Milano’s on the Lake – Pelican, NSW, Australia
Best Romantic Spot Australia
Guest Author: Kimberly Knight
My family and I spent Christmas 2008 in Australia. It’s a tradition for us, as my husband is an Aussie, so we try to go home every other year. This past Christmas, my husband and I took a big step and decided to have a romantic date awayre from our then two2 year old son. Chances like this don’t come around very often for us, as we usually don’t have a sitter, so we knew we had to make this meal and alone, adult time count. Both sets of grandparents were at the house at Blacksmiths Beach, so we did not have to worry about a sitter and could enjoy some wine and great food. We chose to go to Milano’s on the Lake in Pelican; just across the Pacific Highway from where we were staying.
Just as we pulled up to the restaurant it began to rain, which put a damper on our lake-side dining, as we had planned to sit outside on the waterfront. But we were not to be disappointed. We were seated against the windows with a view out onto the lake, street lights and stars reflecting on the water. We started off the meal with wine. I had white and he had red. We also ordered the Sourdough with Balsamic and Olive Oil ($8AU). I didn’t want too much food to ruin my appetite for dinner. My husband had the Sydney Rock Oysters, which he loved (four4 for $15), but said they were not as good as the oysters he had eaten on Forster, NSW AU, a few days earlier (Forster is the Sydney Oyster breeding ground, and you can get them fresh off the boat.) The toughest part of the night was NOT being away from our child, but deciding what to have for the main dish. In Australia, they call the appetizer the entrée and the entrée the Main. I was torn between the oven baked pumpkin torteloni with pumpkin cream, toasted pine nuts and& crispy sage ($23) and the pot pie, which is currently not on the menu, as they change this seasonally but keep some of the dishes year round. I opted for the pumpkin torteloni – I can eat pot pie anytime, even if pie is an Australian specialty. Plus, I wanted to save room for the dessert, so I knew ordering an “entrée” was the way to go. And I was not disappointed. The torteloni melted in my mouth like butter and the pumpkin was sweet and perfectly complimented by the nutty flavor of the pine nuts. My husband had the beef fillet BBQ – sliced with parsley potato, beef jus and spicy herb butter ($43) – and being the typical carnivore, he loved his big hunk of meat. Aussies tend to like their meat plain, without seasonings, so they can relish the true flavor of the meat. This is just what he got, and he loved it. For dessert, we had a chocolate cake, which is also not currently on the menu, but I remember it as being creamy and rich with a raspberry sauce.
While sitting at the table, savoring our last bite of dessert and waiting for the bill, we glanced over at the next table and saw what we should have ordered, the Seafood Platter for two: Fresh king prawns, smoked salmon, baked marinated king prawns, prawn and& crab toast, 500 gram lobster mornay, a whole silver bream, one1 dozen mixed oysters, seared scallops, squid, pont neufs, garden salad and assorted dipping sauces ($160 for two2, $230 for three3). Our mouths watered. If I had not been completely stuffed, and you had not needed to order 24 hours in advance, I would have started the meal over again. A seafood lover’s paradise.
My husband and I got married at Blacksmith’s Beach back in 2005. We knew we would have a small wedding and so began the search for the perfect venue. We had known about Milano’s on the beach for some time. We had been to the beach at Pelican (situated on Lake Macquarie) many times on dates, but had never ventured inside Milano’s to eat. Ultimately, we did not get married at Milano’s (they were booked on our date). Had I known how great the service, scenery and food was, I would have found another date to make it work.
A word of caution: In Australia it is customary for restaurants and businesses to pass on credit card fees to the customer. If your card of choice is American Express, as mine is, be prepared to pay an additional fee to use this card at Milano’s.
Thank you to my special guest author, Kimberly Knight | Director, Marketing & Monarchs Business Operations. You can follow Kimberly and the Monarchs @monarchs
Website: Milano’s on the Lake
Milano’s on the Lake
89 Soldiers Rd.
Pelican NSW 2281;
Phone: (02) 4972 0550
