The Pantry Manly

Seated at a table by the beach, staring down into the clear blue water the ambience alone is incredibly breath taking. The menu is diverse – ranging from tapas to mains that scream ‘fresh’

I order the calamari, lemon and chili tagelatelli, some Sicilian olives, caramelized garlic bread, salt and pepper squid, fennel seed sausage embedded with creamy potato gratin, and a rocket parmesan, walnut and pear salad to share between 3 people. We receive a giant bottle of extra virgin olive oil as is custom for the table and the rest is history.

When the food arrives the smell of citrus consumes the senses, followed by a big woof of delicious Parmesan. Everything looks amazingly presented, whilst still maintaining a rustic edge, nothing fancy just simple flavours and fresh produce. This is waterside eating at its simplest, but best. The flavours combine in my mouth like a circus, all unique in their own way.

It’s not often I can find a place that serves food I can enjoy so much without analysing it down to every ingredient. It would have to be one of the first places where I actually sat back and let the food do the talking. One by one the dishes surfaced, starting with the small tapas, to the pastas, to the sausage and salad. All accompanied with the delicious bread that was a meal in itself. Full would be an understatement to how we felt by the end. But satisfied is not wordy enough to express how much I enjoyed the journey it took us on. It was a journey of evocative tastes that spoke straight to my stomach’s urge for deliciousness.

Manly is known for stingy but expensive fish and chips which usually arent from Manly itself but rather some offshore coastline. So the freshness, quality and authenticity of the food at Pantry Manly made a big impression on me.

Their understanding of appropriate flavours and keeping it simple presentation-wise so as to merit all praise to the ingredients and cookery methods is to be commended.

It was fresh and fantastic, paired to match the ambience and waterside view. A place that definitely warrants another visit.

By Samantha Coutts
For more information visit
http://thepantrymanly.com/