Paper Daisy, the in-house (and equally as inviting) restaurant of the gorgeous Halcyon House hotel, has emerged as an iconic regional venue since its launch, landing at number 61 in Gourmet Traveller’s 100 Best 2018, and nabbing a Good Food Guide Chef’s Hat (after holding two in 2017).
Now, as former Executive Chef Ben Devlin moves on to open his own venue, Pipit, Jason Barratt takes the keys to the kitchen. Coming from such icons as Stokehouse, Attica, and (most recently) Rae’s on Wategos, Jason’s brings that admirable body of experience and a reassuring approach to his food: “Everything must be delicious,” Jason says. “It doesn’t matter how pretty it looks, or what rare and exotic ingredients you use… it must taste delicious.”
Die-hard fans can be reassured that the bones of Paper Daisy will stay the same, with Jason adding his own twists and shifting the focus slightly – he describes the direction as “refined Australian coastal cuisine. We will be adding more pasta dishes to the mix too, with a less formal menu offering.”
The locally-sourced focus, for which Ben Devlin is an industry leader, will remain for the most part, but with Jason bringing his own pragmatic perspective: “As most chefs do, I try to keep things as local as I can. It’s important for all the obvious reasons, but sometimes the most delicious apples come from Victoria, and the sweetest oysters come from Tasmania…”
It’s clear Jason’s focus for Paper Daisy is to continue to elevate the much-loved venue. With his cooking style self-described as “simple and classic yet refined and creative… not overworked, and not over-pretentious,” he’ll obviously be right at home at this Cabarita landmark.
Images by Kara Roselund
