MY CITY
Sydney, I love being able to walk to the beach. It’s a city that’s great for balance when working in a stressful environment like a kitchen. The diversity of restaurants are genuinely world class. And after years of living in London, I had forgotten what it felt like to have the ocean as part of your daily routine.
FAVOURITE FOOD MEMORY
Elkano in Getaria, a seaside town near San Sebastián. I was lucky enough to work there a few years ago, which alone was life-changing. But the meal that stayed with me was one we nearly didn’t get. We turned up with no reservation, left our number at the front desk, walked into town and found a bar to wait it out. A table cancelled. We got the call. Sitting down that day, eating turbot from the grill, I knew I had to do everything in my power to get that job. As it is so special to me, I returned there two weeks ago for my birthday. Still nowhere like it on earth.
FAVOURITE BAR
Will’s in Coogee. Brilliant cocktails, genuinely warm staff, and incredible snacks from a seriously talented team. I always start with a dry martini, Sipsmith gin, twist, no drama. The fact it’s walking distance from home is a significant part of the appeal.
BEST HANGOVER CURE
Surf at Maroubra if there’s swell, swim at Clovelly if there isn’t. Followed by a black coffee and a green juice, which is almost certainly placebo, but it works most of the time.
BEST INTERSTATE BAR
I did go to Bar Lourinhã in Melbourne last month. A new colleague took me recently and I loved it immediately. Uncompromisingly authentic, handwritten specials on the board, a menu and atmosphere that reminded me of Spain. Which I suspect was very much the point.
FAVOURITE WINE
Artífice Vidueños Blanco. I had it at a Michelin-starred restaurant recently as part of an unofficial pairing and my friend and I were so taken by it, I asked if I could buy a bottle at the end of the meal. They gave us one instead from the cellar. A masterclass in hospitality. Volcanic minerality, saline finish, complex citrus and smoke. I expected it to be expensive given where I was drinking it. It was remarkably affordable. That surprised me more than anything.
A WINERY YOU RECOMMEND
I recently stayed at Montforte D’Alba in Piedmont and my neighbour runs Sòt, a small family-owned vineyard in Alba, literally next door. I walked down for a tasting at their cantina on one of those quiet, perfect afternoons. They subsequently invited me to dinner at their family home the following night with the entire meal prepared by the mother of the winemaker. It was a lovely night.
NEXT DESTINATION
Central America and Mexico. I want to continue putting my Spanish to good use. I have so many friends from that part of the world. Working at KOL in London gave me a small window into the food culture and it genuinely blew me away. The complexity, the history, the way every region has its own distinct identity. I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface and I’d love to learn more. Costa Rica is also calling loudly. A good friend of mine came back recently raving about it and the surf is great too. I need to go.
DINNER PARTY WITH THREE FAMOUS PEOPLE – GO!
- Anthony Bourdain
2. Francis Mallmann
3. Jimi Hendrix
I think most chefs would have a similar answer but it’s true about Bourdain. I love watching “Parts Unknown” and reading all of his literature. Mallmann because he’s the poet of open-fire cooking and the way he works with fire, time and landscape is closer to philosophy than cooking and Hendrix because every great dinner needs someone who lived entirely on their own terms and I love his music and grew up playing the guitar. That table would be pure chaos.
TELL US ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE DOING AT VIVID SYDNEY THJIS YEAR
I’m really excited to be involved in three events this year.
The first is “A Taste of HQ: Street Eats Edition” – a free street festival across Foster and Hunt Streets in Surry Hills as part of the Hollywood Quarter, with eight of Sydney’s leading chefs doing street food, live music, roaming performers and pop-up bars from afternoon into the night.
The second is a one-night collaboration dinner with OzHarvest at Refettorio Sydney, a four-course menu built almost entirely from rescued NSW produce, part of their “Our Shared Future” series.
And the third is a “Fire Kitchen” live demo and Q&A. Three very different experiences, all centred on what I love most. Fire, produce and people eating together.
