Pickled Octopus Seafood & Thai Cafe — Restaurant in Tuross Head

It’s been a couple of years since I last ate here and went for a birthday lunch in September. To say I was disappointed in the meal is an understatement. Not just disappointed, shocked at the decline in the quality of the food would be a better description. I had fish cakes for entree and a red curry for main, my partner had satay scallops (a special) and choo chee prawns - their signature dish. The fish cakes tasted like the frozen ones I buy from our local Asian supermarket - which is not a terrible thing, when I’ve bought 50 of them frozen for a reasonable price. Last time I ate at Pickled Octopus the fish cakes were 100% homemade, succulent, flavoursome and again, undeniably homemade. On my last dining experience there I had their laksa which was one of the most delicious meals I have ever eaten. This time I thought since the laksa had been so good previously, I would try their red curry. What an utterly disappointing and bland experience that was, including the cheap crinkle cut carrots and zucchini that you would usually associate with your plastic tub style local Thai takeaway or having been served from the Thai buffet at the local mall. The Choo Chee prawn dish previously was rich and fragrant and of perfect consistency compared to the salty gloop we were served this time. The scallops were drowned in sickly sweet peanut butter, not resembling satay in any way, shape or form. Frustratingly, the red curry was served without rice and in this lop sided style bowl. As the curry sauce was so thin, it was near impossible to eat without spilling, spoons were not provided to serve/eat the meal with and they forgot my rice order (that I had to order because bizarrely they serve curries without a side dish of rice). A truly disappointing experience given the last time we dined there I was transported back to Thailand (or at the very least transported to a top notch city style Thai dining house). Five of us dined for lunch at a cost of around $400. Definitely do not recommend. Save your money on this place and head to your local Thai takeaway for a similar yet...

Good food, good service and great view. Small serving sizes.

No Table service on the bottom floor for ordering, but they will bring you your meals. We didn't get a drinks, dessert menu or children's menu sitting down there though and we had several small children with us. The staff were friendly and accommodating and it was a dog friendly experience on our recent visit. We found cups in a nearby cabinet and self-serve table water in an urn. It has changed owners over the years and now offers a basic range of Thai food seafood. The seafood range was mostly deep-fried with one or two grilled options. The fish and chips was a highlight and a good sized piece of fish, and the calamari was nice. The chicken chilli & basil gets your nose running but was small. The salt and pepper squid was 4 pieces of squid about 10cm long on a few bits of chopped shallot. The serving sizes were on the smaller side all round. Some of us had to order more as the octopus salad was a nice dish, but not enough on its own for us. It wasn't chewy and was done well. The Pad Thai was a good size and fairly fish-saucey. The affogato and Irish Luck desserts/coffees/drinks were nice. They each provide one shot of alcohol and a shot of coffee over ice cream. Other places have served Frangelico as well as Tia Maria with the affogato but it's just one or the other here. In summary, the peaceful view is worth the visit and the food was good, although servings were small. Fine dining serving sizes for regular fish&chip/Thai flavours...

Overlooking the Tuross River the elevated open-air dining room of the Pickled Octopus is just the sort of place you want to dine on a holiday. Settle in for sunset and table service upstairs with a bottle of BYO ($12) or buy a bucket of beers ($45/5) for the adults and snaffle one of the outdoor tables where the kids can make a bit more noise. Down on the dock tables you’ll be ordering via a QR code or coming upstairs to the counter to make your selections. It’s worth checking out the specials. The chalkboard menu provided our dish of the night: moo lang ($30). This saw tender slices of grilled pork neck set over salad with nam jim poured from a shot glass at the table.

Tiny Tassy scallops ($25/4) got a bit lost under a peanut-butter heavy satay sauce. While the choo chee curry they were perched in lacked a bit of nuance, the signature choo chee prawns ($48) gravy was creamy and enjoyable over rice. The soupy bowl hides baby bok choi and broccoli florets. From the kitchen’s grill station, which shares the same magnificent river view, barbecued baby octopus ($30) has enough char to counter the sweet chilli nam jim it is paired with. We enjoyed meeting the owner, Bee Creevey, who came out to our table at the conclusion of our meal. Bee explained the picturesque locale and Tuross Head lifestyle has helped her woo an all-Thai kitchen team away from city life for the seven years she has rented this...