Golden Orchid Restaurant

The Golden Orchid Restaurant is located on Marina Boulevard, Cullen Bay. It was formerly known as the Lemongrass Restaurant.

We had been asked to visit this restaurant as it was deemed to be of good value.  I had previously visited the Lemongrass Restaurant and had enjoyed their meals, I was hoping they were still as good.

Unfortunately I was to be disappointed.

As we neared the restaurant the owner beckoned us to come inside and try them out. This was the first thing that I thought was a little unusual. Spruiking for customers gives one the impression that the restaurant is not doing well.
Upon arrival they wanted us to sit outside, however I asked if we could be seated inside. This seemed to be a bit of a problem for them. They tried several times to get us to sit outside. I was adamant I wanted to sit inside in the air-conditioning with plenty of light. As it turned out they had their family scattered around the inside tables, including one child asleep at a table. They vacated one table for us but didn't bother to clean it, we were seated and our cutlery was brought over. We both  felt like we were sitting at a grubby table and at no time did we feel like we could put our cutlery directly onto it.

We began our meal with Mixed Entrees. This consisted of a chicken wing, a spring roll, a curry puff and a money bag, $8. The chicken wing was well cooked but didn't have a lot of meat on it and I felt it was pretty ordinary. The spring roll was fairly tasteless. The curry puff had too many peas in it and the pastry needed to be crisper. The money bag was quite tasty.

I ordered Paw Paw Salad, $12, as I'd never had this before and really wanted to try it. It was made with sliced green paw paw, mixed with garlic, chilli, sugar, lime juice, peanut and fish sauce. It was really delicious and well worth ordering.

Pad Thai, $20, popular Thai fried rice, noodle with egg, chicken, prawns and special seasoning. I wasn't overly keen on this dish, I've had much nicer Pad Thai elsewhere. Possibly too much fish sauce.

The Mongolian Beef, $20, was a real disappointment. It was very ordinary; we couldn't bring our selves to eat the whole meal, I didn't even enjoy the vegetables - I took it home for the dog.

For dessert we had Fried Ice Cream and Thai Sago Pudding with coconut milk, $7 each. Our first disappointment was that they had been served with artificial whipped cream. The fried icecream was not the nicest I've tasted, It was a fairly small serve and they used a low quality ice cream. The Thai sago pudding was presented nicely,( apart from the artificial cream) with green food colouring added. It had a fairly bland taste but was not unpleasant to eat.

We ordered a pot of Chinese tea and were disappointed to find a teabag in it. Our regular readers will remember that we went to the Vietnam Saigon Star recently and had a pot of authentic Chinese tea, which was delicious. If they can do it, why can't the Golden Orchid?

Overall, I was disappointed. This restaurant has had a name change, I'm also wondering if they have changed their chef. The meals were substandard and not worth the money we paid. They need to be more professional in how they accommodate their family members during work time. If customers want to sit inside, they should not have to put up with family members sleeping at tables, noisy family members playing with their toys, or sitting around playing on their computers. This is not their home, not their lounge room. It's a restaurant with paying customers. Clean tables, a pleasant atmosphere, good service and good food is what they should be aiming for.

Seadogs Pizza and Pasta Bar

Seadogs  Pizza and Pasta Bar is in Cullen Bay.

This dining experience was a real pleasure. We sat inside and were impressed by the host's amiable nature. He seemed to know a lot of the customers quite well, pointing towards a regular clientele. The restaurant was  busy and I was surprised that we did not have to wait long for our meals.

We started with garlic bread, four slices for $4.50. I really enjoyed the garlic bread, it was very buttery with quite a lot of garlic.

I had the Tradewinds Pizza, medium size for $20. Pepperoni, capsicum, sweet brown onion and mozzarella. It was too much for me, luckily I was allowed to take the remaining pieces home. This was one of the nicest pizzas I 'd had for a very long time.

The Lasagna - $18, Home Made the Italian Way, was served with a simple garden salad. It looked like a small meal, however my dining companion enjoyed it and found it to be adequate.

There were quite a few customers sitting outside and we noticed many interesting meals  being served  from the kitchen. I could see the staff working well together to ensure that meals came out without delay.

