Words and photos by Terase Davidson: Taste Byron Bay
We all need to make the time to go to The Italian Byron Bay for a little ‘Me Amore’.
We started our evening on Saturday with cocktails because hey, why not! I headed straight for a classic Passionfruit Sour, which was a perfectly balanced dance between vibrant fruit, liquor, sour and sweet with organic eggs used to make the sour super fluffy while also providing an extra-clean mouthfeel too. Big tick!
I found myself in a rare mood for not wanting to make any menu decisions. So after our epic cocktails, Dave and I asked our waitress to see if Chef would be keen to send us food that he loves best off the menu, and he said Yes! And wowza, does life taste good when you hand complete control over to a chef with the skill and flair of Will Ennis.
We started with the plumpest of Pacific oysters, with a pickled apple verjuice garnish, a clever and fun little flavour combination for our delicate juicy bivalves, followed by the most divine arancini with taleggio and romesco sauce. I’m always looking for different flavour pops on my fork and the snapper served with a silky-smooth cauliflower puree, broccolini with apple, almonds and herbs was bang on the money! Next came an old-school classic with a twist pairing of free-range pork belly with parnsip puree, roasted pear and candied walnuts.
Okay so I may have discreetly licked the plate here! Ah, and if you love fresh homemade pasta you simply must, yes must, order the ravioli with goat cheese. Oh and please make sure you save room for dessert, so you can indulge in the moreish chocolate, peanut and banana trio, because each spoonful will have you nodding knowingly at your dinner date and thinking, yes this really is the perfect finish to the most perfect night!
More info: The Italian Byron Bay
Bay St, Byron Bay. Ph 6680 7055
Terase is the founder of Taste Byron Bay, a local business that showcases local produce across all their menus for catering, events, private dining, food tours & cooking classes. For more information contact: www.tastebyronbay.com or follow the fun on INSTAGRAM @tastebyronbay.
