Bogart's Bar and Ingrid's Grill

Bogart's is located on Gregory Street, Parap. It's been around for years, had several owners and various styles attached to it.

It's current owner, Lars, has hit the jackpot. Upon entering you feel as if you are in a special world surrounded by artwork, prints, interesting lighting, harem-style fabric swathed across the ceiling, and eclectic pieces of furniture. You gaze around, trying to take it all in - there's something new and interesting everywhere you look.

The bar was packed with patrons obviously enjoying themselves. This is a popular watering hole for locals.

The restaurant was very busy, there's plenty of tables and all were full. The kitchen doesn't close until 10pm and we noticed people coming in quite late to be seated, some having to wait until a table was empty. This is something I have not noticed at a local restaurant for some time and is certainly an indication of how well this establishment is patronised.

Four of us dined at Bogart's this evening. We started with a shared Entrée - Bogart's Tasting Plate. $45 - serving four. This was a really interesting assortment. Mixture of Prosciutto, Cacciatore, Roasted Mediterranean Veggies, Olives, Goat's Cheese, Squid and Gravlax with char-grilled bread. This was a huge serving, more than enough for the four of us for an entrée. The Gravlax was wonderful, cured for 36 hours with sugar, salt, pepper and dill. I'm sure there were other secret ingredients from "Grandma's recipe." The goat's cheese had a really interesting flavour and was extremely smooth, a delight to try. I found it hard to stop myself from eating the olives and veggies. I never knew I could enjoy artichokes so much. The squid was tender, quite an achievement. Unfortunately the Proscuitto was a little fatty, not the nicest I've had. Bogart's Tasting Plate is certainly worth trying.

Bogart's Tasting Plate

For our main meals we had Bogart's Planksteak - $38, Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon - $34, Fresh Fish of the Day (Cod) - $34, and Italian Style Lamb Shank - $31.

Bogart's Planksteak - Grilled Porterhouse, Pom Dushees, Green Beans wrapped with Bacon, Grilled Tomato and Mushrooms, topped with Bearnaise sauce. This was a fairly decent sized steak, 350g, served on an African Mahogany platter, apparently a Swedish custom.  A very enjoyable meal, although I would have liked more beans. The sauce was exquisite. Eating off a wooden platter did make me wonder about its cleanliness, however I was assured the platters were scrubbed with stainless steel wool, scrutinised carefully,  then washed and sterilised in the dish washer.

Bogart's Planksteak

Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon - Crispy skinned salmon served on chat potatoes with asparagus and roasted cherry tomatoes with a creamy  mustard sauce. This was a good sized serving, the roasted tomatoes were delicious and the whole meal was enjoyed immensely. "It tasted beautiful."

Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon

Fresh Fish of the Day - Cod. Another meal that was described as "beautiful" it came with vegetables and not a scrap was left on the plate. A testament to how delicious it was.

Fresh Fish of the Day

Italian Style Lamb Shank - slowly cooked in Napolitana sauce with Olives and Chunky Onions. Served on mash with peas and parmesan. This was an enormous serving and fabulously tender.

Italian Style Lamb Shank

We really enjoyed our evening at Bogart's. The host was sociable and a pleasure to talk to, he spent quite some time at our table explaining some of the recipes and how three of his signature dishes come from his "Grandma's recipes."

We could not have asked for better service, our waitress for the evening was attentive and ensured we were well looked after. She was informative and was able to answer all our questions.

Bogart's also offers entertainment, live music started at 9pm shortly after our host, Lars, announced to his patrons the significance of the day - 100 years since the city had its name changed from Palmerston to Darwin.

This restaurant is a must-go-to venue. Do yourself a favour and book soon.