I'm sure that everyone will enjoy their dining experience at Seadogs.

Palmerston Tavern

We visited the Palmerston Tavern on a Monday evening and decided to try two of the curry specials, Pork Korma and Butter Chicken - $9.90 each.

The meals were quite small and almost looked dwarfed with the poppadom wedged in the middle of them. If you were really hungry, then you would need to order a bigger meal or extras.

Both curries had a pleasant flavour. I particularly enjoyed the Butter Chicken, however,  I found that the Pork Korma had a couple of unsavoury fatty pieces in it.

We were pleasantly surprised to learn that the meals came with a free glass of ale, which we could swap for a small bottle of coke. This is an excellent offer.

The wait staff were polite and chatty and ensured we had a good evening; even offering a discount on the cappuccino they had forgotten to serve with the meal.

Overall, a pleasant evening.
 Musketeer

I agree that the curries were on the small side but fortunately I wasn’t too hungry on the night. I enjoyed both curries but given that the Butter Chicken was advertised as a mild curry I felt it had a little too much heat. The Pork Korma was the right heat for a medium curry. I didn’t get any of the fatty pieces and enjoyed the heat from both curries. If I hadn’t known that the Korma was a pork curry I wouldn’t have been able to discern what type of meat it contained but it was most certainly tender.

$9.95 for a curry and a beer/coke. Definitely good value. My only comment would be that not everyone likes Coke and an alternative would be most welcome.

Hungry, Hungry Hippo.

Maluka's Bistro

Once again we visited our favourite club in Palmerston and dined at Maluka's Bistro.

We decided to order a sharing platter for 2, Maluka's Combo. Marinated chicken wings, calamari, beef and chicken satays, potato wedges, garlic bread, duo of dips with pita bread and dipping sauce. $35.

We were presented with two dipping sauces. The first, a mild beetroot which tasted like it had been made from tinned beetroot, the second, a light Tzatziki. I found the pita bread quite chewy. The four chicken wings were large and greasy with only a mild flavour to them. There were quite a few squid rings, they weren't chewy which was a bonus, but were quite greasy. The beef and chicken satays were fairly small. I wasn't overly impressed with the beef satay. However, I found the chicken satay quite palatable. The potato wedges were nice although only mildly warm upon serving. We were surprised to find the garlic bread served as a side dish, and not cut into serving portions. We weren't given dishes to place our food onto so we ended up using our small bread and butter plates. It was quite awkward. We did find ourselves using our fingers quite a bit and spent a lot of our time trying to clean the grease off. We felt this dish should have been served with a finger bowl. Too much grease on the plate with grilled and deep fried foods.

For our dessert we shared a Home Made Apple and Filo Pastry Roll. It was advertised with warm custard and ice cream. $9.50.
Upon serving we discovered that it came with that ghastly whipped cream from out of a can. We asked the wait staff for the ice-cream that it had been advertised with. This was brought out to us, but no apology for the mix up. It was edible, but not spectacular.

We know not to order the sharing platter next time. There is a new menu so we will be back to try out other dishes. 

Zest Restaurant

Zest Restaurant is located at the Novotel Darwin Atrium, on the Esplanade. Upon arrival our waiter didn't give us the opportunity to choose between being seated outside, in the humidity, or inside in air-conditioning; we were immediately taken outside to the patio. However, we asked if we could be sat inside, I for one wanted the pleasure of air-conditioning and adequate lighting. 

Main meals range from $18 - $39. Breads, $8 - $10. Entrees, $14 - $19. Desserts, $11 - $20

The menu displays vegetarian, gluten free or healthy options and also advertises flexibility when ordering; you may ask the chef to adapt meals to suit.

Zest offers a range of Australian and New Zealand wines.

Our waiter suggested we try the "Paprika Soup" ($9) as one of our entrees. It's very odd that a soup would be named after a spice. We were originally informed that it had potato and bacon; we found that it contained mushrooms, bacon and onion. Its texture was thick, it lacked garnish and did not look appealing. It came with a slice of toasted bread. I was disappointed with the soup's mild flavour. Unfortunately, the soup had been served in a cold plate and arrived barely lukewarm, it was returned to the kitchen to be heated up.

