Ricky’s River Bar & Restaurant, Noosa

On Friday we visited Ricky’s Noosa River Bar and Restaurant for lunch. We were in Noosa to finalise some wedding business, so it was wonderful to be able to combine our trip with a leisurely lunch.

Ricky’s Noosa was the second restaurant I chose to visit as part of Mushroom Mania month, and I am so glad I did. The food was fantastic, and if we lived locally, this would definitely become a favourite haunt. Beautiful water views, friendly staff and great food. What’s not to love?

Despite the popularity of vegetarian diets today I’ve become used to visiting restaurants and only having one menu item to choose from, so it was a novelty when I was presented with a completely separate vegetarian menu with 2 tapas items, 4 entrees and 3 mains to choose from. 

To start we chose to share the Wild Mushroom Arancini from the Tapas menu. We were presented with two beautifully golden and crispy balls of risotto served atop a golden saffron aioli. Each arancini was then topped with a smokey piquillo pepper puree. They were so delicious we were tempted to order a second serve.

Wild Mushroom & Smoked Mozzarella Arancini with Saffron Aioli – $12

For my main course I chose the entree of Crispy Polenta with mushrooms, char grilled asparagus and the same piquillo pepper puree served on the Mushroom Arancini. Ordering an entree as my main course may sound virtuous, but in reality it was a tactical move so that I’d have room to try dessert. 😉

Crispy Polenta with mushrooms, char grilled asparagus and piquillo pepper puree – $23

When my entree arrived I was very happy I didn’t order a main course because in fact my entree was really quite large and very filling. The polenta was beautifully crispy, and despite being fried, wasn’t at all oily. The mushrooms were juicy and ‘meaty’ and the asparagus had a beautiful smoky flavour from the grill.

As soon as Troy saw duck was on the menu his decision was made as he absolutely adores duck. When the duck arrived the plate consisted of two large duck legs served on top of a sweet carrot puree and braised red cabbage. He enjoyed the duck so much that he declared it the best duck he’s ever eaten.

Confit Duck Leg Carrot Puree & Braised Cabbage – $35

When it came to dessert, as soon as I saw a dessert tasting plate was on offer I didn’t bother reading any further, and Troy was only too happy to agree to share it. Being able to sample all the desserts on the menu, in miniature, is something I adore, and when the tasting plate arrived I was surprised the miniature desserts I’d pictured were actually quite a bit bigger than I had imagined. There is certainly no skimping on serves at Ricky’s.

Dessert Tasting Plate – $37

The dessert tasting plate consisted of deconstructed apple and rhubarb crumble, Bombe Alaska with mascarpone quince and pedro ximinez caramel, passionfruit souffle, and finally the chocolate caramel fondant with caramelised banana and candied ginger ice cream. It’s been years since I’ve had Bombe Alaska, and as soon as I tasted it it made me wonder why. The meringue coating was delicious without being overly sweet and the poached quince was divine.

The deconstructed apple and rhubarb crumble was presented in a fun checkerboard pattern. I don’t normally like deconstructed desserts, but this version was delicious because it meant that the fruit was perfectly cooked and the crumble was perfectly crumbly and not at all soggy. The passionfruit souffle was deliciously light and perfectly cooked, and was served with half a passionfruit and passionfruit sorbet on the side. My favourite though was the chocolate caramel fondant with caramelised bananas. Heaven!

Next time you are in Noosa I can thoroughly recommend Ricky’s, not just for the delicious food, but the beautiful river views as well.

The view from our table

Join the Mushroom Mania fun and you could win $150

Mushroom Mania runs from July 1 through to July 31.  Here’s how can you join in and win?

• Download the free Mushroom Mania app for your smartphone or check out the locality guide online to find your local participating restaurants.
• Order a dish that features mushrooms
• Write and submit a review of a mushroom dish you’ve eaten for your chance to win $150 every week throughout July

• Join the Mushroom Lovers Club for mushroom recipes, cooking tips, news and more
• Follow Mushroom Mania on Twitter and Facebook

Ricky’s Noosa River Bar and Restaurant
2 Quamby Place
Noosa Heads QLD 4567
Website: http://www.rickys.com.au/
Phone: (07) 5447 2455

Delicious Everyday dined at the Ricky’s River Bar & Restaurant with compliments of the Australian Mushroom Growers Association as part of Mushroom Mania month.