Bowral’s celebrated Biota is set to welcome a new sibling to the family with the launch of Biota Barn. Chef James Viles has introduced a wild new way to celebrate local produce (and his much-adored cooking) with a new restaurant in regional Kangaloon.

“It’s going to be the the wild sibling of Biota,” Viles enthuses. “No rules, no bullsh*t! I just want to have fun and have some wild dinners,” says the celebrated chef of his new project.

The restaurant will sit within a fully functioning farmhouse, complete with Electrolux kitchen and capacity for 70 guests. The venue is to be called Biota Barn, and will be a unique mix of restaurant and farm stay accommodation, all less than a 12-minute drive from the original mothership Biota. A space designed for memorable holidays to one-off events and adventures, the Barn is giving Viles a new lease on life.

The hands-on chef will be conducting foraging adventures for guests, which end with lunch by the fire pit or the custom-built Argentinian grill currently being installed. “We are also brewing our own beer there, called Barn Ale,” he says.

Biota Barn sits on the Russell’s Potatoes farm property (a Delicious Produce Awards state winner), where sacks of the famed potatoes will be for sale. Even the farm’s yabbies will eventually be up for grabs (or stomachs, once Viles gets his way with them). “Biota Barn will even have its own butchery, and we’ll be making our own sausages,” continues Viles. 

“It’s still going to be a high-end experience,” he promises, “but more wild, more fun, more relaxed, and open as a restaurant three nights of the week.” The Biota Barn is due to open in August, once Viles’ Chippendale pop-up is up and running.

Barn By Biota
Kangaloon Rd, Kangaloon, New South Wales
barnbybiota.com