Port Douglas - Food, beautiful food

We have often joked about eating our way around Port Douglas.  Checking my notes about our holidays to Port Douglas in August 2009 and 2010 it is obvious that a major feature is the wide range of restaurants in the town - approximately 60 - so there is plenty of choice depending on your mood.

On our first night we usually start our culinary adventure at EJ's Fish 'N' Chips - the grilled barramundi and salad is eaten at a table in the street. Eating outside on a balmy evening is the norm in Port Douglas. We then wander a few doors down the street and select ice-cream from Shakes Gelati Bar.  Shakes is our favourite haunt for an after dinner ice-cream.

Not surprisingly seafood features prominently on most Port Douglas menus. However there is also a wide range of cuisine from many countries available. At the Jade Inn we shared dishes of honey chicken and barramundi with ginger, shallots and assorted vegetables. A Taste of Agean started the meal with delicious Turkish bread and dips followed by seared scallops with zucchini fritters on rocket and coral trout on spinach with toasted almonds.   Bel Cibo is an Italian restaurant which provided one of the best meals we have had at Port Douglas. Flat bread with parmesan and rosemary began the meal followed by dishes of hand made open raviolo with crab meat, spinach, dill, tomato with salmon pearls and saltimbocca with a shared green salad. We were tempted that evening to also try the sweets, a chocolate torte with caramel hazelnut ice-cream and a selection of gelati and sorbets. Not surprisingly dinner at Port Douglas is usually followed by a walk along Macrossan Street. As well as the exercise there is plenty of activity along the street to observe and many of the shops are open providing the opportunity to browse.

Back to the restaurants. Spencer Patrick has two restaurants at Port Douglas. Regional Italian food can be found at Bucci where we began the meal with ciabatta dipped in garlic and oil and an entree of tiger prawns with a tomato and chilli sauce. The main courses were a small parmesan gnocchi with a four cheese sauce (very rich but delicious) and lamb roasted on herbed hay with crushed potato, spinach and green salsa. Harrisons is slightly more up-market with a French influence. A serving of bread dipped in oil was followed by an appetiser of mushroom foam with peas and ham. Entrees chosen were mushrooms and poached egg with Hollandaise sauce and triangles of puff pastry with asparagus spears along with crab canelloni. Risotto utilising summer vegetables - peas, spinach, shallots, assorted sprouts - and cheese was one main course chosen while another was lamb with truffled mash, green beans and almonds. We the shared assorted ice-creams - coconut, strawberry and peach.


Finz



A number of restaurants specialise in seafood. Finz is across the road from the apartments where we stay and we usually have a meal there. One year they served a wonderful seafood basket with a great selection of beautifully cooked seafood. The scallops, in particular, were delicious. Unfortunately this dish has not been on the menu on subsequent visits though the food has always been good. In 2010 we started the meal with sourdough bread then a shared an entree of lightly grilled scallops coated with parmesan, herbs and chilli. The main courses were baked salmon with a crust of pistchios and pine nuts and baked barramundi, both served with potatoes and crisp beans. 2 Fish Seafood Restaurant is also worth a visit. Ciabatta dipped in oil was followed by a shared salmon entree. Main courses tried consisted of macadamia coated barramundi with smashed potatoes, leeks and tomatoes and fish of the day.

Breakfast is usually cereal with fruit and yoghurt and/or toast in our appartment but on at least one morning we have breakfast at a restaurant. In 2010 our special breakfast was at Zinc where Robin had the 'big breakfast' while I enjoyed slices of fruit - assorted melon, pineapple, orange, pears, apple and strawberry with frozen yoghurt followed by a Danish pastry. On other occasions we have been known to just wander down Macrossan Street and have breakfast at one of the many eateries open. Zinc is also a good place for dinner. Garlic sourdough started the meal followed by a shared entree of tempura prawns with a light salad. One main course was a delicious pumpkin risotto with sliced pumpkin on the side and parmesan encrusted barramundi. Barramundi is a popular fish in Port Douglas.

Iron Bar

Many of the restaurants are designed for a 'fine dining experience, but there are also restaurants with a more casual atmosphere where you can drop in for a meal. One such place is the Iron Bar which provides good basic, hearty food with an Australian flavour. On one occasion we shared cheese and herb bread and Robin had an avocado and prawn cocktail as an entree while another time we were adventurous and shared the Australian Trio entree - emu, crocodile and kangaroo. Scallop and prawn risotto and steak, chips and salad were the choice for main course on both visits  - the names of the dishes have Australian connections (Van Deimen's Land and Don Bradman) in the titles. The Central Hotel and the Court House Hotel are other popular locations in the evenings and the Court House Hotel often has an entertainer out the front but we have not had meals there. On the Inlet appears to be another popular location, especially with those who have been out on boats during the day, but the night we investigated it it was extremely crowded and noisy so we chose to have dinner at a quieter location. Mango Jam is another popular restaurant, especially with families.

We don't always eat at restaurants. Porta's Goumet Pizza has a wide range of take-away pizzas including Cranbrie - my favourite consisting of cranberry sauce on the base then smoked chicken, brie, oregano and rosemary - as well as the more conventional Aussie among the many selections. Sometimes we buy a chicken to eat with salad and crumbed fish and chips from E J's is another meal we enjoy.

Nautilus



In 2009 our special night out at the end of the holiday was at Nautilus where guests enjoy a candle lit dinner seated at tables surrounded by trees and ferns. We started with herb bread and then shared a cold trout entree. The main courses were lamb with pomegranate and apple pastry and barramundi with potatoes, mushrooms and spinach with pine-nuts as shared vegetables. Deserts were cheesecake with coconut sorbet plus chocolate fondant.

With so many restaurants a popular occupation is to stop to read the menus displayed outside. Although there is a wide selection of food available certain trends can become obvious. In 2009 many of the restaurants included sticky date pudding on the desert menu while in 2010 curries appeared to be a frequent addition. Many of the restaurants serve their special version of risotto and I have tried and enjoyed a number of them. It is also interesting to see the many ways in which fish, particularly barramundi, can be prepared and served. Booking at some restaurants (Nautilus and Harrisons) is essential and advisable at some of the others, especially if you want dinner a little later in the evening, but with so many restaurants to choose from you can always find somewhere to enjoy a pleasant meal.