A Touch Of Salt

After being recommended to dine at this popular establishment a few too many times by my new found Townsville friends I decided to follow their advice and head there with a few girl friends before the Sex and The City premiere back in June.

Beautifully situated by water, A Touch of Salt is modern in decor, inviting and comfortable with elegant splashes of brown trimmings and low lighting.

The very friendly manager, who did not look at all phased by the already packed restaurant, greeted us and led us to a lovely table right by the open doors giving us a nice breeze throughout our visit.

I had already checked out the menu (typical me) and it really was a delight to read over and over again.  I felt my stomach rumble away as I gazed over lots of exciting flavours and combinations of international modern cuisine.

Though I adore my steak and burgers, I am more partial to Vegetarian-style dishes when given the choice so to be also offered a whole separate menu dedicated to Non-meat eaters made my evening!

After our table agreed on getting some Chorizo flatbread to share first, I decided to be a bit different and order two starters as they all sounded so beautiful.  Our bread arrived and tasted light, delicious and smoky and got all our taste buds tantalized, ready for some more thrilling flavors!

Our courses arrived quickly considering the large volume of customers there that night and we were all extremely happy with our choices.

The girls chose the Duck, Lamb and Chicken Main dishes which each looked and smelt incredible-I definitely was going back to order a few Mains!

My first starter was the Spanner Crab Lumaconi, which looked elegant and pretty and came dressed with beautiful garlic oil, which held a delicious aroma. The crab was soft, sweet, light and all the flavors of the dish worked together perfectly. I then went to work on my second course, which was the Gorgonzola and Pear Crostata-a perfect looking dish which again smelt divine. I’d never tried a Cheese tart with sultanas but it complimented it wonderfully and the Gorgonzola was strong and melted in the mouth.

Desperate for more, I made the girls get desserts with me even though they were quite full.  I could not decide but eventually went for the Licorice Parfait even though I’m not a major fan of the sweet!  When it arrived I didn’t want to eat it because it looked too stunning! The parfait was so fragrant, delicate and creamy and most refreshing after so much savory. The Tuile pastry twirl on top was crisp and sweet and the banana truffle served in an impressive caramel strand basket, heavenly.

I was sad to finish the meal, I was left feeling satisfied but not overfed-which I have a tendency to achieve when out for dinner!  Yes, I even managed a couple of choccies in the cinema too!

I was excited to discover they were developing new menu’s meaning that there would be more inventive and delicious food for us to taste in the near future.

I am happy to reveal that I’ve been back a few times since my first wonderful feast at A Touch of Salt and have generally enjoyed the range of food on the ever-changing menus- I’ve tasted delicious Gruyere and Cauliflower Tart, unusual Deconstructed Duck Lasagna and some rather entrancing cocktails.

Luckily, the owners are on a roll and have opened a second eatery in Townsville, a little Wine and Tapas Bar called Salt Cellar which we visited last month and that did not disappoint either- I advise you to head there immediately for a Vanilla Spiced Mojito!

Overall A Touch of Salt to me = A real Touch of Class!