Canberra is a funny place. For a purpose-built city centred on an artificial lake, there is a surprising lack of waterside dining.
Fortunately, Boathouse by the Lake comes to the rescue, with one of Canberra’s most beguiling buildings and a sense of history that extends well beyond the forty-year-old lake. It’s a feeling enhanced by old wooden floors that creak as you make your way across the foyer to the dining rooms beyond the central atrium.
It’s a wonderful place to take in the many personalities of the lake, as the bright reflections of the rippling waves slowly transform into the twinkling lights of the city.
The menu, compiled by Director of Food and Beverage, John Leverink, and Head Chef Michael Magill features a seven-course degustation (matched with wine for an additional fee) that takes diners on a journey few Canberran restaurants can match. A la Carte comes in the form of a four-course dinner with offerings from a carefully crafted set of dishes across the menu.
A playful way to begin is with the Sous Vide Chicken Wings. Served with shitake mushrooms, corn, coriander and chilli, it goes brilliantly with a glass of Stone & Wood beer. These chicken wings sound like the ideal snack, but are far beyond your standard whip-‘em-in-the-oven-and-serve variety. Chef Magill marinates the wings for 12 hours before another 12 in the water bath. The result? The most heavenly version of a snack food you’re likely to try.
Another great starter is the Yellowfin Tuna which comes in a neat array of cubed watermelon and cucumber & gin marshmallows and some sumac yogurt. The crunchiness and sweetness combine, never hiding the freshness of the tuna and resulting in a refreshing starter that gets the palate excited for what is to come.
Looking like some kind of Christmas treat, the Liquorice-Glazed Pork Terrine is filled with surprises. Did Heston come up with this? We wouldn’t be surprised if he did, but know that this speaks more of the skills of The Boathouse’s kitchen team. The match of liquorice with the pork is a revelation. Served with cherry, morel and choc mint, and sitting on top of a smear of pistachio, the dish is everything you wouldn’t expect to see together on a plate. Hats off to the team for bringing a range of complicated flavours together into a delicious and pretty package.
Another surprise is the John Dory served with tempura clams, cucumber, ibérico, broad beans and chêvre. In a delicate arrangement that flows across the plate (and the palate), along with the addition of cured Spanish meat and tempura clams, there is plenty of crunch to match the crispy skin of the John Dory. Oh, and the smear of squid ink? It adds a delicious tang when mixed through the dish.
The Chocolate Textures dessert is certainly true to its name. Chocolate dust, chocolate foam, chocolate pearls, chocolate cubes… in fact 12 different chocolate textures go into making a dessert that is a chocoholics dream. With Earl Grey cream, and layered over a bed of caramel, it’s a suitably impressive way to finish a meal in an equally impressive setting.
As the evening passes and the lake shows off its various characters, its very easy to become romantic about the venue and the view… and why not? This is simply one of the loveliest settings in Canberra, with spectacular food to match the vista.
