A bargain-hunters’ guide to dining celeb-chef style in Sydney
With cooking shows as hot as ever – I’m looking at you MKR – it’s fair to say Aussies love all things food and they really love a celebrity chef. Sydney is spoilt for choice in the celeb-chef restaurant stakes but they often fall into the special occasion price range. Look beyond the obvious picks though and there are budget-friendly dining options with star power to be found for every meal of the day.
And if you’re lucky you might get up close with one of these geniuses of the kitchen like I did…
Breakfast: Bill’s, 79 Hall Street, Bondi Beach
The chef: Bill Granger
Claim to fame
- Restaurant owner (it all started with Bill’s in Darlinghurst in 1993 but today he has restaurants in London, Tokyo, Seoul and Waikiki, along with two other Sydney outposts.)
- Cook book author (11 in total) and newspaper columnist (the weekend isn’t complete without his Sunday Life recipes.)
- TV series host (Bill’s Food is up to series five and viewed in 30 countries.
The luxe option (and the bargain option too!)
The beauty of Granger’s easygoing approach is that all of his restaurants are affordable. #winning. We’re sampling the newest restaurant in Bondi.
What to drink
A green juice with spinach, cucumber, apple, ginger, chia and celery ($9.50) ticks the box for the health conscious (or try a smoothie of pineapple, kale, coriander and coconut water ($9.50) for something different). If you’re feeling a little less virtuous, a fudge chocolate or salted caramel milkshake ($7) is your go-to.
What to eat
I can’t go past the ‘Fresh Aussie’ – gravlax, poached eggs, avocado, kale and cherry tomatoes ($24.50) – it’s one of the tastiest healthy brekkies I’ve had in Sydney in a long time. For research purposes, I steal a mouthful of Mr LML’s scrambled organic eggs (a Granger speciality) from his ‘Full Aussie’ – which also includes sourdough toast, cumin roast tomatoes, bacon, miso mushrooms and pork and fennel sausage ($24.50) – and can confirm the eggs are the goods.
In a stroke of ordering inspiration, we opt for a breakfast dessert to share: a kid’s size serving of the famous ricotta hotcakes which come with honeycomb butter, banana and a side of maple syrup. If there’s a breakfast heaven, this dish must be there (full serve of three, $20).
Value for money
While not the cheapest breakfast menu in Bondi, the Granger touch makes it worthwhile, especially when the food and drinks are top notch. Plus, it’s not often breakfast is the go-to for a celeb chef dining experience – the most important meal of the day is usually the cheapest one to dine out for 😉
While you’re here
Hit up the markets at Bondi Primary School on nearby Campbell Parade. Visit on a Saturday and you’ll be greeted with the farmer’s markets for gourmet goodies, or get crafty with the Sunday offering of clothes, jewellery and gifts.
And if you need to walk off those ricotta hotcakes, there’s no better place to do than the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk.
Lunch: Sydney Seafood School, Sydney Fish Market, Pyrmont Bridge Road, Pyrmont
The experience
Sydney Seafood School is Australia’s leading cooking school with an impressive 13,000 guests attending each year. And no doubt part of the appeal is the strong line up of celebrity chefs who present classes, including the likes of Rockpool’s Phil Wood, Guillaume ‘s Guillaume Brahimi, and Sake Restaurant and Bar’s Shaun Presland.
The chef
We’re lucky to have Mark Best run the show for our Saturday class.
Claim to fame
An icon of the Sydney restaurant scene, Best is a world-renowned chef, restaurant owner, cookbook author, and among a distinguished few to score 19/20 in the SMH Good Food Guide.
The luxe option
Marque Restaurant in Surry Hills is one of Sydney’s very top restaurants. Best has also recently brought his successful Melbourne bistro Pei Modern to Sydney under the same name, located at the Four Seasons Hotel (if you go, the ricotta dumplings are a must).
What to eat
This isn’t a restaurant so you need to earn your meal here! Part one of the four-hour class begins in the state-of-the-art tiered auditorium where Best runs us through a demonstration of the four dishes we’ll soon be recreating. It’s like a cross between a uni lecture theatre and a cooking show audience. And he makes it all look deceptively easy!
Part two sees us move next door to the luxe kitchen, splitting into groups of five and six, and dividing and conquering the recipes to speedily create the menu with the help of assistants and Best himself. 
