{"id":178321,"date":"2017-09-02T15:00:56","date_gmt":"2017-09-02T05:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.australiantraveller.com\/?p=178321"},"modified":"2023-02-20T13:38:02","modified_gmt":"2023-02-20T02:38:02","slug":"santorini-dreaming-at-taverna-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.australiantraveller.com\/nsw\/north-coast\/tweed\/santorini-dreaming-at-taverna-restaurant\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant review: Kingscliff’s Taverna"},"content":{"rendered":"
Taverna fuses North Coast NSW\u2019s sleepy beach charm with old-world Greece. Craig Tansley samples the region\u2019s best new offering.<\/h5>\n

I haven\u2019t even made it inside Taverna and already my hackles are raised; there\u2019s a showroom of\u00a0$100,000-plus European cars parked outside.<\/p>\n

First impressions<\/h2>\n

Much\u00a0of the Far North Coast of New South Wales has\u00a0been overtaken by the \u2018fancy brigade\u2019; boat shoe and polo shirt-wearers (with collars raised), swanning between lunches in shiny Porsche SUVs. The sleepy hamlet of Kingscliff was always a target, with a glorious river that cuts through town and its location just 20 minutes from Gold Coast Airport.<\/p>\n\n

But it takes barely 60 seconds for my fears to be allayed; there\u2019s a down-home quality that you feel from the moment you\u2019re inside. Perhaps it\u2019s the rustic old brick floor, or the simple table settings; though more likely it\u2019s the staff. There\u2019s not a single \u2018sir\u2019 or \u2018madam\u2019 dining in Taverna today.<\/p>\n

Atmosphere<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m seated by the open front windows that look across to the Pacific Ocean and a rugged off-shore islet (Cook Island), though my view is dominated by a Moreton Bay fig tree full of sleeping corellas. It\u2019s as if\u00a0Santorini got fused into a jus with a Frederick McCubbin landscape.<\/p>\n

Food<\/h2>\n

That\u2019s not where the fusion ends. Owners Mark Wilson and Lia Mason (along with partner Lee Middendorf) run the region\u2019s best-regarded eatery, Casuarina\u2019s Osteria, and its blending of traditional Italian fare with modern Australian ideas is legendary in these parts. Taverna does the same, Greek-style. A\u00a0signature dish I try first is a North Coast take on saganaki: Byron Bay haloumi, lightly fried and drizzled with bush honey washed down with Australia\u2019s first Assyrtiko (produced by Jim Barry Wines).<\/p>\n\n

Fried cheese will always make new friends, but it\u2019s actually the delicate dishes Taverna does so well like the confit ocean trout with artichoke hearts and goat\u2019s cheese on a fresh apple and mint salad that I order as a main. And the fried local squid with seaweed crisps and a pink peppercorn mayo.<\/p>\n\n

Sure, I have neighbours in up-collared Ralph Lauren pink, but inside Taverna, it\u2019s still the same Kingscliff my grandparents moved here for 35 years ago.<\/p>\n

Details<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Taverna<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Address:<\/strong> 22 Marine Parade, Kingscliff, NSW.<\/p>\n\n

Verdict:<\/strong> The ultimate Australian and Greek cuisine blend, combined with a view that would make jaws slack \u2013 even in Santorini. Although it\u2019s actually the staff who make Taverna most\u00a0memorable.<\/p>\n\n

Score: <\/strong>5\/5<\/p>\n\n

We rated:<\/strong> A relaxed atmosphere that made gourmet dining seem like a dinner at home. Dishes that emphasise the quality of the North Coast\u2019s produce.<\/p>\n\n

We\u2019d change:<\/strong> Not a darn thing. Though perhaps we\u2019d ask when booking if there are big groups likely today \u2013 the clever staff managed to negate a hen\u2019s group of 15.<\/p>\n\n

Notes:<\/strong> Open 5pm till late, Thursday, Friday; and 12pm till late Saturday and Sunday (Sunday evening is \u2018chef\u2019s table\u2019 banquet-style dining).<\/p>\n\n

All AT reviews are conducted anonymously and our writers pay their own way \u2013 so we experience exactly what you would.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Taverna fuses North Coast NSW\u2019s sleepy beach charm with old-world Greece. Craig Tansley samples the region\u2019s best new offering. I haven\u2019t even made it inside Taverna and already my hackles are raised; there\u2019s a showroom of\u00a0$100,000-plus European cars parked outside. First impressions Much\u00a0of the Far North Coast of New South Wales has\u00a0been overtaken by the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133,"featured_media":178558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"article.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[1446],"tags":[4493,4494,5471,5516,4628,1905,6995],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRestaurant review: Kingscliff's Taverna<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Taverna fuses North Coast NSW\u2019s sleepy beach charm with old-world Greece. 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