Alex Lavery may be young, but his determination to excel as a chef has seen him cook in some of the best restaurants in Australia, Europe and Asia.
He is the type of chef who will take time off just to train and learn new skills. Presently, he is redefining modern tropical Australian cuisine at the beachside diner, Shorehouse, in Townsville, North Queensland.
Where is Shorehouse?
The name says it all. We are right on
the beach in Townsville. The owners
wanted to capture the laid-back
atmosphere of those beachside places
you find in Southeast Asia where the
food and drinks are brilliant, but the
decor is chill. We’re soon undergoing
renovations to really concentrate on
outdoor dining – and when you have
330 perfect days a year – why not?
What is the style of dining?
We have a focus on Asian dining but
dishes that suit a broad range of tastes
and palates. We have a lot of people
who love to explore exotic flavours, but
we also have customers who like to
play it safe. So, while some customers
just love the hiramasa kingfish sashimi
with ruby grapefruit, shallots and
puffed rice furikake, or the spanner
crab noodles with dashi butter and
grilled corn, we have loads of people
who just want the katsu chicken with
tangy ginger shallot dressing and rich
aioli. It is like an Asian chicken parma.
Your skills in Asian cooking are quite impressive.
I guess I have a curious mind. I love to
know how different cuisines work. I went
to Thailand on holiday and the food,
the different types of Thai cooking, really
connected. I went back four times, and I
did an internship with David Thompson at
Nahm in Bangkok. That was an amazing
experience. I loved working with the Neil
Perry team at Rosetta in Melbourne and
when I got a chance to work with its sister
restaurant Spice Temple. It is a cuisine
that suits the climate here in Townsville.
Our guests love it and really enjoy that
beachy exotic feel. More than 60% of
our guests are women and they love our
cocktail menu. We do sell some white
wine, particularly dry white wine, but the
cocktails are king. We have Stone & Wood
on tap, which does well, but some of the
men just won’t go past Great Northern.
