Akuna Cafe on the Bay, General San Martin Drive, Akuna Bay

Akuna Cafe on the Bay, General San Martin Drive, Akuna Bay
Sunday 7 May, 2006

Akuna Bay is a well kept secret. You need to enter Ku-ring-gai National Park from Terrey Hills and pay the $7 entry fee but it's a small price to pay for the stunning location on the Hawkesbury River.

Over the past 5 years the cafe at the marina has changed hands about 3 times and it was also closed for 12 months. For the regular visitors to the marina this has always been a sore point. But things have changed - the marina now offers free jazz on Sundays and the cafe is in the hands of new owners.

Today, the cafe was bustling. The cafe is small and the tables spill out onto the marina boardwalk. Most of the tables were left uncleared and as new lunch-goers arrived, they had to move the dirty plates themselves. It appeared very unorganised but as the only lunch venue at Akuna Bay - there really isn't anywhere else to go.

The menu is made up of burgers, salads etc and you order and pay at the counter. As we ordered, the young girl taking the order mixed up what we were having and had trouble writing it down. We were patient and repeated everything for her but the growing queue made her more and more anxious.

We ordered a smoked salmon caesar salad, club sandwich and gourmet beer burger. After a short wait, two of the three meals arrived with no explanation about the third. A short time later the three drinks arrived but there was no sign of the third meal. We asked a passing waiter and he promised to check on it. About 15 minutes later the third meal arrived. The waiter explained that the young girl tasking the order had written it at the bottom of the docket so the cook hadn't seen it. He apologised as if it was perfectly acceptable thing to happen in a cafe.

The gourmet burger was swimming in BBQ sauce and I couldn't eat the bread roll as it was too thick and burnt. The smoked salmon caesar salad looked like a green salad with bit a smoked salmon on top and the club sandwich was just as you imagined, full of bacon, lettuce, egg, tomato etc and tasted great.

The food is hit and miss and the service is dismal. Hopefully, over time as the team at Akuna cafe on the bay learn how to take orders, cook it and deliver it seemlessly, the experience will be enjoyable.

Akuna Cafe on the Bay - d'Albora Marinas, General San Martin Drive, Akuna Bay, Ku-ring-gai National Park - (02) 9450 1344

http://www.dalboramarinas.com.au/jsp/c_index.jsp