Conditions in Byron Bay are perfect at the moment, not so much for a leisurely stroll along the sands, but for the mid-winter reopening of award-winning restaurant, Beach Byron Bay.

“We have really hit the ground running with breakfast and lunch service and are adding in dinner service from July 1”, says Beach’s new head chef, Simon Palmer.

Growing up in Newcastle, Palmer earned his chops at Brisbane’s Gerard, and hatted fine-dining restaurant Urbane before moving to e’cco bistro as head chef under the tutelage of culinary artist and restaurateur, Philip Johnson.

“I joined the Beach team as head chef in May ahead of our reopening on June 1 (for breakfast and lunch). It is truly a pleasure to be at Beach everyday – the setting of the restaurant, overlooking Clarkes Beach, is incredible,” he says.

Palmer’s new seafood-centric menu at Beach Byron Bay is reflective of its location in the northern NSW coastal area of Clarkes Beach.

“Spanner crab capellini with rocket, black pepper and pecorino is a favourite – all of our pastas are made in-house daily and we are firm believers in using sustainably sourced seafood so it’s a great representation of Beach,” Palmer says.

“Our prawns are from Ballina Northern Rivers. Our crab comes from the Fraser Isles just off Queensland, around the Fraser coast.”

Palmer is also adamant about sourcing as much as possible from local and regional suppliers.

“It’s been a pleasure to create a menu that complements this setting and pays homage to the location and its talented producers,” he says, adding that many of his favourite winter ingredients, such as eggplant, mushrooms, capsicum and tomatoes are all widely available at this time of year.

“We use Australian shiitakes from Suncoast Fresh who work with a terrific Byron-based grower for our Chargrilled rump cap with wakame oil, daikon, black cardamom and eggplant puree – a great combination of bold flavours, a star protein, and seasonal ingredients.”

“I’m really looking forward to building my relationships with great, local, unique suppliers to find out what works best for the restaurant and what resonates well with our diners.”

Beach Byron Bay
2 Massinger Street, Byron Bay NSW
1300 583 766
beachbyronbay.com.au