Bluewater Bistro Port Douglas - Cnr Mowbray St and Esplanade, Port Douglas. Ph:  07 4099 4335  

Bluewater Bistro at the Port Douglas Surf Life Saving Club was years in the making. Set almost on Four Mile Beach, Bluewater Bistro sits front row central in tropical chill out nirvana. This is classic beachy rusticana, a kind of nostalgic shoreside paradise under the sails.

There’s plenty of dining to enjoy here, with a menu that ranges from breakfast, to pizza, to burgers, pasta, seafood, kid friendly dishes and bistro style mains. The menu is as long as Four Mile Beach and just as tempting.

Our party, (three adults, two under fifteens), rolled in at sunset for dinner. Apart from being knocked out by the sheer loveliness of dusk from the deck we were immediately taken with the super friendly service. It’s something that the venue operators have sworn themselves to; namely, upholding Port Douglas’s tradition of no bull, casual warmth.

As for starters, well, we went for a couple of pizzas instead. (The kids insisted.) The 11yo boy chose the maximum taste BBQ chicken and I must say that the BBQ sauce did make it fly. It certainly got my tastebuds primed. The adults went for the subtler but lusher flavours of the vegetarian, with mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, roasted capsicum and olives. A great kick-off to the evening.

All of which set the scene for our mains. Bistro legends abounded, with chicken parmigiana, a fantastic open lamb souvlaki and and a generous 300g sirloin with creamy mash and big flavoured, beer battered onion rings. (I nicked a cut from the steak and can declare it sinfully pleasant.)

One of the kids, (the 14yo daughter), chose the penne vego, which was flecked nicely with fetta and pine nuts. It was a simple but rewarding little pasta dish, and a fairly light option on a menu loaded in favour of heartier fare.

For me it was the seafood curry, loaded with ‘caught that day’ tropical ocean delights and served Thai green style with basmati rice and pappadums. I must say here that the kitchen crew really got this one right. Classics like this are sometimes easier to mess up but the Bluewater team nailed it nicely. This is food you just can’t help loving.

Whilst the 11yo boy enjoyed his pavlova with seasonal fruit, the 14yo drank Diet Coke and the rest of us kicked back with a couple of cold beers and enjoyed the balmy afterglow of a real bluewater classic.

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