Situated within the St Kilda Sea Bath's complex, and overlooking St Kilda beach, Captain Baxter is often coined one of Melbourne's top destinations for a hot summer's night. However, with its incredible views and mouth-watering menu, it seemed like Saturday-night-worthy option for a cold winter's (well, technically Spring's) night.
With its indoor DJ, dimmed mood lighting and standing area at the bar, Captain Baxter definitely rocks a weekend vibe. This is beautifully complimented with the stunning light features and orchard adorned wooden tables that make up the main dining area.
Captain Baxter's Asian inspired menu is designed to be shared (luckily, considering the number of delectable items to choose from) and, in the sharing spirit, we started with the scallop and shitake dumplings with black vinegar and sesame chili oil ($12). Unfortunately the dumplings were incredibly salty and lacked in any great amount of scallop - not a dish I would recommend.
To follow we had the Vietnamese fried fish tacos with pickled veg and wheat tortillas ($24.50) and the glazed duck pancakes with cucumber, spring onion and spicy plum sauce ($25). The flavours on the fish taco platter were amazing - think spicy wasabi mayo, paired with tangy pickled radish and avocado cream. However, the fish was unfortunately over battered and over fried, meaning that there wasn't much fish left in the crunchy little morsels.
In clever move by Captain Baxter, the glazed duck pancakes came out with the duck still on the leg for us to shred, leaving the meat tender and juicy coming straight off the bone - well played Captain Baxter! However, the pancakes themselves were extremely disappointing - thick and floury, they took away from the brilliance of the rest of the dish.
Whilst the food on this occasion was underwhelming, and the cold wintery weather gave it a subdued vibe, Captain Baxter's remains a promising Summer night drinking hole (but may keep this place in the pocket for the warmer months only).
Food: 2/5
Service: 5/5
Décor: 4/5
Total: 11/15
Verdict: Like - worth a try at some point
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