‘It’s a sensual experience’: Chef Matt Moran on the most romantic food

Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we’re told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they’re given. This week, he talks to Matt Moran. The chef, author, restaurateur and TV presenter, 55, is best known for his award-winning restaurants, especially ARIA. He presented the show Paddock to Plate and has been a judge on MasterChef and My Restaurant Rules.

Matt Moran: “When I first started, chefs were the dirty, smelly boys out the back … Then all of a sudden, certain chefs made cooking sexy.”Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

MONEY

You were born in Tamworth, one of three kids. What was money like for your family, growing up? In the country, you’re either rich or poor. Unfortunately, times were tough in the mid-’70s and my parents lost their farm. So we moved, had a dairy farm, then moved to the western suburbs [of Sydney]. We weren’t an affluent family. There was no real money – three-bedroom home in Blacktown and public school, which I left when I was 15.

Wow, so you entered the workforce really young. When I was in year 10, I was working at Parramatta RSL on weekends.

What was the pay like? Ten dollars a night.

Was that enough? At the time, it felt like a lot. [But] obviously, pay was very different back in those days, and it wasn’t pretty.

And why food? I didn’t know what I wanted to be, but I didn’t want to be at school. It was anything to leave school, whether it was being a painter, electrician, motor mechanic. I often wonder if I would have been a passionate motor mechanic. No. Luckily, food grabbed my attention and I instantly fell in love. Part of it was seeing things I’d never seen before. My background was a piece of protein and three vegetables; I’d never seen egg white whipped up to become a soufflé.

What are your top tips when it comes to saving money on food? I’m a big believer in seasonality. The easiest thing to do is go into a fruit and veg shop and look at what’s there in abundance. Things are always cheaper when they’re in season and in abundance. Rather than have a preconceived idea of what you’re going to cook that night, have a look and see what’s available.

POLITICS

What’s top of mind when you think about the politics of food in Australia? Something I care a lot about is how the farmer, the producer and the grower are treated. It’s pretty tough. It comes from my upbringing, watching people lose their farms. It all needs to be regulated. I know the government has been trying to do that with the two big guys, which I don’t mention very often …

You mean the supermarket duopoly of Woolworths and Coles? [Nods] We’re not the best of friends. I made a TV show years ago [Paddock to Plate, 2013-14] in which I wanted to showcase the producers, show how hard they work and what little return they get. When we made that show, one of the big guys wanted to sponsor it and give me a lot of money to be their ambassador. I wouldn’t do it on principle; I was about to show that farmers were being absolutely screwed by them.

For you, where’s the line between celebrating a cuisine and cultural appropriation? We’re so lucky in our food diversity. I’ve just been to Italy; you can only eat Italian food [there]. In Australia, you can go to a Chinese banquet one night, then have a big Jewish slap-up the next. To me, this is so Australian. You only have to go to yum cha on a Saturday morning and look around. Years ago, I had a Japanese restaurant and someone had a bit of a go because we weren’t all Japanese cooks. I’m French-trained, but I’m not French. I worked in an Italian restaurant, but I’m not Italian. Australia is multicultural. To me, it’s the best thing in the world because we get all these influences from everywhere and people want to learn how to cook different types of food. I think it’s great. That’s my politics.

SEX

What’s sexy about the work you do? When I first started cooking, chefs were the dirty, smelly boys out the back that no one gave a shit about. Then all of a sudden, certain chefs made cooking sexy. They started to own restaurants. People going to those restaurants wanted to be seen there. They wanted a good table and the only way they could get that was to actually know the chef. So chefs started coming out of the kitchen, then the media exploded with TV shows. Chefs became cool all of a sudden. Tony [Bourdain] obviously had a lot to do with it.

What’s unsexy about it? Tony Bourdain was a dear friend, and Kitchen Confidential exposed a lot of myths about cooking. He was very vocal on just how tough it is. It’s not this glamorous thing.

What would you serve for a romantic meal? It’s hard to beat caviar. You have to eat it off your skin, so it’s a sensual experience, putting it on your thumb and letting it come to room temperature a little bit. Who’s to say it has to be your thumb?

What’s your best recommendation for a honeymoon destination – in terms of the food, specifically? San Sebastian [in northern Spain]. You’ve got the best of everything – great food, great fine dining, great beach. But also Paris, the romantic capital of the world. I went to a wedding last year in Paris and there were a few other cooks there. We just roamed around everywhere on pushbikes, eating fruit!

Sex before or after a romantic meal? Food after. Always after. You don’t want to fill yourself up on too much food before you have sex because then all you want to do is lie down and go to sleep.

What are the ingredients for good sex? Romance. Location. Champagne.

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