Bangalow is surely one of the treasures of the North Coast, from the old lady sitting on the porch of her classic Federation verandah, a fancy Zincalum awning over her, porch steps below set out with wellies, the school house with its brass bell, shops for fossickers and cafes for the hungry.  I will admit, upfront, that we went to Utopia twice. The first visit was with my new Fabriano Quadrato notebook. The paper here is lovely but buckles under water colour, heaven knows why I tried to tackle the restaurant mirrors but there you go, fools etctera.  I had the grilled scallops with cauliflower puree and an oversized Cuisinaire rectangle ( for Cusiniaire that is) of grilled polenta with a topping of chorizo shreds and a row of baby cress. Delicious.

The next visit, lunch again, I had the prawns with a 'rustic' puff pastry pizza, a jammy tomato thing with a frissee of leaves and radish on top and five fat grilled prawns that were convincingly fresh.  As I didn't have room for the Mediterrean tart, or even one of those intriguing short bread thingies, I will have to plan another visit. If you can get a seat at the end, so you can stare out at the lavishly emerald lawn and general tropical splendour.