Updated: January 2019

Reef Restaurant, Terrigal

One of my goals this year was to see more of Australia and blog about it, that has only slightly happened, so instead, I’ve ventured even closer to home and am going to start to share with you the beauty of my hometown The Central Coast! Now, what better way to start the showcase than with a review of Terrigal’s most iconic, The Reef restaurant!

Reef Restaurant, Terrigal

About Reef Restaurant

Reef Restaurant is located at Terrigal Haven, overlooking the stunning Central Coast beaches and is one of the best restaurants in Terrigal. Immediately you are greeted with fresh interiors, beach wood timber flooring and floor to ceilings glass showcasing the northeasterly view. I prefer my date night to be a date day as the lighting is much nicer for photos 🙂 So we decided to opt for a mid-week lunch although not the sunniest day on the coast we enjoyed a lovely 2 1/2 course meal (we shared dessert) overlooking the crystal waters.

The unique elegance and ability to cater for up to 160 guests makes the space perfect for special functions and events or your weekly date night! I can’t wait to get back and try the 6-course degustation!

Entree’s at Reef Restaurant

Reef Restaurant offers a range of entrees with a changing seasonal menu, as well as vegetarian options. My partner ‘shot-gunned’ the Soft Shell Crab and I opted for the Goats Cheese Tart.

I was impressed with both plates on arrival but couldn’t help feel somewhat envious of that deliciously crispy crab! The crab was served with a Vietnamese salad, green mango, cashew nut nam-jim and was a perfect start to our3-course lunch.

The tart was accompanied by slow roasted tomato, avocado salsa, and lemon champagne dressing. The highlight on this plate was the avocado salsa, the tart although pleasant could of either had a little bit more flavour or an added element.

Mains at Reef Restaurant

For our mains, we went with the Beef and Duck and enjoyed them with a beer ( can also choose matching wines). The beef was a beautifully aged fillet cooked to perfection with a potato and chorizo pommes anna (which is a classic style french dish of layered sliced potatoes), a golden shallot ragout and a gorgeously balanced tarragon béarnaise. The dish was nice without being amazing, it seemed very old school.

The Confit of Duck Leg set on a bed of asparagus and burnt tomato and baby eggplant caponata, then topped with crispy quinoa and finished with a  caramelised orange jus. The Reef Restaurant has 5 options for mains which usually includes a meat option, multiple seafoods and a few vegetarian courses. The famous seafood platter is also on offer at the Reef Restaurant year round, you just need to let them know 48 hours prior to your booking so the Chef can order and ensure delivery from the markets.

Desserts at Reef Restaurant

My favourite part of dining at the Reef Restaurant is the inspiring dessert. We finished up our lunch with a deconstructed New York Cheesecake! Usually, I opt for chocolate desserts (fondant to be precise) but this dessert read like a dream!

The candied lemon gave the cheesecake an extra little kick. It then also had little cubes of blueberry jello, fresh blueberries and strawberries and another little berry sauce, all were fresh and delicious and went with the cheesecake perfectly. The stand out though was the lemon sorbet! This added element tied all the components together amazingly and each spoonful was such a delight!

Good to know:
+Locals night is Wednesday at the Reef Restaurant and they offer 3 courses for $55!
+They have great deals for mid-week lunchtime dining

Reef Restaurant
Head to their site for more info- http://reefrestaurant.com.au/

For bookings: call (02) 4385 3222 or info@reefrestaurant.com.au
Located: The Haven, Terrigal, NSW 2260

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