HARBOUR VILLAGE MAGAZINE - Manly Harbour Village

Manly on the Bay
Every gourmet will delight in the food, hospitality and service waiting for you!
2000 seats catering for all tastes!.. BY HARVEY SHORE
Check this list for variety and
experience, then make your way
to the Bay and its’ Islands for an
unforgettable day or night out!
Kings Indian Cuisine on Cambridge Parade
is the latest restaurant to win an award in Manly.
Chefs Kunaal and Sapna Verma won the 2010
Quest Newspapers’ Business Achievers Award
for Formal Dining. The couple have already won
a string of awards since they arrived in Australia
from New Delhi in the 90s, and opened their
first Indian restaurant on the NSW Central
Coast. These include Best Indian Restaurant
in Australia (2002 & 2005), and Best Specialty
Restaurant on the Central Coast (1996 &
2006). In addition to serving tasty Indian food,
they also hold occasional cooking classes.
If that doesn’t curry favour with you, try the
Thai Boat Restaurant a few doors up.
Celebrated chef Angkana Meissner (who
learnt her skills in southern Thailand) runs
this Manly award-winner. Her restaurant won
the Quest Newspapers’ Business Achievers
Award for Formal Dining in 2009. People also
line up to attend her Thai Cooking classes
each weekend; and her many fans swear she
cooks the best Thai food in Brisbane.
Shirley and Stanley Chin took over the Marina
Crest Chinese Restaurant (with help from
daughters Twina and Katie) after running
Goondiwindi’s best Chinese for 20 years. Their
arrival in Manly two years ago produced a big
leap forward in the quality of local Chinese food
– both sit-down and take-away. These days,
there’s always a crowd lining up for the tables
or the take-away at their restaurant.
Toby Somerville (an Ironman if not
Iron Chef, and international triathlon
champion) with business partner
Clayton Debenham are the Barramundi
Boys. Together they’ve spent the last
decade serving the best seafood in
Brisbane – 7 days a week – at the Fish
Café and Wine Bar on the corner of
Cambridge Parade and The Esplanade
in Manly. They also run the take-away
fish and chippery, the open-air Terrace
Café, and the retail Fresh Seafood
Market next door.
Photos By: Harvey Shore
Sails Bistro in The Manly Hotel recently won
a five star rating from Brisbane City Council’s
Eat Safe Brisbane scheme. Open seven days a
week all year from 7am till late, it is known for
top quality pub meals cooked by a new team
of international chefs. Manager Cathy Purcell
is also proud of the excellent service for which
her staff are renowned.
The Ramp @ Moreton Bay Trailer Boat
Club is run by chef Rhian Stanton, who
previously worked at Parliament House, at
Suncorp Stadium and and at Finnigan’s. The
venue has a direct waterfront view over Manly
Harbour laterals, and its Sunday Brunch has
long had a reputation.
Boats Café, Bar and Restaurant in the 7
Days Market is run by Troy Campbell and his
sister Christie Cowling. Large picture windows
frame the harbour and fill their family café with
light. Their coffee & cakes fill locals with delight.
An impressive venue.
Celtic Corner Bar & Bistro, opposite the
Manly Pub on the corner Cambridge Parade
& Stratton Terrace, has been run for the last
five years by Niall and Sandra Cunningham,
with coffee queen Tracey Anderson on the
espresso machine. The place rocks to Irish
musicians every Friday night, has Irish beer on
tap, and serves the most delicious Guinness
Pies in Brisbane seven days a week.
Manly Deck, upstairs above Celtic Corner,
was a noisy nightclub until Emma Mullins and
Naomi Martin took it over, and worked hard to
create their vision of a relaxed and comfortable
modern restaurant with a cool view. It has
an attached backpacker hostel, and always
seems to attract a friendly international crowd.
Manly Village Pizzeria & Trattoria, beside the
Fresh Seafood Market in Cambridge Parade, was
recently taken over by Tim and Lisa Cox, with
partners Amedeo and Tanya Vicario. Tim says
their aim is to serve the best Italian food, pizza
and coffee. They also stock the best Gelato this
side of San Crispino in Rome.
Wilsons Boathouse Seafood Restaurant
sits near the tip of Norfolk Point, just past
the Coast Guard station. Customers flock
here for the breathtaking views of vessels
coming and going from Manly Boat Harbour,
and owner Neil Jedid compliments that with
a memorable menu. Wilsons is a stunning
venue for lunch on a sunny day, and it’s also
open for dinner.
Cuttlefish, on the Esplanade, is run by Clare &
Darren Emmett. They like to vary the menu with
daily themes, such as Tapas Tuesday and Fish
Thursday, but they serve most other meals for
lunch and dinner all week.
“From coffee and
cake to a sumptuous
seafood platter - you’ll
find something to tempt
your tastebuds in one
of Manly’s wonderful
eateries...”
18 Manly Harbour Village Magazine 2011 Manly Harbour Village Magazine 2011 19