We all enjoyed the Jalapeño Bread ($10); served with tomato salsa, sour cream and guacamole. We delved into it before I could get a clean photo.

The Grilled Tandoori Chicken Skewers with Mesculin Salad and Raita, ($14), was a good choice; it was moist, fell apart in your mouth and had lots of flavour. It looked great and was worth purchasing. Unfortunately we did not get a photo of this entree.

We'd had a rough start to our meal, with the soup entree having to be returned to the kitchen, and hoped that the rest of the meals would improve. Alas, this was not to be. 

When my Fettuccine, ($22) arrived I was astonished. It looked flat, there wasn't an awful lot in the plate, and there were components of the recipe missing. It was advertised as having zucchini, rocket, basil, tomatoes, lemon and pine nuts. My meal, however, had no rocket, lemon or pine nuts. The meal wasn't very hot as it had been served in a cold plate.

At this stage the Team Leader came to our table to find out what our concerns were, he then scurried off to the kitchen to attempt to improve on our situation. When he returned he informed me that they had "run out of pine nuts and rocket". He offered me the chance to order something else off the menu, however I chose to stick with the Fettuccine as there was nothing else that appealed to me. As he left our table the waiter came out with the next plate of Fettuccine for me, this time there was a lot more in the plate and it had some broccoli mixed through it. This one was also served in a cold plate and lost its heat quickly. The waiter informed me that the "rocket" was in the meal, I did find one piece of greenery that could have possibly been rocket.  But still no lemon or pine nuts!  As for the flavour, predominantly Parmesan, I could not taste any Basil. The lemon and pine nuts would have made a huge difference to the flavour of this meal.

The Thai Beef Salad, ($18) came with rice noodles, chilli, basil, mint, cashew nuts and nam jim dessing. This salad looked great, it had been served with ample height, had plenty of colour and interest.

Upon ordering we had enquired as to what type of fish was being used and were told it was Barramundi. We enquired further as to whether it was farmed or wild Barramundi. Our waiter informed us it was wild. We waited with eager anticipation, as not too many restaurants are using wild barramundi these days.

Market Fresh Fish, ($29) with crispy herb batter, panzanella salad, saffron aioli grilled lime and potato cris; this meal looked appealing. The fish was white which led us to believe it definitely was wild. I tried a piece of panzanella and found it rather chewy.  (Panzanella is usually made from stale bread which has been toasted; it soaks up the flavours of the dressing). Unfortunately the batter overpowered the fish.

Steamed Baby Vegetables, ($8) were ordered to complement our meals. We suggest that Zest changes the name of this to 'Steamed Vegetables' as they definitely were not baby carrots or baby zuchinni.

We decided to order desserts; we wanted to give them another chance to get it right. We ordered the Chocolate Decadence, Bourbon and Date Pudding, and Mixed Berry Cheesecake. The Team Leader came back to us and explained that a mistake had been made with the cheesecake, it had been "put into the freezer instead of the fridge when it was brought in", and hence it was frozen.  We ended up ordering the Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta instead.

Chocolate Decadence, an array of chocolate delights arranged with berries and soft chocolate anglaise, $18. We were disappointed with this dessert; the white chocolate had coconut sprinkled in it, the dark chocolate had almond slivers which had not been toasted. This was a dessert that any one of us could have quickly put together ourselves at home. There was very little on the plate and we informed the Team Leader that we felt this dessert was a waste of our money.

Zest Bourbon and Date Pudding, with ice cream, fresh strawberries and bourbon caramel, $14. The pudding was light and delicious. Perhaps a bit more bourbon would be nice as it was extremely hard to taste, but apart from that we really enjoyed this dessert.

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with hibiscus, champagne jelly and candied star fruit, $12. We were informed that the hibiscus was not available; we were asked if it was alright for them to substitute it with star fruit. This dessert was already advertised with candied star fruit, but was still served with only the one piece. We did however enjoy this dessert.

As we looked around the restaurant we noted the tables were covered in heavy white tablecloths that looked like they needed a good starch and iron. A freshly starched and ironed tablecloth will instantly dress up a restaurant giving it an upscale atmosphere. If Zest was to take just a little more care with their table presentation it would make a world of difference.

