The Garfish, Manly

Belated review!
Booking a table was a breeze as it was with Dedes Bar n Grill.
They granted us window seats, and the sun flooded over us for lunch, as we looked out beyond the blue waters of Manly. They also had electronic sunshades which could be adjusted to stem some of the sun if it was getting too hot, perhaps more for the warmer months. My parents had promised me a 30th birthday meal, originally so I could try lobster for the first time lol. I had cheated, and already tasted lobster tails at Dedes, but with plan B for Bugs, I was able to taste Morteton Bay bugs for the first time...

We were all made comfortable early, by relaxed staff and the appearance of our most loved beverage, Pellegrino mineral water lol. I am ADDICTED to the stuff, lol. I go through a litre of it per day on average.

Not being very knowledgeable of wine, the waitress was more informative than the waiter at Dedes lol. Suggesting a light non overpowering white wine to go well with the bugs, and the prawns which the table had ordered, and we tried: 42 degrees south pinot grigio, Tasmania.
It really went down well, I was shocked that my parents took to it, because generally they stick to rather sweet white wines, lol.

We ordered some wood fired focaccia with garlic, and that was very very blande, so much so i could barely taste the garlic lol. Im sure many people may prefer a remnant of garlic, but I am extremely fond of it. It had a light mellow sweetness.

with the 400g portion of bugs, I received six half tails. They were served with a rather bland aioli, lol. It was creamy but lacked flavour lol. But the bugs were cooked perfectly, with my limited experience, but they were so light, fluffy and tender. Slid straight out of the shells, and tasted great. I would say sweeter than the lobster tail i tried weeks before.

My mother tried the zucchini flowers filled with a crab mousse. I tried one of them, but I wasnt too keen on the mousse texture, and I didnt appreciate the deep fried batter around them.
My mother thought she was going to get real zucchini flesh in a flowered array lol. I thought that was so cute! lol. If I had known she didnt know I would have told her beforehand. The king prawns were almost as sweet as the bugs.

Whilst i really enjoyed the bugs, the main meal of Hiramasa Kingfish was standout for me. It was served with a lovely salad, with zucchini, snow peas, peccorino, and walnut dressing. Very nice combination, fish was cooked to perfection, skin crispy.

The desserts promised so much but delivered little.
Their gimmick was a Belgian waffle dessert selection, but the waffles themselves seemed a fraction stale perhaps, or just not hot n fresh. A bit hard perhaps...I really dont know the difference between Belgian and ordinary waffles lol But these felt more like a filler.

See the menu here...

Dad tried the chocolate whisky pudding, but it wasnt appealing to me. It lacked richness and flavour. I ordered the special, with was a pineapple waffle with cinnamon icecream. The icecream was devine, but the pineapple seemed over sweetened artificially, being out of season, and quite sickly, despite the fact i ADORE pineapple generally. My mother ordered the waffle tasting plate, so we could all taste a bit of each...They were all just average.

I wish we had of tried the banana and butterscotch brulee lol

The waffles were not appetising enough to ever order again.
The desserts at Dedes still the best by far.

The friendly service and ambience for lunch at The Garfish made it an enjoyable experience.
The main courses were much more comprehensive. The selection of wood fired crustaceans very very appealing. In terms of food, this restaurant superseeded Dedes on a grand scale.
The Late' I ordered was perfect.

While its difficult to compare the experience of a lunch to a dinner, I felt the main courses and entrees were far more complete at The Garfish. Dedes felt more like a borderline fine dining experience, and The Garfish was much more relaxed and laid back.

The food and overall menu at The Garfish was really a standout, beside the desserts.
You just dont dine at restaurants for the dessers though, and Dedes need to improve their main courses and entrees. Esp the way they complement their dishes. They didnt look that appetising either.

I left The Garfish, wanting to try other dishes next time...
In terms of Crustaceans they really do cook them great on their woodfire menu.
I prolly wouldnt stay for dessert, and get dessert elsewhere.

It would make a great day travelling by Manly ferry. Prolly best during the day, in the sunshine in these colder months. soak up the sun, then catch the ferry back and get dessert in darling harbour, or if ya really keen and Dedes allow it lol catch the rivercat to abbotsford just for dessert LOL the dessert is worth it!!!

Perhaps I should arrange a score system for the restaurants.
However I believe the mains should be weighted HIGHER.

Entrees and starters /10
Main course /20
Dessert /10
Ambience /5
Service /5

The Garfish:

Entrees: 7/10
Mains: 16/20
Dessert: 4/10
Ambience: 4/5
Service: 4/5

Total: 35/50