Rottnest is not about fine dining. It is an incredibly beautiful island, where what makes it unique, is what can make it a bit trying too.
There are few places in the world like it. Some of the most glorious beaches in the world, with not a single soul along the stretch. Very few cars, and a focus on relaxation and avoiding distraction like few places can manage. It is a place where freehold property would be close to Manhattan prices, and gladly there is none of it.
Getting over to Rottnest gives me a feeling of complete ease. For someone who loves swimming, beaches, and waves, this is paradise. That is until dinner time where the island is traditionally a desert. Gourmet offerings used to consist of a slightly better quality supermarket sausage on the barbeque in decent bakery bread.
These days it has got better, and the variety and diversity has grown to a reasonable level for such a superb holiday destination. There are some cute places, and my expectations are lower given my several decades of coming over here, so a good meal can feel like a great meal.
Service staff, and any staffing for that matter, is extremely difficult for restaurants to find, because of the commute which involves a lot of ferry travel, as very few workers get to live on Rotto any more. Hilariously, two nights in a row we had service staff doing their first shift! That’s not something I’d even think to make up! They were not too bad actually, but neither wanted to admit it, with one letting us know at breakfast the next day!
So, this “guide” is really something anyone could put together in a few hours (or less) of research, but given I’ve now dined around Rotto a couple of times I thought I’d tip my toe in.
Lontara – Samphire
Right next to the Rottnest Hotel (aka pub) is Lontara, which is the flagship restaurant doing breakfast, lunch, and dinner, connected to Samphire. My first comment is that prices are not outrageous here, but they are generally more expensive than most of Rottnest.
Lontara has some nice quality offerings, in an incredible location, that is furnished and fitted out very nicely to accord with the beachfront. We had a crayfish in a Thai style, with kaffir lime leaves, and at $86 I thought it was a nice way to celebrate a great holiday. Perrier Jouet at $30 a glass is also not obscene, with lots of nice offerings at a much more reasonable $13 a glass.
While there were some longer than normal waits between courses (especially the mains), and one of our waitpersons was doing their first evening, we were sat on a front table even with our little boy, and we didn’t have to strain to get attention. I would say that training seems almost non-existent, and that is not the waitpersons fault, but the management, and perhaps a function of both having to stretch to just cover each shift.
Isola
As a flip to Lontana, we had tried Isola once before, and had low expectations of our next experience. As expected, service was rocky, but we had a first night waitperson who was very good (despite showing that training is non-existent, meaning he must have had good experience elsewhere, but had not been explained the menu). The manager out front purposely put us on an average table, even though we came right on opening time at 5.30pm.
Catheine is great at being polite, but firm. We asked (in a non-threatening way, but with directness) to be moved to one of the many beachfront tables that were not taken (and some were still not taken an hour later). I know that it is quite possible that others had asked for beachfront seating during out timeslot, but there was a couple on a table of six next to us, so this would be giving the restaurant manager the benefit of significant doubt.
The good news was the food at Isola is better than last time, and the ravioli, and market fish (today Barramundi), were both good. The tuna crudo to begin was excellent. Being an Italian focussed restaurant, the wine has an Italian leaning, but I found it odd that so many Eastern States wines were on offer with so many great local wines available to sell. Our waitperson tonight was training to get experience, but will be responsible for the wine list, and coming from Italy I expect it will improve a great deal.
Havza
Hours are a little odd, but from 4pm there is alcohol available with a nice sounding food menu, overlooking the beautiful Basin beach. We were here too early in the day to sample the menu, but would have been keen.
Rottnest Hotel
The kitchen here supplies room service at Samphire, and for reasonably priced pub classics, the Rotto Hotel is the place to go. It has a large outdoor area overlooking Thomson Bay, and is an iconic pub in WA.
Rottnest Bakery
Like all iconic bakeries, the Rottnest Bakery “used to be better in my day” whenever that day happened to be. What hasn’t changed is the feeling of bliss when you satisfy your hunger after a long morning of exercise, whether that is long walks, rides, or surfs. There are tried and true hangover cures, lunch for breakfast, and all day dessert options aplenty. For long timers, the memories alone are enough to capture you.
The Lane
Decent coffee, nice banana bread on offer, and reasonably priced toasties that do the job.
Simmo’s Ice Cream
Next to The Lane, and super popular, with lots of flavours, and only available in regional WA. This is a great place for a treat on the way to the pub (going south) or the Basin and Pinky’s (going north).
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