Keen to continue my local day trips while catching up with a friend, I booked a table at the Bather’s Pavilion in Balmoral.
Balmoral Beach
For non Sydneysiders, Balmoral Beach is in in Middle Harbour, in the Municipality of Mosman and part of the Lower North Shore. It’s a short drive from North Sydney, just over the Harbour Bridge. This little slice of serenity has an elegant late 1920s esplanade and a small outcrop accessed by an arched concrete bridge, Rocky Point Island, that may make you feel like you’re in Biarritz. These days you’ll have to drive, taxi or bus to get to Balmoral, but back from 1922 , it was serviced by tram.
In summer one used to be able to attend a Shakespeare at the 1930s rotunda ‘Shakespeare by the Sea’- now you can simply walk through it poetically and gaze up at the gorgeous Morton Bay Fig trees, often spotted with flocks of white cockatoos and the odd kookaburra.
The Bather’s Pavilion
The Bather’s Pavilion was built to cater for the surge of interest in swimming culture and was completed during the Great Depression, in 1929. The huge white Mediterranean styled pavilion is now home to a fine dining restaurant, bistro and a more casual pop up first floor restaurant and terrace. It’s a splash of Cannes in Sydney. They should start a film festival.
The food from head chef Cameron Johnson is delicate and fresh, creatively presented and wows in the detail (miniature edible flowers as decorations, a sushi presentation take on a main coral fish dish). The most exquisite dish is the pasta with shaved truffles, cooked to perfection.
The floor to wall ceilings is the star of the décor but the blue and white linen seating, the high mirrored ceilings and the nautical themed bathrooms are all part of the charm. To be warned, it’s not cheap. But you’re paying for the rent, the staff, the views and the best produce available. For a cheaper afternoon out you can skip the restaurant and still enjoy a sip and snack at the bistro or Bellingham pop up on the first floor.
To digest
We take a stroll back down the beach then drive up to the area of the HMAS Penguin naval base. Suddenly there’s no confusing Sydney for France… Port Jackson stretches splendidly before us, the winds pick up dramatically and across the harbour Sydney’s skyline glows in the sunset.
Just before heading home we continue the drive around Chowder Bay where we discover… L’Heritage. We’re back in France! I speak briefly with one of the owners, head chef Julien Audibert-Lebon, and take a look around and a the menu. It’s exquisite. The restaurant is fully booked for tonight but luckily we’re still full from our long, late lunch. But will definitely be back. Alors, à bientôt.
