There are two restaurants and a cheery rooftop Terrace Bar,
where you’ll find fish tacos, haloumi salads and grilled barramundi.
But the Rick Stein restaurant is the real magnet. Rick and head
chef Mitchell Turner have designed a menu featuring local king
prawns, sand whiting, snapper and blue-eye trevalla, as well as
fabulous Sydney rock oysters – the perfect weekend dinner.
For Mitchell, the most important consideration was practical.
“Space and efficiency,” he says. “It’s a galley-style kitchen, which
means we’re provided a nice, long pass. With a big restaurant and
the capacity to hold big numbers, it’s important that we’re able to
work to our maximum.” His one non-negotiable was a dedicated
seafood cool room. “We run it at -1°C to 1°C and it means we get
the best out of our fish by keeping it at the perfect temperature.”
Comfort was key for Rick. “For the first 20 years of cooking
in [my first restaurant in] Padstow [in Cornwall], we had very poor
ventilation – I still have nightmares about being very hot,” he says.
“As soon as I had enough money, I put it right. These days, and
particularly at Port Stephens, our kitchens are air-conditioned!”
Bannisters Port Stephens, 147 Soldiers Point Road, Soldiers Point,
NSW, (02) 4919 3800, bannisters.com.au/port-stephens.Clockwise from left: A double-height lobby draws views outside. The outlook from another area
of the rooftop Terrace Bar is just as impressive. Head chef Mitchell Turner. Opposite, clockwise
from top: The leather-and-brass booths at Rick Stein At Bannisters are a great spot to relax, chat
and observe. BBQ King Prawns with a Split Tomato, Currant Sauce is on the restaurant’s menu.
Pale pink basins introduce a feminine touch to the bathroom of the restaurant.
Inside Out / 149OUT travel