When it concerns seafood, it doesn’t get much much better than at well-known chef Rick Stein’s restaurant in Bannisters by the Sea on the South coastline of new South Wales. however star aside, what makes this restaurant special?

In 2009, famed British chef Rick Stein as well as his beautiful other half Sarah opened the doors to their very first ever restaurant outside the UK. however they selected neither the bright lights of Sydney nor the trendy streets of Melbourne for their venue.

Instead, just over 3 hours south of Sydney, you’ll discover Rick Stein’s eminent seafood restaurant in the quite bit seaside town of Mollymook, NSW.

It’s part of Bannisters by the Sea, a beautifully renovated retreat-style hotel, as well as the two together offer the ideal service to those hunting for a charming break from the city.

Christina as well as I were lucky sufficient to stay at Bannisters by the Sea as well as dine at Rick Stein’s to celebrate our anniversary. To state that our time right here was the maker of memories is an understatement.

You can checked out our full evaluation of Bannisters by the Sea here.

What’s so great about Rick Stein at Bannisters?

I didn’t understand what to expect when I very first walked with the doors to Rick Stein at Bannisters. Of course, I understood I’d be having tasty seafood, however we’re lucky to be blessed with great deals of outstanding food in Australia.

What I wasn’t expecting was the total bundle that this restaurant provides that makes it so popular.

Rick Stein’s at Bannisters is type of the ideal storm in restaurant terms. It ticks so numerous boxes:

Stunning location? Tick.

Superb food as well as service? Tick.

Somewhere beautiful to stay after dinner? Tick.

And of course, its owner is Rick Stein – one of the few likeable well-known chefs.

So it’s no surprise that whenever you look for where to eat anywhere around the South coastline of NSW, Rick Stein’s in Mollymook always comes up.

Obviously, it does go even more than that. quickly one of the very best seafood restaurants in the country, Rick Stein’s has a location in all the top listings just since it’s just that good.

What about the food?

Rick Stein values simplicity in cooking, as well as it’s clearly a cornerstone of this restaurant. however it’s simplicity with skill that makes the difference.

Entrée

My entrée of scallops was an outstanding example of this well-honed skill of simplicity. four beautifully plump shellfish grilled completely in coriander butter, served with crunchy toasted hazelnuts: easy yet skilfully done.

I should admit I wasn’t sure about the seaweed garnish in between as well as under the shells. I tried eating some, however I believe it was just to keep the scallops in one location as they left the kitchen. bit embarrassed about that actually!

Christina’s entrée of spanner crab with a wakame, cucumber as well as dashi salad with a wasabi mayo on the other hand was much much more complex in its make-up. However, in each of its separate parts it was still simple, utilizing few components to achieve maximum flavour.

The crab was tender as well as delicious, as well as the wasabi mayonnaise had a fantastic bite to it. The Japanese influence of this meal shows off the skills at work in the kitchen. as well as its easy yet quite design is like having a bento box on your plate.

Mains

As our mains came out, one more essential aspect is on show that Rick Stein holds dear: the generosity of the kitchen.

These aren’t small, annoyingly dainty dishes that will expense the earth as well as leave you needing a snack later. They’re hearty yet at the exact same time elegant. It’s a difficult balance to achieve.

My roasted blue eye trevalla was a considerable serving, beautifully cooked best down to its crispy skin. It came with mussels steamed in an unctuous broth with chickpeas, capsicum as well as thyme. There were likewise pieces of chorizo, which added that bit of warm to choose the mussels.

It was an accomplished meal as well as made me concern less about not ordering the vaunted Bannisters fish pie… I believe we’ll have to make a return journey for that.

Christina’s primary was most likely the only thing on the menu that would provide me food envy. At our server’s recommendation, she purchased the Sri Lankan Huon salmon curry.

My goodness.

Apart from anything else it made me want to go to Sri Lanka immediately… possibly after stealing much more of Christina’s main!

The thick half-darne cut of salmon was tender as well as full of sufficient flavour to play well with the rich curry sauce. The sauce itself was extremely well-balanced, hitting sweet, sour, spicy as well as umami bullseyes.

Christina’s meal came with a house-made mango chutney that would put many curry homes to shame, as well as a chapati-style naan.

It was an outstanding dish.

And if you want one more example of the kitchen’s generosity, when it came timeto purchase dessert, we just couldn’t do it. We were full.

The components of a restaurant

If you look at Rick Stein at Bannisters like a recipe for one of his dishes, you can see the ‘ingredients’ as well as see exactly how they’re applied.

As Rick would have it, there aren’t numerous ingredients. however each product is exquisitely chosen, adroitly used as well as commonly rare:

Simplicity with skill, generosity, freshness as well as passion. That’s what makes Rick Stein at Bannisters so good.

Does it expense the earth to eat at Rick Stein’s?

Obviously, if you purchase sufficient lobster thermidor, you’ll add some zeros. as well as there are wines on the listing that may make your bank manager frown, however it doesn’t have to be an exorbitant evening here.

We had two courses, an outstanding glass of red wine each as well as coffees at the end. We thought about dessert however were as well full, which shows the generosity of the servings.

Including a tip, the expense was under $240, which – for a restaurant of such (deserved) star as well as notoriety – I believed was quite reasonable.

And finest of all, we only had a quick walk back to our space as well as the comfort of our king-size.

Rick Stein at Bannisters

Bannisters by the Sea
191 Mitchell Parade
Mollymook NSW 2539

bannisters.com.au

But why so far from the huge smoke?

If you believe about it, Mollymook makes sense. The majority of Rick’s UK restaurants are out of London as well as near the coast, where – I believe you’ll agree – many seafood comes from.

Add to that Sarah’s nostalgia for Mollymook, the town where she as well as her household would come for their holidays, as well as the fishing port of Ulladulla on the doorstep… ideal sense.

Where next?

Almost as far north from Sydney as Mollymook is south, Rick Stein’s Port Stephens restaurant opened in 2018. This restaurant is likewise embedded in a Bannisters hotel – the third in the Bannisters line to open.

In signature Rick Stein style, this restaurant is parked on one more spectacular shoreline in a part of new South Wales commonly overlooked by city folk.

Port Stephens as well as close-by Newcastle likewise have a thriving fishing industry, which fits Mr Stein best down to his Dover soles.

We’re huge fans of Port Stephens as well as go up there all the time. In fact, we’ve got a great deal of stories about the Port Stephens area, like our necessary guide. It’s a lovely part of the world as well as a ideal in shape for this iteration of the Stein-Bannisters duet.

But it seems it doesn’t truly matter which Rick Stein restaurant you visit. You’re always guaranteed gain access to to that magic formula of simplicity with skill, generosity, freshness as well as passion, as well as many most likely a blissful ocean view as well.

We dined at Rick Stein at Bannisters as guests of Bannisters by the Sea.