A lunch with Zumbo

My Mum recently informed me of the long table lunch - a three course meal - being held being held at Bannisters restaurant in Mollymook that was to be hosted by none other than my patissier idol, Adriano Zumbo. It was a launch party for his new book and you can imagine my excitement when I got her message. However, it was proceeded with the disappointing comment "Shame we'll both be at work...". Speak for yourself Mumma!! I'm not missing this for anything! Luckily for me, we were both able to arrange the day off. Also luckily for me is the fact that my family hail from Ulladulla, just around the corner from the restaurant. So off to Bannisters we went!

It was a magical day weather-wise and, for those of you who've been to Bannisters, you'll know that this just makes the view that much more spectacular. We were running a little late and most tables were already full by the time we got there, but there was one table with reserved signs all along it, save for two seats at the end. Sitting down to enjoy the wine included in the lunch, AZ arrived and I have to say, I was just a little star struck and started taking a few pap-style photos.

He made his way through the entrance, being introduced to the managers, chefs and waitstaff and straight towards our table. The reserved signs began to make sense - AZ was sitting ON OUR TABLE!!!

He was more than happy to talk to the people at our table and share his stories of Macarons and Masterchef (one couple had a daughter who had been in the first series of Junior Masterchef, so you can imagine the stories they had to share) while we were served entree - Lobster, foie gras, avocado and beans. I wasn't aware of this when we paid for the lunch, but Adriano wasn't actually in the kitchen, it was prepared by Bannister's chefs. This wasn't so bad though, as we got to see that he too takes photos of his food haha! I had never eaten foie gras before, but it was delicious! I can totally see what everyone raves about. Really salty, buttery soft and paired perfectly with the mild tasting lobster.

Mains came next which was Barramundi with clams (actually pippis), peas, asparagus and parsley. Again, this was delicious. The fish was cooked to perfection (though as a 'seafood speciality' restaurant, should I have expected any less?) and the clams (again, which I had never had before) were very tasty.

Then it was time for a Q & A with Zumbo. As you can imagine, the majority of the questions centred around how to get the perfect macaron, along with the many failed attempts that people have had trying to construct these sweet treats. In case you were wondering, or you have had a failed attempt, "it's all about the egg whites". He was asked about his path into the patisserie world and happily obliged with a story of growing up in a supermarket in Coonamble and finding his passion for baked goods in the form of packet cake mix. One lady made a silly comment that he had "sold out" by releasing his product to  He was really charming and funny and different to what I had expected - seeing him on Masterchef had made me think he was quite shy or stand-offish, but this was far from accurate. He also dished out some great advice on following your passion and living your food dreams which I thought was great.

The dessert was served after this - Creme brulee with fresh berries - followed by tea and coffee and, of course, the famous macarons.

He also did a book signing and had photographs with everyone which was really good. He really was a down-to-earth, friendly guy who hasn't let success go to his head.

While meeting the big Z was the best part of the day, the food was impeccable. If you haven't had the chance to get to Bannisters to enjoy the Rick Stein seafood experience, do yourself a favour and get down there ASAP!

Also if you haven't had a chance to get to one of Adriano Zumbo's 5 stores in Sydney (Balmain, Rozelle, Manly, Star City and Bronte/Waverley), WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?? Go and get your sugar fix!

Enjoy!

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