Maestre joins Cafe del Mar

With a local branch of Ibiza's Cafe del Mar opening at the former Coast restaurant site at Cockle Bay, the owners are clearly keen to add a little Mediterranean flavour to the Australian operation.

That might come in the form of TV chef Miguel Maestre, the Spaniard who worked for Tony Bilson and operated a few of his own now closed Sydney restaurant ventures.

"Yes, I'm joining Cafe del Mar as food director and will work closely with the executive chefs," he said.

The plan is to open five in Australia, the chef says. We tracked down Maestre in Malaysia, where he was filming for Network Ten's The Living Room.

"I've just been shooting a segment with those fish that eat you. I'm used to it being the other way around," he jokes.