Once upon a time, you used to go Watsons Bay, buy your takeaway fish and chips from Doyles on the Wharf and bring it to the Watsons Bay Hotel, order your favourite bevvy and enjoy both by the waterside.
Beach Club, Watsons Bay Hotel
Those days have since long gone and the hotel has seen many changes including the recent $2 million spent on the restaurant’s renovation morphing into a Beach Club with striped beach umbrellas, wooden picnic tables and a new bar and food area.
The crowd always buzzes with locals, visitors, tourists who flock off the ferry and the odd eastern suburbanite decked out in gold clothing and jewellery.
Antipasto Board
The food is set to be crowd-pleasing with a selection of easy to prepare dishes, fish and seafood to complement the setting. Order and pay at the bar, get a number and the food is delivered all at once.
The Antipasto Board ($36) combines charcuterie, cheese, olives and vegetables.
Salt and Pepper Calamari
The Salt and Pepper Calamari ($18) with wild rocket and preserved lemon aioli is tender and tasty flavour but gets too oily at the bottom as you work your way through the dish.
Bucket of Tiger Prawns
A Bucket of Tiger Prawns ($32) is a crowd pleasing choice with smoked chilli mayo and ciabatta bread.
Bay Burger
At $22, the Bay Burger with Angus beef, gruyere cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, American mustard and a side of slaw and chips is not only delicious but good value.
Steamed Mussel Pot
A Steamed Mussel Pot ($26) with spicy arabbiata sauce packs good heat and comes with a side of grilled ciabatta bread. The Beer Battered Chips and garlic aioli ($8) have a bad habit of disappearing fast.
Grilled Salmon
For something a little healthier, the Grilled Salmon with Salsa Verde ($29) is perfectly cooked and comes on a bed of panzanella salad.
Ice Cream Sundae, Berry Tiramisu
Dessert includes a Berry Tiramisu ($12) with raspberries, blueberries and white chocolate and Ice Cream Sundae ($12), a trio of already-melting gelato with fresh fruit that must be eaten fast in the heat.
The Beach Club at Watsons Bay is a popular destination for Sydney-siders and visitors. The new incarnation may be far removed from the original concept – and the prices certainly reflect that change – but this institution is hard to beat on warm sunny days any time of the year.
Beach Club, Watsons Bay Hotel
1 Military Rd
Sydney, NSW
watsonsbayhotel.com.au
One of the best burgers I’ve ever had! Good chips and slaw to match and beats many cheap options around. The prawns are a bit exy but hey, you’re paying for the view.
I’m sorry – but how can a $22 burger be considered ‘good value’? Are you serious?
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