Christopher Grace to cook in Warrnambool

A FAVOURED SON OF THE south-west has popped up in a diner with one of the coast's most gorgeous views. Christopher Grace has taken the role of head chef at Simon's Waterfront restaurant in the Warrnambool Surf Lifesaving Club, a cream-brick spot renowned for its gorgeous views of Lady Bay. Grace previously worked at Port Fairy's Merrijig Inn and won a lot of fans with his Christopher Grace restaurant in Killarney. He took six months off after leaving that, before deciding to get back to manning the pans. ''I love a project,'' Grace says. Determined to raise the bar for the beachfront diner, Grace wants to create ''a gastropub-by-the-sea feel, a seaside brasserie''. Front-of-house manager Garrett Wyse, who has returned to the floor after years of teaching hospitality, will write the wine list with Grace. The 200-seat venue is open Tuesday to Sunday for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and breakfast and lunch on Monday.