salt on the beach, Fremantle

Whilst on a family holiday in Perth we found ourselves with a free Sunday afternoon. A hot Sunday afternoon.

After a blissful late afternoon glass of sparkling at 'The Indiana' which is an iconic and beautiful building in the trendy beachside suburb of Cottesloe we had to decide where to eat.

First choice was 'Barchetta' in Cottesloe but the 40 degree blazing sun wouldn't let us enjoy the small balcony table we were shown to. It was stifling as the rays reflected off the concrete floor and aluminium table. Our fault for not making a booking weeks ago as the place was buzzing. Generally a good sign.

Our second option was 'salt on the beach' in Fremantle. I had read about the indoor playground and thought our two young daughters would enjoy that whilst Sean and I could relax over our meal. I should have known better after 7 years of motherhood. Any restaurant that has an indoor playground is generally too family friendly for the sort of cuisine you write a glowing blog post about.

The problem with salt is that it has a personality disorder. It's a kid friendly venue seating up to 300 people with a menu consisting of largely fried food. Then it describes itself as having "beautiful seaside romantic dining in the elegant 150 seat restaurant" and after that throw in a micro brewery operating on-site as well as a beachside kiosk. That's many fingers in many pies.

We decided to sit in the playground area but order off the restaurant menu. Not allowed as I was informed in a most unhospitable manner. Apparently if they did it for us, they would have to do it for everyone. And so? Anyway, all 4 of us moved into the "romantic" area which was fine as the girls amused themselves with sticker books. The view of the ocean was lovely and we were inside with air-conditioning so the heat wasn't an issue.

As requested, all our dishes came out at once so we could eat together and then leave to get the little ones back to the hotel in time for bed.

The girls insisted on fish and chips and I figured that would be fresh. It was and they devoured it without complaint. No leftovers.

We ordered a mini crusty loaf with smashed roasted garlic in olive oil which was ok. Definitely warm and crusty.

I had the salmon dish and the redeeming features where the juicy and perfectly cooked scallops and sweet oven-roasted tomatoes. Unfortunately the salmon fillet was overcooked for me - I prefer more pink on the inside. Oh, and the eggplant decided not to show up.

Tasmanian salmon and seared scallops, miso braised eggplant
and tomato, bok choy and ponzu sauce

Sean was bitterly disapointed with his meal. The steak was tough and overcooked and the jus thin and bland. We were also expecting more from prawns this close to the ocean! If you are going to charge $45 for a main course, you need to deliver a bit more.

Surf & Turf, chargrilled Scotch fillet served on a leek & potato gratin
with pan fried prawns, brocolinni & a roasted garlic jus

Side dishes were a good variety of green vegetables (asparagus, broccolini, bok choy) and one of the limpest rocket salads I think I've ever encountered. Sean refused to go near it. At least they remembered to put the dressing on the side as requested.

I'm not keen on writing negative reviews and if you want a venue that can cover pretty much any eventuality then give salt a try. Just don't expect too much in the way of extreme top-class food and make sure you enjoy the view.

http://onthebeach.net.au/

We dined on 11 March 2012