The British-born chef shows us inside his pantry and shares his secret vice.
Last dinner at home I barbecued a chicken, which I'd marinated in yuzu juice, garlic, thyme, chilli and olive oil, and served it with butter lettuce dressed with olive oil and lemon juice and some green beans.
Books are a big part of my life and they cover all topics from baking to tapas to meat curing to fine dining. There's a new Swedish magazine, Fool, looking in-depth at food issues internationally. I also eat out a lot and get inspired by what other people are doing. But inspiration is something you don't go out and try to find - it finds you, and sometimes it comes to me in dreams.
My pantry I have about four kinds of soy sauce - an organic one; one that's infused with bonito flakes and mirin; a heavy, dark one for marinades; and a white soy for dressings. Alto olive oil, which is nicely balanced. Fragola wild strawberry liqueur for desserts. Edmond Fallot mustards. Yuzu and sudachi (Japanese citrus) juices for marinades, curds, tarts, jellies. Rice wine vinegar, mirin, sancho pepper, which is great with barbecued meat or on noodles, Megachef fish sauce, panko breadcrumbs for fish, Cacao Barry Cuban chocolate - white, milk and dark.
My fridge Mountain Man washed rind cheese, comte cheese, strawberries, loads of citrus fruits because they're good with gin and in dressings. Kangaroo Island free-range eggs, Country Valley milk, Holmbrae corn-fed chicken, black garlic for marinades.
Rocket coffee machine. On my days off, I leave it on all day so I can just keep using it. I love it.
An island bench - I'm tall and I don't like working with overhead cupboards in the way.
Cast-iron pots. Shark skin wasabi grater (above). Katsuoboshi box for shaving bonito flakes. KitchenAid mixer - I do quite a bit of baking at home and experiment with ideas for the restaurant. Butter churn (right), which I like because it makes a decent quantity. French canele moulds (below).
Carib prawns, which are really sweet and high in fat. They're a bycatch from scampi fishing off the WA coast.
We went to Raku-Tei, a little tempura restaurant in Tokyo with just 11 seats, an 84-year-old chef and his apprentice in the kitchen and his wife on the floor. The drinks list was short; we started with champagne, then drank burgundy. There was fish, prawns, shiitake mushrooms, a few other vegetables, some sort of sea bug and it was so simple - well-seasoned, not greasy. Then the final course was all the crunchy bits of batter from the fryer scooped out and served with rice. It was delicious.
Soft cheeses and chocolate Paddle Pops.
Japanese hojicha green tea, single-origin coffee, which I have as a strong latte. I can't live without coffee. I have one in the morning at home and a few more when I get to work. St Germain elderflower liqueur, great in a champagne cocktail. Laurent Perrier champagne. Grace rosé´ from Japan - the winemaker trained in Australia.
Saturday night tipple As soon as I finish work about 1am, I have a glass of champagne. On a night off, I usually have champagne, too. Or a gin and tonic.
The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox.
Sign up