We had lunch with Gordon Ramsay and this is what went down

When it was announced that Gordon Ramsay would be coming to Sydney to host a residency outside of London for the first time ever – bringing his restaurant to Matt Moran’s Aria – 6,000 tickets sold out in 60 seconds. On top of the hugely successful three-day residency, we were lucky enough to be invited to an exclusive media lunch where a real-life Gordon Ramsay was the main event. We ate, drank and made merry – and nobody got called an idiot sandwich. 

Here are nine tidbits that we took away from our lunch with the G-Man…

1. Gordon’s a gentleman. When I stood up to greet him, my napkin fell off my lap – because, overexcitement, Gordon Ramsay – and he went out of his way to get me a new one, rather than leaving it to the waitstaff. 
   
   
2. I wasn’t the only one who was jumping out of my seat. There were more than a few shaky hands and sweaty palms in the joint. After all, celebrity chefs are the modern-day rock stars – there aren’t many celebs with the kind of mass pull of Gordon.

3. His favourite restaurant in Victoria happened to be our Time Out Melbourne Restaurant of the Year. It’s an epic Filipino place called Serai. He raved, specifically, about their seared kangaroo ‘kilawin’ (a Filipino ceviche-style dish prepared with vinegar) with wood-roasted bone marrow. He no doubt came across it via Time Out – surely! (To see Sydney’s Best Restaurants list, click here.) 
   
   
4. He refused to weigh in on the Sydney vs Melbourne debate. “I’ve been a big admirer of what this country produces and its food scene.” When pressed on which food scene he thought was superior (Sydney vs Melbourne), he was a diplomat. He said both scenes are exquisite and only that Sydney’s scene has a bit more “glam” factor. 
   
   
5. Yes, Ramsay’s Aria menu was as incredible as you might imagine. It was all about showcasing his restaurant’s English-style signature dishes while heroing Australian produce. We started with oysters dressed in a dill-flavoured buttermilk sauce with caviar, followed by a raviolo filled with marron, salmon and scarlet prawn, dressed in a bisque. Then, it was coral trout with brassicas and a chunky housemade tartare, duck with a side of blackberries and beetroot, and David Blackmore’s Wagyu with pine mushrooms, macadamia and malt. Then, a chartreuse with fennel and lime palette cleanser. All finished with a pecan praline with I don’t know what exactly, but it was to die for.
   
   
   
6. Celebrated farmer David Blackmore’s aforementioned beef is the stuff of steak dreams. We’ve been lucky enough to have it at Rockpool as well, and here at Aria it was our dish of the day. 
   
   
7. We washed all that down with some newly launched Gordon Ramsay wines. The Gordon Ramsay Italian Collection – a bianco, rosato and rosso – created in partnership with winemaker Alberto Antonini, to reflect Ramsay’s good times spent in Italia.
   
   
8. He did talk about Jock, saying “the tragic loss, literally days ago, has been very tough” for them all. Ramsay and Moran joined George Calombaris and Shannon Bennett to remember Jock Zonfrillo at an intimate wake at Melbourne's Di Stasio restaurant.
   
   
9. Gordon’s been working on a new reality foodie show here in Oz, Food Stars, for Nine. It’s not some MasterChef rip-off – it’s about innovators in the food production space. Like a woman who’s smoking eggs to prolong their shelf life. 

All in all, there were no kitchen nightmares, tears or desperate "Yes Chef" cries from the kitchen while we dined with the baddest British chef in the business. Lunch with Gordon Ramsay? Highly recommend. 

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Want hacks for fine dining on a budget? Click here.

Not going to be dining at Aria any time soon? Here are our favourite cheap eats.