Acclaimed chef Marco Pierre White says Sydney does food better than Melbourne

One of the world’s best chefs teams up with AirBnB and tells us why “Sydney is one of the great eating capitals of the world”.

Godfather of modern food Marco Pierre White. Picture: Nicole Cleary

BRITISH celebrity chef Marco Pierre White cemented his reputation as the godfather of modern cooking by being the youngest chef to receive three Michelin stars. Recently in Sydney to film Hell’s Kitchen Australia (screening August 6, 7pm on Channel 7) and to launch Air BnB’s new food and beverage travel experiences, he is typically outspoken in judging the local food scene.

Where do you stand on the Sydney v Melbourne debate?

I think the food in Sydney is better than Melbourne. I know people maybe think that’s a controversial statement because I know they say Melbourne is the capital of food in Australia. I don’t think so. I think how I’ve seen the food improve over 10 years is amazing, it’s been a revolution.

Why do you think that is?

People’s want to eat well is greater, people’s want to cook better at home is greater therefore produce has got better. Plus, lots of young chefs have travelled globally to train and come back to Australia and brought that knowledge.

Does Sydney rate on a global scale?

Sydney is one of the great eating capitals of the world and what it is really good at is that middle market restaurant where you eat well for affordable prices. You can’t say that about London for example. London is very expensive and if you are going to eat well in London, you have to spend.

Where do you rate in Sydney?

When I was filming Hell’s Kitchen
I was living in Bondi and I found some great little places. There was a chef called Ian who was off the main strip and he was on a little corner and he just cooked really good food. I must have dined there (Drake Eatery) 20 times in two months.

Duck and pinot nights at Drake Eatery, Bondi. Picture: Instagram

Did you like Bondi?

They’ve got this culture of little cafes/restaurants in Bondi and they’re really, really good. I went to one, I had brunch there, and it was so good I went back a week later for dinner. It was just very nice and understated and cool and deliciously fresh food. And those little cafes in Bondi where you have brunch in the morning and a cup of coffee — just sensational. I don’t think anywhere in the world does brunch as well.

Because of the food or the coffee?
You can’t get a bad cup of coffee in Sydney, I don’t think you can say that about any other city in the world. You get really good coffee in Australia. They make coffee like nowhere else in the world.

You established a reputation for being fearsome in the kitchen, have you mellowed?

It was 30 years ago and it’s still with me. It’s just extraordinary, you don’t talk to any another chef about what they were doing 30 years ago but they want to talk about me 30 years ago.

British celebrity chef Marco Pierre White in 1988. Picture: John Stoddart/Getty Images

Because legend has it that you made Gordon Ramsay cry. Did you?

Gordon did cry. Just the once. It was his last day so I suppose it was a combination of pressure of service and of him leaving. And whenever you leave a job it’s always emotional when you’ve had a good time there.

Did any of the celeb contestants on Hell’s Kitchen cry?

Yes, I think they did actually.

Kitchens seem gentler these days, would you be the chef you are today if you had come up through the ranks in a kinder environment?

When I was a boy cooking was a blue collar trade and they were working class people in that industry. It was no different to working down the mines or in a factory. I wouldn’t be that man, no.

You had a well publicised spat with Matt Preston, do you still have beef with him?

I’ve said what I’ve said. I haven’t seen Matt for over a year now. I’ve not spoken to him.

Why team up with Air BnB?

The Air BnB experience is something very different, you get to learn and sniff out the culture of a city, which I think is really important. When I fly into a city, I don’t know where to go but want to discover that city. You do need assistance. I want to know all those little gems where I can eat well, rather than the obvious gems.

You like having a guide?

I like someone to take me around. When I go to a city, the food is the most important to me, because everywhere is beautiful, but if you eat well your experience of that city is just amazing. When I go to Venice I don’t go around St Mark’s Square, I go to those little side streets way back and find little restaurants where locals eat.