Icebergs, Bondi Beach

One of the nice things about having a sister who's a chef in Sydney is that we can quickly shortlist the good places to eat. And while we are dining, she can amuse us to no end with the stories of things that go on in the kitchen. Lita's first job right out of the Sydney Cordon Bleu was here at Icebergs. This was a few years ago and I don't remember many of the 'characters' in her stories. 

What I remember is that she was so excited to get this job and that she was distracted during the interview with a good-looking chef who she said had "Bondi blue eyes!"  I think even if he wasn't cute, it would be distracting to be talking to someone with this gorgeous view in the background, don't you think?

Today, even the patrons are in different shades of blue--what a nice coincidence! It would've been jarring to see a red or fuschia outfit against that background.

 

We were planning to go to the more casual restaurant across the beach, owned by the same people of Icebergs, but it was closed, so we ended up eating here. Good thing too because it brought to life all of Lita's kitchen stories.  I keep convincing her to create a food blog since she has lots of recipes and interesting stories to share--plus she writes very well-- but she's just too busy at work! Maybe eventually when she retires, she'll write a David Lebovitz type of blog.

Iceberg's is a fine dining restaurant, but everyone is casual. I like that about Sydney. Everyone is relaxed.

The salad in the first picture is the Salt baked Gold and Purple Beetroot Salad. I sent it back because I didn't see any roasted walnuts. They brought it back with walnuts, more beets and greens.

Lita had a simple soup which was delicious,

And a squid-ink risotto. 

I had a fish risotto which was superb.

And B had a steak! They were all very good.

We looked over the dessert menu after but we didn't have any. Lita's a pastry chef and I told her I'm not paying that much for something she can make for me anytime. Actually, we had been overeating since the first dinner she prepared for us at home, so we were trying to skip calories whenever we could. 

The view is fantastic. You can see surfers swimming out in the cold water. The blue of the ocean is repeated in the interiors of the restaurant (and today also the diners). The simple interiors don't grab  attention away from the view.

Below is the bar area. Ack--where did that red pillow come from?!

Below the dining room is a public salt water pool that belongs to the Icebergs Bondi Club--I'm not sure if it's related to the restaurant but Lita said that every beach here in Sydney has something like this.

Service was unusually slow today and it was way past 3 pm when we left the restaurant. The other guests, even if they were in business attire, didn't look like they were rushing or leaving any time soon. Maybe when there's a magnificent view to stare at, diners are more patient--they just sit back, relax and enjoy the view!

Icebergs Dining Room and Bar
One Notts Avenue Bondi Beach
Tel 61 2 9365 9000
Fax 61 2 9365 9099
idrb@idrb.com