After many a request, HUNTERhunter finally dropped by Morisset’s unexpected premium food and drink venue, 8 at Trinity – but did it stand up to the hype?

Unequivocally, yes.  

From winding through the freshly developed Trinity Point residential area to arriving at this absolute cracker of a structure, there’s something magical in the air when you visit 8 at Trinity. So, if you’ve yet to visit, let us take you on an all-encapsulating dining journey.

From what can only be explained as a luxurious resort-like restaurant experience, stepping through the door at 8 at Trinity transports you to a place unlike any other available in the region. It’s not like the Morisset we all have built an awareness of over the years, instead, it offers a huge step forward more like dining under Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay.

With touches of marble and brass throughout, incredible 6.5-metre-tall custom-made blinds, a unique marquee design, and lush tropical gardens start off your visit on a high.

What comes next is the service and skill of the front-of-house staff which is easily unmatched in the local area. Pair this with a menu that features all you could ever want plus items you’ve never heard of before making for an unforgettable experience.

Whether it’s simplicity or OTT dishes you’re looking for, 8 at Trinity offers it all. The cuisine? Put simply, is a premium yet approachable modern Australian with a focus on seasonal and local produce coupled with strong influences of flavours and techniques from Europe.

The brains behind this menu? Director and General Manager, Natalie Johnson has put her heart and soul into curating this menu alongside her kitchen team. A chef and restaurateur in a former life, Natalie pulls on her lifelong experience in the industry to bring a magnificent menu to Lake Macquarie.

Starting with a selection of small dishes, you can notice a strong focus on seafood with the Kingfish Ceviche with avocado mousse, yuzu, green apple, finger lime, and avruga caviar; Sea Scallops with celeriac, pine nuts, blackcurrants, lemon, brown butter, parsley oil, and chives; and selection of Oysters standing out.

For those looking for some unique flavours, you must try the Roasted Watermelon complete with burrata, 30yr aged balsamic, river mint, extra virgin olive oil, and toasted crostini, offering flavours I’ve never tasted before.  

Into the mains, you can explore a selection of elevated pasta dishes, woodfired pizzas made from within the venue’s very own disco ball-like pizza oven, fresh fish including the Trinity Fish & Chips, Barramundi, and Salmon en Croute, as well as a collection of Wagyu dishes from the grill.

The 8 at Trinity signature dishes are where Natalie’s kitchen expertise truly shines and the venue’s dedication to serving up the best of the best speaks for itself.

The Singapore Chilli Style Prawns featuring coriander, spring onions, chilli, garlic, steamed rice, and house warmed baoger buns; the Japanese Kagoshima A5 Wagyu Scotch Fillet MBS 12+ with crispy duck fat potato maxim, vinegar salt, roasted Portobello mushrooms, pickled pearl onions, and green peppercorn sauce; and what could just be Lake Macquarie’s best Seafood Platter; with Sydney rock oysters, Moreton Bay bugs, kingfish ceviche, sea scallops, Live Eastern Rock Half Lobster, Queensland tiger prawns, split king prawns, Murray cod, and fried calamari.

In keeping with their resort-like dining experience, diners can expect a collection of some of the most intriguing cocktail creations, including their standout premium cocktail, the Golden Cadillac Margarita complete with Fortaleza Anejo, Grand Marnier, lime juice, agaze, and topped with citrus gold and pink Himalayan salt; at $58 it might be one for special occasions. 

The cocktail specialists behind the bar have your taste buds covered with their extensive collection of both signature cocktails and mainstream creations that offer nothing short of a theatrical wow factor.

The $8 million 350-seat pop-up restaurant’s popularity is a testament to Natalie, and her unwavering belief in the project’s success.  

You read that right, the impressive space surrounded by the serene waters of Lake Macquarie is temporary, offering us a little glimpse of what’s to come for the luxury Trinity Point development and in about three years’ time, will be redesigned to form part of the five-star hotel.

The 23-hectare development on the shores of Lake Macquarie at Morisset Park is owned by the Johnson Property Group with Managing Director and husband of Natalie, Keith Johnson at the helm.

The overarching development for Trinity Point will include a luxury 220-room hotel, restaurants, function centre, pool, 218 waterfront apartments, and the already established Trinity Point Marina.

What 8 at Trinity offers is a taste test, a teaser, and a touch of excitement for visitors of what’s to come for the area.