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.

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.

Cafe Durack

This week we decided to stay local and eat as cheaply as possible due to a fairly expensive dining experience coming up next week. Hence we ate at Cafe Durack, Palmerston, which you will find beside the service station at the bottom of Durack.

When we drove up to the cafe, on dusk, we nearly didn't stop. The tinted windows and no sign of life gave us the impression the cafe was closed. Luckily for them we took a closer look. My first advice to the owners would be to put some brighter lighting outside or some  sort of flashing open neon sign; I'm sure others driving past would have also got the impression it was closed. It wasn't until much later, when it had become dark, that you could notice the lights inside.

Upon entering we found a warm and inviting cafe with delicious cakes on display and an interesting menu. We chose the Durack Burger, Fish and Chips, and Beef Curry.

Durack Burger - $12.50 - homemade beef pattie, egg, bacon, cheese, salad and chips. This was a BIG burger and certainly was a filling meal. The homemade pattie was rather bland lacking in flavour, however it had melted cheese over it which saved the day. The chips were hot and crispy.

Fish and Chips - $15.95 - local Threadfin Salmon, salad and chips. (With this meal you could have a choice between Barramundi or Threadfin Salmon.)  The meal was served with a garden salad and crispy chips. It was a big meal and certainly enjoyable.

Beef Curry - $9.95 - curried beef and rice. This meal was ordered off the special's board. It was a small serve, if you're really hungry you would be better off with one of the more substantial meals on offer. The curry was really spicy, which may not be to everyone's liking. The meat was tender and lean. This was a very ordinary looking meal with no garnish.

We finished our evening with coffee and Apple Pie. We were saved from fake whipped cream by being allowed to have icecream with it.  For me the apple pie was rather bland, I would have preferred some sweetness or extra flavour in it, such as cinnamon. Perhaps if it had been warmed up it would have improved the taste. All their cakes are made on site by the cook and I would have to say they all looked really delicious.

The cafe was not busy, we wondered how many people had driven past not realising it was open. It has potential; the staff are pleasant, the menu is adequate and the cafe itself is clean and inviting. There is also an outside eating area. Their prices are good compared to the size of the meal served. If you are looking for a low key dining experience, this may be the place for you.