The service was adequate; we were attended to promptly, our water filled often. The waiter was pleasant and chatted amiably; he made us feel welcome.

The management, 'Team Leader', was very apologetic and offered drinks on the house. A pity he didn't go further and offer for the three of us to come back and experience a better meal all round at a discounted price. He spent quite a bit of time at our table trying to placate us, a little too much time in my opinion.

 We were advised that the "executive chef" was in the kitchen keeping an eye on the newer chefs. I was quite amazed with this statement. How could an executive chef allow meals to go out nearly cold? And how could an executive chef not inform staff that certain components of a meal were not available? And worse, how could an executive chef allow a meal to be served when several of its components were missing? And what executive chef would train their staff to serve hot food on cold plates?

Overall a disappointing experience. 

Vietnam Saigon Star

This restaurant is located on Smith Street. There is an enclosed dining area built right beside the road, and some extra seating inside the main building. We chose to sit in the main building which turned out to be a unique experience as we were able to watch and hear the goings on of the kitchen staff.

We began our meal with Wonton Soup and Chicken and Mushroom Soup,$4.50 each. The perfect size bowl for an entree and the most delicious soup I've had for a long time. The Chicken and Mushroom Soup was a broth with lots of chicken and mushrooms and just the right amount of spice. There were three wontons in the Wonton Soup. This was a good start to our meal.

The orders are rushed out sizzling hot without too much wait time. However, we did have a short wait between the two soups being served. Maybe in future the cooks could make sure that the entrees are ready at the same time.

Chicken with Mongolian Sauce, $17.00. This meal looked great, had a tasty, spicy sauce and was enjoyed immensely.

Fish with Cashew Nuts and Vegetables, $18.50. Lots of small pieces of Flake, a good mixture of vegetables and heaps of cashews all in a tasty oyster sauce.









We ordered a large bowl of steamed rice which turned out to be a generous serving.

The timing of meals being served needs to be considered. Our main meals were actually served before we had finished our soup and I felt rushed.

We decided to try their desserts as they were reasonably priced. We ordered Fried Ice-cream and Banana Fritter, $5.00 each. They were a good size, well worth the $5.00. Both desserts were made with good quality ice-cream.

A large pot of refreshing and calming Chinese Tea complemented our meal.

I would have no hesitation visiting this restaurant again. The service is great, you don't have to wait long for your meal, the food is delicious and the prices are reasonable.

Crustaceans

At the end of Stokes Hill Wharf we found Crustaceans, a busy scene with lots of customers enjoying the view over the harbour.

Once seated we were given the drink menu and had the ordering process explained to us. We weren't given much time  to check through the menu to decide what we wanted to eat; our waitress rushed us inside to where she explained that all  meals were on display. We made our choice, paid for our meal at the counter and proceeded back to our seats where we took in the pleasant atmosphere. Eighteen minutes later our meals arrived. That was the first sign that something was amiss.

We were astounded to find that our garlic bread ($4.50) was made from hot dog rolls.

The Beef and Reef, 300g ($27.90) came with pepper sauce, chips and salad. I'm sure my friend enjoyed the salad, I can't vouch for anything else on the plate though. I tasted a little bit of the steak and was appalled at its chewiness and lack of flavour. Her prawns ended up on my  plate too. Once again they just didn't taste right.

The Australian Seafood Platter for One ($35.50) looked good. Upon ordering we were able to negotiate a slightly different meal as the squid rings were not wanted, hence this meal came with an extra piece of fish. It's unfortunate that many of our restaurants use farmed barramundi; it just doesn't taste as good. We were bemused by the added fruit plate. Is this one way to cut costs on seafood? The salad plate was ordered as an extra ($4.50) and as it turned out, it was a waste of money. Too much dressing spoiled it. The bugs were tasteless.

I was the unfortunate person who ordered the Western Australian Lobster Mornay (Half) $29.90. I enjoyed the salad and chips. The lobster was tough and chewy. I even had difficulty cutting it. I ate it only because I was hungry.

