Any number of restaurants promise fine dining and menus based on local fresh produce. But what does it really mean? For executive chef, Dimitris Aronis at The Cowrie high above Terrigal, fine dining encompasses exquisite attention to detail when it comes to food, a seasonal menu selection based on reliable and sustainable fresh local produce, and knowledgeable and well-trained staff. Stir gently and serve up in a quiet ambiance with stunning views, where conversation can be held at a convivial decibel.

Dimitris first came to The Cowrie 20 years ago as an apprentice chef. After an illustrious career, including sharing his skills with budding chefs at TAFE, he bought The Cowrie four years ago.

Fresh and local produce is of such importance to Dimitris that he proudly lists the restaurant’s produce partners on the menu. You’ll find the likes of Little Feet Gourmet from Ourimbah, Somersby’s La Tartine Bakery, Ourimbah Creek Farm, Tumbi Wholesale Meats, Little Jilliby Honey, Erina’s Distillery Botanica, Fruit for All from Berkeley Vale, alongside specialties from Newcastle and Sydney.

It’s also important to Dimitris that when he changes the seasonal menu, it doesn’t happen on the first day of the new season.‘

Herbs, new greens, fruits don’t grow or ripen according to the calendar,’ he says. ‘They do so according to how sunny, how wet, how cold it’s been. So we wait a couple of weeks into the season to see how sustainable a particular produce is going to be and whether it’s been a good season for it. What that means is that our menu is very produce driven.’

Dimitris and his team grow as much of their fresh herbs as possible in the restaurant’s garden. An elderflower tree thrives alongside pots of native and flowering herbs.

‘I’ve even picked Warrigal greens at Terrigal Beach,’ he confesses. ‘It’s a great bush tucker ingredient, a native spinach. And we have wild sorrel in the garden – regarded as a weed by farmers, but its leaves give wonderful bursts of citrus to a dish.’

The staff are trained with tasting notes on all the dishes on the menu as well as testing the new season offerings. They balance their knowledge without overdoing or underdoing the attention to the restaurant’s diners. And at busy times, you’ll see head chef, Matt Bolch, personally bring dishes to your table so there’s no risk of food cooling on a kitchen bench.

There are small unexpected extra touches too, but I’m not going to share those with you here because part of the joy is in their unexpectedness!

On the menu, it’s hard for me to go past the duck breast with burnt pear, grilled radicchio, toasted pecans, nectar and grains. But that was the spring menu, so I look forward to taste-testing summer! 

My favourite ever dessert was the strawberry amaretto granita with Thai basil whipped ganache, fermented strawberry, opaline (glass-thin toffee), and I’m hoping that never goes off the menu!

Sommellier, Shaun Walton, started with 92 wines on his list, but that now stands at 250 fine Australian and international wines. Partly by a quirk of architectural luck, The Cowrie has recently added a unique dining experience down in their cellar. Beneath the restaurant was a room that was used for storing odds and sods, where the temperature was always quite even, something well-suited to wine cellaring. Three skip-loads later, the installation of extensive wine racks, a locally made hardwood timber dining table and a convict-built outer door from Yarramalong, means guests can enjoy that special private ambiance of a cellar blended with a hint of Australian hardwoods and American oak in the air.

The cellar experience offers a five-course degustation menu paired with local and international wines. Or, if you can’t tear yourself away from the wide ocean view upstairs as far as the Norah Head lighthouse, there’s the option of finishing in the cellar with some fine wines and perhaps a Distillery Botanica gin as a digestive.

In the end, the secret ingredient behind fine dining isn’t just on the plate – it’s also in the unforgettable experience that lingers long after the last bite.

And as if being awarded a Chef’s Hat by The Australian Good Food Guide three years in a row isn’t enough, Dimitris and his team are in the process of becoming online providores for their favourite produce. You’ll be able to let your fine dining memory linger even longer with pecans from a local grower, truffle honeys, handmade chocolates, baked breads and more. We’ll let you know when their online is open for orders – check @coast_publishing or thecowrie.com.au 

WORDS CATHARINE RETTER

PHOTOS LISA HAYMES