A celebration at a seaside restaurant just always seems more romantic. Whether it is Christmas Eve, or Valentine's Day, Stokehouse along St Kilda Beach is dressed to impress. The restaurant sits on the second level and offers an amazing view of the ocean (depends on where your table is of course). If you're sitting right smack in the middle, by the window, you'll have a great view of the ocean and sunset.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Stokehouse is known for seafood. We kickstarted the meal with fresh Australian Oysters ($5.50 each). The small oysters were spiced up with a touch of finger lime and yuzu. Sadly, the oysters did not leave an impression. It made us think about our numerous trips to South Melbourne Market, where better and tastier oysters can be procured. Perhaps we should have chosen the snapper carpaccio or seared tuna instead of the oysters.
Fried Chicken and Caviar? Damn, we definitely have to snag a piece each. At $12 a pop, the dainty morsel was essentially a small cube of fried chicken, crowned with a mayonnaise-like sauce, and a conservative dollop of caviar. While the combination sounded unique and promising, it was, in reality, quite the opposite. I thought that the chicken could have been a tad more moist. The sauce overshadowed the taste of the caviar, and you can only feel the gentle popping of the caviar if you really try to pick it out as you munch through the ensemble.
The King Prawn Taco($9) sat in a pretty hard taco shell. The taco gave way with a loud crunch when we bit into it. I appreciated the thickness of the taco, because it sufficiently imparted a lovely flavour to the mix. But will I order it again? Nah.
We were the most excited about the Fish and Chips($39). The fish and chips at a seafood restaurant must be outstanding, right? We waited for about 30 minutes for the dish to arrive. The slim slabs of lightly battered King George whiting were dusted with seaweed salt, and sat on a few pieces of triple-cooked fries which were lying in a pool of housemade tartar sauce. The fish and chips was nothing like what I've encountered before. The batter was really thin and crisp, and the fish was firm, lightly moist, and sweet. The fish wasn't as springy, or as juicy as what I'm used to, but it was amazing! Even the fries were delicious. I enjoyed the dish thoroughly.
And the final dish of the night was the highly anticipated 200g Robbins Island Full-blood Wagyu Sirloin, MBS 9+ ($110). We expected a tender and juicy piece of beef but the sirloin was dry and tough. The best part of the dish was actually the crispy potato which came in quite a miserable portion. Needless to say, we were really disappointed.
Stokehouse is definitely a pretty restaurant, and offers a great ocean view if you're having a drink at Stokebar, or if you are dining by the window section that's not blocked. The service staff were really warm and friendly, and made the dining experience pleasant. However, the food left much to be desired. Our Christmas Eve dinner here was, unfortunately, a letdown.
Where's the best seaside restaurant in Melbourne for you? Please share your favourite places with me!
St Kilda Beach
30 Jacka Blvd, St Kilda
Monday - Sunday :12pm - late
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