The Flotilla — Restaurant in Newcastle-Maitland

(4.5 stars) Dusky pink clouds make Wickham a surprisingly inviting place to dine. The pale blue exterior of The Flotilla disappears into the sky. The building’s light industrial bones are enhanced by shaded front decks reminiscent of construction site scaffolding. Inside, the hard industrial remnants are softened by low lighting, slouchy tan leather banquettes and a syrupy warm welcome from restaurant manager Eduardo Molina.

We bond over wine. With a partner who works in wine imports, Molina tells me he’s a “high functioning, raging alcoholic”. He uses his lived expertise to steer us to the 2021 CRFT Arranmore Vineyard Chardonnay ($110). I love it: balanced oak, malolactic fermentation with enough acidity to drive it, a maritime salty lick and a coconut and vanilla-tinged nose you could get lost in. Molina also delivers extra snacks plucked from the baller menu ($120/person): punchy smoked fish rillettes in bottarga cream and caramelised butternut pumpkin beignets dusted with togarashi in a soy emulsion. They contrast nicely with the normal menu’s ($95/head) more delicate ajo blanco, a chilled white soup with soothing macadamia cream, peppery pickled celery and green grapes.

Head chef Jake Deluca celebrates the season with summer squash sitting over confit eggplant, smoked stracciatella, zucchini, and gremolata. While we both welcomed the amount of vegetables, my dining companion craved a bit more protein on the dishes. When it was there, it was fabulous, across Barigoule mussels and Cape Grim wagyu. The mussels, pickled in vinegar and white wine, are clever and original. Served with sweet onions and salt’n’vinegar chips, they are exactly what you want to eat after a day at the beach: nostalgia taken to the modern day. The short rib was marinated in lemon and buttermilk to break it down into a charred piece of ridiculously soft deliciousness against a textbook potato galette, sharp mustard and a pot of juicy zucchini on romesco. The star of the three small dessert courses was the poached blood plums with a breakfast-inspired collection of oats, yoghurt ice cream and milk tuille sails that will float you off into the night with another...

Beware of extras with extortionate charges - felt a bit like we were being scammed.

We had a late Sunday lunch here. The very friendly waitress asked if we were local (answer, no were visiting Australia on honeymoon), explained there was a set 5 course $85 menu then said "sometimes the chef likes to add a little extra dish, especially at the end of the day. Today he's done a lovely charcoal grilled lamb belly, are you ok with this?" We love food and will eat anything so answered yes. We were shocked when $100 was added to our bill at the end of the meal for the lamb (the full 5 course tasting menu was $85, and the lamb was no more substantial than the other savoury dishes on the menu). We've had several tasting menus in Australia, which usually have extra courses. In some restaurants these are clearly indicated with a price on the menu, in some restaurants they've been complimentary. I've never had a dish where they've implied it was complimentary (we may have misunderstood but there was definitely no mention of an additional charge) and then found our at the end of the meal it was excessively expensive.

When we complained, they said no, that's not right and bought a new receipt with the extra charge now $50. It had exactly the same description (2 x lamb) so clearly the price hadn't been programmed into the till, so it felt like a scam to get as much money as we'd be willing to pay (possibly because they knew we were foreigners, as it didn't seem like standard practice) We didn't want to make a fuss so settled up the bill and left

It's a shame as the food was lovely, as was the service. We particularly loved the beef short rib! If they'd not added an unexpected $100 to our bill (bearing in mind the entire 5 course tasting menu was $85) it'd have been a 5...

There is something super special about The Flotilla. It’s fine dining and it’s classy … without the pretence. It’s the attention to every detail, the passion for extraordinary food and wine, the beautiful atmosphere in the small space, and the desire to see every guest walk away more than satisfied that sets it apart. You get a sense that every staff member, no matter what their role, wants you to have a wonderful time. Chef Shayne’s creativity and experience is all over his incredible menu, which is always changing. Every flavour has been thought about and you will have trouble deciding what not to eat. Sitting at the kitchen bench is loads of fun if you want to watch and ask questions. We loved chatting with the chefs about the food! Eduardo and his wait staff are friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu and wine list, and their service is always impeccable. I’ve not had one bad experience here, and even loved their “Flotilla @ Home” option during lockdown. We’re lucky to have a place like this in this part of Newcastle. It’s perfect for a special occasion, or...