Welcome to our Spring Menu Series, where the changing season brings a fresh look at what is happening in our South Coast kitchens. Over the next few weeks, we will be taking you behind the menus and into the kitchens where our local chefs are working with what the season gives them.
Right here on our South Coast doorstep, chefs are looking closer to what grows around us, from native ingredients and wild-foraged finds to produce from local growers. We are also seeing a return to simple, traditional techniques such as preserving, curing and drying, bringing out deeper flavours and interesting textures.
Bangalay Dining is our first stop. Under Executive Chef Simon Furley, the spring menu looks closely at South Coast produce, native ingredients and what can be gathered close to home. It’s the right place to start our spring journey through the region’s kitchens.
A First Look at the Spring Menu
We were invited to experience Bangalay’s spring menu, which gave us a chance to sit down, work our way through the dishes and get a feel for how Simon’s ideas find their way onto the plate. His career has taken him from Michelin-starred kitchens across Europe to cooking privately on superyachts and luxury estates, before bringing that experience back to senior kitchen roles in Australia.
There is a lot to discover across the menu, but the food feels relaxed, with portions a little more generous and approachable than the formality of fine dining. There are familiar ingredients, a few things you might not expect, and little touches that give you something to talk about as each dish arrives.
We started with the South Coast “Appellation” oysters at $6 each, served with banksia vinegar and fresh pops of finger lime. “The banksia flowers are sourced locally and steeped in white wine vinegar for a week before honey is added,” says Simon. “It’s a nod to where we are,” he explains, with Bangalay surrounded by banksia forest, noting there is a lovely nectar-like sweetness and honey note running through the vinegar, with a subtle floral character alongside the oyster.
The fried South Coast squid ($28) comes with bottarga, cos lettuce and fermented chilli. Simon processes and dries the bottarga through winter in NSW, so by spring it is at its best. He uses it almost like a seasoning, adding plenty of flavour to the squid.
With the beetroot taco ($26), this dish takes us somewhere a little different. The beetroot is sand roasted, using hot sand to provide gentle, even heat while concentrating the flavour and retaining its texture. Simon finishes the taco with pickled sea fig, which grows naturally along the coast. He sees it as a local interpretation of the way Mexican cooking uses cactus in tacos, giving the dish its own South Coast connection.
The market fish ($56) is currently Murray cod from Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod—premium sustainably pond-raised in the Riverina region of NSW. Simon assures us this will remain on the menu throughout spring.
Wrapped in paperbark with lemon oyster butter, the fish gently steams while taking on the aroma of the bark, drawing on ancient cooking methods. Do not be surprised if a few embers are still sitting on the paperbark when it reaches the table.
There is a story behind the lemon oyster butter too. Bangalay shucks more than 20 dozen oysters each week, and those that are snapped or punctured cannot be served. Rather than waste them, Simon roasts them and turns them into butter with native pepperberry and lemon. “Nothing wasted, and plenty of flavour gained,” says Simon.
A Bush Curry With a Personal Story
The bush curry ($48) comes with a story of its own. Growing up in the UK, Simon says curry was always part of his food culture. “I wanted to make it entirely from Australian ingredients,” he says.
The current version brings together roasted macadamias, bush limes, turkey rhubarb, local crème fraîche, fermented chillies and fresh lemon myrtle leaves.
Misty Valley mushrooms are currently part of the dish, but come summer Simon plans to bring zucchini and dried tomatoes into the mix, treating the tomatoes almost like dates. It is the sort of dish that gives you a good idea of where Simon is taking the menu as the seasons change.
The Angus rib-eye at $58 is kept relatively simple, with Simon’s approach being to let “great produce speak for itself”. The richness of the rib-eye and bone marrow is balanced by a green capsicum sauce folded through the beef jus. The capsicum naturally thickens the sauce while bringing some freshness to the dish. Native sea blite—”a succulent coastal native shrub”—brings another little piece of the coast to the plate.
The Playful Touches
The $6 bay leaf ice cream cone, made from a wonton wrapper, is a light palate cleanser before dessert. It arrives on a board hand-drilled by Sommelier Jack Walsh to hold the cones upright. Simon is a fan of bay leaf in sweet dishes, describing its flavour as having “an almost orangey citrus flavour”.
Something nostalgic is the $6 finger lime parfait with honeycomb crumb, Simon’s take on a Golden Gaytime. It is a small dessert for those who feel like something sweet without committing to a larger dessert. These smaller options change regularly with the seasons and whatever Simon is enjoying working with at the time.
The dessert menu is completed by lemon cream with lemon gelato and olive oil at $22, an affogato at $18, and a local cheese selection with accompaniments and lavosh at $36.
For those who wish to explore a little more, the Chef’s Selection is available for $110 per person, with a few optional extras along the way.
There is plenty more on the menu too, so consider this just a taste of what is on offer at Bangalay this spring.
Plenty Happening in the Glass Too
Bangalay Dining was recently awarded two glasses in the 2026 Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards, receiving an “Excellent” rating in the national program.
“I am thrilled to have such a passionate team who are invested in curating an enjoyable coastal dining experience,” says owner and founder Michelle Bishop.
The wine list is led by Sommelier Jack Walsh, who recently completed his Wine & Spirit Education Trust Level 2. There is a strong focus on Australian wines, from familiar names to smaller producers, alongside a few international favourites.
As the weather warms, Jack recommends the 2025 Vickery Riesling from Clare Valley at $14 a glass, with citrus zest and bright minerality.
Closer to home, there is the 2016 Coolangatta Semillon ($120 a bottle). With 10 years of age, this South Coast wine is developing plenty of character and may just be reaching its peak.
The 2025 Matthew Atallah Block 1 Rosé, made from Cabernet Franc in Orange, is $75 a bottle, with ripe red fruit and a beautifully perfumed character.
For something red, the 2024 Dr Edge Tyrannosaurus dREDge Pinot Meunier from Tasmania is $80 a bottle. Smooth and juicy, it is an unusual grape to find bottled on its own and an interesting choice for warmer weather.
Bangalay also brings native Australian botanicals and local spirits into its cocktails, with Jack bringing his wine knowledge and cocktail expertise to the bar menu. So there is plenty to explore once the food is finished too.
A Menu That Keeps Moving
There is a lot to discover from familiar ingredients given a little twist to native flavours and produce gathered close to home. And this is just a taste of what is on offer, with plenty more to work your way through.
Bangalay Dining also makes it easy to turn a meal into a little South Coast escape, whether it is dinner with family, a catch-up with friends or a special occasion. With 16 private luxury villas, you can stay a little longer and make a night of it.
We asked Simon what he is most looking forward to as spring progresses.
“I’m just excited about all the great spring produce coming through and seeing the menu evolve as the season progresses,” says Simon.
And perhaps that is the fun of it. There is always something new to discover and a good reason to see what Simon has on the plate next.