When our table was cleared away we alluded to the waitress that we were not happy. Later another staff member came and asked us if everything had been okay. We explained what we had not liked about our meals. She informed us that the lobster was "bought in cooked" and that the chef had not had any other complaints that evening.

We started to then wonder about the other seafood. Were the prawns also bought in already cooked? Is this why they were rubbery and an unusual colour?

We decided to end the evening with coffee, tea and dessert. We chose the dessert special, Marshmallow and Strawberry Fondue.

Now look at the photo - does this look like a fondue? No! The marshmallows were small and overly sweet with raspberry and strawberry swirls in them, the chocolate sauce was made from compounded chocolate and we got three hulled strawberries. We paid $14.50 for this. We weren't impressed.

Excellent location, pleasant background music, but we won't be going back for the food.

Bahn Thai Restaurant

We decided to visit the newly opened Bahn Thai restaurant in Palmerston, situated on the corner of Maluka Drive and Rolyat Street.

Our first impression was good. Clean, freshly painted and with a touch of Asian authenticity. At first we were seated in the corner, with myself looking straight into the walls. Not being happy with my view we asked to be moved to a different table. We were offered another table where I would be looking into a wall. Eventually we got to choose - great, this evening we could have a table that  would normally be for four people. Room to move!

We decided to share our main meals and get a fried rice to complement them.

Royal Thai Massaman

We were surprised when the Royal Thai Massaman was served in a soup bowl. For $26 we felt this serving was quite small. The beef was obviously silverside and had not been cooked in the curry sauce. The beef was tender and the sauce was delicious. Just not enough of it.

Chicken Fried Rice

The Thai style Fried Rice, $19, with spring onion, tomatoes and coriander was a little greasy. You could taste the peanut oil.

Chicken Pad Thai

Thai style fried noodle with bean sprouts and peanuts, at $19 this was the best meal for value we had on the night. Quite delicious.

Prawn Chu Chee

Tiger prawns with spicy coconut sauce, $27.00. We counted 10 prawns, they were delicious. I could have eaten the whole plate myself. The spicy coconut sauce being the nicest I've ever tasted.

The meals at this restaurant are not big, make sure you order extra to fill the gap. It's a pity they don't serve their meals with steamed rice.

Desserts range from $7 to $8.50 and are mostly made up with western style icecream desserts. We had wanted to try the glutinous rice balls with coconut milk, the only Asian style dessert on offer,  but they weren't available.

They also have a comprehensive wine list.

We were disappointed with the service, they were very slow to attend to us. Our meals weren't brought out at the same time. It's just as well we were sharing meals and could start on the first one.

Brrrrr - this is a very cold restaurant. The air-conditioning is powerful. Our meals were nearly cold when served, most likely because the air-conditioning chills them off too quickly.

Some of our meals had peanuts in them and they weren't advertised with peanuts. If you have an allergy, make sure you ask about each meal.

We ended our evening with tea and coffee. Be prepared for another lengthy wait, they only have a small coffee machine. No pots of tea, only a tea bag. Shame!

I found that sitting at the table was quite uncomfortable. The chairs are too low for the tables and there is no way you can tuck your legs under the chair because of their design. The tables have four splayed feet, like cafe tables. This makes it quite awkward when placing your feet.

Overall, I was a little disappointed with the Bahn Tai Restaurant but I'd be prepared to try them again. Next time I'll order steamed rice to fill the gap...and take a shawl.

Rendezvous Cafe

You will find the Rendezvous Cafe in the Star Theatre Arcade, off the Mall, in Darwin. It is open from 6pm to 9pm for dinner and is also open through the day with a different menu for lunch.
This cafe is quite small however they have crammed in lots of tables in order to maximise their customer potential. On our visit we found it was quite busy, almost full to capacity.

The cafe's decor is dull and mismatched. They offer Malaysian cuisine but their decor is far from being South East Asian. From the menu cover to the wall decorations, menu boards and background music we found  nothing that seemed to fit.

Our first impression wasn't a good one. However, we dared to venture on. We found that the menu offered entrees from $6 to $8 and main meals ranged from $12 to $20.

