animals– justpoultryandmarsupials.
They’vealsosigneduptotheGoodFish
Projecttoavoiddepletingendangered
fishstocks.“Thefoodwillfeelsimilar
toPaperDaisybutreally,I wanttostart
afresh,”Devlinsays.“I wantdishesto
besimple,beautiful,andlayeredwith
flavoursandcomplexity.”
ForhisopeningmenuDevlinhas
beenexperimentingwiththelikesof
chickenpoachedinbeeswaxwitha mead
glazeandhuitlacoche– thedark,delicious
cornfungus– andgrilledgemlettuce
stuffedwithmudcrabservedwithcrab
bisque.Findingtimetofocusonfood
inthemaelstromisn’teasy.“I’vestarted
tryingtowritemenus,butmymindis
toofocusedonthebuilding,”hesays.
“I needtoknockthroughthatfirst.”
Devlin’salwaysbeena dab-handat
DIYinthekitchen,butgettingonthe
tools for Pipit, has been an eye-opener.AtPaperDaisy,thestarredrestaurant
at HalcyonHouse,Devlinbuilta
reputationforintricatedishesshowcasing
theregion’sbounty– tropicaland
subtropicalfruits,pristineseafoodand
vegetables.AtPipit,he’stakingit a step
further.HisBoonLuckcacheincludes
a riberryvinegar(tobemixedwithkelp
oilasa marinadeforcobiaorbonito)
anda citrusylemon-myrtle-flowervinegar.
Therearegarumsmadefromprawn
heads,squidandoysters,anda vegan
versionmadefromgreengarlic.“It’s
notreallya garumbuthopefullyit
givesthesameeffect– strong,salty
andlightlysharp,”saysDevlin.T
heplanDevlinhasforPipit’s
menuis tofeaturearounda
dozendishesbuiltaround
a woodgrill.It willbehyper-
seasonal,coveringeightdifferentgrowing
periods;Devlinhaskepta diaryformore
thanthreeyears,documentingtheebb
andflowoflocalfruitsandvegetables,
wildplantsandseafood.Forsustainability
reasons, the menu won’t feature hoofedHe’dneverplasteredanythingbefore.
Butrendering,hesays,is justlikeicing
a bigcake.Tilinghasbeentrickier.
“I justassumedI coulddobecauseI
didn’tlikethelookofthequote– it was
$10,000forlabouralone,”Devlinsays.
Beingonthegroundwiththeother
tradiesspeedsupcommunication,but
it canbetoughproblem-solvingwhile
tryingtohityourowntargets,hesays.
“EverydayI say‘Right,I’lltilethisand
this’,andI getabouthalfdone– I know
I’vebittenoffmorethanI canchew.”
Buthe’slearningtorollwiththe
surprises.Theprocessisn’tnecessarily
harderthanheimagined,it’smore
complex.“Youmakea smallbitof
progressandthenthere’sanother
threequestions.”Then,there’sthe
everydayhorse-tradingwithbanks,
lawyers,landlordsandreal-estateagents.
Every decision brings more decisions.Pipit’sceramics.
Above:YenTrinh
andBenDevlin
withbabyPenny.
Right,fromtop:
therestaurant’s
bar;Devlin
platingpipis;
Pipit’sanchovy
garum,vinegars
and spices.66 GOURMET TRAVELLER