I
t’sdifficulttoimaginea beachfront
settingbetterthanthespotenjoyed
byboutiqueByronBayhotel,Raes
onWategos.Thewhitestuccovilla
sitshighona knoll,overlookinglawns
andanarcofsand,withrollingsurfviews
framedbyspikypandanusandcasuarinas.
“It’snota terriblelocation,”laughs
JasonSaxby.HejoinedasRaes’ headchef
lastMarch,departingSydney’sbeachside
Piluat Freshwater,neatlyswappingone
coastalidyllforanother.
Saxbyhadn’tvisitedByronuntilthe
previousSeptember,whenheandwife
Tammytooktheirthree-year-oldsonOli
onholidaytonearbyKingscliff.They fell
sohardforthehinterlandtheybought
a blockat Chillingham,quietlyhatching
a two-yearescapeplansoOlicould
experiencea countrychildhood.
TheRaesvacancyrequireda
radicaladjustmentoftheirtimeline.
Sofar,therearezeroregrets.Saxby’s
flavoursome,cleverlylayered,Italian-leaning
dishesat RaesDiningRoomaregarnering
plaudits,as is hissmarttakeoncoastal
snacksat Raes’laid-backCellarBar.Both
menusareshapedbythesubtropicalclimate
andlocalabundance,and, likethepoolside
menuhe’screatedhere,gohardonflavour.
Dealingwithsmallproducersand
cookingina tinykitchenmeanlogisticsare
challenging.Butit’sa winfordiners.“It’s
allridiculouslyfresh,”saysSaxby.“Being
abletousePalisaAnderson’s(BoonLuck
Farm,Tyagarah)produceanhourafterit’s
picked– tomatoesstillwarmfromthesun
- it’sa differentexperiencefromthecity.”
Healsorelishes experimentingwith
nativeingredients.AttheDiningRoom,
nativelimemightboostbrinytropical
lobsteralongsideanXObisque,while
lemonmyrtleaddscitrusnotestotuna
crudo,andDavidson’s plumstarsin
dessertswithnativepepper.“To showcase
thisregion,youhavetousethese
ingredients,”hesays.“Davidson’s plum,
macadamias,bunyanutsandfingerlimes
growhere.Weusethemrespectfully.
“I don’twanttochallengecustomers.I
wantthemtobeintheircomfortzone, and
forthefoodtobereflectiveofthetimeand
place, sotheycanjustrelaxandenjoyit.”
RaesonWategos,6/8MarinePde,
ByronBay,NSW, (02) 6685 5366,
raes.com.au➤
Menu
Snacks
Calamariskewers
with’ndujavinaigrette
Kingprawnsangas
Davidson’sPlumSour
Shareplates
Burratawithpeach,
fennel,macadamia,mint
andlemonmyrtleoil
Cobiafilletwithputtanescasalsa
Grilledcornwithparmesan,brown
butter,lemonandbottarga
Stone& WoodPacificAle
2018 LaViolettaPatio Nat
Dessert
Mango-macadamiapopsicles
withPiñaColadapineapple
Raes’ Piña Colada
CalamariPlatefromNikau.
Allotherpropsstylist’sown.
PREVIOUSPAGESPoppy& Co
ComohatfromHope& May.
SliceofHeavensunglasses
fromLucyFolk.Allotherprops
stylist’s own. Stockists p152.