Manly: Sydney, Australia

After our adventure to the Blue Mountains and our hike from Coogee to Bondi, Matt and I were keen for a slower pace of life kinda day so we headed down to Circular Quay to catch a ferry over to the northern suburb of Manly. As we made our way to the beach, we passed lots of shops and plenty of activity along the walk from the ferry port.

It felt a bit touristy (lots of shops selling Australian flag flip flops and other souvenirs) but not in an unpleasant way, just very different to other places we'd been so far (including Bondi where I had expected more of these kinds of tourist shops). The beach was pretty quiet since it was a Wednesday - it was so relaxing to just sit and listen to the waves and it was such a nice change from downtown Sydney.

We noticed a little restaurant right on the beach and thought it would be a perfect spot for some people watching. Without realizing it, we'd stumbled into one of the tastiest meals we were going to have in Australia! The Pantry Manly is situated in a 1919 beach house that was originally used as a tea house and changing rooms, which explains its amazing location!

The menu focuses on modern Australian cuisine made with local and seasonal produce. We noticed there was a wide range of dishes to choose from with influences from many areas of the world including Spain, Italy, Japan, Mexico and the UK.

It was pretty quiet by the time we popped in mid-afternoon, which was perfect for a relaxing, lazy meal by the water. And of course, what honeymoon day would be complete without a cocktail or two?! I went for the "Mojito on the Beach" (on the left below) made up of passion fruit, pineapple, Bacardi, lime and mint. I think Matt's was the "Dark and Stormy" - Kraken black spiced rum, ginger beer, and Angostura bitters.

On the food front, we went for the mixed selection of charcuterie to share: truffle salami, San Daniele prosciutto, apple and beechwood smoked ham, and Duroc Jamon Serrano.

Alongside we had the caramelized garlic bread and OH MY GOD was this GOOD!!! Easily the best garlic bread I've ever had. When we ordered it, we expected the usual - a couple slices of some nice bread brushed with a garlic butter. Instead, we got this char-grilled masterpiece that had caramelized garlic cloves baked right into the bread. It was incredible.

Since he can't pass up an opportunity for some tapas fish, Matt also ordered the white anchovies. We had completely inhaled the garlic bread so we added a basket of their daily bread, which came with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

This was such a lovely meal in a wonderful setting - we couldn't believe our luck since we'd come to Manly without any plan of where to eat. If you're in Manly, definitely check this place out and I insist you order that incredible garlic bread! Our meal came to $97 AUD (£52 GBP) which was a little on the pricey side but absolutely worth it.

Details:

Website: The Pantry Manly

Address: Ocean Promenade, North Steyne, Manly, Sydney, NSW, 2095

Hours: Breakfast from 8 - 11:30am, Lunch & Dinner from 12pm to late.