TABLE
FOR TWO
STYLE SETTER SERIES #4:
JILL DUPLEIX & TERRY DURACK
Terry Durack and Jill Dupleix might
believe that food and words go together
but they also prove that culinary
chemistry can’t be found on a plate.
There’s a point in every writer’s life when they question
whether they’re on the right path. For Terry Durack, it was a
story about a fine dining encounter in France’s Alsace region,
submitted to US food bible Gourmet and returned, rejected
and unread. “I scrunched the whole page up, threw it in the bin
and walked out of the room, disgusted,” laughs Durack.
Photography & Set Styling by Helen White, Styling by Mary Atkin,
Hair & Make Up by Therapy Hair & MakeUp.
Dupleix wears dress, cardigan and bangle by Marimekko and
Funkis shoes. Earrings Dupleix’s own. Durack wears t-shirt
and shirt by Jac+ Jack. Jacket Durack’s own.
It’s a good thing the celebrated food
critic had already met Jill Dupleix. “I had
no idea that Jill took it out, flattened it
and sent it to the editor of Epicurean
magazine. It then received a four-page
spread,” says Durack. When Durack’s
world first collided with Dupleix’s,
he was working at a high-powered
Melbourne advertising firm, a role that
included regular lessons in the art of the
long lunch.
“We had a fight the first night and hated
each other. But Terry found out that I
was helping a friend write a book and
that must have intrigued him a bit. We
met for lunch and finally got together
six months later,” Dupleix recalls.
Dupleix and Durack’s culinary journey
has always been bound up in their
romantic one. They flew to Singapore
and Hong Kong, sipped cocktails
at Raffles and fell for food prepared
humbly and served up on the street.
Durack bought her a book on the
great chefs of France and they toured
Europe’s Michelin star institutions, a
trip that sparked a love affair with
haute cuisine.
The couple also began writing about
their experiences, accumulating bylines
one by one. They both worked as food
critics at The Age, then The Sydney
Morning Herald and went on to
co-author both cities’ well-thumbed
Good Food Guides.
“We were so innocent, so naive. There
was a real learning curve about food in
56 STYLE SETTER STYLE SEEKERS
“We were so innocent,
so naive. There was
a real learning curve
about food in the
eighties and we were
just in the right place
at the right time.”
the eighties and we were just in the right
place at the right time. And everything
we knew how to do – write, eat, drink
– all came together at the right time in
this really great way,” says Dupleix.
It wasn’t long before London called.
Dupleix was made cookery editor of
The Times, ruffling the country’s stuffy
foodie establishment with her wit and
no-nonsense approach. And Durack
became the chief food critic for UK’s
Independent on Sunday, reviewing
restaurants from here to Monte Carlo
and was named ‘World Food Media’s
Best Restaurant Critic’ in the process.
But since returning to Sydney, it seems
that this city best reflects who they
are. When you ask Dupleix about her
favourite dining experiences, she says
sharing a beer and a hot dog slider with
Durack at a local pub is as memorable
as dining at Noma in Denmark or at
a Florentine trattoria. “We met over
a drink and we’ve probably stayed
together over a drink as well.”
Q&A
What elements of Sydney
food culture are you most
passionate about?
Jill Chefs growing their own produce
in kitchen gardens, the growth of
indigenous ingredients and the next
generation of chefs doing their own
thing. One of our favourite places is
Three Blue Ducks in Bronte, where a
handful of surf-mad, former Tetsuya’s
chefs have dug up the backyard, put
in a permaculture garden and opened
a café-by-day, and degustation dinner
by night. The waitress wears shorts, the
wines are biodynamic and there’s not a
tablecloth in sight.
How has dining in Sydney evolved
in the last decade?
Jill The expensive, old-school, fine diner
is losing ground and we have so many
more options in the middle ground
that are hugely enjoyable and more
sustainable. And – at last – our chefs are
starting to learn about the wonderful
grasses, nuts, seeds, spices, insects, meat
and fish that are around us. How else are
we going to ever offer the world a real
taste of who we are if our ingredients
don’t come from where we are?
Terry There has been a generational
shift in the food culture, and the place
is going off. Sydney loves anyone who
rejects the status quo and has a voice
of their own – that’s probably why
Dave Chang chose to open his first
Momofuku here outside America.
What is the best way to enjoy
a winter meal in Sydney?
Terry Stay home and cook a slow
braise over five or six hours. Serve with
lots of red wine.
What is your signature winter drink?
Jill In summer, I drink Campari and
soda. In winter, I winterise it by turning it
into an Americano with a slug of Martini
Rosso vermouth; it makes me feel all
warm inside.
MEMORABLE
DATES
SATURDAY BRUNCH
Kepos Street Kitchen, I just love
Michael Rantissi’s Israeli-inspired
food. It reminds me of when Bill
Granger first opened bills, it’s that
sort of game-changer. J
THE PERFECT STEAK
Rockpool Bar & Grill, the meat is
ethically sourced and beautifully
kept, and cooked over charcoal. Just
ask them not to slice it for you. T
SUBLIME SEAFOOD
Straight to Golden Century in
Chinatown, to cover the table with
whole steamed fish with spring
onion and ginger, and mudcrab
with noodles and scrambled eggs
with prawns. T
STYLE SEEKERS STYLE SETTER 57
Curated Trail
1 DAY
Serial foodies Jill and Terry have a passion for decoding
Sydney’s secrets. These local fixtures play a starring role
in their weekend ritual.
1
Start the day at THREE BLUE DUCKS, Bronte. Good
for everything from a hangover breakfast of black
pudding, eggs and great coffee, to a working lunch
or a lovely four-course dinner (143 Macpherson St,
Bronte. T: 9389 0010)
2
Back to Potts Point and straight to GYPSY ESPRESSO
for that all-important mid-morning piccolo caffe latte
(6/81 Macleay St, Potts Point. T: 8356 9264)
3
Stock up for the week at FRATELLI FRESH. Terry
is forever dropping in to pick up Pepe Saya butter,
Iggy’s breads and heirloom tomatoes. It makes our
life work (81 Macleay St, Potts Point. T: 9368 6655)
4
Head to EVELEIGH MARKETS at Carriageworks. It’s
the best food shopping ever because you know that
everything you buy is at its best right now, right here
(243 Wilson St, Darlington. T: 9209 4735)
5
Visit the WHITE RABBIT GALLERY in Chippendale.
Not sure what makes us happiest – the Chinese art
and the way it makes you think differently about
the world, or the White Rabbit beer and northernstyle dumplings in the teahouse (30 Balfour St,
Chippendale. T: 8399 2867)
6
Linger over yum cha at MR WONG. This is a little bit
of chi-chi Hong Kong in the heart of Sydney, with
superb quality, hand-made to order dim sum in a
contemporary setting, with great wines and teas
thrown in (3 Bridge St, Sydney. T: 9240 3000)
7
Head to THE NORFOLK for a Lagerita up at the bar
or out in the beer garden. Sends us back down memory
lane to when our dads took us to the pub for a counter
lunch (305 Cleveland St, Surry Hills. T: 9699 3177)
2
5
6
4
For more curated Sydney trails download the free
Urban Walkabout app available on the AppStore
HOT
SPOT
GASTRO
PARK
Grant King of Pier fame has brought his culinary bravado to Kings
Cross with this modern dining restaurant and bar. The menu offers
an imaginative snack selection and inventive mains along with an
adventurous, well-edited wine and cocktail list. Come for a relaxed
atmosphere, attentive service and note-perfect dishes - the type of
creations that see classic ingredients spun into high art.
5-9 Roslyn St, Potts Point. T: 8068 1017 C4