Beach Bum is like, wow, wipe out
HAWAIIAN-themed Beach Bum has moved closer to the sea, but can it satisfy seaside suburbs desperate for some quality dining?
LISTEN closely to that bowl of pasta and you will hear tall stories, laughter, the excited squeal of children, clinking glassware, idle gossip, sauce splattering, more laughter. A family around the table, comfortable in each other’s company, sharing in the love.
That’s what I heard, anyway, sitting down with a plastic bib around my neck, a tomato grin on my lips, knee deep in the one-and-only dish on the menu at Spaghetti Crab.
There’s plenty to admire in the bite of the al dente pasta, the sunny sugo, the reward of sweet meat to be found after cracking open carapace or claw, the warmth of the service, the sheer bravado of contemplating a project such as this, the honesty of it all.
Spaghetti Crab, as the score below might give away, is not the subject of this review. It does, however, have some significant connections with Beach Bum, which opened first in the same O’Connell St premises, before its recent move to the sea.
Both concepts also have, at least in part, sprung from the boundless imagination of serial entrepreneur Walter Ventura, whose mum shared the recipe for crab pasta and whose dad, recently recognised for a lifetime of achievement in restaurants, is still involved at Ruby Red Flamingo.
I have to declare a personal interest in Beach Bum II, as its new location, in what was a Thai restaurant on Brighton Rd (also part of the Ventura empire), is a few blocks from home in a slice of seaside suburbia that is surprisingly bereft of dining options offering anything more than baseline belly filling. I don’t want much: just a little personality, some smart service, a chef who cares and a wine list that doesn’t read like the specials bins from the local bottlo.
Beach Bum has a Hawaiian theme, playing particularly on the islands’ strong Japanese influence and surf shack culture. Walls are clad in vaguely nautical timber planks, basket-woven light features look like they could be used to trap fish, and native masks and icons are daubed on the walls outside and above the bar.
In the kitchen, that theme gives scope for both health-conscious poke bowls of raw fish and less-health-conscious burgers, burritos and deep-fried dude food — in theory something for all. It also is a licence, apparently, to use a sweet, sticky soy tar as the fallback flavour boost of choice.
The sauce is drizzled all over a stack of tempura battered strips of soft, gooey eggplant and oyster mushroom that makes a nice textural contrast with its firmer chew. The coating is crisp and clean, at least where the soy hasn’t soaked in.
Pork tacos are daubed in a similar substance, as well as a spicy mayonnaise and avocado puree, all of which isn’t enough to disguise the fact that the tiles of belly have had all the juice and joy cooked out of them, quite an achievement.
Octopus tentacles from the specials board have gone beyond the expected char of a barbecue to a full-scale cremation, the outside black and flaky, the flesh dry.
The Big Island Plate is a DIY taco, with tortillas, accompaniments and a choice of meat laid out ready to roll. Scotch fillet has been given a good soak in a marinade of soy and coffee before grilling, a combination that concentrates to an enticing, complex glaze. Dishes of smoked corn and a tomato-based salsa, however, seem faded and tired.
The best bet, then, is the poke, this version with soba noodles and cubes of salmon, surrounded by little bundles of shredded cabbage, pickled carrot, edamame and seaweed, all scattered with shredded nori and sesame seeds. There’s plenty of crunch and interest in each mouthful, whether you work through each component separately or mix it all up together. Just make sure to pull out the plastic sachet of wasabi first.
Poached pear, pineapple sorbet and a black sesame caramel is more confectionery than fruit, the flavours sweet and artificial.
Throw in a service regimen where we are repeatedly asked the same questions by different people but the drinks we order never arrive, and the whole experience is, well, a bummer. I’d settle for a bowl of Spaghetti Crab any day.
simon.wilkinson@news.com.au
BEACH BUM
406 Brighton Rd, Hove
8296 1447, beachbum.net.au
OWNERS Nathan Liu, Cindy Chang, Naveen Irkulla, Walter Ventura
CHEF Nathan Liu FOOD Hawaiian/Japanese SMALLER $6.90-$14.90 LARGER $14.90-$29.90 DESSERT $10.90 DRINKS Cruise between Hawaiian lager, tropical cocktails or a wine list that covers the basics BYO $12.75
Open for
LUNCH Fri, Sun
DINNER Wed-Sun
SCORE 5.5/10