Seasonal Shifts at Rickys River Bar & Restaurant
Fresh seafood, seasonal produce and ingredients grown close to home shape the ever-changing menu at Rickys River Bar & Restaurant, where the kitchen follows the rhythm of what is best right now, as Kathy Sundstrom discovers.
Just like the Noosa River it overlooks, the kitchen at Rickys River Bar & Restaurant never really stands still.
Menus shift quietly as ingredients arrive fresh from nearby waters and farms, including the restaurant’s own Maravista Farm, guiding the direction of dishes.
Rather than dramatic seasonal overhauls, the changes happen quietly and regularly as the kitchen responds to new arrivals from farmers and fishermen.
For Rickys general manager David Jouy, that flexibility is essential to Rickys success.
“We don’t wait for the first day of a new season to change everything. If something beautiful arrives or we want to cook with it, we simply put it on the menu,” David says. “Sometimes we might change a dish one week and add another the next. It depends on what we are excited to cook with and what is coming through from the suppliers.”
It is a philosophy that reflects the abundance of the region, where pristine seafood, fertile produce and a thriving community of food artisans provide a constant flow of exceptional ingredients which lead the story of the plate.
Head chef Enrique Mancilla and the kitchen team build dishes around what is freshest, letting flavour, balance and simplicity guide the final result.
Seafood often takes centre stage, reflecting the restaurant’s waterfront location and connection to the ocean.
Local fish, spanner crab and prawns arrive in the kitchen with remarkable freshness, ready to be transformed into dishes that feel light, vibrant and unmistakably coastal.
At the same time, produce grown just beyond the coastline plays an equally important role.
Rickys works closely with growers across the Sunshine Coast, including Maravista Farm, which supplies vegetables, herbs and seasonal ingredients cultivated specifically for the Ogilvie Group restaurants.
That connection between farm and kitchen means the menu evolves naturally as crops arrive in season.
“It’s important for us to speak with the farmers and understand what will be coming through,” David says. “That way we can think about what we want to cook and how we want to use those ingredients when they arrive.”
That sense of curiosity and creativity has made space for a creative collaboration as part of this year’s Noosa Food & Wine Festival.
A major drawcard for the four-day foodie event is the Restaurant Series where local food superstars curate mouth-watering collaborations with some of Australia’s finest culinary heroes.
Rickys was introduced to Phil Marchant of Brisbane restaurant Essa and for David, the connection clicked.
Led by head chef and co-owner Phil Marchant, Essa was announced as Gourmet Traveller’s 2025 Queensland Restaurant of the Year and has built a reputation for bold, fire-driven cooking that celebrates seasonal and native ingredients.
“When I looked more closely at what they were doing, the philosophy felt similar,” David says. “They are cooking with great produce, very much farm to plate, and we have the same mentality.”
Essa’s fire-forward approach contrasts in style with Rickys, yet the two kitchens share the same respect for ingredients and provenance.
“Rickys food is very fresh, clean and seafood oriented,” David says. “Essa is more about depth of flavour, fire and earth. When you combine those two approaches you can create something really interesting.”
Planning the collaboration has been a careful and thoughtful process.
Initial conversations focused on ingredients, the produce available and the types of dishes the chefs might create together. From there, the teams met at Rickys to explore the kitchen space, the equipment and the possibilities for bringing the two styles together.
“It’s about making sure the dishes work in our kitchen and that we can deliver them in a way that feels comfortable for everyone,” David says.
For diners, the result will be a menu designed to balance both culinary approaches.
Rickys’ coastal flavours and elegant simplicity will sit alongside Essa’s fire-influenced techniques, creating a layered and memorable experience.
“We don’t do a huge number of collaborations,” he says. “But this made sense because the philosophy is similar.”
The restaurant’s involvement also marks a welcome return to the Noosa Food and Wine Festival after several years away from the program.
“We hadn’t been part of the festival for a while, but we really liked the direction it took last year,” David says. “It felt like a good opportunity for us to come back and be involved again.”
Even so, Rickys remains mindful that the restaurant itself is already a destination experience for many. Perched on the banks of the Noosa River, the restaurant has become synonymous with long lunches, sunset dinners and special occasions shared with family and friends.
Celebrations of all kinds unfold across the riverfront tables, framed by water views and warm hospitality.
“It’s a very special place for people,” David says. “Many guests come here specifically to celebrate something important.”
That sense of occasion, combined with the kitchen’s commitment to fresh local ingredients, continues to shape every plate that leaves the pass.
Whether it is seafood pulled from nearby waters that morning or produce harvested from local farms, the guiding principle remains beautifully simple.
Cook what is best right now and let the ingredients speak for themselves.
At Rickys, that approach creates a dining experience that is constantly evolving, closely connected to the region and always deliciously of the moment.
BOOK NOW!
Rickys x Essa: A Collaborative Long Lunch as part of Noosa Food & Wine.
Experience a unique collaboration when Rickys’ Enrique Mancilla joins forces with Essa’s Phil Marchant to present an afternoon of creativity, flavour and exceptional hospitality.
Six courses with paired wines
Sunday 14 June, 12 noon
$280 +BF.
This event will sell out quickly, book here.
