PROFILE BY BEST RESTAURANTS
With its stark white walls and modular chairs, Cactus Blue has a touch of the futuristic space ship look going on, but the decor definitely works. Curved black leather booths line one wall with gleaming white oval tables topped with wine glasses the size of a small fish bowl. The curved plastic chairs seem to swallow you up, and at over $100 a pop they're as comfy as they are funky. The entire restaurant is rather small yet instead of feeling crowded the resulting vibe is one of a buzzing eatery more likely to be found in Surry Hills than Neutral Bay.
Head chef, Nathan Clark holds court in the stainless steel open-plan kitchen, grilling and searing his way through the evening rush. The menu is a well-constructed fusion of modern Australian and Italian flavours, though there are some hints of the Mediterranean apparent as well. Try the antipasto platter for two for an entree- it includes a taste of everything from the entree menu such as the eggplant parmigiana rolled with prosciutto, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto. Meat eaters can't go past the salt-crusted eye fillet with cream of truffle infused mushroom sauce for a main. The balsamic marinated eye fillet with a Mediterranean vegetable stack is another favourite, earning Clarke a reputation as a deft hand when it comes to steaks. The sticky date pudding is the only dessert on the menu that is made in-house, but considering the other desserts are sourced from the Lindt Cafe they're well worth a nibble. Fee free to bring along your own bottle of wine, but Cactus Blue also has its own well-priced cellar for you to choose a drop from.
Amy Looker