Dining review: Buttercup, a new bar, cafe and restaurant opens in Dee Why

Buttercup brings coffee, cocktails and trendy Aussie style food to Dee Why beach.

• Review: JB &Sons
• Review: Sloppy Tee’s

George Mclean and Paul Fraser are back doing what they like best.

The pair, who’ve moved on from Manly’s beachfront bar Hemingway’s, have established a bright, breezy offering for the new year.

Last winter the duo opened JB & Sons, their American-style bar and burger joint in Freshwater. Now it’s summer and Dee Why’s turn.

This time around they’re sporting yellow aprons and have transformed a laundromat and the next door Indian restaurant into the suburb’s newest venue, Buttercup.

Even on a drab and dreary day, Buttercup radiates a warm and sunny glow.

Inside it is all lemony yellow, pale blue and blonde wood.

It looks pretty, but it’s all hard surfaces (apart from leather bench seating) and the downside is noise.

Flathead and chips, the Buttercup way.

It’s nice to see that there’s strong support for local suppliers.

Beer comes from three local breweries — 4 Pines, Nomad and Brookvale Brewery — coffee comes from Barrel One Coffee and dinner rolls from Tiens in Dee Why.

With ex-Pei Modern and former Hemingway’s chef Dave Lawrence heading up the kitchen, Buttercup’s menu has grabbed the current trend for fermenting, pickling and smoking and slow cooking.

But unlike its American sibling JB & Sons, Buttercup is pure Aussie. Think modern twists on pub grub at lunch and homestyle country cooking at night, Mclean says.

Calling it ‘homestyle’ isn’t doing the food justice.

Take the breakfast tomato plate with tomatoes house-smoked and dried for extra texture and flavour.

They’re backed up with pickled green tomato, ricotta, sumac and rye sourdough.

Charred broccoli and salmon salad

Move on to lunch and there’s fish and chips and burgers.

Eggplant parmie is a pub classic reworked with Panko-crumbs, stringy mozzarella and green tomatoes and presented in a milk bun.

Or there’s confit salmon and charred broccoli salad served on the freshest of lemony-dressed herby, salad leaves and house-fermented chilli. This modern style salad is big on flavour. Even broccoli-haters would be hard-pressed to find fault with this dish.

Buttercup

154-158 Pacific Pde, Dee Why,

9981 7978

Open: From 7am until late, seven days

Go for: Broccoli & salmon, $17; eggplant parmie, $15

Vibe: Sunny side up

Coffee: Barrel One Coffee Roasters

Bottom line: $61 for two

Twitter: @beverley_hudec