Starfish hardly needs the Avalon in its name. A large, fresh room, bare wood floor, banquettes with beachy cushions, French windows open to the ocean breezes, relaxed, linen-and-sandalled locals on first-name terms There's no doubt where this casual restaurant calls home, despite its bright, concise, Asian-tinged menu. An appetiser of snapper ceviche with avocado and horseradish sets the tone, while a classic Vietnamese nam jim dipping sauce lends its hot, sweet, sour and tangy accents to various dishes across the menu, including a generous spanner crab omelette. Stir-fried sambal squid benefits from the astringency of a green papaya salad, but pork belly, nicely tanned, could have used a little more oomph in its Asian herb accompaniments. Crisp-skin duck is Saigon French a l'orange, while a ginger and date pud with saffron-tinged custard, luscious caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice-cream brings us right back home to the northern beaches. Avalon, that is.