the bathers' pavilion restaurant

for dessert its the chocolate fondant cake with salted caramel ice-cream. the soft floury external texture of the cake is pierced to reveal the gooey inner chocolate fondant which is thick and rich and just flows out of its case like oil gushing from a well. the texture sensation in ones mouth of the doughy crummy cake pieces and smooth velvety rich cocoa flavoured fondant sauce is the most amazing experience one could have. then the sweetness overload and warmth of the fondant sauce is mixed with the freezing chilll and the ever so slight saline hints of the salted caramel ice-cream. the caramel is a smoky burnt sweet flavour to it, which i couldn’t adequately describe. i am speechless! i then decide to wrap lunch, but take moment to admire the view as i head off for the rest of the day. it was such a wonderful experience. the service, the food and the wine was beautiful and the scene… well i don’t think there’s anything quite like it. share this: twitter facebook google pinterest ema

mediocre food with good view. had fish of the day - salmon - and a small piece arrived on large white plate with a slice of lemon. i ordered the "green leaf salad" to go with it and got a small overstuffed bowl with lettuce. not one other ingredient even a radish. if there was an oil dressing it was impossible to tell it was tasteless. for $30 i felt they could do better than that and asked the waitress if i could have the risotto instead as the "salad" was bland. i eventually got the risotto but that turned out to be inedible as well because the chef dumped a lot of salt in it. my husband actually mentioned it first because he could tell it wasn't as good as our 2 companions when he tried it. i didn't say anything because i didn't want to make an issue of it but will never eat there again. but even if it the chef wasn't an a-hole and felt the need to make a point instead of making sure his customer had the best meal possible,l i would not feel it was good value. you pay for the view, not the food.

beautiful!!! went here with my family we all had the degustation menu! everything was amazing! the wines suggested were very nice and the food was just perfect! my highlights were the cured salmon, rump lamb, dick, and beef cheeks! ohh and the kingfish! brilliant! perfect atmosphere and great service!

the bathers’ pavilion cafe is my favourite cafe at balmoral, especially for an early breakfast while the beach is still relatively quiet. the cafe has a stunning view over middle harbour which can’t be missed from most tables but i still like to get there early to ensure a prime view from a front row table. the cafe has a big breakfast menu that caters for a range of healthy, sweet and savoury tastes. lighter options include quince and figs with sheep milk yoghurt ($17); sweet lovers (me) can try the blueberry pancakes with canadian maple syrup ($21.50) and there’s plenty of choice for a more substantial breakfast including fried eggs and bathers’ blood sausage with roast pear and apple, with herb butter and sourdough toast ($24). my love of papaya and coconut was well satisfied with a glass full of creamy c

balmoral’s beauty has attracted thousands of bathers since the early 1920s when the beach was served by a now retired tramline. where once bathers arrived armed with picnics today many visit looking forwards to lunch at one of balmoral’s beachside cafes. the cafe i’m covering here is no ordinary cafe. it’s part of the chef’s hatted bathers’ pavilion – a sydney dining institution that celebrates its 15th birthday in 2014. serge dansereau, the head chef, owns both halves of the bathers’. he’s one of australia’s top chefs with over five cookbooks under his belt. the setting is so spectacular it can distract you from the food – sit alongside the sand with harbour views that stretch to the ocean and watch the manly ferry on route from circular quay. on one side the fine dining restaurant menu emphasises fresh produce grown by small producers. it’s priced as you’d expect for an established chef’s hatted restaurant by the water. put it on your special occasion dining bucket list. on the other

