Marco Pierre White reveals his favourite Melbourne restaurants

Australian TravellerBy Australian Traveller
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How many people in the world are there who are recognisable by only their first name? Cher, Oprah, Jesus – any others? Well, in the food world, there’s Marco.

Known as one of the first celebrity chefs, and a pioneer of the UK restaurant scene, Marco Pierre White is a name synonymous with both food and personality.

 

It’s been a decade of back-and-forth trips to Australia for the now 57 year old who first made his mark on our national culinary scene in the early 2000s. And now, the godfather of modern cooking is returning to celebrate Good Food Month in Melbourne.

 

When I first received the call-up to interview the great man himself, I was admittedly nervous. My mother fawns over celebrity chefs like they’re The Beatles, and like many young Australians, I grew up watching MasterChef Australia,  – where Marco Pierre White was often a guest-judging (and fear inducing) fixture.

 

Almost overnight he became a household name at many dinner tables around the country. And after chatting to him, it seems the love is mutual.

 

“Since travelling here a decade ago, Australia has become one of my favourite places," he says.

 

“Australians are in love with food. Everyone from household cooks to five-star chefs have had somewhat of a gastronomic revolution. For me, to come from England, it’s a long way. And when I go to Melbourne, or Sydney or Perth, I remember why I love it so much."

 

This time around, it’s Melbourne.

 

Marco is set to host three events at Melbourne’s Good Food Month, happening throughout June at various venues around the city.

Marco is set to host three events at Melbourne’s Good Food Month

1. An Evening with Marco Pierre White: one of Australia’s most highly awarded chefs, Phil Wood, will honour Marco by recreating dishes from White Heat.

 

2. Young Chefs Lunch with Marco Pierre White: Melbourne’s next generation of culinary superstars present an extraordinary lunch.

 

3. Sunday Best with Marco Pierre White and Andrew McConnell: Together, Marco Pierre White and one of Melbourne’s greatest, Andrew McConnell, are going to elevate the Sunday Roast in the way only these two super chefs can.

 

Like us, you might be wondering, where does such a famed chef choose to dine when he’s in Melbourne?

 

“Well, I’m a creature of habit you see. When I like something I keep going back to it. I go to certain restaurants for certain things."

 

So behold, Marco Pierre White’s Melbourne restaurant bucket list…

1. Tipo 00

Named after a finely ground flour used to make pizza and pasta, Tipo 00 is an Italian staple of the Melbourne CBD.

 

Housed in a laneway, this intimate, sophisticated space serves clean, simple Italian within an open kitchen and marble bar.

 

According to Marco, you should stop here for a “bowl of pasta or risotto."

 

“I also have the prosciutto, and the haloumi."

 

Noted

Tipo 00
The marble bench of Tipo 00
Head to Tipo00 for some Marco approved pasta or risotto

2. Flower Drum

In China, ‘Flower Drum’ is known as a traditional dance famous for its beauty and elegance.

 

In Melbourne, it’s known as a classic Chinese restaurant, described by Marco as “authentic, pleasant, and an excellent experience from start to finish."

 

Like many, Marco is enthralled by both Gilbert Lau’s Flower Drum and Lau’s Family Kitchen – the St Kilda restaurant owned and operated by Lau’s sons, Jason and Michael.

 

“A good dining experience is about the food, yes. But every person I’ve ever looked up to, all my heroes, it’s not about the food, or the cooking process, it’s about the story. Without the story, what are we?"

 

Talking Flower Drum specifics, “I tend to have the braised ox cheek."

 

“I have the duck. I have the lobster with spring onion, ginger and noodles. And then I have toffee bananas. Every time I go."

Flower Drum famous peking duck
Won ton soup

3. Añada

Marco describes Añada, a Fitzroy institution, as “a typical Spanish cafe, with a simpler, more casual dining feel."

 

“Gertrude Street is my favourite place to eat in Melbourne, without a doubt," and when in town, he always makes a point of dining at this snug little eatery.

 

The tapas menu focuses largely on the peasant food of Andalusia in southern Spain, and the flavours of the Muslim Mediterranean.

Share plates at Anada
Share plates at Anada

4. Cutler and Co

Another Gertrude Street hangout, Cutler and Co is located inside an old metal works factory, paying homage to Melbourne’s first industrial area.

 

Opened in February 2009 by chef Andrew McConnell, the restaurant reflects a passion for exceptional produce and memorable dining experiences.

 

In the restaurant you’ll find diners feasting on upscale modern Australian fare, and if you look hard enough, maybe Marco Pierre White? The trick to finding him?

 

“Well, I always sit with my back to the restaurant."

