Halcyon days by the sea

HALCYON House is holding a culinary celebration and collaboration as part of its 10th anniversary on July 5-6.

By the Sea will see the hotel’s Paper Daisy executive chef Andrew Milford, team up with acclaimed Sydney-based chef Danielle Alvarez in a creative candlelight dining experience and a beachside long lunch.

Alvarez is one of Australia’s most respected gastronomic voices, known for her produce-driven ethos and classical training at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse in California – the iconic Berkeley restaurant credited with pioneering the farm-to-table dining movement.

Milford said collaborations of this nature were exciting and invariably challenging. “I find it a bit tricky, to be honest, because you’re used to collaborating with your team, but you get the final word,” he said.

“But it goes both ways, and it’s interesting because you have to talk about it.

“I love talking about food, and getting someone else’s in-depth take is great.

“I’ve followed Danielle’s career and compared to a lot of contemporary chefs, her food has very rootsy, home-based flavours but with a very polished technique, which I think is the way food’s going at the moment.”

Milford won’t reveal the menu except to say it will feature local seafood.

“I’m curing some bottarga now, made of local mullet, so that might be worked into one of the snacks.

“It’s a true delicacy this region produces that’s a bit underestimated and hasn’t yet had its day in the sun.”

Managing Director Laura Proctor said 2025 was a big year for Halcyon House.

“We’re celebrating 10 years, and we wanted to market a series of special events that reflected what people love about this place and what’s uniquely Australian,” she said.

The region has undergone considerable evolution over the last decade, and one legacy of the change has been the growth of a vibrant ecosystem of fine-dining restaurants and collegiality of chefs in the area.

“The area is different to 10 years ago, and I think Halcyon has played an integral part in that,” she said.

“It’s been a bit of a trailblazer and led the way for others like number 35, which is Rachel Duffy and Daniel Metcalfe, and Pipit in Pottsville by our former executive chef Ben Devlin, and the girls from MoVida setting up Bistro Livi in Murwillumbah.

“Winter is one of the best times to be in this area, with beautiful, dry winter days, gorgeous blue skies, whales, turtles, great surf, and great dining.

“It’s fabulous for our guests to be able to have a whole regional experience.

“We’ve got so much to offer here; I mean, you could spend a week and barely touch the surface.”

For information on the two-day dining event, visit halcyonhouse.com