Dish Restaurant and Wine Bar

Ph: 6685 7320; Jonson St & Marvel St, BYRON BAY 2481 www.dishbyronbay.com.au

Modern Australian, $$$, ** for Ambience
Open 7 days 5pm-late, Closed All public holidays winter mon; Licensed; AE MC V EFT
Chef Collin Bond (27-12-07) Owner Ben & Belinda Kirkwood (27-12-07)

Mietta's Review
This very swish Dish is a far cry from it's predecessor, Toscani's. Gone is the rain forest and the tree house. Instead there's a very sedate white painted room, though still with odd angles, has seemlessly incorporated the shop next door which is now called the Raw Bar - it's a great place for a quiet drink and to watch the barman go through his paces - eat your heart out Tom Cruise this Cocktail is really classy. The food from chef Tippy Heng is Asian served in an Australian manner and is very good. The whole experience is a world away from the backpacker feeling of the other hald of Byron. Highly recommended,

Other published opinions

Courier Mail Food and Wine Guide 2009 Queensland "The European-inspired decor is smart, chic and suits the glamorous crowd which this vibrant bar attracts"

Courier Mail food and wine guide Queensland 2008 Score: 14/20 "Run like a bistro, this tiny restaurant is visually inviting for the way its distinct spaces have been made to work. Adjacent to the main dining area (whose plastic walls allow open or zipped dining according to the weather) is a multisided nook where couples can cosy up on plush-cushioned banquettes"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 15.5/20, One Hat "This consistent performer continues to impress with its commitment to quality. It's also the kind of place where every customer feels special"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "Dish exudes laid-back Byron beach chic and that's in small part due t the welcoming kingsized daybeds (they accommodate a group of four, worries) which fill out the bar"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007 Score: 15/20, One Hat "There are few better places to watch the world go by than the white banquettes that line this airy, open-sided restaurant (except, perhaps, the day beds in the adjacent bar). Service is as sleek and smart as the decor, with a barman who knows his cocktails, a sommelier who loves his wine list, and waiters who are friendly and unobtrusive."

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Restaurant Guide "There's a whole lot going on here. Too much, perhaps. The creative exuberance in the kitchen at this Byron Bay landmark is such that the menu contains enough energy and detail for another whole restaurant."

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2006 score 15/20, 1 Hat "The fact that, seven years on, dish is better than ever is testament to its owners' continued hands-on involvement and the inspired cooking of Luke Southwood and his team. The airy space remains - the long facade open to the comings and goings on the pavement outside, while inside roughhewn beams contrast with white stucco walls and smartly set tables."

Gourmet Traveller Australian Restaurant Guide 2006 "Dish is the sort of restaurant you dream about finding in this holiday Mecca. A stylish yet casual space, with an interesting wine list, polished and friendly service, and wonderful food. The restaurant has captured the essence of Byron, with its rough-hewn timber, stucco walls and loll-about daybeds offset by smartly set tables."

SMH Good Food Guide 2005 score 15/20, 1 Hat "It's a hard call taking up the mantle - and toque - from Tippy Heng but Luke Southwood, dish's new kitchen incumbent, does so with flying colours. In fact, he has lifted things a notch. The cool, contemporary feel remains in the whitewashed walls, soaring timber ceilings and rough-hewn pillars."

Gourmet Traveller Australian Restaurant Guide 2005 * "Turn left when you enter Dish and you're in the bar, with its funky daybeds and casual streetside dining; to the right, the airy restaurant beckons with curved banquettes and crisp, white-clothed tables. The floor staff here obviously love their food and wine"

SMH GFG 2004,Score 15/20,Consistently very good,'Dish's ultra funky fit-out-deluxe Bali meets Mexican chic-splits between raised,shoes-off,cushion booths in the 'raw' bar and the sleek Zen minimalism of the restaurant...Wickedly potent cocktails almost carry you to your table,where some rather beautiful staff are ready to spell out the mod Asian menu.'

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, 1 Black Star, Excellent wine list,'Dish has a moder, elegant dining room with views into the open kitchen, plus a roomy and rather glamourous bar...this is serious food...The emphasis is on clean Asian flavours, and the results are memorable.Service is knowledgable and accomplished'

Brisbane times, Restaurants, Alison Walsh, 29/10/02

Sydney Morning Herald, Good Food Guide 2002 Score 13/20