burger, with the chunk of battered local fish encased in a brioche bun along with tartare sauce and salad, topped with burger rings. The basket also contained some chunky chips and I was also able to visit the salad bar... The burger worked well and the rest of the meal left me satisfied.

The meals came to $40.50 which seemed like good value. The laid back vibe and beach-side location with awesome views make it a quintessential Darwin experience.

Beachfront Hotel, Darwin

342 Casuarina Drive
Rapid Creek
NT 0810

The Beechfront Hotel over looks the beach across Casurina Drive in Nightcliff. It has recently been refurbished and has a modern feel and was lively on the Friday evening we visited. We found ourselves a table out the the front and then grabbed a menu, which focused on Aussie pub dished with a bit of an NT flavour, before ordering at the counter.

The lemon pepper dusted squid was tender and came with chips and salad.

I had the battered NT Threadfin Salmon fillets with chips and salad. The Blue Threadfin inhabit coastal waters throughout the Indo Pacific including northern Australia waters, so it was good to try out a local catch. It was a flavoursome fish, well cooked with crisp batter.

Our meals came pretty quickly despite the pub being packed on the Friday evening. The meals came to $45. The sunset views over the ocean make it a nice spot to grab a pub meal in Nightcliff.

Vamos

1st floor, 37 Little Bourke Street
Melbourne
Victoria
3000

Vamos is tucked away on the first floor of the top end of Bourke St, although it is reasonably well  signposted. We had a table overlooking the street, the fit out features plenty of wood and downlights in the fairly dark space.

We ordered a series of tapas dishes and the plates came out in ones and twos. The Patatas Bravas were first to arrive, a favourite of ours and these didn't disappoint.

We gave the scallop special a go and they were perfectly prepared.

The broccoli topped with walnuts and chilli wasn't a traditional eat with a tooth pick style tapas dish, but the caramelisation made it stand out.

The crisp skin and rich flavour of the salmon was well matched with a red pepper puree.

The stuffed eggplant was filled with huitlacoche (a Mexican truffle) and spinach then topped with salsa which was a winning combination.

The polenta chips finished things off nicely and left us well satisfied.

The service was good, with the plates arriving at a good pace. The bill came to $76.50 although we were on a dimmi deal giving 50% off food which is certainly worth grabbing if it comes up again!