Eat at Whalers Inn

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A walk and a lunch go well together in my world. A bit of exercise helps promote an appetite and taking a closer look at the surrounding area enables me to better appreciate the lunch location.

So I recently set off on a Food Walk to Eat (silly name, good restaurant) at Whalers Inn, Encounter Bay. I parked my car opposite The Yilki Store on Franklin Parade for two reasons. Firstly I knew my destination was 2kms away and therefore I'd have a perfect distance to walk there and back. Secondly, I could consider having coffee or ice cream for dessert at the store or at Pa's right next door. Pa's advertisement for complimentary biscuits with a coffee purchase did not escape my eye.



There's a walking track/bicycle path along the coast which made the walk an easy one. And there are numerous information boards along the path for added interest.



Whalers Inn is very close to The Bluff, a huge granite headland which was formed, so I'm told, 500 million years ago. Something to do with ice and magma. You can walk around The Bluff and head up to the top to check out the view.

Further on from The Bluff is a wonderful walk to Kings Beach and further to The Heysen Trail and Waitpinga Beach. The landscape changes quite dramatically along this trail and it's one of my favourite walks. Not this time though as I have a leisurely lunch on my agenda.



Just after the boat ramp is Whalers Inn. The have accommodation, function rooms and a restaurant called 'Eat'. I've often wondered about the name. Is it a command? But let's not dwell on that for now. The location is fabulous so I settled myself and my friends down and admired the sparkling sea, birdlife, stand-up paddle boarders and little boats bobbing around. For a moment there I thought I was in the south of France.



The menu at Eat has a section with smaller dishes designed to be shared. I'm indecisive at the best of times and it took us quite a while ( almost a whole glass of wine) to consider the various permutations of sharing plates before finally deciding to bite the bullet and order from the larger serves and taste each others' dish.

My choice was a Prawn and Chicken Larb. It had delightful Thai-style flavours including springy fresh coriander and crunchy roasted peanuts.



The Salt and Pepper Squid was tender and tasty with flavours of chilli, onion and garlic.



Somewhat different from your average restaurant dish was Imam Bayildi, a Moroccan-style spiced, baked eggplant with chickpeas, capsicum, mint & spinach.



And so we all tucked in, sharing and comparing and admiring the view. Service was good, bathroom was nice (which, I think, is always important).



Eat is closed Mondays but has something going on every other day.

Pleasantly sated, I walked the 2kms back to my car. Sadly too full for dessert or coffee, I skipped Pa's and The Yilki Store and headed home for a little lie down.

#encounter_bay
#fleurieu_peninsula
#lunch
#restaurants
#walks
%wnadelaide