Our entree, a smorgasbord of savoury delights
Pee Wee’s at the Point Restaurant, Darwin, sits at the end of a long path, between East Point Reserve and the sea. Dining late, we arrived after dark. Driving into the unlit car park we couldn’t help wondering if we were perhaps going the wrong way. At first I had a brief thought that the advertisements in the various brochures found around town must have largely doctored their impressive looking photographs as I was confronted with plain and unimpressive looking buildings with corrugated aluminium fronts and its modest and ordinary shop front with a round the back feel to it. As it turned out this sensation of back door entry was absolutely correct, as that was precisely what we were doing, the front being the glorious beachfront was accessible only through the restaurant. And, as long as you arrive before dark, you can see nothing but nature for kilometres in front of you. And on the other side of the waters, the skyline of Darwin city sits on the peninsular while the sea calmly laps the palm lined shore in the foreground, as we later saw when we revisited Pee Wee’s the following day to see what the day view had to offer.
Pee Wee's interior
We were immediately greeted with a plethora of friendly smiles by very attentive staff, who after offering us cocktails and wine, talked us through the specialities of the evening and with great talent roused my taste buds as they described by heart the chef’s recommendations, which we couldn’t wait to sample.
The furnishings were made for keeping patrons cool as opposed to keeping them intimate. As I sat on the other side of a vast table, feeling I was a little too far from my dining partner to talk discretely, I really felt the spaciousness of the room. But rather than embracing the legroom I felt the need to be closer to my company and moved my chair around the side of the table to better reach for a toast to be closer to our giant shared chef’s special entrée, elegantly laid out in front of us. And as we clinked our glasses of delicious house red together I thought to myself that this is the first toast we have had in a long while made with an actual wine glass and not a yellow plastic mug. All that was missing was a few candles, although the lighting was very pleasing regardless.
The view from Pee Wee's
We slowly savoured each of the many treats, each of us very happy not only about the freshness of the sea food but of the mouth-watering savoury jams and sauces. The duck dish was juicy and tender, the sauce superbly complimenting without overpowering. The salt water barramundi was sumptuous.
When the dessert menu was offered, patting our stomachs and finding ourselves a little over satisfied with the food so far we thought we probably shouldn’t. ‘Well, I’ll just tell you about the specials quickly then.’ Said the waitress. And as soon as she described the first offering we simultaneously declared ‘ohhhh that sounds good!’ ‘It would be rude not to, given the complimentary treat we were being offered tonight.’ Funny how you can suddenly acquire a second stomach for sweets, it’s referred to in Japan as betsu bara, the second stomach, which pretty much perfectly describes the fact that you can go on eating dessert after you are positive you couldn’t eat another savoury bite, no matter how glutinous you’ve been with the starters, entrees and mains.
The dessert dish we chose was a taster plate, a smorgasbord of delectables, a sample of each of the evening’s specialities, no need to choose because you get to sample everything! This way of eating is perfect for me, as I always covet the dish someone else orders. A huge marble plinth was placed before us with home made rum raison ice-cream, sorbet with fruit puree, chocolate cakes, cheesecakes and other treats. Each sample more delicious than the previous, the prefect, scrumptious ending to a most satisfying meal and we leave the restaurant full of cheer, full of delicious morsels and full of chocolate induced mirth.
Josh, manger and employee of Pee Wee’s for 11 years told us that he find great pleasure in his work. On visiting him out of hours the following day to take some pictures, we found him walking his dog along the lawn and attending to the outdoor candles. ‘I come in early every day to be by the sea, to watch the sharks, dolphins and crocs, and to put some food out for the wallabies that visit the grounds. Who else gets to do that at work?’ ‘I love my job here.’ He said. And it shows. Staff members wear genuine smiles. They have taken the time to learn menu items, offering you all available choices with mouth-watering knowledge, making sure you are treated the way you always want to be served in all those restaurants, whose service often disappoints. Either we made the best choice possible on the menu for each course and luck was on our side, or everything on the menu was just as delectable as the dishes we tried, it’s hard to know, but one thing is for sure, this restaurant comes high on my recommendations. The food is superb, the staff are wonderful and the views are beautiful.
For bookings and further information visit Pee Wee’s here
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