As beach days wind to a close for the season there’s still time to squeeze in a short break at another motel-meets-destination-restaurant couplet. Ocean Restaurant takes up prime position at the water’s edge of the Ocean Front Motel. Along with the golden sands of Roberts Beach at your doorstep, it’s a minute away from The Entrance Ocean Baths and about ten minutes walk up the coast to the town centre.
Using a theatrical black box approach, the restaurant centralises an uninterrupted view of the ocean. There are two ways to eat: a la carte or two- and three-course menus ($65/$75) chosen from a reduced selection of dishes. The interest lies on the wider menu with snacks like neatly sawn-off pieces of bone marrow come topped with Avruga caviar and crème fraiche ($16). It’s great scooped out onto house-made potato crisps with Kizakura premium yamahai sake ($10/glass) chosen because the by-the-glass list lacked interest.
Entrees, like Fremantle octopus ($25) grilled over wood and teamed with saltbush, Rodriguez sausage and roast vegetables in a tomato-based sauce, are so generously proportioned they’re fine to share. Mains, from black Angus Riverina beef ($48) to the market fish of the day ($46) are pricy but they don’t require sides. The beef, which was under seasoned and not presented at the requested medium-rare, sat on truffled Paris mash with parsnips and a whisky mushroom sauce. The fish, rock ling, was well-cooked with a caviar cream sauce, salmon roe and chewy pre-cooked prawns that didn’t really add to the experience. Dining on a Sunday attracts a ten per cent surcharge.
