Noosa Beach House is now under the guidance of a powerhouse hospitality team led by Executive Chef Bret Cameron, marking a new era for this Noosa dining institution.
Cameron, who has been at the helm of SMH Good Food Guide hatted restaurants including Harvest Newrybar and Dish in Byron Bay as well as Four in Hand in Sydney, has shifted the focus of the menu to a producer-to-plate approach with the lens on local, small-scale Queensland producers.
Cameron is supported by a highly respected team of hospitality heavyweights including Director of Food and Beverage Martijn de Boer (former General Manager at Mimi’s & Will’s and Bentley Restaurant & Bar, as well as Restaurant Manager at The Bridge Room and Gastro Park – all in Sydney); Head of Beverage Remon van de Kerkhof who joined the team from Oncore by Clare Smyth at Crown Resorts Sydney where he was Head Sommelier; and Restaurant Manager PJ Choroomi, formerly restaurant manager/sommelier at Ume, Koi and Blancharu in Sydney.
Alongside Head Chef Rafael Rodrigues, Cameron meets producers a few times a month which he says is one of the joys of the role.
The list of local suppliers includes Tanglewood Organic Sourdough Bakery in Noosaville, Noosa Reds (tomatoes) in Doonan, Eastwell Farms (mushrooms) in Kin Kin, Beyond Honey on the Sunshine Coast and Falls Farm (vegetables) in Mapleton, and continues to grow every month.
“The menu celebrates this really impressive collection of local producers I’ve had the opportunity to get to know. Their produce is outstanding, so we want to get it from their hands to our plates with minimal intervention so our diners can experience every ingredient at its best,” said Cameron.
The menu offers the kind of dishes you want to eat when you are on holiday at a coastal destination. Freshly shucked oysters ($5 each) are hard to skip by, especially when the mignonette is finished with a splash of Perrier-Jouët champagne at the table, but the Pan con tomato ($15) is a worthy adversary. Juicy local Noosa Red tomatoes are grated onto grilled Tanglewood organic sourdough and topped with a slice of jamon and a generous drizzle of olive oil for a simple dish that whisks you, just for a moment, to the Spanish seaside.
For a seafood starter head towards Mooloolaba tuna crudo ($32) tossed with house-smoked tomatoes, basil, crispy capers and onion, or grilled local prawns ($34) that slipped from the boat into the restaurant a few hours earlier, served with a baste of miso butter, finger lime, pickled seaweed and lemon.
One of Cameron’s favourite dishes on the menu is a creation that follows him to most restaurants - smoked beetroot with macadamia cheese, Davidson’s plum and a beetroot macadamia crumb ($24). If the salty sea air leans you towards a seafood pasta, the Moreton Bay Bug casarecce ($45) is another of his recommendations. For those dining with a group, the braised whole lamb shoulder with salsa verde and jus ($89) with a side of crispy chat potatoes with confit garlic butter and rosemary salt ($15) is an easy choice.
To finish, there are three desserts to choose from (all $16): a rich and luxurious dark chocolate mousse with hazelnut crumb and a house-made wattle seed ice cream; carpaccio of burnt pineapple infused with a kaffir lime sugar syrup wrapped around coconut mousse and served on macadamia crumb; and a classic Basque cheesecake with fresh figs and an almond and rosemary crumb. The selection of local cheeses is presented with Beyond Honey which is produced by one of the restaurant’s staff members and freshly harvested weekly.
For Cameron and the team, the aim is to provide a dining experience that feels more like a neighbourhood restaurant than a formal dining environment.
“We want Noosa Beach House to be the kind of restaurant guests feel comfortable returning to regularly, whether that’s a couple of times during their stay in Noosa or every week as a local. Our style of service, the way the food is plated, and the atmosphere is all geared to be warm, welcoming and honest. That’s the kind of restaurant I want to dine at when I’m in a capital city and it’s no different when I’m on holidays,” said Cameron.
The wine menu follows the same ethos as the food, championing smaller, burgeoning Australian growers where possible. While 80% of the list is dedicated to Australian winemakers, there is space for Old World classics such as Champagne and Chablis, a natural complement to warm weather.
Noosa Beach House is divided into a restaurant and bar (two separate spaces) with the new restaurant menu available for dinner nightly and a selection of dishes offered for lunch Saturday and Sunday. If you are after an afternoon cocktail, night cap or a casual bite, make a beeline for the bar. Clusters of lounges face Hastings Street, making it one of the best spots on the strip to beat the heat.
Noosa Beach House is located on the street level of Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort and is open seven days a week.
Contact Noosa Beach House
https://noosabeachhouse.com.au/
