Doing fish well

REVIEW: GARFISH

The period which begins a couple of days before Christmas eve and ends a week into the new year is my favourite time of year.  This year, particularly, the summer heat has not burned too strong, making it much more enjoyable to be outdoors.

Last weekend, it was decided that lunch was to be spent in Crows Nest.  After wandering Alexander Street, we headed for Garfish as our hunger began to get the better of us. 

We had been to the Garfish at Kirribilli a few months ago, so I am able to say that the outdoor dining area at Crows Nest is the more pleasant spot on a hot summer’s day.  Most of the seating is under an awning (or perhaps verandah), whereas at Kirribilli, sun umbrellas provide most of the shade.  If you are planning a long lunch, this does make a difference as you won’t be sweating profusely by 4 o’clock.

The food was excellent.  A generously thick fillet of blue eye trevella in a light green curry sauce was very well prepared.  A properly grilled piece of fish is a joy in itself and the curry flavours were subtle enough that they did not overpower the fish. 

The snapper pie was impressive (I must find a recipe!) and, in my opinion, is a close second to the one prepared at the Boathouse.  That said, Garfish’s pie had a wonderfully homely feel – it reminded me a lot of the pies which my mum used to make – perhaps it was the brocolli.  My only complaint is that the pinches of sea salt on the pastry top were not really necessary – especially as there is salt at the table.  Another friend settled for the crab tagliolini – I can’t comment on it, as I didn’t try any, however, at least half of it was left on the plate which is usually a good measure of the fare.

Dessert at Garfish is a surprisingly simple affair.  Belgian waffles make up about half the offering.  I found my waffles too heavy – more like bagles.  The ice cream and oter assorted accompaniments were nice, but for the price you pay, I can’t profess to being a huge fan.  The affogato appeared to be the dessert of choice that afternoon, as I lost count of the number I saw leaving the kitchen.  And at our last visit to the Kirribilli Garfish, OP gave the raspberry and white chocolate tart high marks, so I will probably revert to this tried and tested performer next time.

The service was warm and friendly.  It was the same at Kirribilli, and Garfish are well served by their wait staff.  My only complaint was that the food took a little too long to come out, even factoring in the long lead time for the snapper pie.  It was little noticed, however, as we were so relaxed and happy with a whole afternoon to kill.

I can summarise my experiences at Garfish very succintly – Garfish does fish well.  The fish is the centrepiece, and the garnishes neither overpower nor take attention away from it.  I should have mentioned this above, but the salads (especially the baby spinish, fetta and beetroot) are great.  So a simply prepared piece of fish and a bowl of salad may be the way to go.  I can say, with little hesitation, that summer lunches at Garfish have become part of my annual tradition.

Details:

The Place: Garfish

Where: 6/29 Holtermann Street, Crows Nest (02 9966 0445) and 2/21 Broughton Street, Kirribilli (02 9922 4322)

Food: Seafood

Tip: Find out what the daily recommendations is.

Butcher’s Bill: About $65 per person – there were four of us – each had one main, 2 salads/sides to share, bottle of riesling, desserts and coffee.

Who should go: Anyone looking to relax with friends over a seafood lunch on a Sydney summer’s day.

BBQ preparations

The last two weekends have been spent preparing OP’s barbeque for the numerous Christmas lunches/dinners that she will be hosting.

LAST WEEKEND

Having searched at a number of different hardware stores, we braved traffic conditions last weekend on Taren Point Road to find what we were looking for at Barbeques Galore. I am not sure what it is with barbeques that gets me so excited. Maybe its the open fire, the raw meat being cooked in flames and the smell of smoke.

When I was younger, dad used to have (and still does) a large kettle barbeque that required the kids to scrounge around the yard for twigs and sticks to get the charcoal going. Nowdays, the gas barbeque seems to be the ubiquitous choice and OP’s gas barbie required new volcano rocks and fat-soaking sand which is why we made the journey down south.

Having found the necessary rocks and sand (more like gravel), we came across this clever invention – the fisharoo. The fisharoo stands above the grill/hot plate and lets you turn the fish over the hear – without the fish sticking or falling apart. Regrettably, we decided against the fisharoo and I now wish we had the time to go back and grab one.

THIS WEEKEND

In addition to preparing the barbeque, there was much work to be done on OP’s backyard, so we decided to head to Bunnings to kill two birds with one stone – replace the gas bottle, and grab some stuff for the garden.

How not to replace a gas bottle

The local Bunnings store is massive – in fact, warehouse would be a better word to use than “store”. In my experience, what Bunnings usually does well is make it easy for non-handyman types to buy hardware without feeling like a complete tool (excuse the pun).

Step one: Head for the section where the barbeques are sold (logical, I thought, for a gas bottle). “Yes” I was told, “we replace gas bottles, but you have to go to the information desk to find out if we have any”.

Step two: Trek from one corner of the store to the front, through the lines of customers, to wait in line at the information desk. After a 10 minute wait we are told we have to go to the counter at the back of the store where the gas bottles are kept.

