The Stunned Mullet — Restaurant in Port Macquarie

We dined here during the Queen's birthday Long Weekend, based on reviews from TripAdvisor. We were not disappointed. Greeted promptly by who we later learnt was the boss man, we were shown to our seat.

The restaurant was large, with seating for quite a few people. Artwork adorned one side while broken down wine crates created a feature wall on the other side. The large wine cellar was clearly visible at the rear of the restaurant.

In contrast to 99% of other restaurants, we were given the drinks menu along with the extensive wine menu with no food menus. This was so that we could chose something to enjoy whilst ordering food. After about 5 mins the food menus turned up with the best waiter I have ever encountered. Usually the wait staff will advise what special dishes the chefs have cooked up for the evening - but this guy was different. Instead of waxing lyrical about the specials, he simply said that he was going to give us some info about the menu - and then proceeded to explain what was in the dish, how it was prepared, where it was from, and how it was going to be cooked. This was the most fascinating and engaging experience in a restaurant for me to date.

We ordered the Desiree potato gnocchi, and the confit duck leg. The Gnocchi was hands-down the best I have ever had. People always over-use the term soft and pillowy, but here it is absolutely warranted. They were served on a smear of tart and tangy piccalilli puree, built up with fresh savoy cabbage, added crisp cauliflower and topped with micro-planed Comte and crispy sage leaves. The piece de resistance was the confit egg yolk. Yes, confit! The yolk when burst created a moist dish which tasted divine.

The duck leg was also sensational. This was my partner's dish, but upon tasting it I was again reminded what confit duck is meant to be - crispy on the outside, soft and delicious on the inside, and falling apart when the fork hits it. Confit duck shares an unenviable reputation as either really salty, dry or both. This re-affirmed what this delicacy is meant to taste like.

Dessert was then ordered, and came out shortly afterwards - apple frangipane tart with beetroot and orange sorbet and goats cheese mousse finished with raspberry dust, and banana semifredo with banana candy, pineapple, passionfruit gel and dulce de leche, topped with a coconut tuille. First, the Apple Frangipane Tart. This was a dessert that wasn’t a dessert, as it was not all that sweet, with the sorbet and mousse adding almost savoury flavours to the dish. This was my partner's choice, who enjoyed it immensely, but it wasn’t my ideal dessert. The beetroot/orange sorbet was quite delicious on its own, with the orange adding a sweet tone to counter the earthy tone of the beetroot. Paired with the goats cheese (beetroot and goats cheese is one of those wonderful classic combinations) it was quite tasty, and nothing short of inventive. As for the other dessert, it was as any dessert should be in my opinion - sweet! On its own the semifredo was nice and creamy, and true to the banana flavour. It was topped with the banana candy, which reminded me of pop rocks in its consistency (without the popping!). Arranged in a ring shape, the semifredo had alternating sweet balls of pineapple and pipings of the tart passionfruit gel added, topped with the coconut tuille, also in a ring shape. On either side were pipings of the dulce de leche. Please forgive the seemingly crude description of something which sounds so fancy, but it reminded me of a fond childhood memory when Mum would boil up a tin of Condensed Milk and we would eat it from the can. Very sweet, it perfectly balanced the rest of the dish.

No wonder this place is known as the gastronomic must-do...

The Stunned Mullet Port Macquarie. Thursday 21st August 2025. 1 hatted A stunning restaurant in Port Macquarie. The food is sensational the service professional & friendly. If you’re in Port Macquarie THESTUNNEDMULLET is a must

Cocktail - soft creamy delicious bit of a punch. Pineapple juice is just a perfect hint. Yummy. Wow now the Chambord is a super premium black raspberry liqueur is coming out. Delicious sweet (not over) fruity yummy.

Wine list by the glass is amazing. I’ll have to come back to try more. Tonight just white.

