A SAUNTER AROUND SYDNEY WITH RICK STEIN

The chef and TV star adores the fish at Margaret, knows where to take a shark- proof swim and loves a bar crawl in Surry Hills - preferably to the sound of Cold Chisel

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What’s your favourite destination and why?

Sydney. I've been going there since I was 19 and I just think it’s the most fabulous city in the world. It’s a beautiful location on the water and with the harbour, the bridge, the opera house etc. But also it’s sort of the centre of really exciting things: great food, great art... I just love the whole concept of it. I love the fact that it’s a major city but on the ocean — there's very few cities which are right on the sea like that. It just gives it a sort of a “specialness”.

When were you last there and who were you with?

I was actually there in August with my wife, Sas [Sarah]. I mean, I go there three times a year because I've got the restaurants there. So it’s almost like a second home to me.

Where do you like to stay there?

We've got a house in Sydney, but aside from my home, I have occasionally stayed at the Park Hyatt hotel, which is downtown, in the part of Sydney called The Rocks. It's right by the Harbour Bridge and it’s got fabulous views over the water. Beautiful. It’s a very, very lovely hotel.

What has been your favourite meal there?

One of my favourite recent meals was at Mr Wong. Dan Hong is Vietnamese but he does the most magnificent Chinese food, and his signature dish is a char siu roasted Glacier 51 toothfish. The fish is actually from a part of the Antarctic which is owned by Australia so I think they like to call it local fish. I mean, I defy anybody not to love that particular dish.

If you only had 24 hours there, what would you do?