October 26th, 2020The Boathouse puts lake view back on menu

We have had a couple of lovely visits to the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Trentham, enjoying their gorgeous beer garden and from this Thursday, we can also get back to enjoying lake views with the re-opening of The Boathouse Restaurant.
The Boathouse is run by Susanne Devine and Claire Levine, who have been in hospitality forever and do it perfectly, and is well known for its great menu and location. We are already booked in for the weekend, well not the whole weekend, just a lunch, and looking forward to our go-to choices. Yes, it’s a pared-down menu but all your favourites are there.

I will be starting with the house cured ocean trout with horseradish cream, watercress and apple salad ($22). It’s a really great entrée, full of flavour and the crunch of the salad goes really well with the rich trout.
I reckon Kyle will choose either the onion bjahi – Indian spiced onion fritters with raita ($18), or the charcuterie platter of jamon, salami, olives, beetroot relish and toasted sourdough ($18). Probably the latter, because he does love cured meats, but I hope the fritters just because they are so damn good. But really filling, so great also as a share plate.
Onto mains, and fairly enough, everyone dining, including children, must order a minimum of a main course each. I reckon anyone who kicks up about that is exactly what Bob Hawke called any boss who had a go at workers not turning up after that America’s Cup win. But he was putting it politely.

Anyway, mains. Mine will be the steamed mussels with tomato, chilli, garlic and coriander with loads of buttered crusty bread ($29). I love this dish and have missed it. To be honest, I have bought supermarket mussels quite a few times over the past months but, and please don’t attack me on this, have had to mostly throw them out because I know it is just not going to be as good as The Boathouse. Even with a chardy.
I do also love the okonomiyaki ($25), a Japanese savoury pancake which is as good as any you will find in Japan – and I know because I lived there for a few years and until the stupid pandemic, headed back every few years. I miss Japan.

Kyle, hmmm. He absolutely loves the prawn linguine with garlic, lemon, cherry tomato, white wine and parsley ($33) but it will be a close call with the roasted lemon and garlic chicken served with warm rice and a du puy lentil, almond, feta, spinach and dill salad ($32). Both are fantastic dishes, full of flavour and it will probably just come down to blurting out one or the other when asked what he wants.
And then desserts. I don’t think you can go past the saffron pannacotta with mango puree and toasted coconut ($14). Smooth and silky with the subtle hit of fruit and coconut. We generally just share, so my choice!
Great to have most of our venues back up and running and life returning to a new kind of normal. Next visit? Daylesford Hotel, of course.
Words: Donna Kelly | Images: Kyle Barnes