Sean's Panorama, Campbell Pde, Bondi Beach

Sean's Panorama, Campbell Pde, Bondi Beach
Friday 22 December, 2006

The double seating! This is one of my pet peeves - restaurants that move you on quickly after your meal so they can do another cover. I know I'm probably in the minority but I really enjoy having a meal where you can kick back, enjoy your food and wine and not feel rushed! It's not too much to ask is it?

I reserved a table for 4 tonight and was informed we could come in at 7pm to leave by 9pm-ish or come in at 9.30pm. As one of our dinner buddies had just flown in from the UK and one was working the following day we opted for the 7pm dinner.

I had heard/ read nothing but favourable reviews of Sean's Panorama so was keen to experience it. We arrived on time and was shown to a lovely table by the window overlooking the beach - how gorgeous. The dining space is small and a little cramped but it has warmth and character. The menu and wine list is written in chalk on square chalkboards that are hung over the kitchen and bar and down one wall.

Our waiter was on top of things - she was courteous, helpful and listed each of the menu items with extra commentary. There are 4-5 choices for entree and main and I could not go past the Peppers Putenesca (inspired by Skye Gyngell) for entree and the Pink Snapper for main.

The peppers putenesca was absolutely delightful - think one red and one yellow pepper gutted and stuffed with anchovies, bocconchini and capers. It was drizzled with oil and presented on an oval shaped plate. I loved it.

The Pink Snapper was served with the crisp skin on and served with mash and green vegetables - it was also lovely. Of the dishes my dinner buddies selected one was the standout and one was really disappointing. The Kangaroo Island duck liver pate was dishes out as a massive ice cream scoop serve with sour dough - it was sensational - there was so much pate that we all got to sample it - yum! Sadly, the grain fed veal was disappointing - it was served only marginally warm (almost as if it was left out waiting for the other main meals to cook). It was dry-ish and tasted bland.

There was no way we could fit in dessert and it was nearing 9.15pm so we thought we'd have coffee/ tea. We were surprised no-one tried to move us on as most tables were on their second cover at this time. We sat enjoying the evening until 9.45pm then asked for the bill. We split the bill and as no-one had change we each gave some extra so we could work out change afterwards. Unfortunately, our waiter thought this was a tip and never returned with the change. After 15 minutes I politely asked for our change and she seemed really pissed off and asked how much we required. This put an unnecessary dampener on the evening.

Sean's Panorama is a relaxed, casual joint - I would definitely return for an early dinner again to watch the sun set over Bondi Beach.

Sean's Panorama - 270 Campbell Pde, Bondi Beach - (02) 9365 4924

http://www.seanspanaroma.com.au/