Just 20 minutes North of Byron Bay, & just under 2 hours south of Brisbane is the Good Food Guide…read more2016, Santa Vittoria Regional Restaurant of the Year; Fleet Restaurant. Since opening over 6 months ago, Fleet Restaurant has made lots of waves in the industry, has received world-wide praise by foodie travellers far & wide (some from Europe!), due to all the press of late. Rightly so!
This restaurant is compact fine-dining simplicity at it's best without compromising on absolutely quality. Our trip was more than worth it, & really is an adventure for the palate.
Fleet Restaurant is run by Chef Josh Lewis, who produces fresh uncomplicated food while Astrid & Rob as hosts, provide the calm impeccable service. It's a petite space with only room for about 22 diners but this means it feels more intimate, personal, & there's a warmth & modesty to the place, like you're dining at a friend's kitchen. We were seated at the central (concrete) long dining table so close to the chef, it was brilliant being able to watch how he expertly puts together all the elements.
Much like their size, Fleet Restaurant's menu are about seasonal little-dishes-to-share tasting menu format, with the largest plate being $26. We opted for the "kitchen pick" which is $75 pp & have 10 courses to share, with help from your hosts & chefs to suggest which of the dishes to choose. The ever changing wine list is sourced from a small focused group of Australian producers as well as some internationals, & are mostly biodynamic, or organic & farmed sustainably. Though we only tried a couple of glasses, Rob's recommendations were perfect.
Fleet Restaurant does the earth-to-plate complete dining experience extremely well & better than most restaurants with a far heftier price tag. Memorable food, & service that is just attentively smooth.
From the moment your dish is set in front of you & the chef explains the details behind it, to finishing it & your area is wiped down, & replaced with a fresh plate, new linen napkin & cutlery.
The courses;
The night began with the Rye & "Carrawhey" sourdough with their own butter & salt, followed by Smoked Mullet, crispy skin, potato, dill $14.
Yellow fin tuna, fermented peas, garum $18
Fried Egg, Silverbeet, bottarga $14
Veal sweet bread schnitty sanga $13
Sugarloaf cabbage, kale, savoury yeast $8
Deboned chicken wings, Octopus, korihabi $21
Wagyu Sirloin, broccoli, shiso $26
Fennel, apple, roquette, parsley $12
Followed by incredible dessert of;
Mandarin, buttermilk, pistachio, thyme $12
Jasmine, pineapple, blueberries, bee pollen $12
The uncomplicated appearance & plating of all the dishes on offer, does not take away from the fact that there is a lot of love & work that goes into it.
Take for example the Silverbeet with bottarga. The silverbeet is sauteed in cherry vinegar, & the roe from the mullet takes 6 weeks until it becomes hard enough to be used & shaved over the top of the eggs, adding that flavour & tiny explosions of saltiness.
Fleet Restaurant may be small but it delivers big on stunning quality, service, & experience. We were fearful that the dish sizes would be too small, but we were surprised how full we were by the end of it all. Fleet is spectacular & innovative, & we will happily drive this way again.
Open Thurs- Mon from 3pm & located at 2/16 The Terrace, Brunswick Heads NSW, (02) 6685 1363. You're only challenge is securing a spot.
Tip: We would recommend contacting them through social media for reservations, as they are simply swamped to get through all the phone messages.
