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.