“When the paperbark flowers, the mullet runs”. If that sounds like ancient Bundjalung people’s wisdom, it is. But it also shows the depth of sensitivity to local conditions that marks chef Ben Devlin, and results in a dish of mullet pickled in paperbark flower vinegar and smoked with more paperbark. Dining at Pipit is a walk on the wild side of the Northern Rivers, and the degustation is peppered with exotic fruits, garums, wild-shot venison, macadamia miso and a deliciously green sauce made of vegetable offcuts known as tasty waste paste. The parade of small dishes is a love letter to the region and the sleight of hand required to bring it all together is so skilled as to appear natural. Winner of our Service Excellence Award, Alice Dwyer, threads everything together with a professional approach that’s relaxed and warm without being fussy.