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Essence Restaurant, Darwin Airport Resort

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

Darwin's International Airport, unlike many cities, is not situated in a far flung suburb out in the city limits. It is (rather conveniently) nestled in the northern suburbs of Darwin, a short drive from the CBD where the vast majority of the city's residents reside. Therefore locals can often be found in the bright and vibrant Essence restaurant, right at home among the lush tropical landscaped garden and pool area of the Darwin Airport Resort. The setting is a delightful reminder that while the food on your plate may be cosmopolitan, you are unmistakably in Australia's top end.

The menu at Essence is bursting with wild and exotic delights, and has been carefully and expertly assembled by a chef who is in tune with his craft. While the Darwin restaurant scene offers some world class dishes and unique local specialties, classic fine dining is not something readily on offer. Essence goes some of the way to remedying this, offering contemporary cuisine cooked with flair, and drawing on international influences. Fitting then, that the restaurant is located so close to the airport and sees so many travellers and international guests pass through its doors. The food on offer will appeal to everyone from the most experienced of restaurant frequenters, to food novices keen to broaden their gastronomic horizons. A welcome novelty is the glossary at the back of the menu, defining many culinary terms with which diners may be unfamiliar. The standout dish is the rib steak, roasted for three hours before being flame grilled to your liking. For desert, the banana tart tatin is like nothing else you will find in the city; sweet, perfectly flambeed, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Liam Phillips, February 2008