Stuyvesant's House

Lemon peppered salmon

The menu is very heavy on meat - we had to ask for a special vegetarian dish in advance when we booked. The request was however treated with great respect, with several options offered, and the chefs primed in advance for our arrival.

The standard menu contains several choices of meat dishes with potatoes and vegetables. The specials of the day board contained more choices than the menu, with such things as mixed sausages with sauerkraut and mash, up to lobsters cooked in various posh ways. When we went, in the freezing midwinter July, they also had a special Yule menu - festive Christmasy dishes that some places do as a concession to the traditional old-country winter Christmas. So there was quite a variety to choose from. And if that wasn't enough, the regular menu contained, for some unfathomable reason, a handful of Indonesian dishes such as nasi goreng.

The service was immaculate. Very friendly, fast, efficient. And the food was very good. The Dutch Bitterballs served as appetisers were soft and nicely spiced, going well with the mustard that came with them. The veg dish was generously piled and delicious, and the peppered steak was tender and also delicious. A choice of four mustards was available - everything seemed to be designed to be accompanied by mustard.

Although the desserts looked tempting, with various cakes lashed with chocolate and cream as well as blueberry pancakes and crepes, I fancied something a bit lighter, so we finished off by going to Bravo for some take-away gelato instead.

A good meal in a nice atmosphere, but we'll probably not return soon because of the price.

Having experienced the feeling of being too stuffed to move after the appetitisers and entree, selecting a lighter start to the meal makes enjoying the main course and dessert a possibility. Rudi (one of the owners) does a lively patter of jocular quips amongst the diners as he coordinates the service and attends to your every need. It could get a little tedious if you're in the mood for a really quiet meal, but it's all in good fun.

A (relatively) light meal option here would be the soup of the day (I had lobster bisque, which was very spicy) and a fish dish, such as the lemon peppered salmon (shown above). Following this, dessert is a distinct possibility. If you can't decide, a good option is the Stuyvesant Special, which is a sampler dish containing smaller portions of six, count them, of the other desserts. There's also a cheese platter, which had four interesting varieties when we tried it, including a pungent soft cheddar that Rudi declared to be his favourite.

Despite not being wine drinkers, we must mention the wine list. Ask for it specially, and the waiter returns with an ancient leather-bound tome that wouldn't look out of place on the shelf of Hogwarts library. In its 100 or so pages resides a catalogue of a cellar that must extend three floors below the restaurant. Even I have heard of the famous Penfolds Grange, and they offered the 1991 vintage by the bottle or by the glass - though if you've hankered to try a sip and figure this is a good opportunity be prepared to part with the better part of $100.