Justin Hemmes has announced he’ll be ready to relaunch The Collaroy Hotel this month, adding more waterfront views to his Merivale portfolio. After buying the northern-beaches property for $21 million in August last year, it’ll be an extension of what he’s doing at nearby The Newport – striking a balance between the informality of a cafe and the polish of a restaurant.

Leading the Pittwater Road pub’s reinvention is designer Kelvin Ho and executive chef Jordan Toft (who also runs the kitchen at Bert’s). A few dishes by the former Coogee Pavilion chef have already been unveiled, and it looks like The Collaroy will offer an all-day elegant beach-shack-style menu suited to snacking by the sea.

Breakfast will be served on the ground floor in the kiosk (with coffee, juice, house-made pastries and breakfast pizza on offer), while lunch will see toasted faro served with avocado, a boiled egg, rocket, grilled haloumi, olive oil and lemon. Freshly carved prosciutto and grissini, ham croquettes with spicy aioli, and anchovy toasts sprinkled with pickled shallots are promised as snacks, too.

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At night, home-style dinners that change daily will be rolled out. On Mondays it’ll be lamb-and-eggplant moussaka; pork-and-fennel sausages with roasted pumpkin and green garlic or a coastal take on roasts will be served on Tuesdays.

Upstairs you’ll find an open kitchen and two bars stocked with oysters, local seafood, charcoal meats, burgers and salads.

Vincenzo Biondini from Vinnie’s Pizza – which is also at The Newport and Coogee Pavilion – will be kneading bases for margheritas and gamberis (San Marzano, fior di latte, wild prawns and fresh chilli) day and night.

The wine list will be kept classic with crisp whites and rosé in a collaborative effort between bartenders from The Newport, Papi Chulo and Coogee Pavilion.

The Collaroy will take bookings from May 19. A May opening is slated but no date has been set.