Rick Stein’s favourite London restaurants and his go-to dumpling spot in Sydney

English celebrity chef Rick Stein is known for cooking simply with the freshest seafood and made a mighty career of it with more than 10 restaurants to his name, including two in Australia: Bannisters in Mollymook and Port Stephens–both in NSW. Stein splits his time between London and Australia and shares his tips on where he likes to dine on the road and at home.

Eating in

What is your signature dish and what is your go-to at home?

Grilled fillet of Ulladulla snapper with hollandaise, sauteed spinach, fines herbes (finely chopped herbs) and steamed potatoes. This is based on the same dish from The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, Cornwall, where it is made with turbot, and it’s equally good with local snapper.

At home, I cook crispy skinned salmon with cucumber, apple and dill salad. Being an oily fish, salmon lends itself to crispy skin. I aim to leave the centre of the fillets slightly underdone.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Andouillettes – these are French sausages made with pig intestines. Most people find them very distasteful as they smell a bit, but I love them, especially with a champagne sauce.

What is the kitchen wisdom you cling to?

This is incredibly boring but I’m afraid it’s just “keep it simple”, and I don’t just mean with cooking, I mean with kitchen gadgets, too − it’s amazing what you can do with a sharp knife.

Eating out

My favourite hometown restaurant:

My problem is that my two hometowns, Padstow and Mollymook, have my own restaurants in them and I’m bound to say them; even in London, I’ve got my own restaurant across the Thames from where I also live. Yes, I know, what a show-off. In Sydney, I love a very ordinary Chinese dumpling restaurant in Cremorne called Fang.

My favourite hometown cafe and/or bar (and favourite drink/snack at each):

Sam’s Riverside – this is down the river from Chiswick, in Hammersmith, London. I used to run a couple of restaurants with Sam and he’s always there and his menus are really informal − you can have a great burger or a platter of fruits de mer (seafood). I order half a dozen Carlingford Loch oysters with a Muscadet Sur Lie Domaine des Herbauges wine from Loire, France.

What is your favourite place to eat in Australia, and any special food memories?

Neil Perry’s restaurant, Margaret, in Double Bay, Sydney. One time, I had Neil cooking himself, and I particularly remember his King George whiting served with an exquisite local extra-virgin olive oil.

On the road

What’s your favourite food city and why?

This is a hard one because so many cities have so much to offer food-wise, but I particularly like London at the moment. I do think over the past 10 or so years − notwithstanding the setbacks of Brexit and COVID − it’s a very exciting city for virtually any cuisine in the world.

What are your favourite places to eat there and why?

My particular favourite is chums of mine, Henry and Denise Harris’, restaurant Bouchon Racine in Farringdon. Try the grilled leg of rabbit in mustard sauce with smoked bacon; and orzo with wild mushrooms.

Another restaurant is Bocca di Lupo − try buffalo mozzarella bocconcini; a plate of mangalitza coppa (cured rare-breed pork) and melon; and pappardelle ai finferli, with girolles (mushrooms), parsley and garlic − this is delicious.

Rick Stein appears on MasterChef Australia, showing contestants how to clean squid ahead of a two-round challenge, catch-up on 10 Play.