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Martha Drink & Dine
For your next lazy long lunch or special night out, you can’t go past Lake Macquarie’s newest hot spot – Martha, situated within the Belmont 16s sailing club. You’ll love the fresh Mediterranean menu, fun decor, quirky cocktail list and spectacular water views.
The latest culinary gem making waves along the shores of Lake Macquarie is Martha – a Mediterranean restaurant and bar situated within the recently refurbished Belmont 16s Sailing Club.
The 120-seat venue sports breathtaking lakeside views, particularly from its large outdoor terrace, but in all honesty – there’s no bad seats at Martha with an abundance of natural light and modern, bright furnishings throughout. The open-plan seating and the floor-to-ceiling windows seamlessly connect the restaurant to the lake, which only becomes even more spectacular at sunset.
The Mediterranean-inspired menu has been centred around the use of the restaurant’s stateof-the-art European Mibrasa (pronounced mehbrasa) ovens – a unique culinary method that imparts subtle, smoky flavours from cooking over high temperatures and hot coals that can reach up to 500 degrees celsius.
Highlights include the coal-roasted cooled beet carpaccio with pistachio tarator, goat’s feta, cranberry and toasted buckwheat for entrée, and the charcoal roast Riverina lamb rack with heirloom tomatoes, mint quinoa tabbouleh and labneh for main. For dessert, you can’t go past the mango parfait.
Larger groups or parties of 12 people or more can opt for the ‘Feed Me’ menu which takes the decision-making out of it but guarantees a taste of the most popular menu items, and can be easily adapted for vegetarians or vegans.
The signature cocktail list, titled ‘Martha and Friends’ is fun and playful, featuring names you might find among your Grandma’s circle of friends – like Madge, Josephine, Eleanor or Rose. With a commitment to local distilleries, you’ll find the likes of Earp gin featuring heavily on the list (including in the signature cocktail, ‘The Martha’), as well as a mixture of Hunter Valley wines and some European favourites to complement the menu.
The decor is bright, fun and quirky – and probably not what you’d expect from a typical sailing club. You’ll love the use of colour, textures and tiles throughout the restaurant, and the way it’s all framed by the striking high ceilings and pitched roof. The transformation is all thanks to Sydneybased architecture firm Atlis, who were charged with the entire refurbishment of Belmont 16s.
They’re no strangers to our region, having worked on other local projects such as Charlestown Square and The Anchorage Port Stephens. A focal point is the striking cocktail bar, featuring pink tiles and an indoor tree. As for the history of the venue and the story behind its name? In 1800, Captain William Reid sailed the 30-tonne schooner ‘Martha’ from Sydney to the Hunter River on a mission to collect coal. He didn’t quite make it to his planned destination though, and happened upon the beautiful shores of Lake Macquarie instead, becoming the first European to explore the area. For many years, it’s said that the area was known as ‘Reid’s Mistake’, thanks to his accidental discovery.
The restaurant is open from Thursday through to Sunday for lunch and dinner, and is absolutely worth the short drive from Newcastle. Bookings are essential, so get in early and enjoy an unforgettable day or night out at Martha.
The story behind the name
In 1800, Captain William Reid sailed the 30-tonne schooner ‘Martha’ from Sydney to the Hunter River on a mission to collect coal. He didn’t quite make it to his planned destination though, and happened upon the beautiful shores of Lake Macquarie instead, becoming the first European to explore the area.
Martha Drink & Dine
Inside Belmont 16s – The Parade, Belmont
marthadrinkanddine.com.au
Location
Martha Drink & Dine is located inside the newly renovated Belmont 16s, in the beautiful Lake Macquarie suburb of Belmont.
What makes Martha special?
Martha’s focus is cooking with Mediterranean Mibrasa ovens. Mibrasa (pronounced meh-brasa) is a primitive culinary method imparting subtle, smoky flavours from the simplicity of cooking over hot coals reaching beyond 500 degrees.
Must try?
Can’t go past the Martha & Friends cocktail list, artfully designed by bar manager Derek Harley.