Charcoal Oven - LARRAKEYAH

Ordinarily I would have given this place a big miss, there were a lot of warning bells going off. Thankfully we decided to give this venue a try.We ate outside, inside looked dark, dank and uninviting. Outside the tablecloths weren't fresh and had obviously been left on overnight or longer. The view over the water is lovely and it was such a lovely place as the sun was setting.Service was very hit and miss and it took a long time for anything to arrive. The wine list wasn't bad, but the reasonably expensive white wine ordered wasn't available and was substituted for an inferior wine (at the same price). No ice bucket arrived with the wine.The menu was extensive and well selected. The crocodile entree was the nicest I have ever had & I could have happily had it as a main as well. The other menu items were beautiful cooked and delicious as well. Portion size was excellent.The let down was the poor service. There were long waits for anything we ordered and meals did not come out together. I could understand if they were busy, but we were the first to arrive & order.Price was pretty reasonable and the restaurant focused on local produce (big plus for me). Not quite sure if I would return.

We stumbled onto Charcoal Oven as we had planned to eat at La Beach but as it was a Monday night it was shut, as we walked past Charcoal Oven we noticed the Tapas available, the item that took my eye was the " Crispy Croc Tail ", we were warmly greeted as we entered and found a table outside with a view of the the boats moored at the picturesque Cullen Bay Marina with the city in the distance. All the the beers at Charcoal Oven were $5.00 ( there was an extensive choice, I had a few Peroni's ) it was a matter of selecting your beer from the fridge and leaving the money on the frequently unattened bar, a patron who was getting drinks at the same time as me, had a $20 note and 2 beers, upon seeing the unattended bar he grabbed another couple of beers and left the $20 note ! This act summed up Charcoal Oven to me, it was laid back, trusting, and honest, by the way the Crispy Croc Tail was a delight, it was battered and fried, and tasted absolutely delicious. We had a very enjoyable and relaxing time at Charcoal Oven, when we are back in Darwin we will return.

I traveled to Darwin for a business trip and decided to try this restaurant for their chilli crab. I have had chilli crab in many places around the world for work, and I thought no place could rival Singapore's. However, Cathy's place is undoubtedly the best in the world. The service was amazing, and the location overlooking the harbor was perfect. I am looking forward to coming back for more.

The restaurant had a dark deck with steps that were unsafe in the low lighting. The waitress brought a flashlight along with the menus. I found the seafood to be overpriced at $79.00 per kilogram for crab or prawns, compared to $25.09 per kilo in Perth. The menu was mostly Asian, which we had for lunch but did not want again. The only side dish offered was wedges. My husband had a warm steak, my son had bland fried rice, my daughter had spring rolls, and I had oysters, which were reasonably priced and delicious. However, when I ordered Kilpatrick oysters, they did not have bacon so I had to settle for chilli garlic instead. We also ordered wedges to fill us up a bit.

I recently visited a restaurant called Cathy's Place, formerly known by a different name. The view of the marina was fantastic and the food was excellent. They offer cheap drinks and provide great service. I was impressed to see live crabs in the tank and they also serve delicious prawns.