In a little-known coastal township, where paper-wrapped fish and chips has served as the cuisine of choice for half a century, the winds of change are gently blowing.

A slow-paced fishing village (that’s long flown under the radar of its more progressive, neighbouring Northern Rivers towns) may not be somewhere you’d expect to find noteworthy Japanese dishes. And yet, a riverfront cafe in Iluka – just over an hour’s drive south along the coastline from Byron Bay – is defying holidaymakers’ expectations with its noteworthy Japanese cuisine.

Local prawns fresh off the trawler feature in its standout sushi. (Image: Sonya Gellert)

It’s easy to miss the exit for Iluka along the Pacific Highway, a road that takes vacationers through the tiny village of Woombah and deep into the greenery of Bundjalung National Park – where it’s not unheard of to spot an emu darting across the road. This peaceful place, which feels like a quiet step back in time, is home to wide-open beaches where kangaroos gather at sunrise, dense, wildlife-filled rainforest, and a riverfront where pale-blue soldier crabs scuttle across the sand come sundown.

While Iluka, a scenic ferry ride across the Clarence River from its more quickly evolving neighbour Yamba, may be holding tight against gentrification, a gentle, slower change is in the air.

Where to find remarkable Japanese food in the Clarence Valley

At Iluka’s ferry terminal on Charles Street, the team at Chez Basho Boatshed Cafe is serving vibrant Japanese dishes befitting its seaside location. Basho translates to ‘place’ in Japanese, and this locale demonstrates a strong connection to place through its use of local ingredients.

Patrons at this unassuming cafe can pull up a seat in its breezy, umbrella-dappled, sunlit garden or its petite inside space and watch dolphins play in the waters just beyond the cafe’s edge. In fact, it’s commonplace to see a pod of dolphins cruising by throughout the day.

Behind the cafe, where a talented team of Japanese expats helm the kitchen, a small caravan has been transformed into an additional food prep space.

The cafe, which pops up in the form of a food stall at nearby markets, and occasionally hosts ‘tapas-style’ dinners, has not only become popular among holidaymakers but has also been welcomed into the small community.

Much like another great Northern Rivers’ Japanese eatery, Federal Doma Cafe sees people travel into the town of Federal for delicious Japanese fare, Chez Basho Boatshed Cafe is worth the drive (or ferry ride) into Iluka to experience its food.

The views are as good as the food at Chez Basho Boatshed Cafe. (Image: Sonya Gellert)

What’s on the menu at Chez Basho Boatshed Cafe?

In the AM, the cafe fuels ferry passengers and early birds with its well-made coffees and matcha, and classic cafe fare.

Alongside colossal muffins, enlivening juices, and a choice of breakfast burgers and rolls, there’s the Boatshed Brekky Plate that sees a Japanese potato croquette (korroke) served alongside organic scrambled eggs, housemade tartar, bacon (or haloumi), and more. And, come mid-morning, the cafe’s cheesecakes and sweet treats are difficult to pass up.

Yet, it’s the cafe’s lunchtime offerings that are especially noteworthy. Locally caught prawns – fresh off the trawler – become the filling for Chez Basho Boatshed Cafe’s popular prawn sushi.

A teriyaki tofu plate with a plentiful helping of salad makes a refreshing light lunch, while hearty Japanese-style burgers present something more robust. Then there’s the inari (tofu rice pockets), a crispy organic pumpkin and sweet potato tempura roll, a super-fresh salmon sashimi roll, a fish-of-the-day tempura roll (often featuring freshly caught whiting or flathead), and a seared salmon special sushi roll – that is indeed special – and sees prawn, cucumber, fish eggs, Japanese mayonnaise, shallots, avocado, teriyaki sauce and yuzu pepper mingle on the plate.

A firm favourite among locals and visitors is the cafe’s aptly named Yummy Sticks, comprising tempura salmon sushi with a teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise.

Alongside its food menu, the cocktails at Chez Basho are destined to impress – and form ideal sips for an afternoon spent by the river. A shiso cocktail begins with a vinegary, shiso-leaf shrub, resulting in a vibrant pink, herbaceous pour. Also among its drink options are yuzu cocktails, plum-based drinks, and a refreshing sake mojito. For designated drivers, the iced matcha is a delicious non-alcoholic drop.

The teriyaki tofu plate with salad. (Image: Sonya Gellert)

What else can you expect to find in Iluka?

Next door to Chez Basho Boatshed Cafe and the town’s resident fishing supplies store is Iluka Sunset and Wine, a calm-inducing, casual outdoor bar where picnic tables occupy a waterfront lawn, frozen margaritas fill cocktail glasses, and live music entertains visitors.

The leisurely paced change in this village continues on the other end of Iluka’s riverfront, at Sedgers Reef Hotel, which has undergone a significant transformation. Once a ramshackle pub – that, in its later years, looked as though the wind could push into the river below –  this sunset-viewing venue is now a newly well-designed concrete image of stability, presenting a new food menu and idyllic sundowner setting.

Like all good coastal villages, Iluka is also home to fish-and-chip and take-away purveyors, breadshops slinging all the well-loved hallmark goods of regional bakeries (think vanilla slices and fully-loaded salad sandwiches), a golf club and a bowls club, and a casual cafe along its main drag (The Freshwater Kitchen). By the convict-built rock walls, where the trawlers return from nights at sea, ‘the co-op’ (or the Clarence River Fishermen’s Co-Operative) feeds a crowd with fresh seafood.

Also in town is a long-standing craft shop that houses homemade crafts from a collective of talented locals, a treasure-filled op-shop, and a scattering of vintage, gift, and trinket stores.

For surfers, campers, and road-trippers seeking reprieve between Sydney and Brisbane, Iluka (and its population of roughly 1760 locals) offers an opportunity to slow down and enjoy the view – which is best seen from the lookout at the Bluff Beach.