A real taste of the Outback involves surprisingly little beef, no bloomin’ onions, and to be honest I never once saw “shrimp on the barbie” on even one menu! What I did find was kangaroo, emu, wattleseed, and lots of bush tomatoes! So here’s your sneak peek at what we really ate in the Australian Outback at Ayers Rock Resort!
Pira Pool Bar
By the time we landed and checked into Sails in the Desert, we had worked up quite an appetite! Fortunately for us, the Pira Pool Bar was just steps from our room, with a view of the pool to boot!
The day we arrived was my birthday, and we had reservations for A Night at the Field of Light, which involved sunset canapes with view of Uluru, dinner, a fun lecture on the stars, and a walk through the Field of Light art installation! Dinner was buffet style, and since it was night time, my pictures aren’t the best, but I tried to get some good ones for you!
Pineapple juice while we wait for the sunset on Uluru.
Canapes: crocodile, carrot, and saltbush flan; poached prawn sea parsley, and finger lime aioli crostini; caramelized sweet potato and lemon myrtle filoette; rosella, caramelized onion, and feta tart; smoked kangaroo with native peaberry yoghurt
Roasted tomato and native thyme soup
Fusili pasta salad, spinach salad, bok choy, barramundi (fish) with lemon myrtle cream, native sukkah crusted kangaroo, quinoa, and there’s cauliflower in there somewhere, too!
Desert lime cheesecake with blueberry garnish, warm apple and quandong crumble tart with Davidson plumb and berry compote, pear and lemon myrtle tea cake, and warm chocolate and wattleseed slice, with vanilla anglaise on basically everything.
Ilkari Restaurant Breakfast
As you can see above, my buffet plates are not beautiful! So instead of showing you my breakfast plate from each morning, I sneaked into the restaurant just before it opened and got pictures of everything before anyone dug in! There was also a chef preparing omelettes, French toast, and more on the griddle.
Cereal Bar
Toppings for cereal
Fruit
Melons
Yogurt and juice smoothies
Bread selection
Muffins and Doughnuts
Sweet breads
Hot bar: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and beans, mushrooms, and tomatoes for the Brits
Chinese congee with all the fixin’s
Chicken and mushroom dumplings
Sushi! with pickled vegetables, wasabi, and ginger
Cheese, dried apricots and apples, and crackers
Raw vegetables, cold cuts, and smoked salmon
Juice and cut fruit garnishes
Gecko Cafe
Gecko Cafe is a very popular spot, but thankfully we were able to get a couple of pizzas to go after a long and wonderful day. We made quick work of them!
Smoked ham and pineapple pizza
Outback Pizza: smoked kangaroo, emu, mushroom, onion, roasted red capsicum, and mozzarella
Breakfast to Go
Honestly, this was not the ideal breakfast! There was very little protein, but this is what the resorts puts together for everyone who misses breakfast to take a sunrise tour.
Reusable bag, bottled water, granola bar, banana bread, milk, apple, apple juice, crackers, fruit and nut muesli, cutlery, wet nap, and tic tacs
This coffee shop in the Town Square has great coffee and food, too! This business also supports hospitality education for the indiginous people of the area. We stopped in for lunch after hiking the Valley of the Winds at Kata Tjuta.
Spinach and ricotta pie with side salad and tomato sauce (ketchup)
Pumpkin and feta sandwich
Fig and cream puff pastry
Hazelnut latte and cappuccino
Ilkari Restaurant Buffet Dinner
Our package deal included a buffet dinner at the Ilkari restaurant, the same place we had breakfast. The dinner buffet was set up similarly, with a variety of foods surrounding a made-to-order, open kitchen with a chef and a menu for what she could make for guests.
Potato, leek, and fried onion soup
Smoked salmon
Oysters with trimmings
Very large shrimp; and marinated squid, I believe
House made croutons
Gnocci with spinach and tomato sauce
Twice baked soufflé with fennel
Glazed carrots
Andhra pulao (rice)
Pickled onions, irata, mango pickles, and pappadums
Himalayan chicken curry
Lemon myrtle scented barramundi
Tamarind lemongrass braised beef ribs
Bread selection
Build your own Caesar salad
Build your own side saladSaffron scented Israeli cous cous salad with cucumber sour cream dressing
Dragon beef salad with citrus dressing
Mediterranean salad with saltbush vinaigrette
Peppered mushroom salad with lemon vinaigrette
Veggies with hummus or roasted capsicum and walnut dip
Olives, onions, roasted tomatoes, zucchini, dolmades, and artichokes
Cold cuts
Sweet potato chips
Cheese and cracker tray
Honey, dried fruits, and nuts to accompany the cheese
Roast ham for carving
Wok stir-fried chicken, veggies, and spicey peanut and bush tomato sauce from the chef station
Kangaroo with potato and broccoli from the chef station
Passionfruit and coconut macaron
Dark chocolate and raspberry terrine
Carrot cake
Wattleseed cake
Cappuccino brûlée
Mango and desert lime entrement
Milk and white chocolate fountain with marshmallows, fruit, raspberry coulis, and vanilla anglaise
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