SPRING DINING SERIES: Tucked into the native bushland of Woollamia, Chef Alexia Brown is redefining local dining at The Café at Bay and Bush with an honest, ingredient-led approach. From line-caught snapper harvested off the Far South Coast by local fishers to property-grown honey and traditional French crêpes flipped with Jervis Bay Brewing Co beer, every plate tells a story. Step behind the kitchen pass to meet the passionate team turning kitchen-garden harvests into memorable weekend meals.
“Spring is one of my favourite menus, especially heading into summer,” she says. “I have been pretty excited pulling this one together, as there is so much fruit and veg around this time of year and I love accessing our kitchen garden. I have so much more to work with and create.”
With fresh produce in abundance, Alexia has more room to experiment with flavours and bring some of her own favourites onto the menu at the café, open Thursday to Sunday, 8am to 1.30pm.
Korean Influences
Tender, sticky Korean-style pork belly ($33.50, gluten free, vegan tofu option) comes with rice, house-pickled pineapple, fresh herb slaw and creamy coconut chilli sauce, finished with toasted peanuts and lime. The pineapple cuts through the richness, while the herbs add freshness.
“Pork is personally one of my favourites and, when cooked well, it is super yum,” Alexia says.
Her love of Korean food comes through in the use of gochujang, a deep-red fermented chilli paste, while the coconut chilli sauce draws inspiration from Japanese ramen and tteokbokki, a Korean street food made with chewy rice cakes in a sweet-savoury sauce.
There is a vegan option, too, with tofu replacing the pork. Both the Korean marinade and coconut chilli sauce are plant-based.
Bay to Bowl
Line-caught red snapper ($46.50, gluten free, dairy free) from the Eden Coast is gently poached and served warm in a coconut and lime broth with noodles, seasonal greens, herb salad and crispy shallots.
The fish has a mild, subtly sweet flavour that works well with the rich coconut broth, while a squeeze of lime complements the dish. Coriander, sorrel, parsley and mint are picked from the garden just before service. Alexia prefers adding the leaves whole to salads at the last minute to retain their fresh flavour.
She also makes use of more than just the fillets, simmering the snapper heads, frames and trimmings into a natural fish stock for the dish’s seafood sauce. It is part of her nose-to-tail approach to reducing waste and making the most of each ingredient.
There is a story behind the snapper, too, beginning out on the water off Eden.
The Snapper and the Local Fisherman
The café’s snapper (Chrysophrys auratus) is line-caught off the NSW Far South Coast by Saltwater Siren, a small family fishing business with ties to the historic Davidson whaling family.
Marine scientist Scott Proctor, now a local living in Vincentia, helps his sister Grace and father Matt with the operation when he can. Scott also runs Australia’s Coastal Wilderness Adventures http://www.acwadventures.com/ offering guided snorkelling safaris, wildlife encounters and private boat trips in Jervis Bay.
“Working on a small scale, we prioritise sustainable fishing practices and quality over quantity,” Scott explains. Each fish is carefully handled using ikejime, a Japanese technique designed to minimise stress, before being bled and placed in an ice slurry to cool quickly and preserve freshness.
Working from the family fishing vessel, Bessie, comes with challenging weather and ocean conditions, but there are memorable moments, too, including sightings of large sunfish in plankton-rich waters and dolphins riding the waves around the boat.
Savoury and Sweet From the Hive
A crisp filo pastry roll filled with whipped feta and macadamias ($27.20, vegetarian) is served with the café’s own honey and a blood orange and fennel salad.
The idea began with Alexia wanting to pair the property’s honey with cheese. After a conversation with a friend about börek, a traditional pastry found across the Balkans and the Middle East, Alexia knew they were onto something good; it was a way to bring together the honey with the salty creaminess of feta, using filo pastry to hold it all together.
Just a short walk from the kitchen are 11 beehives, providing a seasonal ingredient gathered on the property. Owner and general manager Flo Pilorge explains how the changing flowers influence the honey.
“Our spring harvest at the moment is lighter in colour, with a delicate floral flavour. We expect the flavour to intensify with a deeper colour as summer approaches.”
For something extra, pork, fennel and chilli sausages from South Coast Premium Meats can be added for $6.10.
Edible Flowers and Blueberry Blooms
Alexia has planted an edible flower garden to give the kitchen more choice when finishing dishes. Commercial edible flowers can cost around $10 a punnet, so growing them on the property also makes practical sense.
Blueberries are growing in the garden, with the first pickings expected in the coming weeks. Once ready, they will be used in the Berry Bloom dish, which is gluten free and vegan for $18, bringing another home-grown ingredient to the menu. The chia seeds in the berry bloom are set overnight in coconut cream. It is also topped with house made coconut clusters.
Authentic French Crêpes and a Local Brewery Secret
Spring crêpes arrive with house-made strawberry syrup, vanilla bean mascarpone, fresh orange zest, toasted almonds and homemade strawberry sugar for $27.20, vegetarian with a gluten-free option. They can be enjoyed for a sweet breakfast or dessert.
