Situated in the heart of the City, can sit outside as well as inside. Variety of dishes, quite unique by using native australian ingredients. Good selection of Australian wines as well.    [05 Dec 1999 22:27:34]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Sugarcane prawn sticks and the Morteon Bay Bugs

     ­Anonymous   

Close and yet so very FAR
Like most people, I love good food and I share a passion for cooking. I look forward to trying the "new" restaurants when I go on holidays.

We were in Cairns for a short stay, and were in no doubt that the local produce being served in Cairns is second to none. We are so lucky to have the standard of produce we currently have and better still, the standard of our local produce is getting better all the time. Let’s hope it stays this way and that our blinkered politicians don’t pass stupid half baked policies to destroy it.

Having FRESH and GREAT produce is the easy part, finding a restaurant with a chef that knows what to do with this high quality produce was to be our biggest challenge!

After having been disappointed with the coffees at numerous breakfast outlets (Danny of Genovese would cringe if he'd known what's being served using his beans...) to the famous Queensland mud crabs that was undercooked at Splash (undercooking mudcrab means missing the natural sweetness and potentially a health hazzard for my pregnant partner).

We searched the streets to find ourselves at Red Ochre Grill on the last night of our stay, we took a punt after being swayed by the list of awards on the restaurant's windows.

We were raising our hopes when we saw the menu describing the use of local Aussie native ingredients, we were also comforted by the food critics' endorsement that reads of who's who in the Australian food industry.

However, the truth hit home for my taste buds in terms of dashed hopes worst than the defeat of our cricketing team, losing by 2 runs to the Brits...

When I asked about the dish of “Spinach and Yam Gratin” not being Yam (what they served me was orange sweet potato instead) the chef respond via the waitress “that they are of the same potato family”. Huh? We have the coalition government in the kitchen doing spin doctoring? Crikey! The chef didn't know the difference between Yam and Sweet Potato!

Next up, credit where it’s due, the pork was cooked perfectly with a full flavoured master stock sauce and glaze. However, this was served with a pineapple chillie jam that was completely out of kilter with the pork and master stock glaze. The jam had the effect of taking away the effort of the wonderful sauce. The rice patty was another let down, more like a mashed rice if you get my drift on the texture.

Next up, the seafood compilation, I was asked to use the ponzu and the lime chillie sauce with all the different compilations, the staff needed more training perhaps? This instruction is a bit like adding milk to herbal tea, or adding soy sauce to every asian dish that you normally see people do. The bland tempura prawns, overcooked scallops (tough) and indifferent yellow fin Tuna Sashimi cubes left me wondering did I find myself in a food court in London?

The wine list was adequate but I was wondering if you have staff that don’t understand food, what hope do you have that they will pass muster recommending a glass that will be complimentary to the food?
It’s like round 2 of our Cricket Ashes series being played with UK at the moment, so close and yet so far. Raised my hopes and dashed it convincingly.    [09 Aug 2005 01:13:26]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: None

     ­Ross Trinh   

world traveller review
This is one “very special” restaurant with amazing unique cuisine that delights.
The proprietor/ Chef, Craig Squires is a genius and his menu selection like no other.
His awards would need an entire book to list but include, Queensland Restaurants & Catering Three Awards for Excellence: Cairns Best Specialty Restaurant, Best Event Catering and Caterers of the Year. There are heaps of other awards from American Express, Diners Club and other prestigious outlets.
Having travelled the world and sampled almost every type of cuisine in the world’s best restaurants, it was a revelation to find I was at a loss in understanding listed ingredients. What were Illawarra Plums, Samphire, Bunya nuts, Kurrajong Flour, Lemon Aspen and Pepper leaf? I’d heard of Wattle Seed, but could not remember how it enhanced food. As for Quandong, this completely mystified me.
Not until we’d finished our meal did Craig sit and enthrall us with his knowledge of Bush Food. Who if anyone in Australia, other than Craig uses so much Bush ingredients?
Starting with Salt & native pepper crocodile & Prawns – Vietnamese pickles – * lemon aspen sambal (* Small pale lemon coloured fruit with a unique sharp citrus flavour and found in the rain forests from Sydney to the far north).
Soba noodle, lemon aspen cured ocean trout & asparagus – * lemon myrtle dressing
(* lemon myrtle dressing. The leaves & stems of the rain forest tree exhibits a wonderful citrus flavour & aroma).
The menu is extensive with a great variety of dishes from Soups, Salads, Fish, and Pastas, but don’t look for too many familiar dishes, as most are unique. On the menu there are Kangaroo sirloin, either Char grilled or smoked wild spice crusted, Ostrich fillet and Emu paté.
The familiar dishes all have some added ingredient that makes them unique, such as, Tea Smoked Duck breast – vermicelli and coconut fritter – mango - Davidson plum and ginger glaze, or Grilled Lamb short loin – Mungalli mozzarella and eggplant roll, herb salad and bush tomato balsamic tar.
Apart from the Modern Australian Cuisine menu Red Ochre Grill offers light snacks that can be taken at lunch and here dishes may be well known to diners.

The menu is extensive and one should be bold and order food never eaten previously for it is a revelation to sample such delicious dishes all cooked to perfection and exquisitely presented.

Craig Squire is a Master Chef. He is in demand worldwide and countries such as Singapore and Dubai constantly require his presence where he demonstrates and advises Executive Chefs in the five star hotel restaurants of his unique brand of cooking.
His awards extend to Canada, USA, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Argentina. Download the outdoor events on his website and pages and pages of information are shown from conference dinners of 1250 people to a simple Beach Private lunch for 4 people.
Craig is proud of the food he offers. It is healthy, environmentally sympathetic, sustainable, and most importantly, tastes GREAT! And we fully condone that.
This is one of the most exciting restaurants in Queensland. It seats over 200 people many outdoor, weather permitting.
When in Cairns one should have at least one meal here, but be advised, one is never enough.    [14 May 2008 20:28:32]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: salt and pepper prawn and crocodile

     ­william suffolk