The whales have eaten all the sardines. So says chef Josh Lewis as he places two silver, glistening deboned fillets on a black plate in front of us. He’d brushed them the night before with a light brine, and today they’re sweet and soft, tasting of the sea without being dumped by a wave. “I managed to get my hands on the last.”

We had seen those whales earlier in the day, breaching off the coast at Byron Bay. Fleet is the most enchanting regional restaurant to have graced New South Wales in years. It’s tiny, seating just 14 people inside, mostly at a long, solid concrete counter that leads straight to the kitchen. It’s a minimalist’s dream, but with an intimacy and chic vibe that comes mostly from the impeccable service. Owners Josh Lewis, the chef, and Astrid McCormack, front of house and sommelier, worked together at Loam in Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsular, where Lewis was sous chef to Aaron Turner of Igni. He’s also a Noma Copenhagen alumnus, and the influence shines through in the clean flavours.

A lot of restaurants now claim to source locally, but here it moves past the food to the Tasmanian oak stools crafted by local maker Martin Johnston, to the plateware by Bangalow’s own Anna-Karina Elias. And then there’s the food. The produce is simple, but damn Lewis can cook: just how he manages to make everything taste so delicious is part of his appeal.

Whole fresh radishes come encased in house-produced honey, wakame and sesame seeds, amusing our bouche terrifically. A couple of fresh oysters sit on sheep’s curd and their own juices before being coated with a snowstorm of fresh grated local macadamia nuts.

Dry-cured snapper is shaved thinly by hand, accompanied by a tangy tangelo sauce, roasted witlof and confit fennel. Whole roasted baby Jerusalem artichokes are tossed in creamy sesame, which only goes further to enhance their sweet nuttiness.

More deliciousness. A thin slab of short pork loin, aged over miso for 12 days, is charred over coals – there’s a tiny Japanese konro barbecue in that little kitchen – and served with Brazilian cherry ketchup and raw choco noodles. It’s sublime food. What a shame it’s 773 kilometres from Sydney, but then that, and the whales, are part of its charm.

Must eat dish: the sardines, if the whales haven’t beaten you to it.
Instagram: @fleetrestaurant