So, the other end of our little trip to Merimula to do the famous Boardwalk walk (that will be the last post of this little series!)... and this is the starting end. The earlier post dealt with the post-walk ice-cream treats... and this post starts off the day with a nice light lunch at the Waterfront Cafe in Merimbula.
Now, my wife and I have not been to Merimbula for ages... and so, when we were deciding on where to eat... it was a choice between this relatively busy corner cafe/restaurant... or a little quieter one down the boardwalk that served mostly vegan food. I chose this one...nothing against vegan food, but sometimes, I'm just not really in the mood for it!
The Space
The Waterfront Cafe is situated at one end of Market Street in Merimbula... you can't really miss it, the street is the one with all the restauarants and stuff... and most of the traffic passes through this area on the way through and to other towns!
At this end of the Promenade is the Waterfront Cafe... and at the other end, is the stupendously delicious ice-cream from the previous post!
Outside the cafe, there is quite a number of tables lining the water side, and also on the street side, and the quieter pedestrian side. So, you will have you choice of seats depending on your preference for full sun... part sun... or shaded! In Australia, it can be quite nice to have the shaded areas when you are sitting down to eat!
There is also a decent amount of indoor seating as well... which is all open to the outside through large glass doors and windows. So, it almost feels like you are sitting outside anyway! I can imagine that in winter, it would be much nicer to sit inside, as it can get quite chilly in the evenings down here!
The Menu
The cafe offers a early breakfast menu (which we were too late for...) and a lunch menu as well. Honestly, looking through the breakfast menu... there were a lot of things that I would definitely be wanting to try out some day! There are many things that have a little exotic twist to a normal breakfast staple... and they all sound pretty enticing!
...but, I'm still glad that we showed up at lunch! As there were more than a few interesting things on offer here! We were only here for a short and light lunch before a walk... so, we weren't really interested in getting too much to eat. Normally, in a lunch sort of thing... I would be tempted by the burger. But my wife and I were going to share something, and our girls would share another... and it was likely that there would be uneaten bits and pieces that would be finished off by the adults!
The Food
So... what did we get? My wife and I chose for the bao buns. Initially, she said that she didn't care which one I chose... the fried chicken or the fried mushrooms, so I immediately chose the fried chicken. At which point, there was caring... and we ended up getting the fried mushrooms, because I ACTUALLY didn't care!
Now, I love the rice dough of bao buns... so soft and chewy... we make it at homes with traditional Chinese fillings normally. However, I do see that in Australia, it has become a serious fusion staple... with bao buns of every imaginable filling and even at one point, I saw bao BURGERS!
Weird, but really tasty! The fried mushrooms were actually a real standout... with the stringy mushrooms made into a sort of paste and fried up just like the karaage chicken that would have been my first choice! Wow.. yum, and again... not what you would expect for a regional restaurant/cafe!
Our kids chose for a chicken and pesto toasted sandwich... but, it was a done pretty damn well, with a nice sourdough bread and just the right amount of cheese... not swimming, but just a little hint! I'm surprised that they even wolfed down the rocket!
Despite all the good food, the real standout of the lunch was the mango and mint smoothie that my oldest daughter ordered... thick, and I would never have picked that the two flavours would have gone together so well!
But just as equally refreshing was the fresh green apple juice that my youngest ordered... I'm going to enjoy making fresh juices at home again!
The Experience
The Waterfront Cafe served up some surprisingly decent food... and given that I'm in the area a few times year... I'm going to try and make it through their menu... both lunch and breakfasts!
At the height of the lunch crowd... the service was a little bit overwhelmed... there did appear to be quite a few people on staff, but it appeared that there also a number of younger inexperienced staff, and co-ordination between servers wasn't always smooth. Still... nothing that a smile and a touch of patience didn't smooth over. Plus, if you are here on the coast... well, time runs differently here... and there is no need to be in a crazy hurry! Just sit in the Sun and enjoy the cool drinks!
Opening Times
Monday 7:30am–2pm
Tuesday 7:30am–2pm
Wednesday 7:30am–2pm
Thursday 7:30am–2pm
Friday 7:30am–2pm
Saturday 7:30am–2pm
Sunday 7:30am–2pm
Contact Details
Address: Shops 1 & 2 Corner Beach & Market Street, Merimbula NSW 2548
Phone: (02) 6495 2211