Piermont Retreat Restaurant

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
This is a multi-award-winning restaurant in a luxurious oceanfront resort just south of Swansea on Tasmania’s east coast. Here a walk on the secluded beach raises an appetite, the magnificent views set the mood and chef Dwayne Bourke’s food does the rest. A protege of George Biron at Victoria’s famed Sunnybrae restaurant, Bourke made his Melbourne mark as the founding chef at The Argo in South Yarra, one of the city’s earliest gastropubs (he hates the term) where his food and exceptional wine list won national acclaim. At Piermont, he offers modern interpretations of classic French bistro dishes with strong, clear flavours, innovative combinations and plated presentations as beautiful as the restaurant’s setting.

His Provencale fish broth with fried oysters and rouille is stunning in its simplicity and saffron-infused intensity while boned, smoked eel with candied apple is a triumph of technique and subtlety. Local oysters come in six different guises, peppered venison might come with a bitter chocolate sauce, slow-cooked pork with delicious sweet/sour red cabbage and a classic creme brulee might appear re-styled as a cappuccino. Add an exceptional walk-in cellar selection, a log fire and lounge to retire to for coffee and the excellent service and it all makes for a very pleasing dining experience.

Graeme Phillips