with sparkling beachfront views, stylish beach interior theme, a casual family friendly setting and a menu that is uniquely sophisticated - bathers is a must for any bruncher or sydney tourist. the view of the beach from a window seat the menu changes regularly and quite often than not i am torn between dishes. the eggs benedict made an appearance this time but i opted for the  hot smoked salmon  ($24). i never know what to expect when ordering off the menu and without fail i was impressed.  the presentation was picture perfect (see my unedited photo) and the flavours and textures worked so well. it was a "constructed" dish with no sides and the surprise element of roe that popped in my mouth added that wow factor. i ordered my usual skim cap ($3.70) to start and a cranberry juice cocktail ($7) to wash it all down. i was able to try out my old brunch benchmark -  eggs benedict ($21.50). t his classic was cooked reasonably well but should be given a miss to make way for all the other  d

breakfast tradition. whenever my grandson or other family and friends arrive in town breakfast has to be at the bathers pavilion at least once ... the view is exceptional, the service professional yet friendly, the food really good too. this space is my sydney breakfast place for special occasions and also non events. love going there and will be back.

it is all about the location for the bathers pavilion. set on the sandline in a curve of hunters bay, the venue is graced with phenomenal vistas of crystal clear water lapping against pale yellow sand. the building itself is stunning, with intricate adornments including the beautiful fretwork windows.

sit and watch the ferries go by or the waves lapping on beautiful balmoral beach. bathers’ pavilion cafe is great for little ones with the beach offering the perfect playground and adults will enjoy the ambience and food. it is great for a special family meal.

fine dining at its best. it's been a few years since we've been there, but service & food still great. amazing dessert.

quince tart tatin, earl grey ice cream. the ice cream went well with the tart but
the tart itself was like butter soaked puff pastry with quince jam...fairly disappointing.

pear and ricotta gateaux, kind of like a standard ricotta cheese cake, coffee ice

dinner not good value. pretentious food, pretentious service, expensive wine list and tiny, tiny servings! don't bother....get some fish and chips and enjoy the view from the park!

the meatier dishes on the degustation menu were a silky, tender squab (i did not know that a squab was a young, domestic pigeon!), and a sweet, moist grilled lamb loin with baby fennel and pencil leek and sweetbreads. the wr commented that the crispy lumps of sweetbreads were like eating fried balls of fat, which was not a bad description of these creamy balls of deliciousness.

if you're a fan of spaghetti vongole then the bucatini pasta with sea urchin, venus clams, tomato, garlic and parsley ($34) is the one for you. i'd liken it to a spaghetti vongole on steroids

avoid if vegetarian. i have been here before and it was ok (not worth the money- but ok) – however the vegetarian options were not actually vegetarian as they contained gelatine and rennet – i also could not eat the cheesecake etc (gelatine - lazy way to make cheesecake). anyway i am looking at organising a dinner for 30 people (which we are looking at doing every 3 months) we have a couple of vegetarians in the group so i called to see if the vegetarian menu was vegetarian (as it was not last time). i spoke to an american lady called jess/jessie. it seems that yet again they could not say if the cheese in the vegetarian dishes was or was not vegetarian (rennet comes from a dead cow – you can get plant based rennet - 85% of cheese in england is vegetarian for example but not in australia).
she said i could modify the dish but that defeats the object in my book - if it is stated as vegetarian, on what they like to think is a premier restaurant, the chef should know what he is doing. it is false advertising if their vegetarian dishes are not vegetarian.

anyway jess/jessie told me that if i wanted to check if the cheese was vegetarian then i could call the supplier! why would i need to go to all that effort? they are the ones taking my money – they should do the work. i told her that i was very disappointed that a restaurant of that ilk did not know if their vegetarian menu was vegetarian. jess/jessie’s rude response to me was, ‘you can go elsewhere’. i told her that with her attitude i certainly will!

this chef has a large gap in his knowledge and skill if he cannot create a vegetarian menu.

i figure her aggressive attitude just lost them at least $15,000 a year from just one phone call, and yes indeed i will go elsewhere!

avoid if you are a vegetarian or have any food allergies – they obviously do not know what is in the food – but hey – you can phone the suppliers!

i put this review on trip advisor in march 2013 and it is no longer on there – so i do not trust that website anymore to show an accurate picture.