The Boulevard Hotel

One Saturday GG and I were in search of something illusive – a bank that was open on the weekend. Thankfully after a quick google search we found a CBA that was open in Floreat, so off we set. After ticking off our banking requirements we both realised we were starving! It was a beautiful day and I knew there was a pub nearby to Floreat Forum so after another quick search (thanks iPhones!) we realised it was just around the corner of where we were standing and we headed towards the Boulevard.

I’d never been to the Boulevard before so can’t comment on how it looked previously but the talented team who prettied up the Brisbane have done a wonderful job here. It was all very welcoming and perfect for the sunny conditions. There was an indoor seating area but given the lovely weather we opted to sit outside in the shade. There were some charming bench seats covered in cushions, but on this visit we decided it would be a little easier to eat, sat up at a table.

Ahead of deciding what to have off the food menu, we each ordered a beverage. When GG’s Stella arrived we did perhaps raise an eyebrow as to whether or not it had slightly too much head on it? It probably did, but couldn’t really be bothered raising this with the staff.

So what to eat! A decent length menu with quite a different range of dishes available, from your lighter options to your larger mains. Both feeling quite peckish we decided we’d share a Pizza bianca, sea salt, rosemary ($8.80) to start. It was brought out fairly swiftly and I thought it looked great. It seemed wonderfully fresh and fragrant with the smattering of rosemary. The simple combination of ingredients really tasted great, from the sea salt to the drizzle of olive oil that had been poured over the top. It was that right balance of crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. I thought it also presented nicely on its little paddle.

Feeling perhaps a touch ambitious I opted to follow our pizza starter with a pasta dish, like some sort of carb fiend 🙂 What can I say though, I couldn’t go past the Spaghettini, crab, tomato sugo, spinach ($28.80). There had actually been a fellow in my office raving about a crab pasta dish he’d had recently…. I think that’s why it was in the forefront of my mind. It was a very generous serve, with an abundance of beautiful sweet crab meat. I focused my attention on the crab and am pretty sure I polished off the majority of it. But it was tough going to plow through the spaghettini also! I partook in as much as I could. It was a pleasant flavour with the tomato sauce throughout. I enjoyed it, though I knew from the get go that there was just no way I was getting through it all. I did my best 🙂

Now across the table my GG was perhaps a little more sensible with his order of Grilled Tasmanian Salmon, nicoise salad ($32.80). Again it presented beautifully and the salad looked light and refreshing as a bed for the decent serve of salmon. As a new found salmon fan it did taste pretty good too! I think it was a better choice to pair with the pizza style starter. Finishing it was more achievable 🙂

I had really enjoyed our visit, clearly Floreat was one of those suburbs we should spent more time exploring. The Boulevard fits the bill for fancier pub fare and offers decent servings sizes and I thought prices were actually pretty reasonable. I wouldn’t mind heading back another time and enjoying another of the tasty options off the menu, propped up by some of their impressive cushion collection.