In Port Macquarie finding somewhere for a meal is as easy as taking a stroll around the “Town Green” and the surrounding streets, which is exactly what we did. I had research a little on the restaurants in the area but I decided, for tonight’s meal we would have a look around and see what caught our fancy. This is how we ended up at the Boardwalk Bar & Restaurant, with a lovely table overlooking the Hastings River.

The Boardwalk is fresh and modern with comfy lounges in the wine bar area to laze away a few hours with friends, over a drink or two.  The restaurant is in an ideal location on the Hastings River and is afforded 180 degree views of the water.

The restaurant has a Tapas menu which was ideal for us, as we had two little ones in tow and we were not that hungry. After a little help from the waitress we decided on four dishes.  The waitress explained that the serving sizes were such that a dish for each person,  and one for the table will usually make a good start on the meal. If we wanted more the chefs are able to cook most dishes very quickly so there would be very little delay from ordering an additional dish.

I chose a Merlot Zilzie Regional Collection, from Ratton Bully in Victoria which was delicious. For a time I was mesmerized drinking my wine and staring at the water.

Our tapas arrived and I was bought back to the present by the sight of the gorgeous Arancini Rice with Mozzarella Cheese Balls. Ooh they looked so delicious. They had the most luscious crispy crunch shell, and a delicious creamy cheesy rice centre.  The rice balls were served with a thick mayonnaise and a spicy tomato sauce.

The next dish I tried was the Spiced Pork Sausage with Pimento Tomato & Shallot.  It is basically fried chorizo, and what is not to like about a spicy, fatty sausage.  It was super tasty and full of mouth watering flavour.  The serving size was incredibly generous; I had been expecting a couple of slices each but the plate was piled high.

It has been a while since I have had good light and a white background when photographing in a restaurant. On this day I had both, plus some very photogenic food so I am sure you can really see how delicious the food was.

I had ordered some wok fried Button Mushrooms with Chilli and Herbs as Mr GG and I both like buttery mushrooms.  These ones did not disappoint, once again the plate was piled high, and the little mushrooms were buttery heaven with a Spanish chilli flavour. We found ourselves alternating between the chorizo and the mushroom to balance the fattiness of the sausage with the earthy mushroom.

The final dish was the Lamb Cutlets with Caramelised Sultana and Sherry Pine nuts. Oh divine deliciousness, it tasted as good as it looks and sounds. Lovely sticky honey spiced cutlets with a medley of gooey fruit and nuts. This was heaven on a stick. I only had one of these beauties because the children ate theirs before I had a chance to seconde another.

In all it was a very delicious meal. There are a lot more children friendly dishes which are available, but our little ones were happy with what we chose. The specials board had so many more tempting dishes that I would wish for more tummy space so I could try them all.

Next time we will come back with a larger group so we can sample more.

Boardwalk Bar & Restaurant is located at 75 Clarence Street, Port Macquarie.  For booking call 02 6583 8001.