Wildginger Huskisson — Restaurant in Huskisson

Five ocean swimming middle aged women on their road trip to Huskisson did not disappoint (accomm, beaches, cafe, pub, shops) BUT the absolute highlight was our dinner with Wildginger! (and ocean swims) Arrived with a warm and friendly smile, great table (booth at door), very electric vibe and chic decor made us relax straight into the holiday feel we were looking for. After a long day at Hyams Beach, we kicked off with Cocktails (The Hot mess and Apple Bang went down a treat) while checking out the menu. Over the weekend each of us had jobs and mine was the food! So everyone was happy to hand over the ordering to me!! Yippee..... OK.... Wine for the table - Brokenwood Pinot Gris - now I'm normally go for an Italian Pinot Gris, but the Brokenwood delivered and was light, fresh and paired well with all of the dishes. Starters - Chilled Zesty Crab Salad - OMG filled with generous portion of crab for everyone to savour, the flavours and crunch were divine. Salt & Pepper Squid - probably the most "vanilla" item on the menu and it was tasty, well cooked with a bang of punch in the siracha mayo. Both the pork belly and the slow roasted beef betel leaf were an explosion in your mouth. Mains - Braised Beef Cheeks curry - melt in your mouth, fall apart curry - tasty and hearty. Crispy Chicken Salad - we were worried this was going to be too similar to our crab salad we had as a starter, but boy, it did not disappoint! Once again the portion was generous, the fried chicken was crunchy and plentiful and the sauce, I could have drank in a cup! BUT the winner of the night was..... Baked Pumpkin Jungle Curry - OMFG!!! Insane, best dish I've had in a LONG time. All the flavours were bang on, the roasted pumpkin sweet with a touch of charred crust, mounds of snap peas, snow peas and asparagus to mop up the delicious sauce...WOW WOW WOW Our waiter was fantastic, the service was prompt but not rushed and we could not have faulted a thing! Well done to chef and all the team, we cannot wait to come back!! PS Please do a cookbook so I can drink the Chicken salad sauce xx The...

The restaurant’s interior is very stylish. Unfortunately, the visual experience far outshines what arrives on the plate.

The meal started off on a low note with the crab wontons, which lacked any discernible flavour, which was disappointing at $7.00 a pop.

The salt and pepper squid was perfectly cooked, but notably missing any salt. My partner enjoyed the aioli with it though.

The pork belly salad was a standout in terms of flavour and presentation, but the portion was perplexing. We paid $30.00 and the salad only had five small cubes of pork belly.

A similar pattern followed with the katsu, which had a lovely flavour but overcooked and tough pork. I could not believe the meal we received was $38.00.

Beef cheeks were tender and absolutely delicious. Another standout. But there was a hint of sweetness in the flavour that never quite met its full potential. Again, for $40.00, you expect much more.

The peanut sauce served with one of the dishes was the most confusing thing we received… it was thick, full of sesame and peanuts, and lacking any sweetness. It was so, so odd.

Another misstep was the lack of plate changes between courses, despite the variety of flavours we’d had on our plate. I’d hope this would be a standard given the price we paid.

Not everything was disappointed. The cocktails were absolutely delicious. And the brownie was easily one of the best I have ever had. It was absolutely flawless. It makes me wonder why the chef doesn’t lean more into desserts or rustic, home-style meals where their talent clearly lies.

Ultimately, Wildginger presents itself as a high-end dining experience, but falls short on delivering value and consistency. With beautiful plating and ambiance, there’s clear potential here, but the flavours and portion sizes need serious attention, especially at this price point. We won’t be returning (unless I have a hankering for a...

It had been several years since dining at Wild Ginger and while I looked forward to once again tasting the Asian Fusion dishes, I was not sure how much I would enjoy the ambiance. I recalled our last time there, the seating and tables were placed somewhat too close to each other; the lighting was dim almost dark and the colour of the chairs and tables did not help. To my surprise the make over of interior of the restaurant was excellent. Gone were the sombre tones and a bright well lit ambiance has taken over. The food was again the star of the experience. Beef cheeks and greens with rice recalled an original favourite. Some of entrées and sides seemed quite original and new with the zesty crab and jackfruit betel leaf our selected favourites. I could imagine a great tasting menu compose mainly of these entrées and sides. The deserts were also terrifc both in presentation and taste. The special matcha cheesecake with coconut ice cream just delicious and the lemon curd tart looked stunning. The cost was reasonable for such high quality food and while the noise level was high given the restaurant was full, I expect that to not be a huge problem. Our only missing item was the absence of tea or coffee options to round out the meal. Wild Ginger is back on my menu of great restaurants in the Jervis Bay neighbourhood where these are...