Everyone loves a celebrity chef. There are fans of Gordon Ramsay, devotees of Jamie Oliver and Donna Hay aficionados. But all foodies down under are excited about Rick Stein's new restaurant on the New South Wales coast, says Cassandra Murnieks.
It’s a Saturday evening and the car park is filling up quickly at ‘Rick Stein at Bannisters’. With a six-week waiting list, patience is definitely a virtue, but it’s my turn tonight and the three hour drive from Sydney to the small coastal town of Mollymook has given me an appetite.
The entrance to the restaurant is cosy and homely; thick, heavy books are scattered along the bookshelves, huge seed pods hang on the wall and a welcoming lounge awaits. In contrast, the restaurant is blinding white with colourful artworks dotted on the walls.
A small tasting plate of flathead goujons with tartare sauce is on placed on my table, courtesy of the chef. Not Stein himself, but Julian Lloyd, the executive chef here. Lloyd grew up in Padstow and has worked with Stein since he was 14. He’s adapted the menu from Stein’s restaurants in Cornwall to suit the Australian market. Judging form the taste of the flathead, he knows the Australian market well.
The wine menu is extensive, but I opt for the restaurant manager’s recommendation of the Maude Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. With a clean fruity finish, it works splendidly with the first course, ravioli of lobster with a spinach and basil sauce. The lobster is sweet and moist enveloped in generous pieces of ravioli in a creamy buttery sauce with just a hint of basil. The lobster ravioli is one of the most popular choices on the menu, and the restaurant hires a chef solely to prepare the pasta.
Rick Stein has an ongoing love affair with south-east Asian flavours and it’s clearly evident in the crisp smoked trout and green mango salad. The first thing you notice is the strong fragrance – a hearty blend of Thai basil, sliced shallots and birds eye chilli. The trout is flavoursome with a crispy skin, while the green mango diffuses the spiciness. A glass of Rick Stein’s Semillon from the Adelaide Hills – with it’s strong fruity notes and slight aftertaste – is well suited to the dish.
The Asian influence continues with grilled snapper with crisp garlic, eschallots and chilli, served with bok choi and oyster sauce and a side of boiled rice. The fillet of snapper is moist, firm and unintimidated by the strong flavours. And as much as the English enjoy fish and chips, so do Australians. The Hapuka, chips, and tartare sauce is as appealing to us as cod and chips wrapped in paper on a freezing English beach is to the Brits. Found in Australasian waters, Hapuka is a soft, flaky fish, tonight coated in chunky batter. The perfectly cooked chips are chunky and stacked high but the limp mushy peas are a letdown.
If you can make room for dessert, there is the simple cheese plate, but I chose the baked lemon cheesecake with berry coulis, a smooth zingy pud that rounded off a great meal.
Australia has an impeccable reputation for seafood, and ‘Rick Stein at Bannisters’ has taken full advantage of the vast array on offer. The restaurant trusts one man to supply the majority of the fresh produce Stein insists upon. He’s known as ‘Lucky’ and his fish shop in Ulladulla has become a sightseeing spot since the restaurant opened in October last year. The restaurant’s prices are in line with top Sydney restaurants, but with the friendly service, exquisite seafood and water views from every angle, it’s well worth the trip.
Rick Stein at Bannisters
191 Mitchell Parade
Mollymook, NSW
Australia
To book, visit the website.