By S Haslam
Raes gained The Australian’s approval as Australia’s Hottest Regional Restaurant, with its food writer John Lethlean saying, ‘NSW chef Jason Saxby’s arrival in Byron Bay was bound to produce something special. Raes is laidback – so Byron – but Saxby and his team have turned up the heat to make this an outstanding regional eatery. Quintessentially Australian chic.’
‘We’re still on cloud nine,’ Raes general manager Francesca Webster told The Echo. ‘This award has been a few years in the making – in fact we’ve been around for a quarter-century of serving our guests. For this to round out the 25 years has been fantastic. We were up against some very strong competition from across the country, with some of the stiffest competition actually coming from this region. To be the best within the region would be an accolade, but to be considered the best regional restaurant in the entire country is what dreams are made of,’ she said.
Pipit Restaurant in Pottsville, under chef Ben Devlin, has also been included in The Australian’s Hot 50 Restaurants list.
