Pilu at Freshwater

The weather was wonderful. After many cloudy or rainy days recently, it was warm, sunny and breezy at Freshwater. I don't believe I have been at this beach before and it was good to finally visit this area.

A group of us were here to lunch at Pilu in celebration of our good friend's CW's special birthday occasion.

The waters were beautifully blue, the waves were aplenty and the weather reminded me that summer is just around the corner.

Pilu is located in a beach like cottage at the edge of Freshwater beach. The views from the restaurant were amazing. We had a long table at the beach side end of the restaurant and it was nice to look out and see the waves. I had not been to Pilu before so I was interested to find out how the cuisine would fare.

The food was surprisingly delicious, the plating was good and the waiters were very attentive. All in all it was a very pleasant experience.

It was nice to see CW be the centre of attention in this lunch party. She is a dear friend whose friendship I treasure. She is genuinely a nice person and I am glad to have her in my circle of family and friends.

As there were 11 of us, we had the group menu to choose from.

We started with two plates of crisp bread served with ricotta cheese, truffle and honey. That combination was surprisingly nice. The saltiness of the truffle combined with the sweetness of the honey sat well with the blandness of the ricotta cheese.

We all had an entree (i.e. Primi); I choose Saffron spaghettini with spanner crab, crispy guanciale and pangrattato. Guanciale is unsmoked Italian bacon. The dish was really delicious. I really liked the al dente texture of the spaghettini and the combination of the bacon worked so well. Others had the de-boned quail wrapped in pancetta filled with chicken liver , fennel and tarragon (good verdict); and salt baked King salmon with potatoes, baby leeks and beetroot (good verdict too).

Saffron spaghettini with spanner crab

Quail wrapped in pancetta

Salt baked salmon

For the main (Secondi) I had the suckling pig. The suckling pig had to be preordered as we were a group booking. Half the table ordered the suckling pig. I liked the plating, it looked interesting. Overall, I enjoyed the dish, most especially the pork crackling. Others had the beef sirloin with cavolo nero and bottarga butter; slow cooked lamb with cous cous, olive and almond salad and pan juices. Generally, there were positive comments.

Suckling pig

Beef sirloin with cavolo nero

Slow cooked lamb

We were planning on having desserts but the surprise birthday cake of almond and amaretto torte was just the dessert we needed. CW was suitably surprised about the cake and I am happy that the torte was well received by all. They served the torte with poached pears. The cake was beautifully decorated.

The birthday cake in slices

Some of the coffee was presented in a very unusual looking cup. I just had to take a picture.

What a lovely, long and pleasant afternoon. It was very relaxing, fun and thoroughly enjoyable. Happy birthday CW, many blessings for the coming year.

Cheers....CL

Pilu at Freshwater
Website: http://www.piluatfreshwater.com.au/

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