Every now and then a long lunch is in order – like I need an excuse – and one of the best destinations on the Sunshine Coast for a long lunch would have to be The Boat Shed at Cotton Tree.
It is not a secret that The Boat Shed has been one of my favourite locations over the years. There has been many a dinner, lunch, cocktail or even just coffee under the fabulous cotton tree that graces the courtyard. Of late there has even been fish and chips from the kiosk at the side, so it pretty much has all options covered now.
Once upon a time it was actually an old boat shed (that’s telling my age), but for years now it has been a mainstay of great food and wine, much of it locally sourced.
The Boat Shed’s views are relaxingly beautiful… sand bars breaking through the water surface of the expansive Maroochy River, mangroves of the northern shore, fisherman in tinnies and on the water’s edge trying to catch their own lunch, pelicans and seagulls enmasse doing their thing. It’s all happening!
It is all happening on the menu too. Choosing is never easy. I always want to select the pork belly and scallops, and usually do, and the salmon – it’s another #yesplease – but I ventured astray on this fine day and actually ordered one of the blackboard specials which was a seafood corn chowder of local fish, mussels and clams. Perfect autumn food. My dining buddies did choose the salmon and pork belly dishes, and there was a momentary bout of dining envy as their dishes landed on the table first, but I quickly recovered when I was presented with my own. Lots of luscious seafood, beautiful creamy chowder and some nice crispy bread to soak it all up.
Now I am just going to give a shout out to Kevin, our waiter. It was a busy day, and he managed the chaos, our inability to decided on anything in a hurry, and many questions, with humour, grace, efficiency and a wonderful Spanish (I think) accent that made us want him to repeat everything that he said… even though we understood him perfectly 😉 It was great to be attended onby someone who looked and felt like they really enjoyed their job. There is an art to handling a large group well. Kudos.
Then there was the dessert menu. It prompted quite a bit of discussion. It went something along the lines of, “I am full, but I want one of each anyway because it all sounds so good.” Then it was a matter of trying to delegate each dish, so that we could encompass everything on the menu. Of course there were a few on the table that didn’t cooperate and got a double up… urgh! And then a couple didn’t cooperate at all and didn’t get any (*gasp*).
After much deliberation, and then satisfaction that we had most bases covered, I ordered the rose jelly and raspberry trifle, mango custard and sherry mascarpone trifle. Buddies ordered the rocky road parfait, ruby grapefruit and lemonade jelly with white chocolate toasted coconut, and the apple brulee, toasted rhubarb marshmallows, pear and vanilla crisps, all of which looked sensational. Mine was divine… though felt a bit smashed by the time I finished… the wine had gone down way too easily, and my trifle was of the alcohol soused kind, and being the one-wine-wonder that I am anyway… well… let’s just say I needed a coffee…
Another long lunch under wraps, it was time to say good-bye and actually go and get some work done, but I was happy to rekindle my acquaintance with The Boat Shed and what is always a wonderful menu and most certainly one of my favourite dining locations on the coast – it remains so.
For more information visit The Boat Shed:
This story was written by Petra Frieser – Pebbles + Pomegranate Seeds
