This breezy beachfront spot is all about relaxed summertime eating and drinking
Kick off your proper shoes and watch the waves roll in at Bobbys in Cronulla with a glass of rosé and a barra burger.
14/20
Mediterranean$$
Sit on a stool in a broad open window at Bobbys, and a billion shades of watery blue will be rolling gently, mesmerically towards you. The salty breeze in your face screams summertime.
Actually no, it screams lunchtime. A chilled Peroni and Cantabrian anchovies on toast, thanks. Or a glass of rosé and a barra burger.
South Cronulla, if you don’t know it, is one of those lovely Sydney beaches backed by sloping green lawns and shady old trees, with a slim esplanade and curve of white sand. What was the Zimzala restaurant, right on the foreshore, is now Bobbys.
Husband-and-wife team Adam and Kylie Micola also own Shire favourite, the kid-friendly, dog-friendly Bangor Tavern, and named this place in honour of Adam’s father. Bob had his son clearing glasses in Kings Cross in his teens, and most recently running the heritage Frisco Hotel in Woolloomooloo.
The space is decked out in neutral tones of natural stone, with bare tables and crazy-paving floors. Lined with a long banquette so that most diners face the ocean, it has a big open kitchen on a raised level behind.
Design team Tom Mark Henry has kept it all clean, simple and blonde, and Emma Jarvie of Jarvie Designs has given the branding a squiggle to represent coastline, and sardine-printed merch. I like the breeziness of the layout, the way one end is casual and beachy with outdoor seating and no need for a T-shirt, while the other is little more civilised, but not too much.
Former Ortiga Brisbane and Merivale chef Pablo Tordesillas is listed as executive chef, while head chef Shaun Baker (Pier, Yan Restaurant, bills) runs the kitchen. It’s a beachy-keen, summery menu, all ocean trout crudos and prawn rolls with sriracha mayo.
My table is soon sending out summer vibes with its modestly sized platters of oxheart tomato and goat’s curd salad ($23) and creamy stracciatella cheese topped with fried rosemary, honey and hazelnuts ($18). Before I know it, the accompanying focaccia is loaded up with both, and it feels good. A pinot gris from Maker, Master, Merchant ($14/$62) is just as refreshing.
Systems and stocktakes are yet to settle, and a couple of wines and beers are (apologetically) unavailable. Similarly, the menu lists linguine with prawn, cuttlefish, garlic, chilli and chives ($32), but what comes is a thicker, broader tagliatelle instead, never as much fun. The sauce is nice and velvety with a bisquey richness and a little bite from the chilli, and the chopped prawns throughout are sensitively cooked.
A barra burger is a big order ($25), a cleverly engineered layering of crumbed barramundi fillet wedged between cos lettuce leaves, white onion and a toasted milk bun spread with tartare sauce; shoestring fries on the side. Full marks for getting a crisp coating on the barra without overcooking the fish inside.
It’s summer by the beach, so it has to be pavlova ($15); the crusty, creamy meringue freshened up with diced mango and passionfruit puree and a scattering of lemon balm. Alternatives are a lemon tiramisu or chocolate semifreddo, both good ideas given the setting.
Let’s face it, you don’t need anything too fancy or pricey when you just want to get out of the sun and have something nice to eat, without having to put proper shoes on. And you certainly don’t want immaculately plated dishes from a kitchen more interested in gaining chefs’ hats than feeding people in straw hats.
It’s even open early in the morning, for Piazza d’Oro coffee and pastries from the counter. Many operators wouldn’t bother doing that just for the locals, intent on capturing the higher-spend lunch and dinner market.
Bobbys is a breath of fresh air for beachside dining, keeping things simple, friendly and with can-do service. Go for the summery food and the watermelon spritzes, sure, but the best thing on the menu – the real go-to dish – is the sea.
The low-down
Go-to dish: Bobbys pavlova, $15
Vibe: Sum-sum-summertime
Drinks: Seaside negroni, Watermelon Sugar High spritz, Mediterranean-influenced wines
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- Accepts bookings
- Great or interesting view
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- Family-friendly
- Gluten-free options
- Good for groups
- Private dining room
- Date night
- Vegetarian-friendly
- Wheelchair access
- Good for solo diners
- Outdoor dining
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