Zebu Bar + Grill, Port Macquarie

Zebu is the latest addition on the restaurant/bar scene in Port Macquarie. And a good one at that. The joint is divided into a mighty sophisticated restaurant and an atmospheric bar. Both serve excellent food, and a tantalising array of cocktails on offer. They're $15 a pop, but on a Wednesday or Saturday night you just can't go without drinks in the waterfront bar.

The bar menu has quite on it: Zebu steak burgers, chickpea and lentil burgers, salads, quesadillas, salt and pepper squid and a delightful array of pizzas. From Wednesday to Sunday, the bar hosts happy hours (times vary). Each has a theme and a selected meal and selected drinks on special. Thursdays, for example, is ronas and ritas night from 5-8pm. Coronas are $5, Margaritas $6 and a plate on nachos comes in at $9. Their $10 pizzas on Wednesdays and Saturdays are my favourites.

When mum and I went for lunch, to no surprise we ended up basking in the sun, overlooking the river for a bit over an hour. I ordered a mango smoothie, which was divine! I am very picky about smoothies and this had just the right amount of fruit.  We then ate the quesadillas and Zebu fillet steak, pepperoni, smoked ham, bacon, roast chicken, Zebu BBQ sauce and mozzarella ($21). Both were full of flavour and we couldn't finish either of the dishes, if that says anything about the helpings. We ended up taking half a pizza to Dad at work. The quesadillas in particular were accompanied by the most flavoursome chilli, papaya and sesame seed salad ($18). Perhaps a bit expensive but you pay for the atmosphere and the amazing decor- the walls a decked out with fur, there are the most comfortable leather chairs as well as electronic fireplaces and a floorboard ceiling.

As with most bars, you have to go to the counter to order and pay but the food is brought out to you. The service is friendly; sometimes slow but it doesn't really bother you that much when you consider the good company and the view!

Zebu Bar + Grill, 1 Hay St, Port Macquarie

Flavours, Port Macquarie

Crispy skin duck with mushroom and beetroot risotto and red wine jus ($34)

Steak with prawn cutlets, spinach and gravy ($34)

I have been a bit slow with posts because I am officially on "holidays" and am doing a lot of catching up in good old Port Macquarie. This meal was eaten two weeks ago and so I have forgotten the exact details of the dishes, but, of course, not so much the taste.

Nathan and I, as well as his mother, her boyfriend and friend, picked Flavours for an evening meal somewhat last minute as fusion seven and Zebu were both full. First thing I noticed was that the restaurant wasn't as busy as usual. Flavours (not so recently) underwent an expansion that saw it almost double in size and included the removal of the woodfired pizza oven. Many argue that the quality of the pizzas has since declined. I still think they are delicious.

Anyway, this one experience was a bit of a let down. Apart from the two pizzas our dinner group ordered,  every dish received a complaint. The risotto and jus that accompanied my duck were so full of flavour, with the roasted beetroot offering a sweet touch to a savoury dish. The risotto was also the perfect consistency; not gluggy or dry like some I have had in the past. The skin of the duck, on the other hand, was not crisp as advertised on the menu, and the meat itself was overcooked and chewy. Nathan, who consumed the steak with prawn cutlets, said it was slightly overcooked and lacked zeal. According to this steak enthusiast, places like Hog's Breath offered much better and larger meals for two thirds of the price. Our table also ordered two roasted beetroot salads at $16 each. They were appalled with what they received. Rather than roasted beetroot, they were served raw beetroot that seemed to have come from a can and, apart from the beetroot, the salad was mostly assorted lettuce leaves. For them, the $16 price tag was very very steep and displeasing.

I would go to Flavours for the pizza, gelato and not much else. They recently started to compete with other restaurants and cafes in the area by extending their menu, and they now serve breakfast and lunch offering an alternative to next door (Bitter Sweet). But, from my experiences, these new menus are uninspiring, expensive and can't compare with other veteran Port Macquarie restaurants like Rivermark, The Corner and fusion seven to name a few.

Flavours, 48 Watonga St, Port Macquarie (Lighthouse Beach area)

Flavours, Port Macquarie

Flavours offers both pasta and meals off the grill, however is most well known in the Port Macquarie district for its pizzas and gelato bar.

A friend and I visited Flavours on a rainy Friday night for pre-Potter pizza. We ended up ordering the Bonny's pizza ($22.95) comprising chicken marinated in a mild green curry sauce, carrot, bean sprouts, shallots and coriander. I love Flavours's pizza for head chef Charlie Mainwaring's creative and original gourmet toppings. I would go as far to rate Flavours' Bonny's and Pigs Might Fly (thinly sliced pork belly, sweet black sauce, pickled red cabbage, spanish onion, baked mushrooms and coriander) as the best pizza's I have ever tasted.

As mentioned, Flavours offers much more than pizza, however other menu items- ranging from crispy skinned duck breast on a risotto bed to frenched lamb rack- tend to be pricey; all mains are $34 and pastas average $19.50. The restaurant also has an extensive cocktail list with most being priced at $13.95 and serves Holy Goat coffee. 

Since its recent renovation, Flavours does not fail to provide customers with a pleasurable dining experience. And if the now rather-large restaurant is packed- which is often the case with this popular feeding place- Flavours does takeaway orders and passer-bys may stop in to drool over the home-made gelato (my favourites are white chocolate and mixed berry and burnt caramel).

I can currently find only two faults with Flavours. The first being that on this certain visit we had to ASK for menus (although the food did come out very quickly and we were out of the restaurant within 45 minutes). Secondly, the crowds of people that frequent the restaurants means that it is sometimes hard to hear your own voice. Thus Flavours would perhaps not be the best choice for a romantic dinner for two.

Flavours is open for dinner 7 days a week and serves breakfast/lunch from 7am on weekends, 48 Watonga Street Port Macquarie