Weekend Food Escapes: Salmon and Bear, Zetland

Wednesday 10 October 2018

Salmon and Bear, Zetland

Salmon and Bear is located in Zetland. Salmon and Bear is best described as a restaurant that has cabin feel which serves up mostly fish and seafood dishes. It might even get you in the mood for venturing out into nature. I've been to Salmon and Bear in Newtown a few times however unfortunately it has now closed down. I always thought the food was delicious so I was looking forward to see whether the food at Salmon and Bear in Zetland was comparable.

I sit down at a table at Salmon and Bear and notice it's actually quite dimly lit. I look at the menu and the specials and to start - I look at their homemade drinks. I order the Mint Lemonade ($5) which is made with lemon, mint and honey. There's no sugar but it was aptly sweet. Matt orders the Straw-bear-y Iced tea ($5) which had mixed berry tea with strawberries, basil and honey. Both drinks have no added sugar so if you're looking for minor ways to be healthy - this may tempt you.

Salmon and Bear has a few entree options to choose from. Matt and I order the salt and pepper calamari ($15). The salt and pepper calamari is served up with a ponzu dipping sauce which the staff recommended also adding peri peri sauce for some extra zing. It's a great recommendation and the salty ponzu with the chilli from the peri peri is a flavour dance party in my mouth. The salt and pepper calamari has a lovely light batter which makes for nice crunch without any heavy oiliness. Recommend.

I also order some of Salmon and Bear tacos after enjoying them so much at the Newtown store. You can choose from sticky glazed salmon, crispy fish (hoki nz) or salt and pepper calamari. I order three for $15 and order two crispy fish and one sticky glazed salmon. I order two of the crispy fish tacos because I had such fond memories of my last experience and they continued to live up to expectations this time. The crunchy battery with the soft hoki with the srircha mayo and trimmings just hit the spot. I'm glad I didn't have to share with Matt. Matt also eats the sticky glazed salmon which contrasts well with the crunchy red cabbage.

For mains, Matt orders the Big Grizzly Plate ($32.95) which gives you your choice of Fish, Sauce and two sides. Matt orders the special which is the Swordfish. The recommendation is that it's best served up with peri peri sauce. For the two sides, Matt chooses the roasted vegetables and sweet potato fries. The swordfish is quite dense and chunky so this is perfect for Matt who seems very hungry. The roasted vegetables are nicely charred and the sweet potato chips are served up with sriracha mayo which is nice.

There's also the Fish Curry ($25.95) which was my favourite. The curry is made of hoki fish, cauliflower in a mild mole curry sauce. It's served up with rice and a papadum. For those who don't like spices, you'll love this curry as it's all about flavour and no spice. I munch on the papadum which is crunchy and salty which is great textural contrast. It's tasty and is a special. I'd recommend.

For dessert, I shared the Home Made Brownie ($10) which is crunchy on the outside, chewy on the centre, served up with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce. The sauce was perfection.

Summary: Overall, I had a really nice meal at Salmon and Bear. The food was delicious - I thought all dishes were of a high quality. My favourite were the calamari and chocolate brownie.

Price: Most dishes are $15-33

Location: 6 Defries Ave, Zetland

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday 12pm to 3:30pm, 5:30pm to 10pm
Weekends 12pm to 10pm