Dining in Daintree

A year has passed since my last trip to Australia. It was my third time there and as this time I was taking my girlfriend for her birthday, I wanted to visit a part of Australia that I hadn’t been to before, but which would be stunningly beautiful enough to give her a taste of what that great country has to offer. One place that I had sadly missed on my original travels was the Daintree Rainforest, and when we got there it certainly didn’t disappoint.

This ancient rainforest is picture perfect natural beauty. The rich lush flora covers a huge area. In fact at Cape Tribulation the rainforest meets the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef. Being in such an unspoiled part of the world, it’s hard not keep stopping to just stand still and stare in awe at how the world may have looked millions of year ago. We were lucky enough to book several nights at the Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa, an award winning luxury spa with a perfect location nestled right in the rainforest. We stayed in one of their “bayans”, tree-house style individual chalets dotted in amongst the forest. The humid tropical heat meant during the night the windows needed to be left open with just a fine wire mesh between you and the pitch black of the rainforest night with all of its exotic sounds. In fact it took me a couple of nights to get used to the cacophony of squeals, squawks and other even odder noises that are projected from every square inch of the forest.

We went for dinner at their in-house Julaymba Restaurant. It did amaze me as I looked around, surrounded by trees from all sides and above, frogs chirruping in a fresh water pond next to me and even a bandicoot running around my feet under the table! Being in this remote location I wasn’t expecting miracles, but it appears they have Jesus working in the kitchen turning local ingredients into the most delicious fusion food.

We feasted on succulent yabbies (a native freshwater crayfish), hearty salads using local rainforest berries and nuts, local fish and much, much more. Yet the flavours in my mouth could have come from a top London or New York restaurant…how do they do it? It turns out it wasn't Jesus at all but Mark O’Brien the Head Chef, a man with a real passion for taking traditional Australian “bush tucker” and transforming it into delicious modern dishes with a twist. He gave me some of his signature salt and pepper crocodile, succulent crocodile shoulder coated with a crisp, punchy salt and pepper tempura style batter. A real delight to eat and worked fantastically well some good Aussie beer! Mark and I chatted about our mutual love of food, and it turns out he had worked in several top London and Australian restaurants during his career, and that well travelled experience shone through in his food. A philosophy held at the hotel is a strong link with the local Aboriginal people and their deep connection with the rainforest, Mark shared and executed this concept brilliantly, and I must agree, I always feel food is one of the best ways to share in another people’s history and culture. Mark’s colleague in the front of house was Ronnie, again a worldly wise and experienced man with a great knowledge of wine and all thing booze related (my kind of guy!) . He was a real gem, especially when he gave us a tasting of exotic port style liquors. We ended up purchasing a Purple Mangosteen flavoured one, fresh and fruity with white port qualities and a bottle of Black Sapote which is known as the chocolate pudding fruit, so dark and rich I am saving it for Christmas as it is going to be a great alternative to sherry with my mince pies. Both were made by the Shannonvale Winery.

Magnificent breakfasts where abound too. I opted for the full English with extras on my final day and as you can see from the picture it was spot on! Better quality ingredients and a much, much better view than my local greasy spoon has to offer :) The use of fresh local ingredients delivered with flair in the middle of a rainforest must surely be noted as an amazing achievement, and the knowledge and service from all the staff is truly World class. It was with some sadness that we had to leave that magical place (we even had to book ourselves in for an extra night), not just for the food, the people we met or the majestic rainforest itself, but the whole experience. What’s the most remote or surprising place you have found high quality food and service? Please share as maybe it will prompt me into planning my next trip