With its elevated view out over the jetty to the glowing ocean, The Wharf Restaurant in Merimbula, NSW is the apparent alternative for seafood lovers. But does its adjoining aquarium create a battle of curiosity?
How would you are feeling about consuming seafood in a restaurant that’s additionally an aquarium? Is it the right storm of self-promotion? Or may or not it’s a case of—fairly actually—consuming into your earnings?
As we sit at our window-side desk within the Wharf Restaurant, which seems out over the gorgeous bay of Merimbula in far south NSW, Christina and I ponder the dilemma.
Check out our video of The Wharf Restaurant and Merimbula Aquarium right here:
Is it proper to marvel on the unimaginable entities residing beneath our waves whereas their brethren are getting dressed for dinner only one ground up?
Owners of each the Wharf Restaurant and Merimbula Aquarium since 2001, Sally and Anthony Daly are aware of the dual-purpose potential.
In truth, Anthony jokes with us that with the market value for a few of the fish within the tanks downstairs, dipping into the shows is a tempting prospect.
But he assures us not one of the sea life from the aquarium ever finally ends up on restaurant plates. The advantageous line between seafood and sea life has at all times been a blurry one, however right here at the least it’s by no means erased.
Instead, the beautiful but approachable meals the kitchen serves and the fascinating shows within the 28 tanks belowdecks praise one another.
And the marine biologists who supply excursions right here throughout the week add additional context to this ‘dine-and-discover’ duplex.
Lunch at The Wharf Restaurant
The full of life, relaxed lunchtime vibe places us at our ease as we look ahead to the kitchen to work their magic.
The menu is cut up between a two- or three-course lunch choice, or a monster of a seafood basket for $160pp.
Our price range (and pants) gained’t stretch to the seafood basket, so we go for 2 programs from the a la carte—though the supply of oysters from Broadwater at present has been delayed, which stops us wolfing down a dozen of the freshest Sydney rock.
Instead, we go for some garlic bread, which you must get whenever you come right here.
Ciabatta halved and frivolously toasted then loaded with a lot garlic butter and parsley—we may eat a pile of this and die completely satisfied.
Thankfully, we don’t die simply but although; our entrees of squid risotto and crab bisque are on their approach.
Christina’s risotto is cooked completely and has a delicate tinge of citrus from the preserved lemon. It compliments the recent tender squid, lower into strips, and the glass of Jim Barry Riesling (for less than $10!) cleans up the palate.
My bisque, which comes with half an enormous blue swimmer crab, is salty and creamy, and is balanced by the chunks of soppy tomato and chopped spring onion. Adding the hard-won juicy candy meat from the crab to the bisque creates additional texture and flavour, and the char-grilled sourdough I take advantage of to mop up on the finish makes this one more dish to die for.
And I’m glad I selected the bisque. Otherwise, Christina’s chowder principal would have induced critical meals envy for me.
Her big bowl of unctuous, wealthy seafood and corn soup is full of scallops, prawns, clams, fish and—in fact—one other large half of blue swimmer crab, which appears to be jauntily bathing of the chowder.
My fish and chips—a superbly grilled pink kingfish fillet—is precisely what I really feel like although. It’s last-meal stage.
The fish is juicy inside however barely crispy on the sides, whereas the chips are excellent: crunchy on the surface however comfortable and virtually gooey within the center.
My faucet beer from Hard Road Brewery in Bayswater. east of Melbourne, is a Belgian Pale Ale and is completely set for my fish and chips.
Honestly, I’d go to the gallows completely satisfied.
Fish are buddies and meals!
We ease ourselves out of our chairs and make our strategy to the steps all the way down to the aquarium.
As Anthony assured us earlier, it’s about as removed from some sort of grisly stockroom or these unhappy fishtanks you generally see in Chinese eating places as you may get. The fish are wholesome and apparently fairly completely satisfied—although it’s exhausting to inform actually, isn’t it.
Displays are principally of native marine species that you simply’d discover diving off the coast of Merimbula within the 28 tanks and the spectacular 70,000-litre oceanarium. But there are some nationwide ring-in superstars just like the ever-popular clownfish aka Nemo.
There are additionally issues like a shell exhibit that exhibits the lifespan of a specific mollusc and the way totally different situations and environments create an incredible vary of designs of the identical species’ shell.
Merimbula Aquarium is open 5 days every week, Wednesday to Sunday—10am-4pm, nevertheless it’s higher to return right here when native marine biologists and oceanographers are right here to speak in regards to the displays Wednesday to Friday.
But even on the weekend, it’s an fascinating factor to see.
I believed I’d really feel extra conflicted about having lunch above an aquarium, then having fun with the sight of the identical fish that had been on my plate moments in the past swimming round.
But it wasn’t the case.
Instead it was a masterclass of appreciation.