Many hands make light work and we’re soon sitting down to enjoy the fruits of our labour with our team mates.
Dish of the day! Tuna and watermelon tartare with handmade chips- Just like Kettle chips but better).
What to drink
While the focus is on the food, a glass of Hunter Valley Riesling is the perfect accompaniment to our spread.
Value for money
At $165 per person, it’s not cheap but it is great value: the Sydney Seafood School gives you access to celebrity chefs that you would never otherwise get. Plus, you’ll score recipes and tips to make the dishes at home and totes impress your friends.
Hot tip: If $165 is out of your price range but you want a taste of the Mark Best experience, hit up the $49 three course Friday lunch at Marque.
While you’re here
Pick up oysters or prawns for later at the fish markets downstairs. Or if you’ve had enough seafood, Vic’s Meat Market is a must. While its location at the fish markets might make you scratch your head to start with, it really is perfect: seafood after all is usually consumed that day while the vast array of meats on offer are just as good tomorrow or the day after.
If you’re on the celeb chef trail this one doesn’t disappoint: Vic’s Meat Market supplies 90% of the country’s top restaurants including the likes of Mat Moran and Peter Gilmore. Restaurant quality meats available to the public at wholesale prices is a recipe for success. If you’d rather your meat cooked and ready to eat, you’re also in luck, with the adjoining sandwich bar. Pulled pork on a soft white roll? Yes please. If you’re feeling really fancy, the wagyu bar is where it’s at. We’re lucky enough to sample some of the menu and each and every mouthful exceeds the last. It’s the best steak I’ve ever had. 
No doubt catering to the nearby clientele of The Star casino, the unassuming bar is the only place in the world where you can have a glass of Penfold’s from your birth year. Yep, wow factor.
Dinner: Opera Bar and Kitchen, Lower Concourse Level, Sydney Opera House
The chef
Matt Moran. Is there anything this man can’t do?
Claim to fame
Acclaimed chef and restaurant owner (Aria in Sydney and Brisbane, North Bondi Fish and Chiswick just to name a few), TV show host, (Paddock to Plate is compulsory foodie viewing), cookbook author and newspaper columnist.
The luxe option
Two-hat favourite Aria is well worth the splurge: the Harbour view, the food, the wine and the service are exquisite.
The bargain option
For Harbour views without the Aria price tag, you can’t beat Opera Bar and Kitchen. Once a bit of a no-go for foodies (why so often is it the better the view, the worse the food?), the Moran touch gives the setting the menu and quality it deserves. We’re here for dinner to soak up the after-work sunset view but lunch and breakfast are also on offer.
What to drink
With a view like this it would rude not to start with a cocktail, and the Sydney sling ($18) gets our vote. But it’s the Ridge of Tears Shiraz by Logan ($75 for a bottle) that really wows and has me contemplating a trip to Mudgee asap.
What to eat
Water views and seafood go hand in hand and the raw bar doesn’t disappoint. While the seafood platter ($150) is tempting, the rock oysters ($24 for half a dozen) gets my starter vote.
And because I obviously love a good bar, the speciality Charcuterie Bar catches my eye and we sample the signature board ($28) consisting of blackmore wagyu, prosciutto, salami, housemade pickles and sourdough. It’s not the best presented board I’ve seen but the taste more than makes up for it.
When you see Moran meat of any variety on the menu, you order it, so Moran’s 280 gram grass-fed sirloin served with twice-cooked fat chips and a choice of sauce (Dijon mustard thanks) is an easy pick.
Value for money
It’s great when you consider the location and quality of the food – just don’t expect a quiet romantic meal a la Aria: most peeps are here for the drink and the view.
While you’re here
The Opera House might provide the perfect setting for wining and dining but make the most of the setting and check out a show or go for a stroll around Circular Quay and the Rocks. No judgement from us though if you stay firmly in your seat at Opera Bar and order another Sydney Sling and a Popcorn Gaytime ($14) or a cheese board. Oh so Sydney.
Hello @operabarsydney! Can think of worse places to spend a Friday night. #ilovesydney @sydney A photo posted by Nicole Gentle (@nicgentle) on
Nicole and MR LML experienced Sydney thanks to Destination NSW.
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What meal would you LOVE to try here? Tell us in the comments!
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