First Look: Rick Stein Just Might Be Coogee’s Greatest Catch

“For me, it doesn’t work having a seafood restaurant that isn’t by the sea, really,” Rick Stein tells Broadsheet. “We believe in being in the right place for the right food.” That right place – for his renowned, simple seafood – is Coogee. The right time? Now. The 224-seater, just back from the beach, is ready.

“Sas and I were walking around Coogee this morning and it’s such a great atmosphere,” the British chef and TV presenter says, referring to his wife and business partner Sarah Stein. “You keep, sort of, pinching yourself, not being from Sydney – this is right near the centre of Sydney and it feels like a holiday. You’ve got the lovely beach, the pools, it works for us.”

The ground-floor restaurant – in the revamped Intercontinental Sydney Coogee Beach – does the indoor-outdoor dining thing, with a menu for dining of all kinds. No minimum per-head spend, and just as ready for you to walk in or book a big celebration.

Head chef Colin Chun (ex-Hilton Sydney, W Taipei) is leading the kitchen. Buttery scallops arrive hot off the grill, and meaty king prawns from Coffs Harbour are primed to dip into Marie Rose sauce. Fried hapuka and chips (done the British way, with mushy peas on the side) sits next to a golden fish pie with a breadcrumbed top. Singapore chilli crab uses Nelson Bay blue swimmers. Expect more of the finer plates we know from Stein’s destination diners in Mollymook and Port Stephens.

“No worries if people want to just come in for a plate of sashimi,” Rick says. “It’s fine. But we’ve also got this really special part of the restaurant, including a little snug called Sas’s Snug. What are you ladies-who-lunch going to do in there, Sas?”

“Drink bubbles,” she says.

The former karaoke room is a semi-private dining room, with space for eight. “You can just have some bubbles or a cheeky little white wine,” Sarah says.

“The odd oyster,” Rick adds.

Stunning fruits of the sea will glisten on the ice bar. And plenty of hot shellfish platters – for one or two – will be getting around, too. With blue swimmer crab joining a school of clams, pippies, prawns and mussels, plus oysters, scallops and zingy dressings.

All signs point to excited locals – so book now. “Just about every other person stopped me to say, ‘Great you’re coming’. I’m thinking, ‘This is quite unusual!’ It’s a lot more special.”

The white-washed restaurant looks out over a grassy expanse of sunbakers, down to that arching stretch of sand. Daring swimmers are freestyling out to loop around Wedding Cake Island, there are chatty beach bums and their dogs everywhere. It’s less of a scene than Bondi, but still plenty to do. But, it’s undeniable that the dining scene – most known for the always-heaving Coogee Bay Hotel and Merivale fine diner Mimi’s – is getting a sizeable bump with the Steins’ arrival.

Rick Stein at Coogee Beach
242 Arden Street, Coogee

Hours:
Mon to Thu 6pm–late
Fri to Sun midday–late

ricksteinatcoogeebeach.com.au
@ricksteinatcoogeebeach