One of them is Brooks Mayman Executive Chef of Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club whom I met when I visited Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club the first time last year and was pretty blown away by the quality of food and creativity that Brooks comes up with in the kitchen. What he creates is quality I have seen in hotel and fine dining restaurants. Brooks invited me to his finalist dinner where himself and his sous chef, Timirkumar Patel, sought to impress the judges with their three course menu creations based on a very tight brief featuring five pantry ingredients, including rabbit and a native Australian ingredient. I can’t say I would jump to order a rabbit dish if it was on a Club NSW menu (as rabbit is not my favourite meats) but if it was the fresh seafood dish like the entrée they presented and the dessert then happy to have that again any day.
On an ordinary business as usual day though, Brooks and his kitchen team without constraints cooks up some amazing high quality dishes and Manly Skiff 16ft Sailing Club is one of those venues I would happily lounge around watching the yachts and grazing on some of Brook’s delicious food from their menu. If you have been following me on Instagram, you would have seen some of Brook’s dishes I’ve posted. Well done, Brooks and Timirkumar – I hope you win the finals!
If you are interested in attending the Club NSW Awards Dinner, tickets are available from their website. It’s on Monday, 25 July 2016 at The Epping Club, Grand Ballroom, 45 Rawson Street, Epping. Tickets to the 2016 Chef’s Table Awards Dinner includes Chef’s selection of hot and cold canapés and pre-dinner drinks on arrival; a three-course meal, wine, beer and soft drinks; entertainment competition highlights and finalist clubs; crowning the 2016 Chef’s Table Gold, Silver, Bronze Winners and the Apprentice Award.
These were the dishes served to us at the finalist Chef’s Table at Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club a few weeks ago.
Entrée: Skull Island Prawns (NT), heirloom tomato, sweet pickled cucumber ribbons, lemon jelly, samphire & tarragon bisque. All the bush ingredients encouraged a lot of conversation at the table: “What’s samphire?” Essentially, it’s an Australian bush food, a native succulent, also known as sea asparagus.
Main: Paper bark smoked Macleay Valley Rabbit (NSW) roulade, shiitake mushroom, oyster mushroom, caramelised shallot, quandong paste, chestnut dust and bordelaise. “What’s quandong”? dinner guests chimed in when the mains were served. It’s another Australian bush food, a stonefruit also known as a dessert peach.
The best for last! Dessert: Spiced chocolate jelly, coffee soil, sour cherry yoghurt and almond milk foam.
These were the dishes I’ve previously tried and posted on Instagram on a business as usual day created by Executive Chef, Brooks Mayman and his kitchen team.
There’s some good stuff happening in Manly Skiff with unrivalled waterviews and excellent quality dining. That reminds me, I’m due for another visit soon!
Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club
E Esplanade & Stuart Street, Manly NSW 2095
Phone:(02) 9977 3322
www.manlyskiff.com.au