REVIEWED BY DE GROOTS MEDAIJuliet asked: what’s in a name? Apparently something, as the owners of this quirky restaurant christened it after their childhood speedboat. Owners Bronwen and David Drover set up ye olde inn less than a year ago in the new M Centre, with son Chris manning the stoves along with Sean Jarrett. The two bring their travels into the kitchen, dubbing their cuisine Euro-Thai fusion although the fusion occurs between the dishes and not so much on the plate. Diners choose from a diverse menu where Royal Thai red curry and cauliflower sage semolina gnocchi co-exist happily like a utopian political metaphor.
The eggnet of spanner crab meat is something special, the omelette-like net hugging the crab flesh along with Vietnamese mint and red nam jim and served with garlic chips. Fish and chips becomes beer battered reef snapper with hand cut twice cooked potatoes, just don’t tell your cardiologist. Morten Bay Bugs are basted in galangal and piled on green pawpaw salad with a piquant tamarind dipping sauce. A “wine of the month” $6 per glass special introduces patrons to something new. Clearly this restaurant is pitching high, asking for a game audience who will try something new. If the Canberra dining scene is ready for it, it could be something to watch.
Sarah Theeboom, April 2007
