not that fantastic

Much has been said about Whitebait & Kale that Australian-styled restaurant at Camden Medical Centre.

Asiacuisine gave it an overal rating of 88/100 which is pretty good.

But on my visit there I was disappointed.

We started with the whitebait, which according to Charmaine was pretty yummy. But it wasn't crispy enough instead it was chewy. But it still managed to be pretty addictive - -just couldn't stop.

The bread that was deposited in front of us was disappointing. It was a little damp and uninspired. It was at room temperature and didn't really seem too fresh.

I chose the panfried barramundi with cannelli beans and pesto. I really do like the fish but as I found out yesterday, just not panfried. I thought it spoiled the taste of the fish really. Leave the panfried-ing to salmon! (oh then again, just leave the salmon - it's best raw!)

My dining companions (as they like to be known in restaurant reviews) had teh linguini with mud crab and the speciality - the snapper pie.

I didn't try the pasta but here's a word of warning: prepare to get your hands dirty.

The first sign was the nutcracker placed not too discreetly in front of her, and then the large empty bowl ('for the shells'). Last came the finger bowl, which the waiter thoughtfully explained to us as he laid it on the table.

The snapper pie which I did try, wasn't as good as it sounded. It was just an ordinary puff pastry covered broth type thing. Ok that doesn't really explain it too well but I don't like the idea of a fish pie really. Pies should be more.... meaty. Like those delicious Australian beef pies (which you can even find at the Sydney airport!)

The desserts did fare better. We had the bete noir and the white chocolate mousse. Although I'm a chocoholic and a white chocolate hater, I prefered the mousse.

The bete noir is like a moisty chocolate cake (teeny slice though) and it comes with some cinnamon ice-cream, a slice of pear and peach. The fruits seemed a little out of place and cinnamon with chocolate? please.

The mousse came with some berries n had a sour-ish berry sauce thing over it. My friend said it was like something from Jamie Oliver. Yeah it did look like something he'd do. But it was quite a large portion so best to share really.

Price? We spent about 35 each. shared starter, mains and dessert. No drinks although I was tempted by the Kit Kat Martini (one of about 25 varieties I was told).

Service isnt too bad but they could be nicer when trying to clean the table and remove your plate.