What’s a food memory you’d most like to forget?
When we opened Moran’s restaurant and cafe in Potts Point in 1995, the doyenne of Australian food journalism, Joan Campbell, used to come in quite a bit. She was the food editor at Vogue and a tough old bird. I cooked a special dish I’d been working on for her – john dory with caramelised figs. I asked her what the dish was like and she said: “That was fucking awful.” I remember being so deflated. I’m still scarred by it.
Who’s the most famous person you’ve cooked for?
I’ve cooked for Obama, George Bush, Putin … not many people can say they’ve cooked for Putin. Movie stars? So many. Jennifer Aniston, she kissed me on the cheek. I’ll never forget that.
You’re really good mates with Gordon Ramsay. What’s the best gift he’s given you?
Gordon’s been a mate for 30 years; we spend a week every year together up in Iceland fishing. I spent a lot of time in hospital about 15 months ago and my dear mate Gordon had seen this style of hat I like to wear – a farmer’s hat. He got one made with images of Icelandic mountains on one side and a fishing hook on the other. He also gave me David Beckham’s number; when the Netflix documentary came out, my daughter wanted me to call him and set her up with one of his sons.
What’s the oldest thing you own, and why do you still have it?
I still have my original knives, ones I’ve owned for 40 years. There’s a boning knife I used to use a lot when I was young, and it looked like a proper butcher’s knife when I bought it. Now it looks like a penknife, it’s so worn. I collect knives; I have around 200.
What’s your biggest fashion crime you’ve committed to date?
I bought leather pants and a leather jacket in London in 1995. It was “in” then but it’s not in now. If I wore it now, you’d think I was on my way to Mardi Gras.
If you had a sandwich named after you, what would be in it?
If I were Josh Niland I’d say a fish burger, but I’m a beef farmer so it would be a steak sandwich. It’d have produce I’ve nurtured, like tomatoes from my farm. The meat would be a good fatty piece, marble score of 5+, tender and juicy and good quality.
What animal do you most relate to?
It can’t be a sheep, because I’m smarter than the sheep. I’m also a Taurian, and we’ve got a few bulls – the two main ones are called Incredible and Invincible – so it has to be a bull. Invincible, I love him. He’s a Milla Murra bull and he produces the best calves. He’s also got attitude.
If you could cancel a season, which would you cancel?
That is so hard. It would never be spring, because that is when we start to see more new produce, particularly when you’re breeding and you’ve got lambs, calves and piglets. There’s no way I’d rule out summer – when you get your beautiful stonefruits and berries. I like winter because you start to see brassica – cauliflower and brussels sprouts. So I’m going to have to say autumn. It’s an inbetween season, particularly for me and the farm. You lose a lot of those beautiful summer things but you haven’t quite got the next season. It’s a pretty easy decision now, thinking about it. You might lose persimmon and quinces, but they can hang around till winter. I feel sorry for autumn now. I’m really quite depressed.
What’s the best lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?
Chef Michael de Laurence was my mentor for five years when I started at 15. He taught me the basics, and on my first night he asked me to strain the stock. I put the colander in the sink, drained the liquid and gave him the bones back. That was a good lesson in listening carefully and asking questions, because I didn’t know what stock was.
Is there a TV show you’re obsessed with?
When I opened Aria Brisbane 15 years ago, I watched 84 episodes of The Sopranos in three months. I wanted to be Tony Soprano. I could be a great Tony Soprano.
After watching The Sopranos, I walked into a bar in New York with a good friend of mine, chef Anthony Bourdain. It’s 1am, we’re drunk and James Gandolfini, who played Tony Soprano, is at the bar. I was so starstruck I nearly fell off my chair. I said, “I’m going to the bar” and Bourdain said, “Don’t be a dickhead.”
Anthony was probably more famous than James Gandolfini at the time, but I went up to the bar and I said to James Gandolfini, “I think you’re an absolute hero.” We got chatting and I asked him for a photo. He said, “Mate, I don’t take photos after midnight.” Long story short, we all got kicked out and I saw James with his crew. He gave me a hug at 3am and I never needed that photo.
Memory Bites with Matt Moran premieres on SBS Food on 10 March at 7.30pm.
