There was a time when the sleepy stretch that connected the south end of the Gold Coast to Byron Bay was unknown. The strip of white sands and swell-laden beaches were frequented only by locals or the odd passers-by road tripping through the district. This was especially true of Cabarita – a town that housed a beach-side surf life-saving club, a healthy population of wave riders, and little else.

But the emergence of boutique hotel Halcyon House has changed all that. The stylish gem on the Northern New South Wales coast is helping to attract attention to the beauty of the little-known region. Alongside a warmly decorated accommodation that oozes the stylish touch of Brisbane interior designer Anna Spiro, sits restaurant Paper Daisy. Unlike many a hotel restaurant, Paper Daisy is a destination in its own right. While an easy meal option for guests, the restaurant’s worth may be proven by the frequenting visitors making the trek from Byron (or even Brisbane) to enjoy the irresistible trio of beachside destination, Instagram-worthy interiors and (most importantly) coastal inspired dishes that creatively celebrate the region’s produce

At the helm of Paper Daisy is former Esquire chef Ben Devlin, who explores the flavours of the Australian coast with this menu. Think wattle seed, lilly pilly, and lemon myrtle combined with local favourites pippies, fish, and the beloved Australian prawn. It’s not hard to see that he previously worked under Rene Redzepi at Noma in Copenhagen.

Entrees aren’t limited by flavour, or (refreshingly) size by that matter, with servings generous. While the pippies steamed in lemon myrtle with semolina pasta may be a perfect representation of the venue’s favouring of creative concoctions of local offerings, but it’s the prawns that steals the show. The green rice crumbed prawns with chilli & ginger pickle salad is an overload of flavour – tangy with a capital T. The dish also contains the kind of sauce that you wish you could bottle and take home with you, to smother on everything you cook at home.

Mains follow a similar pattern – an embrace of local produce in unique ways. There’s a number of different takes on the meat and veg combination long beloved by Australians, with the menu containing a caramelised pork neck with pear, kohlrabi & anise myrtle or chicken breast poached in mushroom juice with roasted artichoke. There’s also a vegetarian option that thinks outside the box –  an ash & salt roasted celeriac served with sourdough starter, almond & celeriac leaf.

But it’s the seafood that is the jewel in the crown of the eatery – a paper bark grilled fish with sugarloaf cabbage, wattle seed & seaweed. This is not your traditional fish and chips served seaside. Instead it’s a seafood dish served in a paper bark casing that is heavy on both smoke, salt and flavour.

While it’s the seafood that is the real attraction of Paper Daisy there is an impressive dessert menu that includes an apple & fennel tart with white chocolate jackfruit, and a selection of local cheese. Or you can do as I did and forgo sweets for something else the restaurant excels at – Aperol Spritz. Predictable? Maybe. But there may be no better partner to a seafood feast in a sleepy surf town than an Aperol – fresh, unavoidably summer and (the best bit) served the size of your head.