Newrybar restaurant Harvest is giving the rest of the Australia more reasons to head to Byron Bay this winter. Its Wild Harvest guest chef series is back and brings with it a chance to catch rare appearances of chefs such as Alejandro Cancino, whose recent departure from Brisbane fine-diner Urbane shocked many, and Bruno Loubet, who has boomeranged back to Australia after spending the better part of a decade in London running Grain Store.
The French-born chef is on the pans this month and has embraced the idea of Wild Harvest to work with the best produce available on the day. “It’s only a week before the event and I don’t have a menu!” he says. “You could be tempted to call it unprofessional; I call it inspirational and I love it.”
Each chef collaborates closely with Harvest chef Alastair Waddell and resident native foods expert Peter Hardwick in the days leading up to their appearance, with much of the produce picked from the surrounding region on the day. Sommelier Russ Berry selects bottles by smaller Australian producers to match each dish. Last month, Aubergine and Temporada chef Ben Willis took mahi mahi sashimi and paired it with whipped brandade, dragonfruit and coastal succulents.
Following Loubet’s dinner, Alejandro Cancino will cook in June in what will be his first outing since quitting top-ranked Brisbane restaurant Urbane in April. Dates for the rest of the series are below.
Wild Harvest, Harvest Newrybar, 18-22 Old Pacific Hwy, Newrybar, NSW, (02) 6687 2644, harvestnewrybar.com.au. $75 per person for four course, matched wines additional $45.
The full line-up:
Weds 16 May, Bruno Loubet
Weds 20 June, Alejandro Cancino
Weds 11 July, Martin Boetz
Weds 22 August, Colin Fassnidge and Anthony Puharich
Weds 19 September, Scott Pickett