Q & A with chef at popular Asian fusion diner Light Years

The company's formula began with the first Light Years, opened in Byron Bay in 2017. They've successful expanded the concept - original Asian fusion food and cocktails in an fun atmosphere with toe-tapping funk and disco, and top service - to Noosa and Burleigh Heads in Queensland.

I had a chat with Newcastle head chef Jamie Thomas.

Light Years Newcastle has been open for a year or so now. Are you pleased with the decision to open on Darby Street? Is dinner interest still strong?

We are beyond happy with the decision to base Light Years on Darby Street. The venue itself is a beautiful old art deco building with high ceilings, detailed architraves and huge windows - we count ourselves incredibly lucky to be able to call this space our Newcastle home.

But we didn't just pick this position because the venue was pretty, Darby Street is going from strength to strength with a bevy of new openings around the area.

Dinner is still going strong, as is lunch! We've even added in Friday lunches to keep up with the demand.

The aesthetic of the restaurant is light and bright, and the menu doesn't deviate from that theme. How would you describe the Light Years food and drink offering?

First and foremost, the Light Years menus are always fun! On the flavour front we keep things bold and colourful. Not one dish is a 'filler' dish, they all stand their ground and we're super proud of what we've created.

The menu itself is made for sharing. We love the joy created from shared dining experiences - the more the merrier!

Do you tweak the menus at different locations? What's different about Newcastle's compared to other LY restaurants?

Each menu carries our signature dishes, such as our mud crab, prawn and scallop dumplings and masterstock pork belly. We do like to offer different dishes at each venue, pending what local and seasonal produce is available.

You are now open for lunch on Fridays (as of December last year, from memory). How is that going? What kind of crowd do you attract (corporate? tourist?)

Lunch is going gangbusters. There is a great mix of Friday team lunches with workers from Honeysuckle Drive, as well as locals who are enjoying a long lunch with friends, fun cocktails in hand, of course.

What do diners love ordering in Newcastle?

The kingfish ceviche and the king prawn roll both make for fresh summer favourites. It makes sense during these hotter months. As we begin now to move into autumn and winter, we find the curries start to become high on the ordering list - the turmeric cauliflower in particular is a crowd favourite.

You are passionate about what you do. What is it that you love about cooking? Do you have a philosophy when it comes to food and cooking?

When I started out it was all about the food, creating new dishes and experimenting in the kitchen. These days, for me personally, it's about the team, working with talented people, learning from them and watching individuals grow along with the business.

You are a long way from the place of your birth, and your cooking is by no means traditional to England. Would you describe your cooking as globally influenced?

Yes, I think it is. I've been lucky enough to work with some amazing venues in my 30 odd years, giving me great experience across different cuisines - Jamaican, South American, Crab boils, American BBQ, they have all been great opportunities and enabled me to inject minor tweaks to dishes to profile different flavour combinations.

You've travelled a lot - what do you think of Newcastle's dining scene?

Newcastle's dining scene has expanded exponentially. There is such diversity in the offerings. I love that you can pop in from venue to venue and really make a night (or day) out of it. Start off with a drink and a snack at Humbug, mosey on down to Light Years for dinner, then finish off the night with a few more drinks at QT's rooftop.

And here is one of Light Years' favourite recipes

(Serves 4-6 people)

Ingredients

4 corn on the cobs - blanched in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then cut into "ribs"

Miso butter

Furikake - Japanese seaweed seasoning

Lime wedge

Coriander

Miso butter

250 gr unsalted butter

80 gr white miso paste

Melt the butter on a low heat add the white miso paste take off the heat and give it a good whisk. This can be done in advance and kept in the fridge. To reheat just pop in the microwave or in a sauce pan.

Dish assembly

Shallow fry, bbq or pan fry corn until the kernels start to pop and get a nice colour.

Toss in the miso butter and arrange on a plate.

Sprinkle with the furikake and coriander and serve with lime wedges