ULLADULLA is not doing enough to promote itself as a seafood mecca, but Bannisters’ new chef is aiming to change that.
Julian Lloyd is gearing up to take over the Bannisters kitchen from October 1 and, together with celebrity chef and restaurant owner Rick Stein, has designed a menu featuring a selection of local seafood.
After spending only two weeks in the Ulladulla district, 30-year-old Julian is impressed with the region and what it has to offer in terms of fresh produce.
He said seafood should be a major tourist drawcard for the area and believes the new Rick Stein at Bannisters will provide that.
“It’s very high quality produce and there’s a lot of fish and shellfish varieties available that you don’t see on many menus.
“I just want to get my hands on it and start trying some new dishes.
“We want to put things on the menu that people might not have tried before, but that have proven popular in Rick’s restaurants in England.
“One of my favourites is the hot shellfish which is basically mussels, oysters, pipis, and blue swimmer crab steamed and dressed with olive oil, garlic, chilli and lemon,” he said.
Julian said his visit to the Sydney Fish Markets last week opened his eyes to the variety of seafood on offer.
“Latchet is something you don’t often see, but is a very under-rated fish.
“It’s like gurnard which is now very popular and expensive in England after it was pioneered by Rick.
“It’s similar to flathead, but it’s much better.
“It’s a great looking, red fish and Rick and I are quite excited about what we might do with it - maybe we’ll tempura it and serve it whole, deep fried Asian-style,” he said.
After visiting the fish markets, Julian said he was disappointed to learn that a lot of Ulladulla’s seafood is transported to Sydney before coming back to be sold.
“Many fish travel a lot of miles before they reach the table.
“More should be sold directly from the harbour.
“It’s something that I would like to see change.”
Julian and Rick have met local seafood suppliers and are keen to use as much local produce, fresh off the trawlers, as possible.
“It would be nice if 100 per cent of our fish for the restaurant came from Ulladulla,” he said.
Julian grew up in the Cornish fishing village of Padstow, England, made famous by Rick who owns a series of seafood restaurants, cafes and a deli there.
From a young boy he worked in his father’s fish market, which is where he met Rick who regularly purchased seafood for his eateries.
“My dad got me a job with Rick when I was 18,” Julian said.
“I grew up around fish and wanted to learn how to prepare and cook it.
“Rick has taught me so much about in the 12 years we have worked together.
“I’m really happy that he has put so much trust in me and I want to do a great job here at Bannister’s.
“I’ve got to keep up Rick’s good reputation and name.”
Julian has worked in all of Rick’s restaurants and, after spending a year travelling and working Down Under in 1999, jumped at the offer to spend four years in Australia – despite never having been to the Ulladulla district.
While Rick will be overseeing the new Rick Stein at Bannisters from October 1, Julian will be in charge of the kitchen and is looking forward to working with the award-winning team.
“I’ve been doing a lot of behind the scenes work, researching, meeting suppliers and getting things ready,” he said.
“The kitchen has been renovated and extended and we’ve got a great team here.
“The apprentices are very, very good,” he said.
Julian described the staff and the locals as “very friendly”.
He fell in love with the district as soon as he arrived two weeks ago, and said many areas remind him of England.
“Driving down the coast from Sydney with Rick, I was really amazed how much it reminded me of home – it’s stunning.
“Racecourse Beach reminds me a lot of Cornwall and I’m looking at a house around there.”
Julian will be joined later this month by his wife Nichola and his four-week-old son Ruan.
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