For some, Valentine’s Day is a day to feed the materialistic monkey on their back … a day of rib constricting outfits, stomach bulging dinners and mortgage inducing gifts. For others it’s a day to rejoice in the simplicity of love … the effortless expression of love through a heartfelt embrace and lingering kiss. And then there are those of us who languish in the middle ground somewhere between indulgence and ignoring the day all together. Last weekend I pondered a potential solution for we fence sitters and a way to go back to a time without rules.
© The Ponder Room
|
|
A friend and I dropped into Clancy’s Fishbar at City Beach and the first thing I noticed was the opening hours. The sign simply read … ‘Open until sunset’. In an era where you’re often surrounded by bicycle helmets, steel capped boots and mobile phone alarms, this freedom from rules was a joyous reprieve. I turned my phone to silent and felt my shoulders instantly sink from around my ears.
Then I looked at the menu. Gone were the rigid groupings of entre, main, and dessert, so too the myriad of confusing price levels. Instead there was one page outlining ten options, each one costing the same $12.50. Simple. Here’s a taster of what was on offer …
 |
|
© The Ponder Room
|
Lamb, paprika and pinenut meatballs, chipotle, and Greek yoghurt
White anchovies, soft boiled egg, roquette, crispy bacon, salsa verde
Market fish capaccio, pink grapefruit, sea salt, chives
Grilled smoked chorizo, preserved lemon, tomato and saffron relish
Pork san choy bow, crisp lettuce, water chestnuts, fried noddles
Fresh strawberries, King Island Brie, muscatels and crackers
Settling on the cold smoked Tasmanian salmon, avocado, crisp asparagus and fresh lemon was a good choice. The fresh creamy avocado perfectly balanced the crisp asparagus and rich salmon.
As the sun sank into the sea I pondered ….
 |
|
© The Ponder Room
|
… how lucky we are to live in Perth, where the sunsets are free and you can still find places that don’t douse you with rules before you even sit down. You can forget the diamonds, chocolates and flowers … sometimes all you need is sun, sand and $20.