For our entrees we chose Tempura Prawn $8, Vegetable Spring Rolls $6 and Spicy Chicken $6.
The Tempura Prawns were tasty, and the Vegetable Spring Rolls were quite delicious. Unfortunately we found that the Spicy Chicken had been rolled in Chinese five spice and deep fried, certainly not what we had expected. Along with the human hair attached! No one was game to eat the last piece. We pointed this out to our waitress and she came back to us with the decision that we would not be charged for the Spicy Chicken.
We were also amazed that the entrees had been served on one big platter and with no dipping sauce.

All the entrees on offer were deep fried, it's a pity they can't offer an alternative for those people who can't eat a lot of deep fried food.

At this point I was feeling a little daunted as to my prospect of getting a decent meal, however, I was hungry and looking forward to the Stir Fried Seafood with Vegetables that I had ordered. Alas, I was to be disappointed.

Stir Fried Seafood with Vegetables, $18.
Three prawns, three pieces of squid, nine pieces of silken tofu. I am not a fan of tofu and if this meal had been advertised on the menu as having tofu I would not have ordered it. Luckily it came with a generous serving of rice. I would also have to add that the flavour was exquisite and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the meal. I  was adventurous and tried one piece of tofu; left the rest. To me tofu is a filler, something you add into your cooking because it's cheap, helps to cut costs and it fills up the plate.

I checked the menu once again and realised that none of the meals had any explanation as to what they actually contained.

Chicken Laksa, $12.
The cafe advertises that it has the best Malaysian Laksa in town. I'm wondering if there are  any other Malaysian restaurants in Darwin? I'm also wondering how they could presume that they are the best? The comments from my friend, who had ordered the Chicken Laksa, would make me believe that she does not agree with their statement.

Green Prawn Curry, $20.
The initial reaction from this meal was that the cook had forgotten to add the prawns. They were found at the bottom of the dish. This points to the prawns being cooked separately, placed in the dish then the curried vegetables placed on top. Consequently the prawns won't have the wonderful flavour from the curry. This didn't detract from the enjoyment of this meal though, as my friend scoffed it down with obvious pleasure.

We found that communicating with the staff was quite difficult. It would be best not to ask too many questions, just order off the menu and eat.

I was keen to try the Gula Malaka at $7 for my dessert, unfortunately they had run out. I also couldn't get an explanation from them as to what it was; another communication break down.

This cafe is obviously popular, the prices are very reasonable, and it would seem that they have a regular clientele. It's not flash, it's not the most spectacular meal, the service is not the best, but it is just a cafe after all.

Table Forty Three

Table Forty Three is located on the ground floor of the Mantra Pandanus , 43 Knuckey St, Darwin, ph 89012920.

We decided to try out their special deal, two courses and a glass of Devil's Corner wine for $39.00. On arrival we discovered that it was two seafood main dishes on offer. This was a huge problem for us as one of our ladies has an allergy to seafood. Also, only two game dishes were on offer for entrees, Kangaroo and Duck and Chicken Terine. We felt we should have been informed about the choices when making the booking, especially as it was the Manager of the restaurant that had explained the special deal when we phoned. Luckily for us the waitress was able to organise a chicken dish and we proceeded with our order. Management should look at offering a wider variety, usually you would find a fish, a chicken and a red meat dish to choose from. This way most clientele would be catered for.

For entrees we ordered the  Kangaroo, and Duck and Chicken Terine. For our main meals we had Char - Grilled  - Chicken, Steamed Mussels and Thread-fin Salmon.

Duck and Chicken Terine

The Duck and Chicken Terine was made from chicken thigh and duck leg. This was a huge serving with two generous slices and was enjoyed immensely.

Grilled Kangaroo

The Grilled Kangaroo was served with baby spinach leaves, caramalised onion and couscous. This was also quite a big serving for an entree.  It had been cooked to perfection, still slightly pink in the middle.  I'm not a great fan of kangaroo meat however, the caramalised onions helped to make this dish enjoyable.

The waitress had informed me that kangaroo tastes just like lamb. In fact kangaroo does not taste like lamb at all. It is a very lean meat, quite stringy and has a distinctive flavour to it. It's certainly a meat that one has to acquire a taste for. My advice to any wait staff would be to take more care with their explanations.

