Story and photos by Caz Parker
The first time I heard about Muoi’s Feast was as I was being captivated by my hairdresser, while she raved about the virtues of Muoi’s duck spring rolls. I’ve since learnt that Muoi’s has claimed a special spot in the heart of many locals for their consistently good grub and affable service.
As my dinner buddies and I lingered over the menu on a recent visit, a neighbouring diner chimed in to help. She gushed, ‘We’ve been ordering the exact same meals here every time for the last ten years. Muoi’s is our favourite place in Byron, and we always have Shanghai oysters, Vietnamese lamb shanks, wicked duck (and yes…) barbecue duck spring rolls. It’s always a-mazing.’ Our job was done! We feasted on the same, and she was spot-on. Sensual oysters, and succulent meat bathed in scrumptious sauces. That combination is worth a decade of return visits.
Head chef Bertrand Barreau grew up in France, in ‘the playground of kings’ – Loire Valley – surrounded by castles. Bertrand says, ‘My brother is a chef in France. One day, when I was 14 years old, I helped him out in the kitchen, and I was hooked.’ After his formal French cooking training, Bertrand became a ‘seasonal chef’, bouncing between the popular tourist destinations of Europe. He says, ‘It was a great opportunity for me to travel and to learn new techniques from many different chefs, in both the Swiss and French Alps and the Mediterranean islands’.
Bertrand travelled extensively throughout Asia. He says, ‘I always go to cooking school in every country I visit, to learn the local techniques’.
An Aussie traveller tripping through Europe, Stacey Luck, stole Bertrand’s heart. So he’s since swapped his backdrop of castles, Alps, and islands for a lighthouse, and moved with Stacey to the playground of beach worshippers. ‘When we came to Byron, I really fell in love with it. It felt like home. I also loved the al fresco feel of Muoi’s, so… voilà.’
Another heart stealer for Bertrand is Azura, their two-year-old daughter. Azura is his inspiration for the forthcoming name change from Muoi’s to Azura’s Garden. With plans to add a water feature and more ambient lighting, Bertrand says, ‘I want to make the place like a garden where you’d like to stay forever, and make it feel magical’. We may not be able to stay forever, but we’ll certainly be back.
11 Fletcher Street, Byron Bay. Ph 6685 7557
