Rick Stein at Bannisters, Mollymook, NSW

Fried whitebait and aioli

Since seeing Rick Stein's Fruits de Mer on Masterchef, I realised that he had a restaurant not too far from home. After a few years of trying, I finally made it to Rick Stein at Bannisters, Mollymook. And WOW, was it worth the wait! I was apprehensive that after looking forward to it for so long, I might be disappointed but if anything, the food (and the whole experience) actually exceeded my expectations.

Tuna sashimi with passionfruit 

Abalone with mirin dressing

From the second we set foot in the door, I felt welcome. It was such a pleasant (but all too uncommon) experience to eat somewhere that the staff seemed generally interested in you and making sure your experience was positive. Nobody rolled their eyes at us, nobody scoffed at our bad pronunciation of some dishes and most importantly, they all knew their food and seemed proud of what they were bringing out.

Lobster thermidor

Bourride with harissa toast 

The menu is, not surprisingly, heavy on the seafood. There was a good choice of both entrees and mains and I can't really say anything other than every bite was perfect and this was truly the best restaurant meal I have ever had. Every piece of seafood was tender and succulent, the flavours of each dish jumped out but didn't overwhelm. Amazing. And as someone who generally prefers savoury to sweet, what a shock I had when the dish of the night for me was the soft  meringue roulade - heaven on a plate!

Soft meringue roulade with macadamia cream and passionfruit

Chocolate pudding with salted caramel ice cream

The price of mains is around the $50 mark, entrees and desserts were from $20-$30. Given the quality of food and service as well as the great location, I think this is reasonable.

If you are visiting the south coast, Rick Stein at Bannisters is a cut above and well worth a visit.

Rick Stein at Bannisters is located at 191 Mitchell Parade, Mollymook. 

Mollymook is around three hours south of Sydney or two hours and forty minutes from Canberra.

PS - A big thanks to the team at Bannisters who sent me a signed copy of Rick's book!! Over the moon, stoked, love it!! x

Useful links:
 Rick Stein at Bannisters