The recipe comes from Flo’s family in France, with one traditional ingredient making a difference: beer in the batter. As the batter cooks, the beer helps create bubbles that contribute to the crêpes’ light, delicate lace-like texture without leaving a noticeable beer flavour. “It is only natural that a splash of Pale Ale from our neighbours at Jervis Bay Brewing Co does the job,” Flo says.
A Well-Travelled Machine with a Personal Story
Flo grew up in Brittany, France, where Sunday crêpes were a family tradition. Her parents welcomed their four children and friends into the home, with her dad cooking continuously while everyone chose their favourite sweet or savoury toppings.
When Flo moved to Australia 18 years ago, she was adamant that her beloved crêpière machine would squeeze into her suitcase. She shares, for her wedding, “My brother and father arranged an even bigger gift: a professional 30-kilogram French crêpière made by Krampouz, brought to Australia inside my brother’s suitcase. It is still used in my personal kitchen today.”
A crêpière has a large, flat, round cooking surface. Traditional Breton crêpes are made on a heavy plate known as a billig, helping achieve their characteristic thin texture.
There is even a legend behind the dish. The story goes that in the 13th century, a housewife accidentally spilled buckwheat porridge onto a hot hearthstone and discovered it had cooked into a thin pancake. Whether true or not, crêpes have become a much-loved part of French food culture, and Flo’s family recipe brings that tradition to Bay and Bush.
The Garden Toast
Avocado on thick-cut sourdough comes with a surprise. Instead of a poached egg, Alexia pipes a neat, round ball of whipped feta onto the toast. She loves seeing diners’ reactions when they realise it is not an egg after all. The vegetarian dish is $23.50 and two poached eggs can be added for $6.30.
Roasted sesame and pepita seeds, fresh garden herbs and shaved fennel salad finish the dish, bringing colour and freshness to the plate.
And to Drink
The drinks list includes artisan coffees, a range of Botanical Mayde teas and warming wellness lattes, alongside nourishing smoothies and fresh juices. For something cold, there are seasonal iced matcha, an iced honey latte made with Bay and Bush’s own honey, cold-drip coffee and hibiscus lemon myrtle iced tea.
Weekend brunch brings a few extra options, including hibiscus spritzes, a Bush Mimosa and mocktails such as From the Hive Lemonade, made with fresh lemon, property honey and soda. The café also supports local businesses, serving Jervis Bay Brewing Co beers and wines from The Cupitt’s Estate.
As a guide, coffees start at $5.20, teas at $6.80, smoothies at $12.50 and brunch cocktails at $20.90, with other drinks available across a range of prices.
From Kitchen Hand to Kitchen Head
Chef Alexia has been part of the hospitality industry for 14 years, initially working in a small Italian restaurant in Western Sydney taking orders, transitioning into the kitchen and moving to Springwood in the Blue Mountains where she created menus and ran the kitchen at a wholefoods cafe.
She says her skillset comes from working in lots of different small cafes, “and lots of eating out,” she adds with a grin.
“Drawing experience from lots of different jobs has helped me find my identity as a chef and has created the point of view I like to cook from, which is just simple, healthy and honest food that nourishes and fills bellies, and uses real ingredients.”
Becoming a parent five years ago was a difficult juggle, she says, but adds, “being forced to be more efficient and conscious of my time has helped push me into being able to run and manage my own kitchen and I am really proud of where I have ended up.”
Seasonal Specials and a Young Kitchen Hand
Alexia runs the kitchen alongside kitchen hand Corey, keeping the menu focused on two main proteins at a time to maintain quality and keep service running smoothly. The current choices are local pork and line-caught snapper, with new dishes planned for summer.
Corey is just 14 and works alongside Alexia on weekends. She calls him a “weapon” and he is already making the crêpes and chia puddings from start to finish.
Alexia is also teaching him about menu development, encouraging him to think through ideas and work with the ingredients available. One rule is firm: no ChatGPT when developing his dishes.
They have been preparing an apple and rhubarb crêpe special to use excess rhubarb, giving Corey a chance to contribute to the creative side of the kitchen while making the most of what is available.
Dietary needs are another consideration. Many dishes are naturally gluten-free or dairy-free, while others can be adapted. The menu keeps things manageable in the kitchen, with a handful of dishes to choose from and generous portions, so you will not leave hungry.
The setting at The Bay and Bush Cafe adds to the experience. Wherever you sit, you are surrounded by the Jervis Bay National Park ecosystem with spring wattles, gums and flowering banksias bringing colour to the warmer months. There are 42 seats inside, another 12 on the back veranda and nine out the front, so booking online is worthwhile.
Bringing the Spring Menu Series to a Close
Across our Spring Menu Series, we have explored the people and produce behind local food, from Chef Simon Furley at Bangalay Dining, Hika Rountree at Jervis Bay Shellfish Market, to Chef Elliott Platz at The Gunyah and Chef Alexia Brown at Bay and Bush Café.
Together, these stories celebrate our local food community and the knowledge, care and seasonal ingredients that bring the coast, farms and gardens to our plates.
