Restaurateurs James Sutherland and Kim Stephen have partnered up with Chef Matteo Tine to open Italian restaurant Pixie in Byron Bay next month.
Located in the town’s new Jonson Lane precinct, the concept will offer a coastal take on traditional Italian cuisine.
“We noticed a gap in the market for a venue that, while being sympathetic to beach culture, has a level of sophistication that you would expect in Sydney or Melbourne,” says Sutherland.
Tine was brought on board as head chef and has previously worked with the Grossi Florentino group in Melbourne.
The menu aims to showcase the best of local seafood with refined dishes inspired by Tine’s Sicilian heritage.
“Using produce that is local to you is the key to cooking real Italian food,” says the chef.
“My menu will be modern Italian with a vintage kick, meaning the flavours will be familiar and authentic as I let the produce shine.”
Dishes include savoury fried doughnuts (sfinci) filled with cacio e pepe sauce topped with air-dried bresaola; smoked Mooloolaba Albacore tonno pastrami and giardiniera and spaghetti alla chitarra with vongole sauce.
The cocktail list has been curated by Joe Jones from Melbourne’s Romeo Lane, with wines covering modern and contemporary labels in addition to Italian classics.