The Gunshop Café is undoubtedly one of our favourite local eateries; somewhere we often pop into on our way home, if we feel like treating ourselves. While the Gunshop Café is most commonly known for its award-winning breakfast menu, we actually prefer going for dinner.
There’s something very enticing about this place. The atmosphere is always warm and welcoming, the dining area is intimate (think fresh flowers on every table and soft lighting), and the staff are friendly—it feels very much like going over to a friend’s place for dinner. And that would be a friend who really knows how to cook! Dinner at the Gunshop Café is consistently good—better than good, excellent in fact—particularly for the very reasonable prices and generous portions. As much as I’d like to, I find it hard to have three courses here because I can’t bear to leave anything on the plate—it’s simply too delicious—and I just can’t fit it all in.
Last Friday night we decided it was time to pay the Gunshop Café another visit. While the website recommends making a booking on Friday and Saturday nights, we turned up just after 8:00pm and were lucky enough to be seated right away. Having said that, our pop-in approach has meant we’ve missed out on other occasions.
Now, what to order, it’s always a dilemma. While the menu is not huge, usually offering five different options per course, everything sounds amazing. The focus is on fresh seasonal produce that’s locally available. The flavour combinations are innovative and there’s always an appealing vegetarian option.
After much deliberation, here’s what we chose:
Entrée
- Scallops with quail eggs—the fat, juicy scallops were gorgeous with the yolk dripping over them like a rich sauce
- Tempura battered zucchini flowers stuffed with spanner crab and roast tomatoes—sweet soft crab meat and tomatoes with crunchy zucchini
Main
- Eye fillet with white bean puree—delightfully tender meat lightened by the creamy bean mash
- Quail with gnocchi—melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi with delicate, nutty meat.
All superb and accompanied by a very good wine list!
The Gunshop Café is a favourite because we always leave feeling that we’ve eaten well and had an enjoyable night. Over the years, we’ve taken many friends there and have never been disappointed. I’m continually looking forward to next time…may it come around again very soon.