HOSPITALITY EXCLUSIVE
The Hunter Valley’s culinary scene is booming, with a South American-style restaurant set to open at the Piggs Peake Winery in early August this year.
Emerson Rodriguez (Emerson’s Cafe and Restaurant), Patrick Hester and Sam Alexander (The Reserve) have teamed up to launch Yellow Billy Restaurant, which is all about simple food done well.
“It’s a completely new concept [for the Hunter], says Alexander. “We wanted to look at what’s not being done and do something that completely revolved around fire – that whole South American asado.”
Yellow Billy’s menu will offer proteins including local suckling pig, whole fish and lamb available in 200g, 400g and 800g portions. Sides will range from fire-roasted vegetables to house-made pastas.
Among the Hunter’s vast array of fine-dining institutions, Yellow Billy sits firm in the middle.
“We want to come in as smart casual dining,” says Alexander. “It’s not top of the ladder, it’s not bottom of the ladder – we just want to come in at the middle and target the locals. We want to be that place you bring your friends to.”
Alongside its core lunch and dinner menu, Yellow Billy will also offer coffee and a range of breads, snacks, cheese and cakes. The venue will open from Wednesday to Sunday.
And if you’re curious about the name, Yellow Billy was a well-known bush ranger from Yango.
“My partner’s uncle used to camp out at Yellow Billy caves and I said, ‘That’s a cool name for a restaurant; it’s got history, it’s contemporary and people ask what it is’. Yellow Billy was a famous bush ranger who targeted Cessnock, Broke and all those kinds of areas.”
