The Boathouse Palm Beach - Palm Beach

Location: At Governor Phillip Park, on the Pittwater/western side of Palm Beach, next to the golf course.

Profiled by de groots media: With front row seats to the blue expanse of the South Pacific and the rolling headlands of Pittwater, The Boathouse has some big views to fill. It does so with shabby-chic-meets-modern decor, a succinct breakfast and lunch menu and a front store that delights visitors with fresh fruit, flowers, coffee, homemade ice-cream, organic beverages, breads, jams, cheeses and nuts. To make home entertaining just that little bit easier The Boathouse also sells its own stylish wooden chopping and cheese boards.

However if you’ve come to have the food prepared for you, this is a nifty, relaxed place to do so whether in- or outdoors. Alfresco dining offers three alternatives: picnic-style on the front lawns, on the white chairs of the shady verandah overlooking the water or at grey picnic tables on the pier – if you’re lucky you may even snag one with an umbrella. If not, prepare to roast on sunny days. When it’s hot the waves prove a constant temptation, but the food is enough reason to stick it out on dry land. For breakfast try the smoked salmon eggs which come with the addition spinach, goat’s cheese, caviar and porcini oil or the poached eggs and ham which are topped with basil pesto. Smaller appetites can be filled with muesli (which comes in three sizes) or avocado toast. For lunch it’s hard to go past the local beer battered flathead and chips which parades onto your table in a wooden box with house-made tartare and lemon wedges, although the roasted vegetable frittata, prosciutto tart or the BLT (with a dash of chilli tomato jam and aioli) are equally tempting. Top your meal off with an organic juice or Sicilian lemonade; just be prepared that gourmet food and Palm Beach views come at Palm Beach prices.

Agnes Gajewska