Crusoe's was a bit of a surprise - we chose it for a special occasion, our anniversary, based on the menu we saw in the entertainment guide, got the kids settled in with a baby sitter, and headed off. Knowing we were heading into Crows territory at West Lakes, I had some trepidation about what to expect - area's iconified by footie teams don't always offer the best in five star cuisine - but the food here outweighed the surroundings by a magnificent amount.
The premises does feel a little dated - a lot like a leagues club on the Gold Coast/Tweed Heads border - but the menu was way up there with the best I've had anywhere. I had a goats cheese souffle, half a duck perfectly roasted with a cherry sauce (now there are both my achilles heels in one dish, duck AND cherries - heaven) and a decadent dark chocolate mud cake dessert that was pure mud and barely cake at all.
Food like this is well worth the price - and well worth the trek across to the far side of town... heck, it was even worth the small arm and a leg we paid for a baby sitter on short notice. Staff were wonderful - possibly because we made it known we were there for our wedding anniversary, but they do say the only thing they overlook is the lake, and that really did seem to be true.
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