Pasture of Balmoral

Pasture of Balmoral could easily be mistaken for just another beachside cafe. The two-level venue has the same effortless, relaxed beach vibe as many other places across Sydney, but with Justin Naudi in the kitchen it’s something a little more special.

Naudi comes from Melbourne’s fine diner Vue de Monde, among others, and his version of poached eggs on wholegrain toast looks far fancier than it sounds. It’s two organic eggs scattered with discs of magenta-coloured beetroot and sprinkled with fresh green herbs. The truffled eggs, with ribbons of prosciutto and shavings of pecorino cheese, are equally beautiful.

The menu uses as much native flora and fauna as possible, and there’s lots of lemon myrtle and eucalyptus across the menu. Coffee is by Will & Co.

There’s whitewashed timber panelling, high ceilings, touches of green, and upstairs there’s large windows that look out onto the trees that line the beach across the road. You could score one of the tables on the street and, under blue umbrellas, eat a lunch of spaghetti vongole (clams) dressed in smoked butter, chilli, garlic, parsley, pangrattato (breadcrumbs) and lemon, or perhaps the soft-shell crab roll with lemon tartare, garden leaves and a side of fries.

In the evenings the menu is more refined; Naudi shows off his creative fine-dining skills. There are dishes such as confit pork belly with apple puree and a herb salad, alongside things such as pan-roasted snapper with roast fennel and black olives.