The word koojah in the indigenous Bidigal language means ‘the smell of drying seaweed’. It’s where Coogee gets its name from, but it’s also what you might find washing up along the shore on Narooma’s sandy beaches. Harvested on the south coast for millennia, the vitamin and mineral-rich kelp on the south coast has gained worldwide notoriety as a superfood since the seventies. “This place was a kelp farm for decades, so the connection between the two really speaks to me,” says executive chef Jordan Toft. “It just feels like it all fits. It feels right.”

Jordan is in Narooma seeking inspiration for his latest project: a trio of venues on Coogee Pavilion’s middle floor. Restaurant mimi’s, cocktail bar will’s and tapas bar Una Mās are opening in early 2020.

“Each experience has its own special personality and identity, but all are inspired by the generosity of regional dining around the world – those moments when your heart rate slows down, you’re completely at ease and filled with gratitude for life’s simple pleasures,” says Jordan. “What you order from the menu is exactly what you see on the plate.”

Looking to create an authentic culinary experience closer to home is what brings Jordan to the south coast. The day is spent tenderising octopus for hours over a wood fire, cracking open freshly caught sea urchins on the rocks and dropping in on local producers to talk shop and source ingredients.

Cooking over fire on a beach is a far cry from what diners can expect, but as far as inspiration goes, getting back to basics is the guiding ethos of the project. “No smoke, no mirrors, no pomp. Just great produce and an amazing setting,” he says.