The Jetty Cafe @ Bruny Island

Summer Fruits at the Jetty Cafe

Jetty Cafe Bruny Island — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 06:24:46 +0000

About GreenGage Plums……Peter Cundall says in an addition of the Weekly Times – full article can be found at :

(http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2009/03/18/62525_gardening.html)

MANY years ago, on a particularly hot early autumn day, I took refuge from the sun beneath a lovely, weeping tree.
Glancing around in the cool shade I discovered why the branches were drooping.
They were laden with masses of round, bright-green, marble-sized fruit.
They looked unripe, but the beautiful, aromatic fragrance drifting from the hanging clusters indicated otherwise.
They were soft, juicy, wonderfully sweet and had the most amazing, refreshing flavour.
In fact I found it difficult to stop eating them.
This happened about 60 years ago and was my first experience with greengages.
They are called gages because they were originally brought into Britain from France by a man named Gage almost three centuries ago.
They grow to perfection in cooler parts of Australia, provided winters are cold enough to provide the necessary 900 hours chilling below 7C during fruit bud dormancy……(end article extract)

Of course Tasmanias’ climate is perfect for green gages and so we have been fortunate in having those delicious plums bought into the kitchen from Kate’s garden.
This is the result…..no need to say more…..except as soon as Ray makes these delicious Greengage & frangipane tarts – poof, they are gone!

Fabulous Art Exhibition at Dennes Point

Jetty Cafe Bruny Island — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 05:00:39 +0000

There is a fabulous little Art Gallery housed in the building where our Jetty Cafe & General Store is. On November 18th the Official Opening of A Way of Breathing – New Works by Michael Morgan will be officially opened by Associate Professor Natasha Cica at 2.30. The works extend from the Art Gallery into the Community Hall which is attached to the building. It is an extensive, energetic, wonderfully diverse body of work by a celebrated Artist. The exhibition is only up for 2 weeks so don’t delay in making the trip over to visit us on Bruny Island. For those planning on lunch at the Cafe during the exhibition dates, please book in advance on ph: 62606245. For more information go to www.artatthepoint.com.au.

About Kids Menu. Eat your greens. See Zac the perfect pooch who does!!

Jetty Cafe Bruny Island — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 21:18:10 +0000

There is a buzz about kids and food. Whilst understanding children tend to have under developed taste buds and go for the sugar and salt, it is also important, we think, to help them develop their knowledge of healthy food and tastes. Good food is for kids too. So, we don’t do frozen chips or chicken nuggets and we don’t do a “kids Menu” (which usually means chips and nuggets) at the Jetty Cafe. We offer 1/2 portions for children and some modifications where necessary. Ray also makes (when available) beautiful local potatoes that have been smashed & baked to crispy perfection in the oven – the best “chips” you could find and we prepare everything from the beginning. Just look at Zac, he loves his greens, especially a freshly dug broccoli stalk! More stories on greens & Zac to come!

About Chefs Table

Jetty Cafe Bruny Island — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 03:29:44 +0000

The Jetty Cafe is in the privileged position of being able to access very local, very fresh produce. The Cafe is also located in a remote part of the world ; a pristine isolated and deliciously undeveloped area on the northern tip of Bruny Island, Tasmania. Here we focus on the natural, sustainable and fresh; the local produce. We have many suppliers now, for example every friday we go to Gretchen’s beautiful garden where we collect all the greens for the cafe she has available for us. Margaret will bring lovely flowers & other garden produce on Friday when she is working in the Art Gallery. Richard Clarke (Bruny Island Game Meats) supplies us with freshly prepared, free range Wallaby & Ray slow braises the lamb from down the road from Murrayfield station. In season we have organic garlic, potatoes, rhubarb, fruits etc. etc. So, what better way to utilise all this lovely no mile, fresh produce than to make the menu up as required. This is Ray’s speciality – it involves creativity & skill. He has this in abundance. Chef’s table involves coming into the Cafe (hopefully having booked well in advance) and enjoying the surprise of what is on the menu for that particular night. It will always be fresh, interesting and beautifully prepared. So we don’t have a menu that offers endless choice -sometimes as on Chefs Table night – there is no choice at all!! However, the Jetty Cafe offers freshness, quality, healthy alternatives, low food miles & delicious food for your eating pleasure. That’s the main choice we offer.

Chefs Table

Saturday Nights from 6.15 pm Bookings 03 62606245

Spring Times + a pic of a strange visitor to the Cafe!!

Jetty Cafe Bruny Island — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 05:47:49 +0000

Spring is here and we have arrived back refreshed from our lovely holiday in the sunshine. The other day we had a most unusual visitor trying to get in the door – he was very shy so wouldn’t smile for the camera but I managed to take a photo before Ray gently picked him up and took him to a more suitable location!

Spring Opening Times:

Friday – Monday 10am till 4pm

Plus

School Holidays:

During the September Schools Holidays, we will also open on

Tuesday 10am – 4pm

Plus

Football Finals Fever is upon us so we are putting the screen into the Cafe, cooking up family friendly fare (this week it is hand cut chips with Rays’ special Burgers) as extra special Friday treats for the month of September.

Call if you want to book in 62606245

It’s Holiday Time

Jetty Cafe Bruny Island — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 04:08:02 +0000

Thank you to all our lovely patrons for coming to see us, eat with us, celebrate with us or just sun yourself on the deck with a coffee with us. It’s been a great 12 months and now it’s time for some R & R.

Holiday Times:

Closed from 22nd July, 20102 to 1st September, 2012

Stay tuned for some exciting new events for Spring.

