Nigella Lawson races to Sydney restaurant hours after landing and is left 'purring with pleasure': 'It's one of my rules for a good life'

Daily Mail​

07-05-2025

Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson has landed in Sydney - and she wasted no time heading straight to her favourite local institution, Fratelli Paradiso in Potts Point.
In a heartfelt post to Instagram, the British culinary icon described the Italian bistro as not just a regular stop, but a vital part of her philosophy for living well.
'My first stop in Sydney has to be Fratelli Paradiso. It's one of my rules for a good life,' she wrote.
'Walking through the doors after a year away just felt like coming home. I love everything about this place: great people, great mood, great food.'
While Nigella admitted the restaurant's dim lighting wasn't ideal for taking photos, she found a moment to capture the final course once her neighbouring table had cleared.
The dessert - the show-stopping Bombalaska - left her speechless.
'Behold the beauteous Bombalaska! I don't expect to eat a better pudding while I'm here, and I don't need to: I'll just keep coming back for this,' she wrote.
The dish features a base of hazelnut praline, pistachio semifreddo and lemon curd all tucked beneath a bronzed dome of flame-kissed Italian meringue.
In a heartfelt post to Instagram, the British culinary icon described the Italian bistro as not just a regular stop, but a vital part of her philosophy for living well
'Yes, I know! I swooned with each spoonful,' she added.
Before reaching that final, sugar-laced high, Nigella indulged in a meal that read like a greatest hits list.
She opened with her usual on-arrival order, Olive Ascolane - plump green olives stuffed with sharp cheese, breadcrumbed and deep fried.
That was followed by a tangle of bitter puntarelle dressed with anchovies, a serve of the restaurant's famed scampi spaghettini, and a thick pork chop paired with agretti (also known as monk's beard) and creamy white polenta.
'I did have help eating all this, by the way,' she joked, adding, 'purring with pleasure, and planning when I can come back for more.'
Fratelli Paradiso has long been a firm favourite of locals and celebrities alike.
With its dimly lit interiors, buzzing atmosphere and menu that balances Italian simplicity with refined indulgence, it's easy to see why the culinary queen keeps returning.
And for those chasing the Nigella-approved experience, one thing's clear - this Sydney dining room has become the city's most delicious welcome home.
Earlier this week, the much-loved British food icon first touched down in Western Australia and declared a tiny Margaret River winery one of her favourite places on Earth.
Taking to Instagram, Nigella shared a swoon-worthy post about her long lunch at Cullen Wines.
Nigella described it as 'heaven' and '[her] cure for jet lag and recipe for deep joy'.
Under the shade of her 'resplendently red sun umbrellas,' she kicked off her afternoon with a glass of their life-affirming Pét-nat (short for Pétillant Naturel, a natural sparkling wine), before diving into a delicious spread.
First on the table? Perfectly baked bread paired with a 'divine' Pipián - a silky, smoky dip made from pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, peppers, and a hit of garlic, lime and coriander.
And it only got better from there. Nigella revealed she 'inhaled' delicate scallops served with cauliflower and a surprising 'chickeny' sauce, admitting it sounded strange but tasted 'heavenly'.
The star was left practically speechless over a crispy potato and celeriac terrine draped in cabbage, resting under a cloud-like sauce so flavour-packed she admitted she 'panicked' at the thought of never eating it again.
For mains, the culinary queen devoured a melt-in-the-mouth Rankin cod, topped with charred sweetcorn, XO mussels, snapper sauce and a scatter of sunrose leaves - a citrusy native plant, that she never knew existed before.
Nigella shared swoon-worthy pictures of her long lunch at Cullen Wines, describing it as 'heaven, heaven, HEAVEN.' Pictured: Her first course of baked bread paired with a 'divine' Pipián - a silky, smoky dip made from pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, peppers, and a hit of garlic, lime and coriander
She followed it up with an indulgent Arkady lamb rump, paired with pumpkin, creamy white polenta and Kunzea, another native ingredient Nigella described as tasting 'fresh and honeyed at the same time'.
Despite the fine-dining presentation, Nigella insisted the food had a 'joyous flavour' and said it 'tasted of food, if you know what I mean'.
Of course, no Nigella feast would be complete without dessert, and her spread of not one, but three plates did not disappoint.
'Caramelised apple (from the tree near where we were sitting) and almond cake, with spiced oats and guava ice cream; honey mousse with macadamia, quandong and banana ice cream; and Cambray Blackwood Blue cheese (which I've fallen in love with) seeded crackers, pear and walnuts,' she wrote.
While she ran out of room to properly describe the wines Nigella assured her followers they were as spectacular as the food - sharing a final snap showing off the bottles she sampled.
Cullen Wines was founded in 1971 by Dr. Kevin Cullen and Diana Cullen and has been family-owned for over 50 years.
Since taking the reins several decades ago, it states on the official Australian Wine website, that Vanya Cullen has transformed the family business into one of Australia's best boutique wineries and most environmentally sustainable vineyards.
Vanya posted to her own personal Instagram on the weekend thanking Nigella for 'her contribution to Australian hospitality,' as well as her positive energy at a time when 'things are really tough'.
It's not the only culinary destination Nigella was excited to visit for her trip down under - telling told Gourmet Traveller that Ester in Chippendale was also at the top of her list.
Praising chef Mat Lindsay as 'extraordinary' for his surprising yet delicious creations, she revealed it was the Sydney restaurant she can't stop thinking about.
She recalled being convinced by a waiter named Ollie to try Ester's famous chicken fat oysters - a dish she initially thought sounded unappealing but ended up adoring.
'I love oysters anyway, but these were extraordinary,' she said, adding that while the concept might sound improbable, the flavours completely won her over.