Just Opened: Chillis Cottage, Davistown

Chillis Cottage is the latest restaurant opening by Central Coast couple Hayley Hardcastle and Cameron Cansdell. The waterside restaurant is situated in Davistown, inside a heritage listed house with a white picket fence and views of boats crossing the inlet. Come and take a look at what is on the menu of the Central Coast's newest restaurant!

Davistown is a suburb on the south-eastern Central Coast on Brisbane Water, a large coastal inlet across from Empire Bay. It’s an area that we know well, whenever we visit this part of the Central Coast we take Teddy and Milo there for walks.

I’m having lunch today with Claire. Hayley, who is friends with Claire also pops in. Chilli’s Cottage opened just a couple of weeks ago and follows the success of Chilli’s Deli in Ettalong by couple Hayley Hardcastle and Cameron Cansdell. What was formerly a cafe has easily transformed into a gorgeous restaurant showcasing modern Australia dishes as well as the gelato made at Chilli’s Deli and breads and cakes made on site by Cameron.

Take the sourdough bread. It’s baked in tins so each slice is a square shape (a proclivity of local customers). And a tip: start your meal with a slice of this house sourdough with garlic chive butter. The thick slice of perfectly toasted sourdough has a lovely natural tang and aromatic of garlic and chives in a generous smoothing of butter on top.

Claire and I are sharing dishes and today’s sashimi is a tuna and bonito paired with sliced sunrise limes (a hybrid of finger limes and cumquats) sitting atop half an avocado with strips of nori and soy dressing. This is fresh and lovely and a refreshing counterpoint to the garlic bread.

The skewers of grilled kangaroo sit atop betel leaves with an addictive sambal on the side. The idea is the you squeeze lime on top and then slide the meat off the skewer while holding the betel leaf and then spoon the samba sauce on top. The kangaroo is so tender and the addition of the betel leaf gives this freshness while the sambal has a satisfying punch - no muted flavours here. The sambal can be purchased at Chilli’s Deli.

The fish of the day is either tuna or bonito and it is paired with tomato and caper salsa with padron peppers. The fish is perfect cooked so that it is still pink in the centre and luscious and the tomato and capers season it well

The most popular main is the grilled Moreton Bay Bugs. There is bug cut in half as well as additional bug meat combined with macadamia, rambutans, cucumber, lemongrass and lime with an Asian style herb salad. This is definitely the pick for creativity and taste and I love the crunchy macadamias, succulent bug meat, sweet rambutans and aromatic herbs.

The roasted organic eggplant comes as smokey, soft cooked eggplant with chickpeas, garlic, tomato, chilli paprika and lemon. This is a side I’d pair with some of the toasted bread and the only thing I’d change is offering it with slices of bread on the side to scoop up that flavour.

The roasted beetroot salad is earthy and wholesome and paired with quinoa, sunflowers and a covering of organic local shoots in a light, piquant dressing. The entire salad is made with spray free and organically grown produce by Alan’s Foods in Jilliby in the Dooralong Valley of the Central Coast. Most of Chillis Cottage's vegetables and greens are supplied by them.

The pastry cabinet beckons and while the square of cocoa dusted chocolate cake beckons for sheer chocolateyness (it’s a word, please don’t fact check it), Claire and I both hone in on the banana sundae. If there’s something you have to order for dessert it’s this. The base is a vanilla gelato which is lighter than ice cream especially if you’re going for a dessert after a big lunch. There’s also crunchy praline, slices of banana and dark chocolate curls and to finish caramel sauce. It’s big enough to share although you may not want to!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you like your sourdough free form or square and in a tin? And do you prefer having food that is made on site or does it not bother you if it is house made or bought in?

Chillis Cottage

1 McCauley Street Davistown NSW 2251

Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: 8am - 4pm

Friday 8am-8pm