There’s only one thing I want from a coastal diner – and it’s not fish’n’chips or a sea view or the ability to eat oysters while sitting in sandy swimmers.
I want all my coastal diners to look like the sort of place Meryl Streep or Diane Keaton would frequent in a Nancy Meyers movie: Something’s Gotta Give, It’s Complicated, you know the vibe. The Corner, The Boathouse Group’s new cafe, bistro, providore hybrid at 1 Beach Road, Palm Beach, nails my wholesome, ultra-specific brief.
The eponymous local team opened its first Boathouse in Palm Beach in 2008. Nearly two decades later, it’s proven readily imitable, with the team copy-pasting its instantly recognisable aesthetic in five more coastal locations. But The Corner, another revamp of the digs, throws that rule book out.
The menu from head chef Sam Kane (ex-Bert’s, Bistro Moncur, Guillaume Brahimi) espouses his “closed loop” philosophy, meaning the produce that’s on shelves at the providore will be on the dining room’s menu, and anything unsold will be pickled then put back onto plates, or jarred and sold.

Take your time to enjoy Chef Sam's delights. Then head to the beach for a swim.

There’s also a day-to-night crudo. “I got a couple boxes of green tomatoes a few weeks ago, so I made a pickle that lends itself to crudo,” says Kane. “So, till I run out of that green tomato pickle, that’s going in the dish, right? After that, I can’t flog my suppliers to go and find something that isn’t in season – I’ll just be creative and come up with new things.”
The moral of the story? Don’t get too hooked on one dish because it might not be on the menu when you come back.
“It’s by necessity,” says Kane. “We don’t want dinner to be occasional, you know? I want people to keep coming back, so every week, as seasons change, we evolve. I don’t want to be bound by a ‘six-entree, six-main, six-dessert’ kind of format. There’s a lot of those restaurants around. I’d rather keep it tight – just come and trust me.”
https://www.broadsheet.com.au/sydney/food-and-drink/article/the-corner-palm-beach-first-look?lid=7qhv5shp3zp1