Great Views

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Sails – Noosa – Tuesday 23 May 2023 – Lunch

Longevity is an element that all businesses desire, and few capture. It is treasured in any economic environment, let alone an environment that copped a pandemic. Sitting back at Sails it is impossible to not reflect on our meal over 12 years ago in the same venue.

If ever the word idyllic is deserved, the experience at Sails is just that. Memory is a funny thing, and so close to the beach is this restaurant that I could have sworn some tables had their feet in the sand the last time we were here. The view makes for a dreamy afternoon.

Equally dreamy is our main of butter poached Moreton Bay Bug, generously served, and with the added comfort it has already been removed from its shell. The Caesar salad on the side is a pleasant surprise, not going close to overshadowing the bug meat, but certainly not taking anything away from the experience either.

Earlier, Mooloolaba tuna was enjoyed on a tortilla crisp, which featured again a generous and delicous amount of seafood. The scallops on the other hand were a little small in their half shell, but still better than average, with the salmon caviar providing a helping hand to lift the snack.

To help celebrate being back at Sails we had started with a glass of Louis Roederer, moved into the Soave by Suavia, and indulged in a 2017 Scotchman’s Hill Cornelius Chardonnay with the Bugs. This also softened us for the unbridled enthusiasm of our other guest, our 4 year old toddler, who at one stage chased a bush turkey over 100m down the promenade. With Mum and Dad trying to keep up, it looked like we were doing a runner!

Only ice cream smothered in strawberry sauce could create some momentary calm, while we tried our best to enjoy dessert. My butternut pumpkin unorthodox creme brulee on gingerbread, with vanilla bean ice cream was powerful, and maybe defeated me a little towards the final mouthfuls. I was more taken by Catherine’s chocolate pavlova, particularly the espresso cream, finished with hazelnut praline. The combination shone, and it is worthy of a dessert only visit.

We didn’t get a chance to linger as long as we would have liked, but we had a terrific lunch here, so many years after our first experience. Back then it was pouring with rain, as the flooding began across Queensland. Today it is warm, the beach is beckoning, and the ensuing sunset is glorious. It is hard to think of a better word than idyllic.

Sails
https://www.sailsnoosa.com.au/
75 Hastings St, Noosa Heads
+61 7 5447 4235
Open from 12pm daily

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Ricky’s River Bar & Restaurant – Noosa – Thursday 25 May 2023 – Lunch

“I never watch the stars, there’s so much down here” is a lyric that has always grabbed me by Lorde. It’s not intuitive, especially since I love looking up at the stars on a clear, dark night, in the country air. In that relaxed, reflective mood, that you only achieve on holiday, I can start to see the point though.

When you are not religious, it can be particularly difficult to navigate the question of “what else?” In the same vein that there’s so much down here, so too are there little moments during your life where heaven is on earth. Perhaps I’m going too far, but for someone whose top hobbies include simply dining at a restaurant, if heaven is supposed to be some form of constant bliss, Ricky’s today is worthy of the afterlife.

On a truly beautiful day, our early lunch booking comes with a bonus as Sydney has fallen asleep as we approach the restaurant on foot. Ricky’s River Bar & Restaurant is right on the Noosa River, with a fitout that is as sleek as the view. Our waitperson is quirky, professional, and largely attentive, with some added touches for Syd that show thought and care is part of the script here. Now all we need is for three courses of great food and we are inside the pearly gates.

My freshly shucked oysters are a nice beginning, coming from South Australia. The scallops in their half shell with cauliflower puree, were good without being as juicy and succulent as you might hope for. However, the Mooloolaba king prawns were wonderful and fresh, beautifully cooked, and nicely paired with the flavoursome roasted cabbage.

There were two local white fish fillets on offer, with Catherine choosing the barramundi. My coral trout has that natural colour that makes presentation a breeze. It is perfectly cooked, sitting atop a celeriac puree, with charred leak, and asparagus to accompany. It’s not cheap, but it is a great piece of fish. With the same accompaniments, Catherine’s barramundi is just as well looked after by the chefs, and we are very pleased with our mains.

We are two very dessert oriented people, and often we find it difficult for the sweet course to equal, or even top the savouries. Here it was a tough call, as the passionfruit soufflé could not have been better executed, and the poached pears and Maravista honey cake, were absolutely superb ways to finish.

Did we linger? Absolutely! We’d started with some subtle but enjoyable cockails (Goodtime is a soft gin, Campri, grapefruit and thyme syrup combination; and I had a Blood Orange Margarita). We then moved into a Clare Valley Riesling by Carousal, and a Petit Chablis by Gueguen, before I finished with a Light Hand Chardonnay, and cleansing Land & Sea Juicebox IPA for good measure.

It wasn’t that this was the best meal of our lives, but it was delightful. It felt like everything came together perfectly, and even though the dining room was effectively full, the spacing of the tables, and the expansive view, made us feel like we had the restaurant to ourselves. It also helped that there was a quiet confidence about the floorstaff, as there should be, with such an impeccable offering.

Ricky’s River Bar & Restaurant
https://www.rickys.com.au/
2 Quamby Place, Noosa Heads
Open Wed to Sun 12pm to late
+61 7 5447 2455