Step three: Another long walk to the back of the store. Wait another 10 minutes at the counter at the back of the store.

One Man: “I want to replace this gas bottle”.

Bunning’s Man, after looking at the bottle: “That’s a 4.5 litre bottle, we have some 9 litre bottles, not sure about if we have any 4.5s – you need to walk out the back to the man next to the gate to find out”.

Step four: Walk out the back of the store and through the area where the professional builder’s stuff is kept. Find the man at the gate.

OM: “Do you have any 4.5 litre gas bottles, I want to replace one”

Bunning’s Man no. 2: “Yes we have a few, I’ll get you one, can I see your receipt”

OM: “I haven’t paid yet, how much is it?”

BM no.2: “Oh, you have to pay inside”

Step five: Walk back inside the store.

OM: “The guy outside has 4.5 litre bottles, can I pay for one”

BM no.3, after looking at my bottle: “That’s not a 4.5 bottle, you need a 3.7″

OM: “Well, can I pay for a 3.7?”

BM no.3: “We don’t have any 3.7 litre bottles left”

OM: “Can I use a 4.5 litre bottle on my BBQ instead of a 3.7″

BM no.3: “No, sorry”.

25+ minutes walking from here, to there and back to here, and no gas bottle.  Lesson: don’t buy a gas bottle at Bunnings unless you have time to kill and are wearing walking shoes.

How to replace a gas bottle

Frustrated, annoyed and curious about the “pick up a replacement full bottle and be cooking your BBQ in no time” claim I drove to my local petrol station (most petrol stations sell gas bottles, they are often in a cage out the front).

Step one: told the attendant I wanted to exchange a gas bottle. Charged me $22.95 (for a 3.7 litre bottle), gave me the keys to the cage and told me to swap over bottles

Step two: open cage, grab new bottle (with seal) and drop off old one. Return keys to attendant and drive off.

How easy is that!

Hard agenda

THEATRE REVIEW: BLACKBIRD

Ray, an almost sixty general hand is confronted, almost tauntingly, by Una, a twenty something young woman whom he s_xually abused when she was just twelve. This is how Blackbird, directed by Cate Blanchett, begins and ends. And it is obvious to see why audiences will be confronted by the subject matter.

What makes the subject matter confronting for me is the claim in the play’s program that “you couldn’t say Blackbird was about p__dophilia”. If not about p__dophilia, then Blackbird is just a love story. And perhaps the only time I could comfortably accept a love story between a forty year old man and a twelve year old child is if it were set in Greece during the construction of the Parthenon.

Yet David Harrower, the playwright, recognises implicitly that this is not just a love story. Many years after the event of abuse (or love, depending on your point of view), Ray is still haunted by his past actions. He feels, not so much remorse, but rather regret that he ever gave into temptation. He is not the typical p__dophile that it is easy for modern society to despise – he doesn’t prey on children and use them for his selfish sexual pleasure. Peter Kowitz portrays Ray’s shame and fearfulness of his past misdeeds excellently. Wavering between anger and self-justification/delusion, it made me sympathise with Ray the individual even though the acts he committed are unspeakable.

Una is still affected, although she comes across as more heartbroken than damaged. Perhaps, in Una, they are the same thing. In Paula Arundell’s hands, Una’s anger, confusion and restlessness are palpable. A part of Una feels that Ray wronged her, not in the s_xual act, but in not holding up his end of the bargain in their “relationship”. Maybe this is the reason why she has never moved on – she has never forgiven Ray because a part of her believes that Ray, in pursuing a s_xual relationship with her, didn’t do anything wrong. And even if you buy the argument that this is indeed a love story, Una’s inability to move on from events many years ago surely highlights that the sin in maintaining a relationship with a child lies not necessarily in any s_xual violence, but rather in the exploitation of an immature and still developing heart (innocence, if you will).

The most confronting scene in the play occurred towards the end, and saw at least two fellow theatre-goers walk out. I won’t ruin the scene itself by describing what occurred, needless to say that it did not fit in with the narrative unless you view it as a flashback – a revisitation of the past where Ray’s weaknesses do not get the better of him. Arundell’s portrayal of Una, from the outraged adult to the immature juvenile, is masterful.

The grubby subject matter is reflected in the grubby set, and the characters use of this grubbiness highlights the shameful events which are the subject of this play (enough use of the word grubby for me). My only criticism is that the dialogue oscillates at times between serious explorations of the characters and mundane observations of the present. At times this felt out of place and awkward – even though this probably reflects how such an awkward conversation might occur in real life.

In the end, the play concludes as it begun. It would be fair to say that Blackbird is not plot-driven but actually a play about forgiveness and redemption, about love and temptation, about acknowledging your past misdeeds and carving away at a respectable future.

Where: Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay

When: To 16 February 2008

Principal Cast: Paula Arundell, Peter Kowitz and Danielle Catanzariti

One Man’s Rating (out of 5):