2021 Lieu Dit Melon d Bourgogne grape. So much depth of flavour again not over powering. Citrus herbal notes well balanced. 2019 Dm. Christophe- Montee de Tonnerre 1 er Cru Chardonnay. Nose of minor yeast & light citrus. Mouth is very round with slight hint of nuttiness. Rich and long lasting. Wow just wow.

2014 Leeuwin Estate - Art Series Nose light nutty yeast. Oh my goodness the taste. Light nutty peach oak on the back. Wow this is so good. Creamy with just hint of oak. Stunning wine lots years left. 2018 Tokaji - Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos Assi - PRODUCE OF HUNGARY Nose of rasin with sweetness. Wow apricot sultanas giant fruit amazing depth beautiful drink. Oyster White miso shiitake pearls - Subtle light sauce Oyster wonderfully fresh Tobika mint line extra virgin olive oil- Lime & EVOO come through it’s so good. Nahm jim - Bang that is on the money spice with deliciousness.

Scallops - seared scallops, sweet cabbage, roasted garlic aioli, coral, "oreo" cookie Beautifully cooked scallops still glistening so professional. The sauce despite the heavy look it’s light balanced. Accompanies the scallops brilliantly. Then all the other accompaniments add robust yet subtle flavours. Delicious plate of food. Fish - glacier 51 toothfish, shítake suimono, savoy cabbage, black rice wafer, daikon, enoki crisp Tooth fish has become one of my favourite foods. This is heaven. Light buttery wonderful deliciousness. Cabbage almost citrus like - Daikon adds vinegar characteristics Together as chef wants it’s a perfect balance just perfect humming flavour. Wow. Subtle sweetness from everything near the ends gives another amazing dimension just singing. Desert - passionfruit, white chocolate, ganache and caramelized pistachio our salty crème caramel, yuzu, rum Pistachio cream is just amazing. The Ganache is light even fluffy. Passion fruit is subtle in the back not overwhelming. This is a delicious way to finish. Light dish of wonderful flavours all balanced. 10 minutes and lightly flavoured passion fruit comes back hints of nuttiness. Now...

Where does one start .. We were greeted with a smile and being lead to our table. We were ready for a meal... but we didn't just get a meal, we had a dining experience that took our tastebuds on a ride that we didn't want to end. First the wine list. We had heard that it was a restaurant for oenophiles but didn't realise how extensive this was. 25 pages of wines, both local, regional and from all over the world. Based on this we would recommend looking at the wine list prior to attending. We chose a 2017 Martinborough Vineyard Te Tera Pinot Gris and we weren't disappointed. As it turned out it paired very well with the seafood on the menu. I also had a glass of the local beer - Wicked Elf IPA. We had been recommended the oysters & king fish by friends but we weren't sure what else to order. My wife was going to order the king fish for starters and then "The Fish" for main course. However, upon prompting that she may like to order another starter as they were the same fish (served very differently) she ordered the tomato expressions - brie flan, balsamic, white sorbet, olive shortbread blueberry, capsicum tuille, cherries, basil - not quite sure of what to expect. Wow! She was blown away. I ordered the oyster flight white miso, shitake pearls — pomegranate, finger lime — nahm jim which took me to places I hadn't been before. Amazing. Our only disappointment was not taking a photo of the presentation! The mains followed with my wife having the fish - skordalia, fennel, okra, green tapenade, macadamia dukkha, smoked tomato vinaigrette. She didn't think that the tomato expressions could be topped... well she was wrong. It paired so well with the starter and the wine. A flavour sensation! (I had a mouthful and can vouch for this) I had the Mandagery Creek Venison - fennel & lavender dust, beetroot jam, ricotta, curry leaf, parsnip. The Venison melted in my mouth, wonderfully matched with the jam, ricotta and parsnip. The portion sizes were generous without being too much. I wasn't sure if I would have dessert but had my arm twisted and ordered the raspberry cheesecake - so smooth and delicious with raspberry sorbet. My wife ordered the coconut sorbet and was taken to a tropical paradise. What a fantastic experience. We highly recommend visiting here for that...