Steamed Mussels

Fifteen delicious steamed Black Lipped Mussels served on a bed of pasta with spicy tomato and garlic sauce. On the normal mains menu it is advertised with grilled sour dough bread  however  I was not given any. Eating this dish took me back to my childhood, digging for pippies and toheroas with Mum cooking up seafood fritters.

Char Grilled Chicken

Whole chicken breast served on a bed of sweet potato mash with  harissa jus and a cherry tomato salad. This meal looked fantastic and was enjoyed immensely.  I tasted the sweet potato mash, the best I've ever had.

Threadfin Salmon

The Threadfin Salmon was served with quinoa (grain), sautee spinach, roasted cherrry tomato and herb salad with a lemon myrtle beurre blanc. Another superb meal that looked and tasted great.

Cheese Selection for Two

The cheese selection for two came with a mild Cheddar, a Bree and a Mainland Blue and was served with fresh and dried fruits, grissini and crackers.  Unfortunately it was served with stale crackers, however once pointed out to the waitress she was able to procure some fresh ones for us. It was advertised with croutons and quince paste, we did not get any.

Two selections of cake on offer

Seven dollars for coffee and cake was hard to pass up. This photo shows two pieces that we had already cut in half to share. The cakes were a decent size and good value.

There were two Devil's Corner wines on offer, a red and a white. We were able to taste the two wines, with quite generous tasters in order to assist us with our choice. We chose Sauvignon Blanc, this went well with our meals.

Table Forty Three offers entrees that range from $16 and up to $30 for a dozen oysters, the main meals start at $26.50 and go up to $45.00  for a 250g filet mignon with prawns. All desserts are $12.

I would have to say the atmosphere is a little unusual. They offer alfresco dining, although without the busy hustle and bustle on the street found in other parts of Darwin. I felt like I was sitting in a train terminal, with people coming and going past our table all the time. The restaurant is situated on the ground floor, just off the hotel foyer. It is air-conditioned but as the restaurant is open to the street it did get a bit warm.

As you walk from the dining area to the counter there is a tricky step which is hard to see. As we dined we noted four people nearly come to grief on it. I would advise the owners to take a look at this.

We found the staff to be extremely helpful with our waitress going out of her way to smooth over our initial hurdle. We had three different staff attend to us over the evening, they were all friendly and willing to attend to our queries. I really enjoyed the meal and the great service. Yes, we did have a few hiccups, but they were attended to with professionalism. I would have no qualms in spreading the good word about this great restaurant.

Moorish Cafe

Moorish Cafe is located on Knuckey Street, ph 8981 0010.

To start with we decided to try several Tapas dishes.
House baked bread with dukkah and olive oil. $4.00 The waitress informed us that it was served with roast vegetables, this turned out to be misleading as the bread itself contained only a few tiny morsels of vegetables.

Grilled pork belly with fennel seeds and rosemary, $7.50. The flavour had not permeated the pork as the herbs were merely sprinkled on the outside of the meat.

Bruscetta with houlmi and sun dried tomatoes, $8.00. This was over-grilled resulting in the bread being burnt making the dish dry and crumbly despite the topping.

Roasted Lamb Rump with hot mint sauce and crunchy polenta served on spiced eggplant puree. $34.00.
I enjoyed the fried polenta, having never eaten this before. I was a bit disappointed that the meal did not come with extra vegetables. The lamb was tender although slightly under-cooked for my liking. I wasn't sure why the mint sauce was referred to as being hot because it wasn't hot in either temperature or flavour.

Grilled Organic free range half chicken, marinated in yoghurt and sweet  paprika, with sweet potato chips and gazpacho salsa, $32.00. This meal was served with a small half chicken. It presented as if there had been very little care taken with the plating.

Sumac spiced NT barramundi fillet with a tahini and avocado puree and a moghrabieh couscous and pomegranate salad, $32.00. This dish presented with an unusual looking salad; it had a type of couscous that we were not expecting.

On the evening we asked for a copy of the menu but were advised to go online to access their website. However, we found out later that the website is not up to date. Eventually we were able to get a copy of the main menu dishes emailed to us by an apologetic owner.
This was a very expensive learning experience for us. We felt the tapas were over priced and the meals quite expensive.