WORDS BY LARINE STATHAM-BLAIR
Colours have meaning and connotations. The colour white is achromatic; without hue. It is pure and crisp. It makes you visualise chalk, sand, snow, breaking waves. It might even make you think about icing sugar, sparkling blanc de blanc or freshly pressed linen napkins. Perhaps it reminds you of your last long lunch at Water St Kitchen, where you ordered sand crab lasagne followed by fig and pistachio pannecotta.
It is easy to draw parallels between Water St Kitchen and the colour white. Both exude understated elegance. With extended hours over the Christmas holidays and crispy pork belly that’s to die for, the quaint eatery in Walkvervale is a firm favourite for corporate lunches and family gatherings.
It’s a special time of year, when owners Jen and Alex Cameron put a lot of time and effort into creating three stellar menus. “People are here to have a really good time and celebrate. We want to help them create special memories,” Jen said.
As well as updating their restaurant menu to make use of the fresh local produce that’s in season, they host a special degustation event each year leading up to the Silly Season and offer festive catering for pick up on Christmas Eve, so you can re-create the flavours of Water St Kitchen at home. “It’s a menu of our favourites, adapted to have at home, with easy-to-follow cooking and serving instructions,” Alex said.
Their cocktail menu is something they’re particularly proud of. “It’s a creative outlet for the whole team,” Jen said. “Our front-of-house team work together with the kitchen to create bespoke syrups with just the right flavour combination.”
When Water St Kitchen is closed on Christmas Day, Jen and Alex like to keep things simple with a morning swim at the beach followed by cold seafood from Grunske’s Seafood Market, baked ham from the Bundy Chop Shop, crusty bread, and a parmesan, pear and rocket salad.
“Charles Heidsieck champagne is a family favourite on special occasions,” Jen said. “I love getting the crystal out, setting the table and making it look beautiful.”
Alex said holidays were an opportunity to experiment with new flavours. “I get to cook what I like eating, but really I just love being Dad – that’s pretty nice,” he said.
As soon as they’re finished with Christmas and New Years Eve, the team at Water St Kitchen start working on their menu for Lovers’ Day Dinner. “After all the craziness of the holidays, it’s an event that couples look forward to where they can be together, quietly, just the two of them,” Jen said.