17°C | Wednesday September 11, 2024 
22 July 2024
By Hannah Wilcox
With shorter days and colder nights, many are looking for ways to keep warm this winter. What’s a better way to do that than filling up your belly with a speciality three-course meal from local favourite Ripples Chowder Bay?
Sydney Restaurant Group, operators of Ripples, are currently offering 50 percent off signature winter three-course menus across their venues.
“We launched our 50 percent off dining campaign in winter 2023 across three of our restaurants to encourage diners to enjoy the best of Sydney’s winter dining scene despite current challenges,” Sydney Restaurant Group Director Daniel Drakopoulos said.
“After witnessing tremendous success, we are thrilled to bring the offer back, extending it to an additional three restaurants in 2024.”
He added: “Our commitment to delivering exceptional dining experiences remains strong, and we are now offering a range of signature menus at half the regular price – providing an affordable opportunity to savour the finest winter dishes.”
The Sun went to put their winter specials to the test.
Between Wednesday to Sunday, diners are able to feast on an entree, main and dessert plus sides for only $59.
We decided to try the polenta crumbed Hawkesbury calamari with basil aioli and roasted eggplant served with baba ganoush, pangrattato and pomegranate.
A burst of creamy, melt-in-your-mouth flavour combos, the eggplant was a winner. A perfect example of Modern Australian cross Mediterranean fusion dining, the sweet bursts of pomegranate complemented the hearty vegetable to make up a well sized starter portion.
The calamari was similarly well presented, cooked perfectly and offered an experience of the palette with the combination of crumb and smooth sauce – although, the crumb was a little powdery and not the greatest texture.
Moving on to the mains, we dined on orecchiette with spinach, parmesan, chilli oil and stracciatella. A wonderful vegetarian option with a perfect portion size, the pasta was incredibly moreish and flavoursome.
Cone Bay barramundi with cavolo nero, beurre blanc, pine nuts and capers was also a dish tried-and-tested. The fish had a lovely flavour, nice and flaky, albeit slightly dry. Its sauce was light and zesty and paired well with the subtle sweetness of the fish.
Roasted chats with rosemary salt and mixed leaves, cucumber, olives topped with honey dressing were the nominated sides. Both were simple, yet effective complimentary dishes to the banquet.
To finish off the feast was dessert, in the shape of Ripples’ speciality tiramisu and crumble with slow roasted apple, polenta sable and vanilla bean gelato. The tiramisu ticked all the boxes, flavour, texture and portion serving size, whilst the crumble was a little sweet and heavy especially after the amount of food consumed in the previous courses.
Off the regular menu, we also ordered the halloumi tiropita with dry gin salt, honey and oregano – a personal favourite – and grilled and brushed focaccia with Tasmanian sea salt.
Two must-tries for Ripples first timers.
Accompanying the meal were two drinks – a toasted coconut daiquiri and chocolate manhattan. Disappointingly, the flavours were overpowered.11
Overall, the Sun was a fan of Ripples’ seasonal specials and recommended it for anyone looking to treat themselves to a warm, hearty meal this winter.