For the latest story in the Jervis Bay Weekend Spring Menu Series, we caught up with Executive Chef Elliot Platz at Gunyah Restaurant at Paperbark Camp in Woollamia to talk about the produce shaping his cooking this season, some of the ideas behind the dishes and the work that happens before a meal reaches the table here in Jervis Bay.
There is a strong local connection, particularly when it comes to seafood. Gunyah sources its tuna and swordfish from the Kaybeanna, one of the main commercial longliner vessels operated by FMC Fisheries in Ulladulla, a fifth-generation family-owned fishing business in the region.
“As chefs we are only vessels for serving great produce,” says Elliot, “we will always be flexible regarding fish availability. Given the rich abundance of seafood in the area we have no problem alternating ingredients as the months progress.” As the weather warms up the dishes will evolve, and so will the seafood.
It is a simple way of describing his approach. The kitchen works with what is available, allowing the catch and the seasons to influence how the menu develops.
Dishes we have selected are a sample from their menu with plenty of choices available with five snacks and four each of entrees, mains and desserts with a selection of four sides.
Breaking The Bread
Sometimes the best place to begin is with the bread. Gunyah’s artisan sourdough and whipped butter is made by Flour Water Salt in South Nowra, the family-run business founded 2010 by owner and master baker Joost Hilkemeijer and his wife Kirsty. Having tried it ourselves, we can understand why a second helping might be on the cards. It has a soft, airy texture and is just the thing for mopping up the sauces that follow.
Chewy Beetroot: The beetroot snack with almond crème and tapioca shows that an outsized effort can go into a micro-sized dish. With two preservation and flavour boosting techniques, Elliot’s kitchen team lightly roast the beetroot before dehydrating it, giving it a chewy texture and concentrating its natural, earthy sweetness. This is the perfect dish for vegetarians and is one of the many gluten free dishes available.
Ceviche: With tuna ceviche on the menu, there is a little history behind the dish. It has long been part of Peru’s food culture, where fresh fish is traditionally cured in citrus, while Mexican cooking brings together seafood, lime and grilled tropical pineapple.
At Gunyah, Elliot takes inspiration from both Mexican and Peruvian cooking traditions, each with a strong connection to the coast and its seafood. He uses freshly caught tuna from Ulladulla, bringing it together with caramelised pineapple for a touch of smoky sweetness and balanced by the freshness of lime and coriander. Delicate micro-herbs and crispy shards of fish skin finish the dish, bringing a mix of flavours and textures to the plate, along with a little history and fresh local produce.
With the tops of micro-herbs used as garnishes there’s always the bottom half left behind with roots intact-there is no wastage in the kitchen, just a secondary use by planting straight back into Gunyah’s vegetable and herb garden, being carefully revitalised by Elliot’s expertise and knowledge of farming.
Lamb Tartare: The lamb tartare with egg yolk jam and malt crumble takes inspiration from the Levant region of the Eastern Mediterranean. Elliot enjoys moving the familiar beef tartare towards a different spin by using lamb instead. The egg yolk jam adds a buttery richness, with the yolks slowly cooked until soft and spreadable, then lightly salted. Alongside the sweet and savoury lamb, it brings a silky texture binding it all together, while the malt crumble adds little pops of contrasted texture. It is an interesting take on a familiar dish, with the flavours and textures coming together in a way that feels both comforting and a little unexpected.
Cured Duck: There is a long process and a good story behind the cured duck, served with seasonal soft herbs and strawberry gazpacho. Elliot shares his curing base, made up with a combination of selected herbs with the likes of thyme, bay leaves, spices of black pepper juniper and salt, before air-drying it over several weeks depending on the waterfowl “duck”. Only then is it ready to be thinly sliced and served, it has the texture and taste profile similar to prosciutto with a deeper colour profile.The dish draws on the food traditions of medieval Sephardic Jewish communities in Italy and Spain, where waterfowl was used as an alternative to pork.
It is a labour of love and a reward for Elliot’s kitchen, the return of an empty plate and diners asking, how did you make that?”
Prawn Encroute: Served on their own gluten free toast, this is made with king prawn delicately folded through a bright green avocado and lime puree.
Seafood And Seasonal Mains
Market Fish: Scorched market fish is currently local swordfish. Often referred to as the “steak of the sea” thanks to its lean, meaty texture, it has a natural buttery sweetness and is served with confit garlic cream, rocket sauce and crispy curry leaves, a marriage of flavours. The cream brings richness, the rocket adds freshness, while the curry leaves offer an earthy, roasted flavour with a subtle hint of citrus and crunch.
“The fish may change as availability shifts, which is part of working with the catch rather than expecting the catch to fit a fixed menu.”
