CATCHING RAES
Raes on Wategos chef JASON SAXBY's flavor-forward, poolside menu makes a big splash.
Raes on Wategos chef Jason Saxby’s menu makes a big splash.
It’s difficult to imagine a beachfront setting better than the spot enjoyed by boutique Byron Bay hotel, Raes on Wategos. The white stucco villa sits high on a knoll, overlooking lawns and an arc of sand, with rolling surf views framed by spiky pandanus and casuarinas.
“It’s not a terrible location,” laughs Jason Saxby. He joined as Raes’ head chef last March, departing Sydney’s beachside Pilu at Freshwater, neatly swapping one coastal idyll for another.
Saxby hadn’t visited Byron until the previous September, when he and wife Tammy took their three-year-old son Oli on holiday to nearby Kingscliff. They fell so hard for the hinterland they bought a block at Chillingham, quietly hatching a two-year escape plan so Oli could experience a country childhood.
The Raes vacancy required a radical adjustment of their timeline.
So far, there are zero regrets. Saxby’s flavoursome, cleverly layered, Italian-leaning dishes at Raes Dining Room are garnering plaudits, as is his smart take on coastal snacks at Raes’ laid-back Cellar Bar. Both menus are shaped by the subtropical climate and local abundance, and, like the poolside menu he’s created here, go hard on flavour.
Dealing with small producers and cooking in a tiny kitchen mean logistics are challenging. But it’s a win for diners. “It’s all ridiculously fresh,” says Saxby. “Being able to use Palisa Anderson’s (Boon Luck Farm, Tyagarah) produce an hour after it’s picked – tomatoes still warm from the sun – it’s a different experience from the city.”
He also relishes experimenting with native ingredients. At the Dining Room, native lime might boost briny tropical lobster alongside an XO bisque, while lemon myrtle adds citrus notes to tuna crudo, and Davidson’s plum stars in desserts with native pepper. “To showcase this region, you have to use these ingredients,” he says. “Davidson’s plum, macadamias, bunya nuts and finger limes grow here. We use them respectfully.
“I don’t want to challenge customers. I want them to be in their comfort zone, and for the food to be reflective of the time and place, so they can just relax and enjoy it.”
Raes on Wategos, 6/8 Marine Pde, Byron Bay, NSW, (02) 6685 5366, raes.com.au