Cuisine Undercover - Berth- 2.5 stars

For some reason, I’ve never eaten at Berth.

I don’t know why, it’s been there forever and it is in one of Dockland’s finest locations (the pod next to the one which houses Livebait and Mecca Bah) – so maybe that’s it!  Two of Docklands’ most stand-out restaurants with clear themes and distinctive menus – or Berth, which has gone with a kind of bistro style and offers … what a whole bunch of others down that way have.

Credit where it’s due though. On a sunny summer’s Monday afternoon, we were struggling to find somewhere we could graze on something light at around 3pm. I know it’s not a traditional meal hour, but Docklands is supposed to be a tourist hot spot and we are in the midst of the holiday season.

Thankfully, we were warmly welcomed at Berth (where we could even have ordered breakfast until 5pm – an immediate bonus point!) and had full choice of the menu.  The wine list was succinct yet pleasing – only one glass per variety on offer – but I was happy with the Toolangi Chardonnay and my friend with the Katnook Estate Riesling.

We argued over starters – I was very keen to try the saffron prawns with chorizo and cherry tomatoes on herbed risotto cakes, but she convinced me the antipasto platter for two would be more substantial, and most likely would contain a sample of the majority of the starters. It didn’t.

We each scored a single Italian rice ball (the size of a cherry tomato) and one piece of calamari – the rest was, not surprisingly, antipasto. A generous serve of fetta (with balsamic), some lovely mushrooms with spicy chilli (and vinegar), a pickled artichoke heart, slice of frittata, some smoked eggplant and a few sticks of focaccia all quite artistically dressed – with balsamic.

Yes, all a bit too “vinegary” for me – but an antipasto plate, no argument there. It was just that – well, I got the feeling the majority of the ingredients had come out of a jar or a box – they might not have but … they might.

It was mid-afternoon so we skipped straight to another glass of wine and dessert, where we fared much better.  I literally swooned after breaking the thin toffee top and biting into a delicious white chocolate brulee.

I almost left the accompanying berry compote alone, as I feared it would overpower the delicate dessert. I ended up eating it separately as it was good, but I didn’t want it interfering with the leading lady.

My friend didn’t have the same luxury – the very same berry compote came on top of her honey and cinnamon pannacotta, which we think was nice, but we weren’t entirely sure if it was that or the berries. The textures were certainly all as they should be.

Look, Berth is stunning. Jutting out over the water, you are almost surrounded by NewQuay’s marina and it’s a nice feeling being at “ground level” with the boats. I’ve attended a function upstairs before and the night-time views are simply spectacular. And let’s face it – not everybody can afford the same view at Livebait, and Meccah Bah’s middle-eastern fare may not be to everyone’s taste.

So it could be that Berth has gone with the everyday man’s menu for a very good reason – to attract the everyday man. I just wonder if perhaps they might need to do a little something more into the future, or if location alone will keep them afloat?