Tucked away in a quiet nook of hip Sydney-style designer building, Camden Centre, is Whitebait & Kale looking rather inviting with its modern open space concept. The restaurant has made recent changes to the premises since its opening in 2003. The dining section is now more cozy and private and in addition is a new wine area to chill out with the backdrop of lounge music. Not forgetting a new bar area serving mostly delicacies and sandwiches.

Patrons opting for al fresco dining will be pleased to note the availability of wooden benches with cool tabletops of white washed floorboards instilling a convincing as if 'beach-house' feel to it.

As part of its plans to conduct cooking classes for its patrons, the premises is brightly-lit and the kitchen is distinctively visible with overhead mirrors installed at the kitchen counters. Interested patrons may enquire about cooking class over a meal or a drink at the bar.

The menu for the day is lined up on a chalk board for easier referencing. Favourites would be the fish & chips and baked snapper pie.

We had a four course meal with the chef's daily special selected from the chalkboard. A bowl of deep-fried whitebait served with tartar sauce was an obvious choice to begin with and it was simply addictive. The focaccia bread served warm from the oven, was all flavourful and aromatic with herb extracts. The scallops baked crispy on the outside and yet tender and juicy on the first bite sent us drooling for more. The fresh fruit salad in its house dressing was a potently delicious accompaniment to the scallops giving a refreshing tinge to it.

The meal was just starting to become a little too mind-blowing when next comes the beetroot salad interestingly combined with crunchy asparagus and creamy goat cheese which was both tasty and nutritious. 

As for the mains, the spaghetti arrived in a large shallow bowl with a surprisingly good-sized portion of pasta. It was perfectly covered in a rich, chunky tomato sauce with generous portion of French beans, Greek kalamata and juicy prawns. The chicken breast was a little milder in taste but nevertheless, well-flavored.

The famous Australian dessert, Pavlova, named after the Russian ballerina, topped with passionfruit sorbet & berries, and the creamy nougat semifreddo of candied citrus fruits, sicilian pistachio & chocolate rum sauce, turned out to be real crowd pleasers! These wondrous desserts were well worth the sinful pleasure.

• Service
  Appetizers:
  Crispy whitebait
  Focaccia bread with extra-virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar
  Seared scallops with green mango and seaweed salad, and pearl-salmon-yogurt dressing
  
  Salad:
  Salad of beetroot, asparagus, & goat’s cheese with balsamic vinaigrette
  
  Main course:
  Spaghetti with prawns, french beans, greek kalamata in fresh tomato sauce
  Pan roasted chicken breast with leek, chestnut, boiled potatoes & miso vinaigrette
  
  Dessert:
  Pavlova with fresh cream, passionfruit sorbet & berries
  Nougat semifreddo of citrus fruits, sicilian pistachio & chocolate rum sauce 

Service standards were a little lacking despite the obvious good intentions. There were a couple of staff wandering around trying to assist, but each to his own. However the charm of this unique place will certainly win you over. The quality of the food was indeed value for money. Dining in Whitebait & Kale was definitely an all-rounded atmospheric experience to remember.