Striploin
Beef striploin is served medium-rare with tarragon béarnaise and grilled spring onions. It is a cut known for its robust beef flavour, and cooking it closer to a blush pink-to-rare helps retain its tenderness and moisture, too long and the muscle fibres tighten, leaving the meat drier and tougher. The onions and sauce bring sweetness and richness alongside the beef.
Pork Neck: The pork neck with a high marbling featuring a rich, natural fat distribution throughout the meat is slow-cooked for 16 hours before being finished over a Japanese coal grill, bringing a touch of smokiness to the tender meat. With a slight hint of pink the pork is served with courgette, crumbled house-made sausage and Warrigal greens, grown and hand-picked on the property.
Warrigal greens are a native Australian food with a long history, rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. Growing on the property, they give Elliot and his team a direct connection to the surrounding landscape. It is a good example of how produce outside the kitchen can find its way onto the plate. During our visit, Elliot took us for a walk down to their kitchen garden where he selected nasturtiums and Warrigal Greens for the evening’s menu.
The Sides
Lettuce leaves with red current salsa : This side plate salad brings a fresh touch with a medley of lettuce leaves, red currant salsa and a herbal dressing. The little pops of sweetness from the currants are balanced by the dressing’s gentle acidity, lifting the flavours of the leaves without overpowering them.
Smashed cucumber: The smashed cucumber with maple tahini and chilli crunch brings together the toasted sesame flavour of the tahini with the gentle caramel sweetness of maple syrup. The chilli adds a little warmth and crunch, followed by a subtle chocolate-like finish that comes through at the end, giving this side an interesting mix of favourable flavours.
A different take on dessert
Dark chocolate torte: Wattleseed brings an essential Australian ingredient into the dark chocolate torte, served with aromatic eucalypt flavours of cardamom. The seeds are organically farmed in Victoria and roasted before being folded into a cream inspired by tiramisu. Their coffee and caramel blend provide a natural match for the dark chocolate without the need for coffee liqueur.
Spiced Strawberry: There is a more playful approach with the strawberry semifreddo dessert. Pickled fennel accompanies the strawberry and native mint also sourced from the kitchen garden, introducing another element to the dessert.
Elliot describes the strawberry dessert as “a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster for myself”, a candid way of explaining how different ideas have come together on the plate, with an element of surprise along the way.
Seasonal Sorbet: The thinking behind the seasonal sorbet is simple. As Elliot explains, the kitchen follows the seasons and works with whatever fruit is available, keeping the flavours clean and light. It makes a refreshing finish to the meal, even after an evening of indulgence and perhaps a second helping of sourdough.
As the weather warms, Gunyah’s kitchen is looking towards fresher, lighter dishes with brighter, punchier flavours.
One ingredient executive chef Elliot cannot do without: lemon juice. It might seem a humble kitchen staple, but acidity can make a real difference, cutting through rich fats, tenderising fish and meat, balancing salt and lifting a sauce or a finished dish.
From the Farm to the Kitchen
Before moving into hospitality, Elliot worked on the land as a farm hand for a vegetable company in Queensland, learning about irrigation, crop management and harvesting. The experience gave him a practical understanding of how food is grown, and connection to the land has stayed with him. Today, time spent in the garden offers him a personal escape and a chance to reconnect with nature.
His career has since taken him through Spicers Group and Blume Restaurant, two of the most celebrated names in Australia’s regional luxury hospitality and fine-dining scene, along with his time in boutique vineyards and regional dining venues across Queensland.
Sneaky Batter Takes a Turn: Some of Elliot’s earliest food memories are much closer to home. He recalls watching his grandmother in her kitchen baking and sneaking tastes of the batter behind her back. Later, the roles changed when he was baking for her, letting her sneak a taste behind his back instead.
Reflecting on those memories, he describes “it’s really a full circle moment for me”.
Long before his professional kitchen career, there was a grandmother baking, a child eager to taste the batter and a connection to food that has stayed with him.
From fish arriving from Ulladulla to Warrigal greens picked from the kitchen garden, this spring menu at Gunyah has a strong connection to the surrounding region. Executive Chef Elliot Platz and his team bring these ingredients together with techniques and ideas shaped by experience, giving each dish its own special story.
We have shared a taste of what is on offer on Gunyah’s Spring Menu with plenty more dishes to discover across the menu this weekend.
Planning your visit
Gunyah Restaurant is located at Paperbark Camp in Woollamia, around five minutes from Huskisson. Snacks range from $7.50 to $10. Three-course menu $95 per person, with plenty more to choose from. A two-course option for $80 per person is available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