Winter Hours & finding buried treasure (that doesn’t sparkle).

Jetty Cafe Bruny Island — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:22:16 +0000

Today was one of those many days that do sparkle on Bruny Island. A cool start, then lots of sun, calm water and clouds just puffing around in the sky. Ray took off for a long bike ride and at an agreed time, I was to meet him at Murrayfield to dig spuds. Lynne and Bruce have been bringing some delicious potatoes up to the café lately and have been saying ‘come and dig your spuds”. Until now we have been too busy but since we have introduced our winter hours (see below) we have had time to savour the peace and tranquility of the last days of autumn and do some fun things like go to beautiful Murrayfield farm to get dirt under our fingernails in the potato patch.
We started the hunt for the buried treasure after grabbing the garden fork, aiming it at a spot amongst the drying top leaves, and voila! as we turned over the red loamy soil, there they are, heaps of them, all now exposed to the sunlight. As our hands sift through the dirt we find more and more! There’s even little surprises like a tiny field mouse quietly watching us and waiting to make a run for it and of course some fat worms. It gets so exciting…..in no time we have two crates full of Dutch Cream potatoes and we have only gone down a 1/3 of 1 row!!
Now I know how the pirates of old must have felt!!
After admiring the view for a minute (no wonder these spuds grow so well with a view like that…!), we hoist them into the van, take them back to the café, pick out some little ones, scrub them, boil them, toss them in natural salt flakes, a chunk of Tasmanias’ creamy Ashgrove butter add some springs of chopped parsley and black pepper and EAT! The best lunch – so very simple and so nutritious.
Come to the Jetty Café and get a serve of Rays’ special bowl of spuds – Yum. Chips just wont do it for you for ever after. That’s if you come when we are opened on our limited days and also if we haven’t eaten them all first! If you are coming to visit us, give us a call first, it’s nice to know who is heading our way and when.
Bookings ph: 62606245

Jetty Café Winter Hours:

Opened: Friday Saturday Sunday & Monday 10am – 4pm

Dinner bookings by prior arrangement only (must have 12 or more)

Closed Tuesday Wednesday & Thursday

Winter Weddings – Beautiful!!

Jetty Cafe Bruny Island — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:37:06 +0000

Ok, so it wasn’t winter on March 24th, 2012 but it was cold, wild and just like a typical winters day. We had a wedding for 150 guests and it was intended to be a beach wedding….. what happens next…..Well, to begin with – there always has to be a plan B right? Definitely says the extremely relaxed Bride at the time a date was set! So, plan B was seamlessly decided upon the day before the wedding and what a wonderful alternative this Venue proved to be when the beach was just not the place to be! We cleared the Cafe, the huge windows overlooking the sea was made the backdrop for the Ceremony, the fire was roaring and the Hall next door had been beautifully decorated with most of the 50 dozen white tulips the Bride had chosen for the decorations. The effect was truly magnificent and not a moment was wasted on thinking what Mother Nature was carrying on about outside. That has led us to thinking, what a perfect opportunity others have in deciding to go with the Winter Wedding. At the Jetty Cafe you can pick a Venue that allows you to feel as if your outside even when your a inside regardless of the weather. You might want to warn your Hairdresser that they should make a weekend of it as most of the other guests do so you can avoid a fairly adventurous trip across the D’Entrecasteaux Channel as this Bride’s Hairdresser did. It was probably one of the more “interesting” jobs she has had. Read about this very special Winter Wedding here http://www.islandmenu.com.au/blog/island-wedding/

Opening Times – Autumn

Jetty Cafe Bruny Island — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 02:53:44 +0000

MONDAY 10 – 4

TUESDAY 10 – 4

WEDNESDAY CLOSED

THURSDAY 10 – 4

FRIDAY 10 – 4

SATURDAY 10 – 4

SUNDAY 10 – 4

DINNER SATURDAY NIGHT BY

PRIOR ARRANGEMENT ONLY (FOR BOOKINGS OF 12 OR MORE)

What’s Been Going On at the Cafe…..

Jetty Cafe Bruny Island — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 06:30:11 +0000

The summer fruits have been amazing. Ray makes tarts almost everyday with what comes into the Cafe. Golden drop plum tart, Murrayfield mulberry frangipane tart, black devil cherry tart. Then he makes waffles, a spiced cherry sauce and serves that with more cherries or berries and luscious, creamy Valhalla vanilla bean ice cream. Do I have your attention yet??

Margaret is one of our main suppliers of fresh Flowers for the Cafe and baskets of herbs, vegetables and fruits picked daily from her incredibly productive garden. She always collects her goodies in the early morning before she comes into work at the Art Gallery (which is part of our complex). At the moment, Ray has beans, zuchini, rocket, sorrel and plenty of herbs to play with. There is a delicious looking savoury tart sitting on the bench right now which will be served with a fresh garden salad (that is a really, fresh garden salad) and some smashed potatoes just dug up by Neil at Kilora. Very handy, very tasty!! Thank you Margaret for your constant supply of goodies! Thanks to Neil who comes over from Melbourne with his family when he can and always comes up to the Cafe for lunch or to bring us something from his garden. The potatoes are fantastic. Who else wants to come and visit us?

How about this Friday night, we have Kristina Olsen performing live at the Cafe on her way to the Port Fairy Music Festival. What a great opportunity to introduce Kristina to our beautiful part of the world and for us to enjoy her fabulous tunes. Ray will put on a delicious supper of course. That’s this Friday night March 2nd at 7.30 at the Jetty Cafe.