Jonah's

Ph: 9974 5599; 69 Bynya Rd, PALM BEACH 2108 www.jonahs.com.au

Modern Australian, $$$, ** for Ambience
Open Breakfast 7 days 8am- 9.30am Lunch 7 days noon-2.30pm Dinner Wed-Sun 6.30pm-8.30pm, Closed Boxing Day & New Years Day; Licensed, BYO, Corkage $15 bottle; AE DC MC V EFT
Chef (George Francisco, 2007-11-3) Owner (Jonah'S Pty Ltd, 2007-11-3)

Mietta's Review
Probably the most famous restaurant on the peninsula with its outstanding ocean views. Extremely popular for romantic weekends away (there are seven guest rooms) and for those wishing a jaunt by seaplane from the Eastern Suburbs. New chef, George Francisco, has lifted the food without making it too extreme for the conservative clientele. Good service and food.

Other published opinions

Gourmet Traveller 2009 Australian Restaurant Guide "There's no doubt about it, the ocean view from Jonah's is one of the best in the country. Yet perhaps the cliff-top altitude has adversely affected the floor staff: some affect lofty attitudes not commensurate with their abilities"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 14/20 "Best not take a lover to Jonah's. Sure, there are marvellous rooms to overnight n and the service is discreet, but who'd want a dining partner who's more interested in the view? It's hard to resist staring out over the ocean from this legendary cliff-top eyrie"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: * "Rising sea levels will be the last thing on your mind as you gaze across the Pacific from your cliff-top table, glasses of bubbles poured and primed for lunch"

Sydney Eats 2008 "Say you want to impress Nicole and Keith or Wendy and Rupert; this is where you bring them for lunch"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007 Score: 14/20 "The rich and fashionable have come to Jonah's for half a century. The dining room has enjoyed a tastefully muted make-over, with eggshell-blue banquettes at the back, and the stunning 180-degree clifftop view out to sea remains."

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Restaurant Guide Score: * "Gotta love that view, with all of Palm Beach spread before you. It accounts for the fact that on any given evening most of the tables will be occupied by couples, making for a romantic, hushed atmosphere."

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2006 "The view is drop-dead spectacular, a 180-degree panorama of beautiful Whale Beach. But even at night there is much to admire, from the well-spaced tables to the impeccable service and, most importantly, smart and snappy contemporary Oz food with a tinge of classical French."

SMH Good Living Eat Out Mathew Evans score 15/20, 11/10/05 "The northern beaches' stayer has been tarted up (in elegant fashion) and George Francisco's food successfully treads the fine line between foodie fantasy and conservative audience reality."

SMH 30/4/05 David Dale "Giorgio notes there's no buzz inside any more. It's quiet and polite, rather than noisy and unpredictable, as he remembers it. The chandeliers and mirrors and mock-Greek columns have been replaced by Spartan simplicity. Two waiters amble around the room, but it takes 10 minutes from our arrival before anybody asks if we'd like a drink. Later, when they place the entrees in the middle of the table for us to share, they forget to bring serving implements and another five minutes passes before we can attract their attention to lend us a spoon and fork. OUT OF 10 - Food: 8 A mod-Syd mix of Asian and European, smoothly styled. Service: 6 Amiable but vague. Atmosphere: 8 Bland inside, but the world's best ocean view outside. Value: 6 Entrees about $22, mains about $36, desserts about $16."

SMH Good Food Guide 2005 Score 14/20 Good Wine List "There's no denying the pedigree of Jonah's startling ocean views. But the renovations that have gripped the Palm Beach venue with the Whale Beach vistas for the past 12 months continue to have little impact on the staid dining room. It's a shame because Richard Purdue's modern Australian cooking is high-paced and worthy of more."

SMH GFG 2004, Good wine list,'the food, thankfullly, is stronger and more appealing than the decor...The wine list brims with favourites and if you slurp one glass too many from the incredibly reasonable list by the glass, all you have to do is stagger to the spruced up rooms.'

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, Excellent wine list, Good vegetarian options,'The cooking is practised and polished, with a modern Australian attitude displaying discreet global influences...The wine list offers depth and breadth...Service is calm and unhurried.'