"Wollongong has been craving a place like this." I have no idea who the bloke at the bar in front of me was but when he said this to me while watching a whale playing just beyond the surf break as his beer was being poured, I had to nod in agreement.
The Boathouse on North Wollongong Beach is officially open and all I can say is WOW! It's casual but classy! It's the latest venture for the Boathouse Group who pride themselves on creating memorable venues at iconic locations.
Enjoying the sunshine, the expansive balcony and the first of the venue's daily 4-6pm happy hours on the opening afternoon, Wollongong local Hollie Green said, "It feels like I've gone somewhere else that's not Wollongong." Her friend, Amelia Michalak from Port Kembla, said: "It's just stunning. This is just what Wollongong's needed."
Thursdays are going to be huge at the Boathouse with a double happy hour (4-8pm).
The food offerings are brilliant. For the super-casual diners, bar snacks include fried chicken sandwich ($15), smash cheeseburger ($18), salt and pepper squid ($19) and prawn rolls ($24). And there was a great mix of pizzas coming from the spectacular Italian pizza oven, a centrepiece of the open-plan kitchen.
We were lucky to score a corner table on a 'booked out' opening Friday night – and what a night it was. Just as service was beginning, the heavens opened up, sending the excited crowd on the beachside balcony inside for shelter. No great drama there as the DJ was playing some smooth grooves to help set the scene for those of us privileged to be there when this funky, fun new dining, leisure, cruisy hot spot opened its welcoming doors.
In fairness, we weren't the first. As good neighbours do, the Boathouse team invited the North Gong surf club crew in the night before for what they call in the business a 'soft opening'. There were more than 200 club members being spoilt rotten at what one described as a "night to remember".
Twenty-four hours later was our night to remember. The restaurant was booked out and the staff were simply brilliant, making us all feel very special.
According to the head of commercial and marketing for the Boathouse Group, Ben Collis, the 70 full-time and casual staff are all "fantastic hospitality professionals... enthusiastic and passionate". He paid tribute to the surf club for having the vision to do something special with what has been "an underutilised space".
Heading up the team and creating a smart, affordable menu is Austinmer executive chef Mark LaBrooy, who fell in love with the location when he first visited earlier this year. "His eyes almost blew out of the back of his head when he saw it," Ben said.
You could feel the sense of excitement from staff and patrons alike. "The community has been so welcoming... Wollongong seems to have been screaming out for something like this," he said, with the 'house full' signs up for the first two nights.
"This iconic location is perfect for our brand. You can literally jump off the balcony and on to the beach," Ben said.
On Friday night our group stepped it up a little and were given the perfect corner table in the restaurant proper, with sweeping views across North Beach to the lighthouse. We mixed it up with tuna crudo ($16), tempura zucchini flowers ($16), grilled snapper ($42) and I devoured the succulent venison bush to beach (venison loin, king prawns, bearnaise sauce, salsa verde $46) with sides of watermelon salad ($9), grilled broccolini ($13) and fries ($8).
The food, the setting, the sunset and the staff – for an opening night, which can often be a tad chaotic, this was seamless.
"In Wollongong, we need to be smarter and more sophisticated. This ticks the boxes," said Janine from Balgownie who joined us for the night. "The staff are comfortable and so welcoming. They have great character and very personable," said Alan.
Playing cool grooves to the bar crowd, DJ Danny Stefanik said, "I feel like this is the missing crown jewel for the Boathouse Group."
Behind the bar, Thomas Dews and Emmi Burgess were blown away with the opening weekend vibe. "This is going to be a great place and it's so good to be working in a place with such an amazing view," Thomas said.
To ensure the important opening days went off without a hitch, the Boathouse team brought in some of their most experienced team members to help manage the crowds and mentor the new staff.
Glasgow-born Billy Connolly-soundalike George McLean couldn't make us feel more at home, keeping us thoroughly entertained.
Nicola Lindsay, who is normally Sydney-based, was thrilled to be part of the excitement. "I didn't realise how beautiful Wollongong is. A lot of people are saying this is good for Wollongong, and it's great to be a part of it."
Hats off to the Boathouse team for creating something so special. That bloke at the bar is spot on. This city's been craving something just like this for many, many years.
Jeremy Lasek and his party dined at the Boathouse at their own expense.
