There’s an excellent crema Catalana
too, a not-too-sweet, perfectly creamy
dessert that releases a noticeable orange
scent when you break through its sugar
cap. It’s a deft version of a classic that’s
harder than it looks to perfect.
This is the way Sebastian rolls. Its
allegiance is to the pintxos bars clustered
around San Sebastian’s La Concha
beach rather than the big-name starry
restaurants that have made the city
a centre of innovative cooking.
Nobody’s trying to break new ground
here in Williamstown: the approach
is about simple flavours and quality
ingredients from a kitchen with a
char-grill at its centre.
The decision to keep it simple is also
apparent in the renovation of the quietly
gorgeous art deco pavilion. There’s the
beachside timber deck complete with an
immense view of the bay, breezeblock bar,
forest of umbrellas and blue-and-white
wicker furniture. Inside,
it’s tan upholstered
horseshoe booths, flocks
of white lightshades,
undressed tables, more
breezeblocks and a stylish,
relaxed attitude. The
mix of hard flooring and
carpet keeps noise levels
at a buzzy rather than
jarring level. On a busy
night it can feel a little
like being at a lavish
wedding reception.fat and salt in the pork to keep things juicy
and full-flavoured, and the accompanying
syrupy cider reduction, accented with star
anise and bay, hits the classic pork-and-
apple sweet spot. It’s the sort of morsel
that might have you ordering a second
with your mouth still full with the first.
And then there are
Basque mussels, lightly
coated in a tempura-style
batter before being fried
and served with a sprightly,
slightly funky fermented-
chilli aïoli. Promise, if
nothing else, to one day
sit on Sebastian’s expansive
waterfront terrace with
a chilled dry vermouth or
Estrella Damm and treat
yourself to a plate of these
crisp little numbers.Sebastian brings seaside Basque charm to bayside
Williamstown, writesMICHAEL HARDEN.
Coast to coast
From left: General manager
and co-director Alex Brawn,
head chef Leigh Robbins
and co-director Dave
Parker. Below: a Burnt
Orange Sunset Sour.Y
ou had me at heritage-listed
1930s bathing pavilion
in Williamstown. Add a
restaurateur with runs on
the board (Dave Parker of Neptune,
San Telmo and Pastuso, among others)
and a fondness for San Sebastian’s
pintxos bars, and we’re deep into hell-
yeah territory. Even with this western
bayside suburb’s track record of
producing disappointing restaurants,
expectations at Sebastian are as high
as the potential of dashed hopes.
Good news then that expectations
win the day.
The first encouraging hint arrives
with the chistorra, chef Leigh Robbins’s
house-made version of the classic Basque
sausage. It’s superb, cooked over charcoal,
and flavoured with pimento, juniper,
fennel and cumin. There’s plenty of40 GOURMET TRAVELLER