Pipit
Contemporary$$$
A Northern Rivers tasting menu like no other.
No other restaurant at this level feels as personal and as cared for as Pipit. Partners Yen Trinh and Ben Devlin run the show, Trinh making the restaurant tick and stepping onto the floor as needed, Devlin doing as much from scratch as possible. Plates are made locally from ground-up fish bones, and Devlin does the Gyotaku art prints in the light-filled dining room himself.
His chefs culture the cheese, and crudites from hinterland farms are served with a beguiling “waste paste” spun out of scraps. The flavour comes in waves, too. Tuna tartare is dressed with pomelo and salted yuzu and served with pea miso, aged pea tamari and fresh peas, while Spanish mackerel is grilled until warmed through, the flesh melting on the palate. Add all-Australian drinks, tropical fruit on ice and the warm tone, and $135 for six courses feels like a steal.
Good to know: The tasting menu runs to six courses with added extras, but Pipit offers a la carte too, with the graceful option of half-serves if you want them
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