For decades Coogee Bay Hotel has watched the tides come and go in all shapes and forms with its beachfront position, verandahs and home for good times. Most recently the glitz was on the other side of the road as Merivalle’s Coogee Pavilion drawed a fashionable crowd. We love a Cinderella story, so it’s heartwarming to see The Coogee Bay Hotel reborn, and darn! She not only looks good, but tastes and smells devine.
We know that looks shouldn’t matter, but it’s refreshing to enter a pub and the first thing you walk into is the beer garden decked out in the colours of an Aperol spritz! Orange and white striped sun umbrellas, wooden tables and chairs, crispy white awnings and planters spilling with happy green plants. This is a beer garden you want to lounge your afternoons away in. Cruisy, breezy and stylish.
One of the biggest changes is a new cocktail bar called Arden, creating a new space specifically designed for private hire. Set to the far left of the hotel, its connected to the beer garden by a private entrance. We step through the doors and its hard not to be immediately drawn to the glow of the art deco bar at the end of the room. This must be how Prince Charming felt finally finding a fit for his slipper.
Marra Bar & Grill has had a facelift too. It’s beautiful arched roof, reflective of the sands and seas it inhabits, is still there, but the kitchen has a new Josper oven and menu. Now to say we are slightly obsessive over this piece of kit, (originally designed in Barcelona in 1969) is an understatement. Only a few kitchens in Sydney have them and our advice is to order up big time on anything cooked in this gastronomic charcoal grill.
We pick a round leather booth near the wind and commence with shared starters. Rock oysters arrive on ice, suspended on a frame in the way a gallery hangs a painting. Freshly shucked, they are creamy, briny and delicious. Josper grilled king prawns need nothing more than garlic and chilli, they come easily away from their shell jackets and are sweet with a gentle smoky flavour.
Now it takes a remarkable dish to stop two grown women talking, especially at the beginning of a meal. A plate of charred corn sweetcorn ribs is nothing less than sensational. Smeared with an addictive bonito-dashi butter we feel like sea otters who have just snagged a prize salmon in their paws. NOTHING is stopping us from an almost trance like state, chomp, chew then lick (I have good intentions to reply to that question…) but love endorphins have kicked in and it’s impossible to stop. I am going back in until every kernel has disappeared, my fingers are licked clean of those limey, buttery flavours and am panting. Geez! They are good.
Mains uphold the flavours and elegance of plating. A bed of wild rice is topped with a citrus dressed fennel and cucumber tumble topped with rotisserie salmon which falls into juicy succulent large petals. It’s been a while since salmon has been so delicately cooked. Two dishes from the Josper steal the show; a single Japanese eggplant is bursting with flavour; it’s charred skin parts to reveal silky, rich and unctuous flesh. It is paired with polenta chips and a balanced tomato vinaigrette. The other dish is a whole baby trout, traditionally dressed with capers, burnt butter and lemon. It is perfectly cooked. We both scavenge until the bones are clean. Even the linguine with blue swimmer crab, fermented chilli and lemon is better than most versions we have had in high end Italian restaurants.
It’s no surprise the wine and cocktail list is a match for the menu. When by the seaside, then a Stone & Wood is a necessity but if by mid week you are recovering from those fun times (or driving) then dive into the mocktail list. A Lady Cabdriver brilliantly described my situation! It’s a mix of refreshing watermelon and ginger beer with a nice kick from the basil and lime. The Pink Panther with Manly Spirits Gin kicks you back thanks to Belsazar rose and a hit of lemon.
The meal is faultless. It is rare that there isn’t a dish which doesnt quite hit the mark. The service is friendly, knowledgeable and there is lots of it which is refreshing at a time when many other restaurants are struggling. Coogee Bay Hotel may have been waiting in the shadows for its Cinderella moment, but it was worth the wait. There’s no doubt that this is the venue for the summer, no slippers needed, maybe just your thongs.
Coogee Bay Hotel – https://coogeebayhotel.com.au/
Arden Lounge – https://coogeebayhotel.com.au/arden-lounge/ Hours; fri-sat 5pm till late, Sun 4pm-10pm
Marra Bar & Grill – Mon- Thurs 11am – 12am, Fri 11am – Late, Sat 8am – Late, Sun 8am – 12am
