Salmon and Bear, Newtown

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

The name Salmon and Bear conjures mixed signals about the food that the restaurant serves. Does the menu revolve around fish (the 'Salmon' component), or does it have more of a hunter-gather wilderness theme (the 'Bear')? Or does it go surf and turf and offer both? The answer is in the 'Salmon' part of the name. Salmon and Bear relies on the humble fish as the hero and main focus of the menu.

The fish that they source is sustainably caught and cooked simply. It's grilled in the eatery's hot Mirabasa oven, fried, or served raw, and features in burgers, tacos, poke bowls, as well as their signature 'Grizzly Plate', a build-your-own style meal which pairs your choice of grilled fish with a sauce and a side from the extensive menu.

There are five different varieties of fish to choose from, along with a range of sauces which include salsa verde, yoghurt and dill and peri peri. The sides, which can also be ordered on their own, are hard to choose from, with something that's sure to suit everyone.

Salmon and Bear has an outdoorsy, American feel about it. The dining space is decorated in the style of a lakeside log cabin, with wooden furnishings, adventure-like décor and fishing posters which adorn the walls.

Tacos (3 for $15): Salt & Pepper Calamari (front), Sticky Glazed Salmon (back left) and Crispy Hoki NZ Fish Taco (back right)

All three seafood tacos are topped with fresh shaved cabbage, salsa verde, pickled slivers of onion and sriracha mayo, atop a soft, pliable corn tortilla. The salt and pepper calamari is tender and light, as is the golden battered finger of NZ hoki. The salmon taco is also faultless; it comes as three caramelised cubes of glazed salmon that are a finger-lickingly messy mouthful.

Original grizzly plate: Ora King Salmon, Salsa Verde, Sweet Potato Fries ($27.95)

The fish in the grizzly plates is grilled simply over hot coals in the Mirabasa oven, which lends fragrant, smoky flavour while allowing the flesh to remain deliciously soft and moist. It also imparts the skin with a lovely charred look. The Ora King Salmon here is superb; it's cooked perfectly and goes well with the salsa verde that we choose for the plate. The sweet potato fries are also a winner - they're long, crinkle cut chips that have caramelised edges and a gorgeous, fluffy interior.

Original grizzly plate: Blue-eyed Cod, Peri Peri Sauce, Pan-fried Brussel Sprouts ($27.95)

This firmer fish has a crispy skin and we choose to pair it with peri peri sauce and brussel sprouts, the latter of which is the special side dish of the day. They're sweet and tender, pan-fried with chilli and spring onion, and have scorched, gnarly outer leaves.

Original grizzly plate: Barramundi, Oyster & Sesame Sauce, Roasted Veg ($27.95)

A thin, wide fillet of barramundi is sweet and soft. The oven-roasted veg consists of charred pieces of zucchini, pumpkin, carrot, potato and onion. The mellow flavour of the veg is echoed by a sharp, sweet honey mustard dressing, and crunchy flaked almonds add a nice textural layer.

Salmon Poké ($21)

Salmon and Bear have certainly taken advantage of the poké craze - there are six different kinds of this Hawaiian sushi salad on the menu. Two of these are vegetarian options, and the remaining four can be ordered with either raw or grilled fish. The Ora King Salmon poké is fresh and plentiful, with corn salsa, avocado and thin strips of roasted nori atop coconut basmati. The soy and sesame dressing on the fish is perfectly balanced.