Blu Water Grill

Fun mother daughter dinner date x2 somewhere close-ish to home. Haven't been to Hornsby for a while, but it's nice to know they still offer free parking after 6pm (unlike parra who changed to after 7pm, and no free parking at all in December). There are plenty of outdoor and indoor seating, we opted for indoors since it was a hot summer's evening. Quite a lot of people there on a Sunday night.

wine case

hanging lights

Risotto of the day (main): creamy chicken, bacon, mushroom, peas and mozzarella-$25.90

Looks small from this angle, but there was more than enough to share between 4 people. It was super creamy and cheesy, so would be a bit heavy for one person, but perfect to share. Lots of tender chicken with strips of bacon. Would have like more mushroom. It was perfectly seasoned, creamy and cheesy but not overly salty.

Crispy skinned king salmon w/ watercress, rocket, cucumber & preserved lemon salad, spicy water melon salsa-$28.90 

Watermelon made the whole dish so exciting and refreshing! Bit of pepper to spice things up. Heaps of greens with a lovely tangy dressing on top of the salmon. Surprised the skin remained crispy after the salad was placed on top, a million photos, then slitting it into portions. Salmon was fresh, but slightly cooked a bit over but not overcooked like my last encounter...so definitely satisfied.

Tapas Plate: Grilled chorizo w/ honey glazed Spanish onions Kumera chips w/ spicy cumin yoghurt, Twice baked crispy pork belly bits, served w/ pita bread-$22.50

pork belly

sweet potato chips

The tapas plate was value for money, so happy with this decision, and it's perfect for sharing. I chose the pork belly, which was crispy, and not too fatty. There were over 8 pieces in there. The sauce kind of reminded me of an Asian marinade, which is different for Western pork belly style since it's normally just salted. So delicious. Also chose the chorizos, but since sausages are generally quite unhealthy, this wasn't really popular, but I love my chorizo, so ended up having most of it. The extra onions with sauce if perfectly balanced with the bread, since the chorizo itself is quite heavy on flavour. The chips were cooked to amazingly as well, and loved the health-ish yogurt dip. Chips were soft and not oily. Amazed at how all 3 dishes plus our own small dishes and glasses fit onto the table. Two waiters came to place the food and rearrange the table-that skill on point.

Dessert: Lemon & pistachio buttermilk pannacotta w/ Cointreau gelato & toffee 14.5

yummm

Yay-panna cotta served on a dish, and it did indeed have that 'wobble' effect. The panna cotta was really refreshing and not too creamy, maybe because of the buttermilk. There was a lemon jelly-like thing on top, with lemon zest. On the side were cut up strawberries, and pistachio crumb/toffee, which gave the dish a sweetness and texture, and a good nutty flavour. The gelato tasted like the alcohol-kind of like that artificial sweet orange flavour...Melted quite quickly, but homemade is generally like that, still loved the smooth and creamy texture. Presentation was simple and rustic.

Pot of soy-$4.50

On the receipt it said English breakfast tea, but this was just soy milk warmed and served in a teapot. It was enough for almost 4 full cups, so no idea how one person would finish it...We ended up sharing it between 4 people since we were super full.

night

The staff are super lovely, and happy for us to share 3 main dishes, and 1 dessert between the 4 of us. They knew if we needed anything straight away. Decently priced for a place up north, and no extra charged for a Sunday night dinner. Hope to be back to try more!