Havza restaurant review: Small but mighty pop-up brings the Aegean Sea to the pristine waters of Rottnest

Picture this. You’ve just had a dip in the pristine azure waters of an island paradise. You slip on thongs, wrap a towel around your bathers and saunter into a small patio like James Bond coming out of the sea in Casino Royale. An ice-cold martini, or semillon, or beer awaits to wash down a plate of whiting, or octopus, or a plump scallop or three. Heaven! Must be where? You don’t need to be Euro-gliding through, say, Capri or Santorini or Biarritz to savour this moment. Yeah, nah! You’re on Rotto, mate! Specifically, and spectacularly, The Basin, a short sandy-togged ride from Wadjemup/Rottnest Island’s main jetty, at a pop-up restaurant called Havza, which means “basin” in Turkish. If you’ve been to The Basin, for a swim or simply to soak in the priceless panorama, you know it’s stunning. And now there’s an eatery right there overlooking blue water and the hollowed-out reef? Pinch me. The brainchild of owner and head chef Glenn Evans, who has operated The Lane Cafe and Simmo’s ice-creamery in the big smoke of the Thomson Bay settlement for more than a decade, Havza is described as an Aegean Sea fusion diner. That is, Greek and Turkish dishes made using WA produce in a shipping container perched in the pavilion. A window on one side flogs Simmo’s gelato. After testing the waters for a few months earlier this year, Havza reopened for an extended summer season on November 1. Must be pricey, right? Given the location, the assumption is that the cost of dining here will be eye-watering. It is not. In fact, there are a few plates that represent very good value, especially given you can pay $16 for a sliver of crumbed chicken and a handful of chips at another venue on the island. Even better news, the pop-up’s sandy-feet policy means you can sip a rather excellent Gin Sour or lemon-loaded gin martini in your thongs and/or thong. The Rottnest Island gin-brand cocktail list is short but to the point, while the wines are mostly smart drops from Margaret River’s Lenton Brae and beer cans come via Jindong’s Rocky Ridge. Unsurprisingly, there’s no wine cellar or fully stocked bar at Havza, which was out of Lenton Brae’s sparkling blanc de blancs when my family parked our deadly treadlies nearby and plonked ourselves down for lunch on a recent sunny Sunday. They were also out of Albany rock oysters. No dramas. That’s island life. They DID have the most delicious Abrolhos scallops, lovingly seared and drizzled in a lemon myrtle oil, for $6.50 a pop. And we soon discovered the must-have item on Havza’s menu: the Abrolhos crayfish borek. For $22 you get two crunchy pastry rolls oozing cray and Emmenthal cheese. Decadent doesn’t cover it. The panko parmesan-coated Shark Bay whiting ($18 for three decent fillets) is another favourite. Crunchy local fish with a big squeeze of lemon and dill-loaded tartare sauce tastes so much better when you’re staring out at The Basin. There are some fair dinkum Greek classics on the Havza roster, including spanakopita and halloumi. The former packs Persian fetta, spinach and toasted pepitas into a large triangle of puff pastry for $16, while the halloumi offers three wedges of squeaky cheese with Piesse Brook honeycomb for $18. Both are solid, familiar and a lovely change-up from the seafood plates. All our shared small plates disappeared quicker than an unguarded pie at the Rottnest Bakery until we were confronted with the spicy fishcake. I envisaged little seafood patties a la the fishcakes found in Thai restaurants. This was Tasmanian salmon, flaked and transformed into a huge deep-fried ball with lime aioli for $24. This would have worked better smaller with more spice. There was more heat in the well-spiced lamb koftas accompanied by flatbread, zingy tzatziki, creamy hummus and tabouli salad in the delicious gyros (called a yiro on the menu). This can also be ordered with falafel instead of lamb and, at $24, is an ideal lunch. From the large plates side of the menu, we ordered the crispy-skinned Greek-style chicken with citrus and thyme oil ($28), with some lemon roast potatoes ($12) and scorched Brussels sprouts ($10). Chicken was basic and a little dry, but had good flavour, while the spuds boasted adequate seasoning but weren’t crunchy. The table next to us asked a waiter if Havza do chips. They don’t. Try the pub — watch out for seagulls. The best bet is to stick to small plates and perhaps a gyros, plus cocktails and wines, and save room for a Simmo’s ice-cream for the walk back to the ferry. Havza bobs away contentedly somewhere between the mostly solid, occasionally scandalous tucker at Hotel Rottnest (aka the Quokka Arms) and the bougie affectations of neighbouring Lontara. Isola’s masterful Italian job of pretending Rotto is Capri remains top quokka on Wadjemup. Given all those three outlets are owned by the Prendiville Group, Havza represents a mild shake-up of the status quo(kka). Those tremors will build to earthquake levels when the Social Grounds hospo mob welcomes up to 500 patrons and 100-odd hotel guests to The Lodge Wadjemup, the lake-side resort due to complete a stunning redevelopment this summer. Soon, Rottnest will resemble eat streets in Mt Lawley, Leederville and downtown Fremantle with its culinary options after decades of like-it-or-lump-it offerings accepted by punters more focused on their next swim, ride or beer. Open until May 31, Havza is a small but mighty addition. Havza The Basin, Rottnest Island/Wadjemup OPEN Wednesday to Sunday, midday to 7.30pm. CONTACT Instagram: @havzarottnest or Havza Rottnest on Facebook BOOKINGS Yes THE VERDICT Greek and Turkish coastal cuisine served out of a tiny pop-up kitchen at one of the loveliest spots on the people’s paradise. Strong small plate game and very short but tidy WA wine list. Excellent gin-based cocktails. Few restaurants have a better vista. BYO towel. 15.5/20