Brunch at Deckhouse, Woolwich

deckhouse,woolwich

Is there anything more perfect than a waterfront brunch?

I think not! I recently had the pleasure of being invited to a gorgeous café called Deckhouse, a bit of a hidden gem located right on the Woolwich Dock for a social media brunch (#deckhousebrunch on Twitter). I would be brunching with an interesting group of food bloggers including Leona from Pigged Out, John from He Needs Food, Simon from Simon Food Favourites and Becca from The Bon Vivant Blog, and also some of Twitter’s cool crowd such as the lovely Iggy and Kerry Pintado, Denea from Gourmet Rabbit, Kristin Rohan, Nancy Georges, Tony Hollingsworth, Alvin Quah aka Cinnamon Pig, Tricha, Aisha and April from SBS and more!

These days it’s actually difficult to imagine a world without Twitter or Facebook or reading blogs. All are brilliant tools to keep in touch with people, as well as to share bits and pieces of your own life online. But social media is more than just laptops and smart phones and buzz words, it’s about engaging in a real conversation which in turn provides real-time advertising for businesses big and small. But a lesser-explored side of social media is the social part – actually getting these people together, eating and drinking and having fun, to in turn spread the message to all of their networks combined. If you want a really comprehensive view at the numbers, go and visit Nancy’s blog. Quite incredible!

Have a look at the video below (edited by moi, but filmed on iPhones, so bear with us!) for a peek into what the brunch was all about!

It was an absolutely stunning day as we were shown to the side verandah and offered glasses of Jansz sparkling wine or Mimosas – not a bad way to start the morning if I do say so myself! There were familiar faces as well as some new ones. Functions Manager Barb was lovely and gave us a bit of background about the venue. Deckhouse has only been open for about 9 months, but is part of the Dedes Group, which has over 30 years of knowledge and industry experience. Also under the Dedes umbrella are Dedes Restaurant, The Italian Kitchen & Bar and Flying Fish. Combine the beautiful views and great service with Chef Samantha Lockery’s experience at Bathers Pavillion and Billy Kwong, you can see why it’s such a popular brunch spot. They are also booked out almost every weekend with weddings and functions.

deckhouse,woolwich

The food started to come out, and all looked incredible. One of my favourites from the day was the Berries and Yoghurt topped with House-made Granola. Tell me I’m boring, but this is similar to what I eat most days for breakfast and they have done it exceptionally well.

deckhouse,woolwich

My other favourite of the day was the lovely Field Mushroom and Feta tartlets. I’m not usually a huge mushroom fan but these were fabulous, full of flavour with a delicious crispy pastry. I had to have two, just to make sure.

deckhouse,woolwich

Next up were a series of beautiful fresh salads, where you could really taste the quality of the ingredients. The first was a Peppered soft shell crab with pickled cucumber, red radish and round mint. I really enjoyed this, although I agree with Simon, I think that if the crab was piled on top of the vegetables, it would have stayed nice and crispy.

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The Prawn, Peach and Peri Peri salad was an interesting and summery combination of ingredients that really worked. There was also thinly sliced fennel in the mix, which gave the salad a nice fresh crunch. I could have happily eaten this all to myself!

deckhouse,woolwich

One of the most popular dishes on the day was the scrumptious Grilled Haloumi cheese with smoked apples and olives. Oh haloumi, how much do I love you! The apples and olives were a wonderful accompaniment.

deckhouse,woolwich

We were also very lucky to be served some homemade treats from Managing Director Con Dedes’ mother Yaya who came to visit. There was a traditional Pasticcio, Spanakopita and other absolutely delicious savoury pastries. It was a really lovely gesture.

deckhouse,woolwich

By this point I was really struggling for stomach space but there was one more dish to come out. Deckhouse has just been named as one of Sydney’s Top 10 Fish & Chips spots, so these were a must-try. The tempura fish and fat chips were served in cute individual portions with tartare sauce and lemon. The crunchy coating on the fish was delicious and the chips were fried to perfection. I can definitely imagine eating a whole plate of these while looking out onto the water.

Many thanks to the Deckhouse team for putting on such a lovely brunch, it was a great showcase of the venue, the atmosphere and the beautiful food. I would love to come back with some friends for a proper lazy weekend brunch, and catch up over several cups of excellent coffee.

Deckhouse, Clarke Rd, Woolwich Dock

Deckhouse Cafe on Urbanspoon

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