A decade after launching Nor East at Queens Wharf, chef Tony Harrison has revived the name once again.
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Harrison operated fine dining restaurant Nor East on the wharf next to The Brewery for four years and, after stints in the kitchen at Bar Petite, The Albion and Bistro Lowlands, is returning to his passion for cooking seafood at Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club in Wickham.
Harrison, who trained as a chef under Robert Molines in the Hunter Valley, took over the space in August and has reunited with head chef Darryl Popp, who worked alongside him at Nor East on Queens Wharf.
"I'd had Lowlands for five years, so it was time for a change," Harrison told Food and Wine.
The focus of the menu is seafood, with a rotating specials board of six to eight dishes each week.
"I love cooking seafood. It's something I am truly passionate about," Harrison said.
"This is one of the most gorgeous spots in Newcastle, so I really needed the food to match it. We're trying to position it not as fine dining, but as an upmarket bistro. It's somewhere you can still count on getting fish and chips, but you can also have market fresh amazing seafood."
As well as the main menu, Nor East Bistro offers starters and share plates, such as king prawn bruschetta and Harrison's signature chicken live pate with quince jam, pickles and sourdough. The charcuterie board is popular on weekends with customers who sit on the lawn looking out across the marina with a bottle of wine to share.
Nor East Bistro is open seven days for lunch and dinner, and serves breakfast on weekends. The breakfast menu includes options such as scrambled eggs with shaved sugar-cured kingfish.
"That one is something a bit different and it's really nice. We are also using really good local bread from the bakery across the road [Baked Uprising]," Harrison said.
A street food menu runs every Sunday afternoon to coincide with the club's live entertainment.
"It's a more relaxed and informal menu to match with the live music," Harrison said.
"We offer things like tacos, or we might put a curry on. It's a cool place to hang out on a Sunday afternoon and have a share menu with a group. There are vegetarian options and our specials board has a big focus on gluten-free as well."
