Ripples - Whale Beach

After a few hiccups leaving my house on time yesterday, Kevin and I are finally on our way to the Northern Beaches to check out Ripples on Whale Beach.  I thought it was going to be a sunny day but the day started out a bit drizzling and was cloudy.

We headed out using Mona Vale Road and along the way saw a few nurseries and a Supacenta which should be worth checking out next time.  The drive was lovely, passing some beaches at Newport and abundant views of the peninsula heads.

Kevin's TomTom (aka "Simon") was not working very well.  "Simon" kept asking us to turn back to Canberra.  There was a safety lock and Kevin being the "cabin crew" on this trip could not reset.  We finally arrived in Avalon village and not being very sure of where we were supposed to get to next, we stopped at a Shell station and managed to reset "Simon".  "Simon" saved the day and we arrived at Ripples on Whale Beach (sharp turning from Whale Beach Road into the Strand), ahead of our reservation at 1pm.

My first impression when we arrived was that I'm back in Port Douglas, Cairns.  A long row of towering Pine trees greeted us and the views of the pristine waters and the Peninsula Heads was breathtaking. The beach was quiet this morning (maybe due to the weather) with only a few surfers and there was an aura of calm as we approached the restaurant.

There is a kiosk next to the restaurant for people who wanted a quick and easy drink or snack.  There were only a few diners when we arrived.  Seated outdoors, we then proceeded to look at the menu.  Kevin commented that the menu was slightly different to the sister restaurant, Ripples - Chowder Bay which he visited the week before.  

We both liked the sound of the Tastes of the Sea and opted for that as our entree.  Tastes of the Sea comprises 3 small tasting entrees - slices of tuna, fried soft shell crab with brussel sprout and anchovy dressing and oyster with lemon aioli.    It was a wonderful combination with the various dressings highlighting the tastes of the tuna, soft shell crab and oyster respectively.

For mains, I ordered the seared canadian scallops with carrot puree, truffled honey, apple and pork crackling as a main.  The scallops were cooked to perfection and the carrot puree and the truffled honey added to the sweetness of the scallops.  Nice dish which is light to the palate.

Kevin wanted something more substantial and ordered the lamb rack and braised shank on green lentils and braised potato.  It looked absolutely delicious with a rich tomato colour and the shank was very tender.  I tried a bit and the shank was juicy and tender.  Kevin said that the potato was cooked very well and although he was not very fond of potatoes,  there was not a lentil or potato left on his plate!

It was a relaxing lunch although the service slacked off towards the end (as more diners came in)... the food was good but somehow we both decided that it lacked the "WOW" factor.

For insights on the sister restaurant, Ripples at Chowder Bay check out Kevin and Charmaine's blogs.

ps... Kevin and I also drove down in the evening towards Chowder Bay... the spectacular views of the city lights welcomed us and the lit up Sergeants Mess with its expansive deck looked very inviting. And, yes, Ripples at Chowder Bay is also open for dinner.