Following tradition, the anniversary gifts for your first wedding anniversary is paper. Knowing how much I value experiences over material items, I was gifted a degustation experience at Pilu at Freshwater.
Pilu is located north of Manly, overlooking Freshwater Beach. Our anniversary is generally quite cool, just coming out of winter, so we booked for a warmer November instead. Thankfully it turned out to be a beautiful day to be beachside.
As soon as we stepped onto the property, we were greeted by the sweet scent of star jasmine, which formed the hedges that lead us to the front door of the beach house. Star jasmine generally flowers between October and December, so we had perfect timing.
A very fragrant entrance
Pilu is a two Chef Hat restaurant specialising in contemporary Sardinian Italian cuisine. If you can, ask to book by the window so you can appreciate the sparkling coastal views.
We were initially booked in for the five course menu, but since this was a celebration, we upgraded to the eight course menu to get the full experience. This took about 3.5-4 hours.
Unlike most Italian restaurants there was no pizza in sight. With an emphasis on seafood, the flavours were subtle and fresh.
Warm potato bread, whipped ricotta and Pilu bottarga
‘Oro di Sardegna’
Saffron cured mullet, Pilu bottarga, sheep’s curd, citrus and mustard fruits
Raviolini di barbabietola e formaggio di capra, mirto e ibisco
Beetroot and goat’s cheese ‘raviolini’, mirto, cherry and hibiscus
Fregula risottata, calamari, nero di seppia, riccio di mare e peperoncino
Fregula risottata, calamari, squid ink, Tasmanian sea urchin and chilli
Culurzones ripieni di Fiore Sardo, patate, brodo di agnello, fave e olio alla menta
Ravioli of Fiore Sardo and potato, lamb consommé, broad beans and mint oil
‘Sa Burrida’
Cone Bay Barramundi, ‘Burrida’, pickled walnuts, Jerusalem artichokes and saba
Polcheddu arrustu e ‘laldinu’
‘Melanda Park’ free range suckling pig slow roasted on the bone served with ‘laldinu’
Tillicas e pardulas
Orange and saffron wrapped sheep’s curd, corbezzolo honey and tillicas pastry
Seadas ripiena di ricotta con miele della zona
Sardinian pastry filled with ricotta and sultanas, served with local honey
Favourites:
The menu started off really well. The whipped ricotta that came out with the potato bread (which really felt like potato chips and dip) was drool worthy and the ‘Oro di Sardegna’ that followed was spot on - give me anything with saffron. Unfortunately, though the rest of the menu was nice, it peaked too early and the other dishes couldn’t compare.
Least favourite:
My tastes really did not agree with the beetroot and goat’s cheese ‘raviolini’. The sour of the goat’s cheese was way too strong and overpowering for my liking.
Check out that view
A happy first year together. May we enjoy many a meals for the years to come.
