It’s a truth universally acknowledged that fish’n’chips is better by the beach. Brendan Roach and Vanessa Button, the two local chefs behind Goolwa Beach’s Kuti Shack, know that.
This month, the renowned seafood diner will host a day of pop-ups from chef Mark Best. Best was born in South Australia but earnt the bulk of his accolades while working in Sydney. After starting his career at Macleay Street Bistro, he opened Peninsula Bistro and Marque, which spent three years on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
“To have Mark Best join me at our restaurant is an incredible honour,” Roach says in a statement. “I have looked up to him throughout my career, so it’s an absolute privilege to stand at the stove beside him.”
For his part, Best is a huge fan of both Roach and his beachside diner.
“The Coorong is one of Australia’s most incredible places, and its produce is a gift to any chef,” says Best. “Since the first time I met Brendan on the beach catching pipis, I have been looking forward to the rare opportunity to work together … The Kuti Shack is everything Australian dining should be, a true reflection of its time and place, and I can’t wait to be part of bringing more of its story to our guests.”
The pair will be cooking a lunch and a dinner service on Saturday February 22. Naturally, the menus will be seafood-heavy. The lunch menu will include brandade (a whipped paste) of Coorong mulloway from Hoads Fisheries and spaghetti with Goolwa pippies. Although more refined, the dinner menu still offers a touch of fun with a playful pasty of abalone and foraged greens, along with honey-fried garfish.
Included in both menus will be paired local beers, wine and spirits.
The lunch menu is $195 and dinner is $245.
The Kuti Shack Mark Best collab takes place on Saturday February 22. Lunch service is at 12.30pm and dinner service is at 6pm. Tickets are available online.