15/20

Updated October 26, 2026,first published November 11, 2024

15/20

Paper Daisy

Contemporary$$

Idyllic holiday dining, poolside.

So you’ve checked the room rates at Halcyon House and decided to just come for dinner instead. Fair call. The breezy restaurant is one of the best things about this boutique beachside hotel, and you don’t need a room key to enjoy it.

Start at the sun-dappled bar for a round of kumquat margaritas then drift into the Anna Spiro-designed dining room for apple vinegar-splashed oysters and chilled Chablis. New-ish chef Baxter Newstead cooks technique-heavy dishes, such as feather-light croustades tightly packed with tuna, cucumber, finger lime; pork jowl jiggling in all the right places; and lamb saddle that balances charred, caramelised edges with soft, pearly fat and a kick of chimichurri.

And while the adjoining turquoise pool is for hotel guests only, anyone can order from the bar menu for a casual late-afternoon featuring a ripper tiger prawn roll and one of the region’s better cheeseburgers.

Good to know: There are often mid-year accommodation deals if you want to book a winter weekend away.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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Last visited: April 2026

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Source: The Age

At a glance

Topic
World
Country
🇦🇺 AU
Publisher language
EN
Added to Allnira