Bangalow, NSW

Dolled-up prawn toast is having a moment at hatted restaurants everywhere, but chef Matt Stone takes the Australian-Chinese concept further. Crocodile toast.

Specifically, croc tail blitzed with ginger, soy and coriander, spread across sliced baguette and fried. In other hands it might come across as a gimmick, but at You Beauty it speaks to Stone’s ambition of sustainability through creativity.

Like the rest of the menu, it’s also delicious, whether you’re a Bangalow local dropping in for a beer and happy-hour bar snack (we love the rabbit rillettes, too) or a tourist keen for a long lunch with the greatest hits of Northern Rivers produce.

Jersey milk mozzarella from cheesemaker Debra Allard, say, teamed with lightly smoked Coopers Shoot tomatoes and peaches marinated in pandanus vinegar by wild-food forager Peter Hardwick. You Beauty, you little ripper.