Newcastle Herald food review: The Signal Box in Newcastle is a winner with its 'modern Australian' menu

On Boxing Day, 2014, the historic signal box at Newcastle station was decommissioned. It's taken five years but in December 2019, Andrew and Emily MacDonald who also operate the Hotel Nelson and Little Nel café in Nelson Bay, opened a unique heritage site as a successful dining space. The Signal Box was reborn.

The heritage building has been extended by the addition of a steel and concrete dining pavilion, referencing the site's industrial past. Hydraulically powered windows open the space to take advantage of any sea breezes. Take the spiral staircase to the mezzanine to view the historic signalling and lever gear. A bonus in the extension is the perforated steel ceiling which absorbs noise. It's possible to carry out conversations despite all the hard surfaces.

Heading up the kitchen is chef, George Mirosevich, winner of the 2013 Brett Graham scholarship and former sous chef at one hatted Restaurant Mason. The other part of the kitchen team is co-owner and executive chef, Dan James, while Jessica Fletcher manages the floor. Quite a pedigree.

The food is labelled 'Modern Australian', a portmanteau term that allows the chefs to play with any cuisine which has come to our multicultural shore. Think Japanese, Thai, Italian, Vietnamese, Bengali, French, Spanish and Greek with an emphasis on locally sourced.

The menu is divided into smaller and larger dishes to allow for plenty of sharing. But be warned, the smaller dishes are larger than a normal entrée.

A small fillet of locally sourced Swansea bonito accompanies a jumble of soba noodles, edamame beans, chilled dashi broth and avruga caviar. Summery.

Salt and vinegar zucchini chips come coated with tempura batter, and instead of aioli or mayonnaise for dipping, eggplant kasundi. Perfect for a vegan.

Toasted sourdough is provided to soak up every drop of Café de Paris butter which bathes the six perfectly cooked Hervey Bay scallops on the half shell. You know they're genuine as they're still attached.

Two soft tacos hold crisp fried tiger prawns tangled with slaw, baja sauce, avocado and pico de gallo salsa. And chilli, sesame and peanut crispy chicken comes with a green papaya salad bathed in nam jim dressing.

Larger plates include rack of Pukara Estate lamb ribs and backstrap, and Alexander Downs porterhouse steak, but we're on a mainly seafood roll.

Tender Flinders Island squid is partnered with zucchini, coconut yoghurt tzatziki, garlic and herbs and more toasted sourdough to spread with the spicy 'nduja.

Today's market fish is Mahi Mahi, perfect with confit and fresh fennel, fresh fig, grape and fetta salad, and swirls of green mizuna mayonnaise. There's a plethora of prawns, muscles, squid, Mahi Mahi and clams scattered through al dente spaghetti, bathed in a white wine and tomato sauce; and a touch of luxury with a sprinkling of bottarga, balanced by some of that poor man's substitute for parmesan, pangrattato. Super sea-sweet flavours unsullied by cheese, in the Italian way.

Wines are largely from the Hunter Valley, but also from other Australian regions, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain and Germany; and they're excellent value.

There are just two desserts. Rum baba is disappointing; way too big and not saturated enough with the rum sauce; but the chocolate brownie is a chocoholic's delight with its accompanying chocolate mousse, tangy raspberry and shard of honeycomb.

If the difficulty in nabbing a table is anything to go by, all signals point to a long and successful future. Sometimes it pays to take time in order to create something good.

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