Simplistic elegance at Cutler and Co
Light-filled interiors

 

Don’t miss Marco Pierre White at Melbourne’s Good Food Month. Head here for tickets and more information.

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This luxe trawler tour is redefining Victoria’s seafood experience

    Chloe CannBy Chloe Cann
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    Victoria’s ‘mussel capital’ is the source of exceptional shellfish used by top chefs far and wide. Step aboard a beautifully refurbished trawler to see how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    A curtain is slowly winched from the placid, teal waters just off Portarlington , like a floating garland beside our boat. The ropes heave with blue mussels, the star attraction of our tour. But as we reach to pluck our own, it’s quickly clear they’re not alone; a mass of weird and wonderful creatures has colonised the ropes, turning them into a living tapestry. ‘Fairy’ oysters, jelly-like sea squirts, and tiny, wriggling skeleton shrimp all inhabit this underwater ecosystem.

    We prize our bivalve bounty from the ropes, and minutes later the mussels arrive split on a platter. The plump orange morsels are served raw, ready to be spritzed with wedges of lemon and a lick of chilli as we gaze out over the bay. They’re briny, tender and faintly sweet. “This wasn’t originally part of the tour,” explains Connie Trathen, who doubles as the boat’s cook, deckhand and guide. “But a chef [who came onboard] wanted to taste the mussels raw first, and it’s now become one of the key features.”

    A humble trawler turned Hamptons-style dreamboat

    inspecting bivalve bounty from the ropes
    Inspecting the bounty. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    It’s a crisp, calm winter’s day, and the sun is pouring down upon Valerie, a restored Huon pine workhorse that was first launched in January 1980. In a previous life she trawled the turbulent Bass Strait. These days she takes jaunts into Port Phillip Bay under the helm of Lance Wiffen, a fourth-generation Bellarine farmer, and the owner of Portarlington Mussel Tours . While Lance has been involved in the fishing industry for 30-plus years, the company’s tour boat only debuted in 2023.

    holding Portarlington mussels
    See how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    It took more than three years to transform the former shark trawler into a dreamy, Hamptons-esque vessel, with little expense spared. Think muted green suede banquettes, white-washed walls, Breton-striped bench cushions, hardwood tables, bouquets of homegrown dahlias, and woollen blankets sourced from Waverley Mills, Australia’s oldest working textile mill. It’s intimate, too, welcoming 12 guests at most. And yet there’s nothing pretentious about the experience – just warm, down-to-earth Aussie hospitality.

    As we cruise out, we crack open a bottle of local bubbles and nibble on the most beautifully curated cheese platter, adorned with seashells and grey saltbush picked from the water’s edge that very morning. Australasian gannets soar overhead, and I’m told it’s not uncommon for guests to spot the odd seal, pod of dolphins, or even the occasional little penguin.

    The sustainable secret behind Victoria’s best mussels

    blue mussels off Portarlington
    Blue mussels sourced just off Portarlington.

    Connie and Lance both extol the virtues of mussels. They’re delicious. A lean source of protein and packed with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and zinc. They’re cooked in a flash (Connie steams our fresh harvest with cider and onion jam). And they’re also widely regarded as one of the most sustainable foods in the world.

    Portarlington mussels with lemon and chilli
    Mussels served with lemon and chilli.

    “Aquaculture is [often] seen as destructive, so a lot of our guests are really surprised about how environmentally friendly and sustainable our industry is,” Lance says. “[Our mussels] would filter 1.4 billion litres of water a day,” he adds, explaining how mussels remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus from the water. “And through biomineralisation, we lock carbon into mussel shells.”

    a hand holding a Portarlington mussel
    Mussels are a sustainable food.

    Despite their glowing list of accolades, these molluscs have long been seen as the oysters’ poorer cousins. “It was a really slow start,” explains Lance, who says that in the early days of his career, “you could not sell mussels in Victoria”.

    But word has slowly caught on. Chefs as globally acclaimed as Attica’s Ben Shewry and even René Redzepi of Noma, Denmark, have travelled to these very waters just to try the shellfish at the source, sharing only the highest praise, and using Lance’s mussels in their restaurants.

    guests sampling Portarlington mussels onboard
    Sampling the goods onboard. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    According to Lance there’s one obvious reason why the cool depths of Portarlington outshine other locations for mussel farming. “The water quality is second to none,” he says, noting how other regions are frequently rocked by harvest closures due to poor water quality. “We grow, without a doubt, some of the best shellfish in the world.” And with Lance’s bold claims backed up by some of the industry’s greatest names, perhaps it won’t be much longer until more Aussies uncover the appeal of Portarlington’s mussels.