Salsa Bar & Grill Restaurant Review - There aren’t many restaurants that make their own cheeses. To find one that does is nothing short of miraculous. That such a place exists in the far north is even more remarkable. With its slatted windows, white walled Havana-esque aesthetic and balmy ambience, Salsa Bar & Grill Restaurant is iconic to Port Douglas.

The Salsa Bar & Grill Restaurant style is full on modern, a fusion of Mediterranean, Asian and contemporary Australian styles. From the homemade dips, creative FNQ seafood, to the exotic Cointreau chocolate soufflé, the menu offers a cosmopolitan taste excursion.

Being a cheese nut, though, I was drawn magnetically to the prospect of their ‘made on site’ cheese platter. Forget everything you’ve ever bought in a supermarket because this is the real deal. This platter comes with a foursome of astonishingly sensuous cheeses.

The double cream goat’s blue is plain evil. Its sharp taste and silky texture are a rarity. Next comes the Za’tar feta, another cheese that blends firework tang and a rich, earthy feel. Meanwhile, the straight blue is mild, almost sweet. Then, just to put the seal on your arteries, they wheel out the triple cream brie. Adjectives like luscious, even orgasmic work fine here. Put together with the homemade walnut bread and quince this is cheese lovers’ heaven.

Naturally, it brings wine to the front of your thoughts, and once again Salsa Bar & Grill Restaurant exceeds expectation with a very cluey selection. (Big South Oz reds stand out, of course. I went for a Jim Barry Shiraz from the Clare Valley. Oh yeah.)

All this decadence only got me thinking dessert. My mind couldn’t get past the idea of the sorbet trilogy. This is surely the ideal tropical treat; light, not too sweet and rippling with exotic FNQ fruitiness.

If I wasn’t already close to unconscious with delight, the Affogato coffee with vanilla bean ice-cream and Frangelico just about put the seal on things. This is a wickedly lavish but simple indulgence. Temptation is not to be resisted in this instance.

The Salsa Bar & Grill Restaurant is a locals’ fave, no doubt, and Head Chef Goran Zonai, Sous Chef Timothy Cook, Sous Chef/Owner Bill Conway and the rest of the crew deserve every accolade that comes their way. There is not only super food here but a wonderful spirit that returns pure joy to front row centre. No wonder we all love it.

Salsa Bar & Grill Restaurant - Port Douglas Australia