Chef de Cuisine Alan Compton puts his finishing touches on a dish

“Forty seconds! It better be ready” says Alan Compton the Head Chef at Bather’s Pavilion. There are 15 plates of food in front of him at the two tier pass and all of them are in various states of dress (or should that be undress?). “Thirty Seconds, are you ready?” and the younger chefs yell back simultaneously “Yes Chef!” and then “Twenty seconds, why aren’t you ready?“. A chef stumbles and swears and dashes around the corner to grab something. “Ten Seconds hurry up!” says Alan and faces are taut with studied concentration as the final flourishes are put onto a dish. Welcome to the wonderful world of a high end restaurant kitchen. And a little warning this story is long but interesting so settle down with a cup of tea or coffee.

Plating at the pass

This event was my number 1 pick of the whole Sydney International Food Festival programme. Having never really been in a kitchen for an extended period of time (ok I had visited the Gordon Ramsay RHR and Petrus kitchens and that was exciting but that was for about 15 minutes) but to get up close and personal was something that I’d always wanted to do. I should admit that I’ve never wanted to open a restaurant myself which is why I haven’t really gravitated towards trying out for Masterchef, preferring to write a cookbook instead or a regular book. Somehow the hours, hard work and sheer difficulty of the business particualrly in restaurant saturated Sydney put me off. I’d also heard that many chefs were also angry, unfriendly, egomanical divas so I was a little trepidatious before entering the hallowed kitchens of Bather’s Pavilion (or just “Bather’s” to locals). I realise that I”ve eaten at all of Dansereau’s restaurants from Kables back in the previous century B.B. (Before Blog) to the Bather’s Pavilion Cafe also B.B., Bather’s Pavilion Restaurant and The Bather’s Pavilion Kiosk.

Serge shows us the view from the top balcony

I was sent the information sheet. I was to wear black pants, a white t shirt, minimal jewelry and rubber soled shoes. Ransacking my wardrobe I realised that a) I don’t have any plain white tshirts and b) the only rubber soled shoes I have are black patent leather ballet flats and c) I’d have to leave my cocktail rings behind.

Balmoral Beach

At 5.30pm this Thursday night Mr NQN and I arrive along with the other 14 people that have signed up for this once in a lifetime opprtunity. This is the first year they are doing it and we are handed a blue and white striped apron. Serge emerges in his chef’s whites and greets us and takes us upstairs to show us the building. We’re shown the view from the upstairs balcony which is a stunning view of the blue hued waved Balmoral Beach and then sit down in one of the function rooms.

He tells us about the history of the building and his history coming to Australia and the challenges he had to face with developing new produce and how at the time it was he and Neil Perry and Stefano Manfredi who were helping each other out and sharing their new discoveries of things such as Wild Mushrooms. At the time there were only a few types of lettuce: Iceberg, Chicory and Mignonette. He talks about his partnership with Vogue editor Victoria Alexander who fought for years with the council to get the site (which was originally a changing place for people who went to the beach) to be made into a hotel and with Dansereau they finally settled on making it a restaurant.

The Blue Room (private dining room)

He also shows us his next book which is yet to be sent to the printers and is in a yellow ring folder to be called the “French Kitchen” which is a more home style based book as is the trend now. His first book “Friends and Food” won the Julia Child prize for best cookbook and interestingly, all of the photography in it was done by Danserau himself after taking a short course on camera basics. He also conducts yearly tours of France on top of running the cafe, restaurant and kiosk. How he manages with two young kids is something of a miracle.

The Pastry Kitchen

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I recall the first time I walked into Neil Perry’s Rockpool Bar & Grill about 6  months ago. You see my Inner Burmese (no road sense) had struck again and I promptly got lost and I meant to walk into Spice Temple. I felt like a child walking into an adult’s domain. Everything was incredibly tall and silver and sleek, like New York’s Chrysler Building. The pillars were sky high and reached to the higher than high roof. I in turn felt like little I was little more than 80cms tall and a child in high heels. Waiters in white jackets bustled about, men in suits lunched and I almost expected Don Draper to walk past me. I vowed to come back. One day. Maybe when I was grown up.

Fast forward to a few months later and I was lucky enough to be taken here by Winston and Sandra. Just a couple of weeks ago, it was newly minted by the SMH’s Good Food Guide as the Best New Restaurant. On the table are four books plus the large paper menus that are printed out each day. There’s the Red Wine menu, the White Wine menu and then there’s also a booklet that explains the differences between the types of meat.

Lastly there’s the cocktail menu with a page of “Rockpool Bar & Grill House Rules” which may be terrifying at first for a split second before you realise they’re meant in an amusing way. Things such as “Gentlemen, do not approach ladies, and if you’re lucky enough to have one approach you, endear her as you would your Mother”; “Don’t look fiercely at people, or talk loudly or  harshly, but cultivate a smiling countenance and a quiet, but firm tone of speech” and of course ” No hooting, no hollering”. And to add to the retro Mad Men vibe, service is old school deferential and unfailingly polite.

The House Rules

There is much indecision when faced with a menu like this. There are cold plates, hot plates, salads and then there’s the grill section. And who’s kidding whom? The grill section is where you want to plant yourself firmly. It is however an expensive patch of Real Estate with steaks heading up towards $110. This is why this particular restaurant is off limits on most corporate lunch lists. Neil Perry advises people to share steaks to try and taste the differences between them. The cynic among us would think this was to help repay the way for the reported $35 million fitout for both the Bar & Grill and Spice Temple. Yes in Perry’s world there’s no such thing as a GFC and I chuckle at the last House Rule “Remember, nothing is on the house, except for the roof” .

Bread and butter

The bread is a lovely crunchy sourdough baguette slice and the butter is sublimely creamy like a lovely French butter.

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My friend M raved to me about this place. She works in North Sydney and finds herself here, almost every day for lunch with her 2 boys on school holidays and they devour meal after meal. The Mad Greek in question is no doubt the person that merchandised the store, I suspect a graphic designer’s nightmare with multiple fonts and colours all over the window and large tins of SPC tinned tomatoes given pride of place in the front window.

From the outside, it’s posters of everything proclaiming “World Famous” this and that although you’d have to presume that’s a little on the hopeful side. The Mad Greek is also the man that would have scared you as a child, as he does with In, with mock stern and gruff expressions that adults can (for the most part) read but leaves kids wary. All dishes are $10 or under which includes pizzas, pasta and breakfast dishes, most with a Greek or Italian theme. We order with him and we’re not kept waiting long at all for within 5 minutes, our food arrives.

Cappucino $3

The coffee is by Primo. It’s a little bitter.

“World Famous Bacon and Egg Brioche” $4

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