He scored a spot on Melbourne Food & Wine’s 30 Under 30 list, he was named Good Food’s Young Chef of the Year 2024, and he held the head chef title at Armadale fine diner Amaru when it was first awarded three hats. Chef Cam Tay-Yap is no stranger to accolades, but you only need to speak to anyone who’s experienced the magic of his cooking to know that the news of his first permanent restaurant is very good news indeed.
It’s called Pebble, it’s opening in West Melbourne, and it shares its name with the pop-up he’s been trucking around Melbourne for the past 18 months. Early signs of the menu point to Tay-Yap’s Malaysian heritage alongside other lip-smacking Southeast Asian flavours Pebble was known for. Opening the menu is a whopping 1.2kg bistecca with Taiwanese-braised mushrooms, and there’s also a cassava cake Tay-Yap says is deeply personal.
“I’m particularly excited about the cassava cake,” Tay-Yap says. “It’s a take on something I grew up with; at Pebble we’re making ours with roasted white chocolate custard, pickled nectarines, coconut wafers and a pear and marigold sorbet.”
There are a handful of returning dishes for anyone fortunate enough to have experienced the first iteration of Pebble (the one in the car park of a bouldering gym in Oakleigh). The potato flatbread with curries and pickles is making the jump across. A version of those chicken wings tossed in a nước mắm glaze is also coming to Pebble’s permanent menu, but this time it’s chicken ribs served with a lighter, brighter and zingier nước chấm dressing.
The wine list, meanwhile, promises a trip around the world, with Andrea Infimo (formerly of MoVida and Marmelo) to lead the drinks program. “We’ve gone globetrotting with our selections, but our favourite Victorian locals will always have a special place in our cellar,” he says. “You’ll find the familiar favourites here, but expect a few interesting strangers too. All chosen carefully to play very nicely with Cam’s food.”
With hopes to open in mid-December, Tay-Yap has brought in the family to make it happen. His brother, Duncan Tay-Yap, is taking care of the build, his extended family is offering art for the walls, while his wife, Trish, is designing and producing the wine folders.
Tay-Yap thinks of Pebble more like a family gathering than a fine-dining restaurant, with the big difference for you being that the person cooking also happens to be one of Melbourne’s brightest young chefs. We can’t wait.
Pebble opens mid-December, 345 Victoria St, West Melbourne, dinner Tuesday to Saturday, pebbledining.com, @pebble.dining