It’s been two years since celebrity chef Curtis Stone and his wife, actor Lindsay Price Stone, were in Sydney. Now they’re back and eager to revisit their favourites and discover the new spots that make this city so extraordinary.
In their new eight-part YouTube series Curtis and Lindsay soak up the best Sydney has to offer, from restaurants and providores to chic boutiques, tiny bars and deep cultural connections. As Curtis says, “we’re in Sydney, and we’re about to have one of the best weeks ever”.
Their journey begins overlooking one of Sydney’s most iconic vistas, Bondi Beach and the much-photographed ocean pool at Bondi Icebergs Club, before heading south along the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk. This spectacular clifftop trail winds along the coast between two of Sydney’s most famous beaches. Lunch is at Mimi’s, the Mediterranean-inspired fine dining restaurant on the middle floor of Coogee Pavilion. It’s all about indulgence here, starting with a bump of caviar and ice-cold vodka, then onto fresh lobster, truffles and more.
Curtis and Lindsay are bound for the Broken Bay Pearl Farm, just a 20-minute flight up the coast with Sydney Seaplanes. It’s the only pearl farm in NSW, cultivating akoya pearl oysters in the pristine waters of the Hawkesbury River. Take a scenic cruise along the river to the oyster leases, learn about the art of pearl grading and then visit the Shellar Door to taste freshly shucked oysters and see the beautiful pearl jewellery for sale.
As one of Australia’s most famous chefs, Curtis has had years of experience, but hatted chef Josh Niland is about to teach him something new – the art of fish butchery. At his new Fish Butchery Waterloo outlet, Josh and his team prep fish for his restaurants (Saint Peter and Charcoal Fish) during the week and then open to the public on weekends to serve up some of Sydney’s best fish and chips, tuna cheeseburgers and prawn rolls, as well as ready to eat meals and exceptional fresh seafood.
What would a trip to Sydney be without a cruise on the harbour? Curtis and Lindsay take in the sights – including a pinch-me moment where a rainbow glimmers above the sails of the Sydney Opera House – on their way to the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga. This luxury lodge is surrounded by The Sanctuary, a place for rescued native animals to rest and recuperate before being released back into the wild.
Curtis and Lindsay are eager to learn more about Indigenous culture with a visit to Sydney’s Bangarra Dance Theatre, an acclaimed company of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performers. They meet Frances Rings, who has recently been appointed the company’s artistic director. Bangarra is a living link from ancient stories and traditions to modern performances that bring the world’s oldest culture to global audiences.
Curtis has long been a champion of native ingredients and on an Aboriginal Bush Tucker Tour through the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, he is introduced to foods that have been consumed in NSW for thousands of years. Led by an Indigenous guide, the tour explores the Cadi Jam Ora garden, tasting bush foods like the tart Davidson plum, and learning how native plants were used for medicine and tools.
Lindsay is in charge for the day, and she heads straight for The Strand Arcade for some high-end retail therapy. This exquisite three-storey shopping arcade in the heart of the city first opened in 1892 and is still home to top local designers like Aje, Camilla and Marc, Dion Lee, Rebecca Vallance and more. For dinner, its innovative Korean-style omakase at the eight-seat Kobo restaurant, which is just steps away from Sydney’s famous harbour.
Curtis and Lindsay finish their journey with something sweet, courtesy of dessert king and MasterChef alum Reynold Poernomo. His famed KOI Dessert Bar in Chippendale serves up sweets almost too pretty to eat, topped with flowers grown in his mother’s garden. There’s just time for one last margarita, mixed by the experts at Cantina OK! – a tiny bar with a big personality, hidden down a laneway in the centre of the city.
