Greg Malouf’s Travel Tips

With an impressive portfolio of restaurants spanning across Melbourne, Hong Kong, London and, soon, Dubai, and as the author of several cookbooks, Greg Malouf is one of the most inspiring chefs on the  Middle Eastern culinary scene, andan avid traveller, who spent half of his life travelling and working around the world. Following his partnership with Petersham Nurseries in London’s Richmond, which ended last summer, Malouf’s new project will be launched in Abu Dhabi this coming September. Malouf was most recently in Hong Kong, in residence at his partnership restaurant Olive, and we took the opportunity to sit down with the chef and talk great food, bar crawls and where to find his favourite Negroni cocktail.

Dubai 

Despite the strict alcohol law in Dubai, the city has a thriving nightlife scene. A good example is Cirque Du Soir, meaning “circus of the night”, which is like a freak show club. There are Tim Burton characters and tutu dancers in every corner of the bar, or fire-blower doing his tricks on the stage. This club houses a very selective crowd.

Fairmont Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai 

If you are visiting Dubai for the first time, going to the desert, hanging out and eating with the nomads is a lot of fun. I have gone all the way to Emiratis’ homes to find out what they do for living and what they eat. It’s a less-known culture with very unusual cuisine, and my new book will be based on this region. 

London 

Korean-American chef Judy Joo, who is one of the Iron Chefs and also a good friend of mine, is now the consulting chef at Playboy Club. This place is part of a casino as well as a respectful gentlemen’s club. What Joo does for the club is just good quality food, such as great hamburgers.

14 Old Park Lane, London 

The private member’s club Soho House is another bar that I frequently visit. I’m always there to meet with my cookbook publishers. The food is extraordinary, as well as their cocktails – especially my favourite, Negroni. 

40 Greek Street, London 

I truly think Petersham Nurseries is a brilliant concept. The unique glasshouse and dirt floor setting is very unique, and the staff wear Wellington boots. The food is a pretty simple kind of Italian, and when I joined I put some Middle Eastern flavours into it. There is a massive herb garden growing edible flowers, while most of the other produce comes directly from Italy and France and the quality is phenomenal. 

Church Lane, Off Petersham Road, Richmond Surrey

There are lots of great Spanish chefs in London and good restaurants, of course. Barrafina in Soho is a small tapas place with really high quality hams. This place is small, just like other tapas restaurants, with just a long bench and stools around to sit, but the food is amazing.

54 Frith Street, London

Melbourne 

Cutler & Co, Dandelion, Cumulus Inc and Marquee are among my top favourite restaurants in Melbourne. Their food is consistent and superlative. 

Cumulus Inc, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 
Cutler & Co, 55–57 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy 
Dandelion, 133 Ormond Road, Elwood 
Marquee, 127 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne 

Mama Ganoush, a restaurant named after the traditional aubergine dip recipe baba ganoush, is my favourite Middle Eastern restaurants in hometown.  

56 Chapel Street, Prahran

One of my favourite places for modern Turkish cuisine is Gigibaba, it’s very small, very hard to find and difficult to get in, but it’s definitely worth a visit.

102 Smith Street, Collingwood

There are lots of bar hidden in the city that are very hard to find, such as Bar Americano. This bar is hidden in a laneway, which took me a while to get there too, until I went along with someone who knew the place. It serves no wine, no beer but only cocktails. They make a really nice Negroni cocktail, too. This bar opens during the day and serves homemade pastries and coffee.

20 Presgrave Place, Melbourne

Madame Brussels is another great bar that I love to go. It’s located on a rooftop where you can get a great view of the city from the fancy terrace. Another nice rooftop-located bar Siglo, sitting above The Melbourne Supper Club, is also a great place to for a sip. Gin Palace is an old establishment of Melbourne. 

Madame Brussels, 3/F, 59 Bourke Street, Marvellous, Melbourne 
Siglo, 161 Spring Street, Melbourne 
Gin Palace, 10 Russell Place, Melbourne