Ben Devlin has a “deep connection” to the Northern Rivers. Proud of the region and its produce, having dedicated the last four years to Cabarita’s Paper Daisy, now it’s Pottsville’s turn… and his. Pipit is a family venture with partner Yen, so the connection now runs deeper than ever. The restaurant is a minimalist space, but you can book kitchen stools for front-row seats to a spectacular show. Centrestage is the charcoal fire, where you’ll see Devlin roasting romanesco on the coals and drying squid at the chimney mouth. The menu focuses on local vegetables, foraged ingredients and sustainable seafood. Devlin’s skills with all are unsurpassed and he works in perfect synchronicity with his team. He knows when to keep it simple (hello, raw crunchy wing beans), but can whip salted cobia into a fluffy frenzy and puts pumpkin through a process of nixtamalisation, where it’s cooked in ash to improve flavour and texture. The sugarloaf stuffed with spanner crab mousse is Pipit’s most heavenly masterpiece, served with a crab bisque sauce and macadamia miso. Everything shows determination to contribute to the local food ecosystem – from his grilled baby grouper to a malty parfait infused with roasted barley waste from local brewery Stone & Wood. It’s clear Devlin respects his family, his restaurant, his produce and his community. In return, you can expect to receive his food with deep gratitude and respect. This place was worth the wait and its arrival is one to celebrate.