From Daikichi’s Japanese Izakaya warmth, to Bistro Vue’s Art Deco French feels and Bar Que Sera’s Mediterranean mood, the latest Coffs Harbour venues take international cues and spin them with local flair.
RELAX INTO EXPERTLY CRAFTED SHARE PLATES AND A WINE EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER AT SAWTELL’S BAR QUE SERA
At freshly re-appointed Bar Que Sera in Sawtell, you’re greeted by warm wood, wine-and-cheese-motif wallpaper and a neon sign promising ‘stories poured by the glass’; it’s just made for lingering meals and soulful chats. While the venue would be at home in the Mediterranean, the menu leans-in to local produce, celebrating a sense of place.
Co-owners and brothers-in-law, Jason Penrose and Duane Roy, bring their passion and mutual love of long-lunches to the venue. “We just want people to have an amazing full-hospitality experience,” says Jason of the welcoming energy that infuses the service. “We’ve drawn that concept around the wine and the menu.”
Duane brims with accessible and fun wine expertise, thanks to a long career as winemaker and GM at the Hunter’s Glandore Estate. “I don’t want to drink a great bottle on my own,” he laughs. “I want to share it and chat about it. You find more in it that way.”
Chef Mitchell Phillip-Tait, previously exec chef at Port Macquarie’s Whalebone Wharf, has crafted thoughtful dishes that equally standalone or enticingly enrich a sharing table. From melt-in-the-mouth swordfish with decadent n’duja butter, to grilled halloumi rich with local honey and topped with crisp curry leaves, dishes zing with housemade pickles, while the cured meats include a criminally decadent wagyu bresaola.
“It’s about sourcing the best people and produce possible,” says the chef. “One of the highlights has been the local oxheart tomatoes on toast. We’re sourcing them from Woolgoolga and the feedback is consistently ‘we’ve never tasted tomatoes like that’.”
Duane’s ‘cellar raid’ regularly offers a selection of bottles from his personal 4000+ bottle cellar (some aged 20+ years), served by the glass. It’s a truly accessible way to sample some unique wines, and an opportunity you’re unlikely to find anywhere else on the coast.
Take me there: Bar Que Sera is at 61 First Avenue, Sawtell
TRY YOUR ‘LUCK’ WITH CROWD-PLEASING SUSHI AT WOOLGOOLGA’S NEW JAPANESE HOT SPOT DAIKICHI
Tucked into the serene little plaza of 58 Beach Street, Daikichi has been bursting at the seams as the hotly anticipated sushi spot that Woolgoolga needed.
“It means lucky,” says Fame Eggleston, explaining that the name reflects exactly how she and husband, Ben, felt when they opened. Their passion infuses the food, drawing locals in for congenial family lunches and group dinners.
“We make everything ourselves to make sure it’s all the freshest. We order our salmon day-by-day and we marinade our own chicken,” says Fame.
The space reflects the warmth and colour of an Izakaya, adorned with pops of pink cherry blossom and a neon logo that Fame designed, while flags bearing ‘lucky’ cats flutter across the ceiling.
The menu is a “one-stop-shop” and plays to the expertise of Ben, who was previously seen at Hungry Bears. “You can come here for sushi, or a bigger meal like a bento box or donburri rice bowls,” says Fame.
While the crispy fried chicken karaage is the most popular dish right now – thanks to it’s juicy, crispy crunch – the silky agedashi tofu comes with a beautifully balanced broth, and there’s no denying that the kids (ahem, adults) are smitten with chicken katsu sushi rolls and grilled salmon nigiri. “When it’s warm, the sushi and bento are very popular.”
As a pleasant nod to affordability, the venue is BYO with no corkage. “I just want people to enjoy themselves and feel as lucky as we do,” says Fame. And you can taste it in every bite.
Take me there: Daikichi is at shop 3/58 Beach Street, Woolgoolga
SIP A GLAMOUROUS COCKTAIL WITH STYLISH BISTRO FARE ON THE JETTY STRIP AT COFFS HARBOUR’S BISTRO VUE
When Adam Hawke opened the doors to Bistro Vue on Harbour Drive’s Jetty Strip, it was to a loyal following eagerly awaiting his next venue, having previously run Shearwater Restaurant for nine years.
A sophisticated addition to the strip, fronted by a glamorous dark green and gold cocktail bar, perched right by the wide-open front windows, it’s enough to entice any Gatsby-era flapper.
Having stripped back the facade of the building to it’s original glossy black tiles and taking cues from the Art Deco curved corners, the interior is cool and sleek. It’s a dramatic backdrop for the moodily lit bar – where Adam shakes up cocktails of raspberry mules and coconut margaritas, alongside signature martinis.
Dishes walk the line between bistro fare and fine dining, thanks to Adam’s past life at venues including Sydney’s Aria and Flying Fish.
“We’re sourcing local ingredients wherever possible,” says Adam. “With our fisherman supplier, it’s from the boats to the plate. We’re pretty spoiled to have that at our doorstep.”
The coconut cured fish ceviche pops with finger lime and is plated like a work of art. Oysters come topped with ice-cold champagne granita, while huge chargrilled prawns glisten with lemon butter and chilli.
“We make everything in-house that we can, from flatbread to gnocchi and ravioli.”
Dishes are designed to share, from classic small plates of pork rillette and pickles, to larger ‘mains’ of hand-rolled sage burnt butter gnocchi. But the charred brussels sprouts are the sleeper side-dish not to be missed.
“I like making people happy, it’s my thing. You can turn someone’s day around.” Especially with a serving of champagne and oysters at sunset.
Take me there: Bistro Vue is at 384B Harbour Dive, Coffs Harbour
Take me there: Bistro Vue is at 384B Harbour Dive, Coffs Harbour