The Aussie restaurants Jimmy and Jane Barnes love the most – and what they always order

In their new cookbook, Seasons Where the River Bends, Jimmy and Jane Barnes share their passion for farm-to-table cooking. Inspired by their thriving NSW Southern Highlands garden, the book offers 60 recipes that are their personal culinary “hits”.

The project is the latest in their budding cookbook-writing era. Book one, Where the River Bends, came about after their COVID lockdown-inspired cooking sessions became essential Instagram viewing, while the follow-up is inspired by their garden’s abundant produce.

The Scottish-born Australian music legend aka Barnsey still knows how to rock, as his hectic schedule of sold-out gigs attests, but these days you’re more likely to find the 69-year-old dining in an intimate restaurant (or having a cuppa with Jane in the garden) than frequenting the sweaty pubs where he cut his teeth as lead singer of Cold Chisel.

Jimmy and Jane took some time out from cooking – and rocking – to share their favourite restaurants and food finds, including the Sydney ramen joint he is prepared to queue for and the underrated Italian restaurant in Melbourne he always returns to.

Eating in

Signature dish and go-to at home

Jimmy: We have the hibachi Japanese grill set up on the porch, I play some Miles Davis, look out at the river and grill yakitori chicken skewers.

Jane: I love a simple tomato pasta; it’s quick and easy in the summer. I get them fresh off the vine, peel them, and there’s nothing more delicious. I also love to make beef cheek massaman or a Thai curry.

My guilty pleasure

Jimmy: I love chocolate. Or eat cereal when I get home late.

Jane: I love a pan-fried cheese sandwich made with lots of butter.

Best kitchen wisdom I cling to

Jimmy: I’ve learned that your dishes can only be as good as the produce you use, and to always have a good sharp knife in the kitchen.

Jane: Our friend the late Jock Zonfrillo taught me to tidy up as I go along. It just makes life easier in the kitchen. Clean and wipe as you go. We also make stock using a lot of leftover vegetable peels.

Eating out

My favourite home-town restaurant − and go-to dish

We have been going to Toshi’s Japanese restaurant in Mittagong for more than 30 years. I took cooking lessons from the Japanese chef Toshi around 40 years ago, and he’s been a friend of the family ever since. They make the best prawn hand rolls.

Favourite cafes

We love Nick’s in Bowral. They serve fabulous coffees. It’s a soy latte followed by an espresso.

At the end of our street is Baked in Berrima, where we get fresh sourdough, and you can buy bigne [Italian cream puffs] and cannoli.

Il Topolino is a gourmet Italian deli with great produce in Mittagong. We go
for a shot of coffee after a morning swim, and pick up a fresh baguette and mortadella. They sell great cheese as well.

In Sydney

Vin-Cenzo’s has delicious seasonal food and great service. We love the whiting, and they also do a great steak. The home-made pasta is also good here. The traditional Italian vegetable dish bagna cauda is excellent, too.

We love Cantonese restaurant Mr. Wong. Coming from a big multi-racial Asian family that loves nothing more than sitting around for a big Chinese meal, this place holds special memories for us. We always order the dumplings and crispy fried lobster, and the steamed crab is a must. It’s fresh, and the dining room is spacious enough to fit us all in without disturbing anyone.

Gaku Robata Grill is a ramen spot as good as any you’ll find in Tokyo. The owner makes a limited number of bowls a day, and there are no bookings at lunchtime. There are not many places I’d be happy to line up at, but this is one.

Neil Perry is a friend of ours, and we go to Margaret for the grilled whiting. The produce is consistently good, and that is important to us.

We buy our coffee beans from specialty roaster Artificer Coffee in Surry Hills, and they come back with us to the Southern Highlands.

For great fish and chips in Paddington, we like Four in Hand.

Matt Moran’s two-hatted restaurant, Aria, is another huge favourite, and somewhere we always take international visitors to.

In Melbourne

Our good friend, photographer Pierre Baroni, first took us to Rosa’s Canteen years ago and we keep going back. Rosa is a fantastic woman who makes great Sicilian food. I love that she cooks things from her garden, and everything on the menu is home-made. The pasta is exceptional. The chicken dish is also a must-try.

We often go to Gimlet when looking for a late feed after performing. It’s
comfortable. What do we order? It’s either the chicken or the steak.

Supernormal is another favourite for our kids. We always order the lobster rolls.

When we don’t want to dine out, we go to Prahran Market for bread and cheese and deli products, and create our own food platters. Or we dine at the Gudinskis’ for a home-made lobster pasta.

French fine diner Maison Batard really reminds us of being in France. They have great oysters and foie gras.

[Late Australian music industry legend] Michael Gudinski and I often ate at Vlados in Richmond – it’s a Melbourne institution. I still go there from time to time. I love the entrees – sausages, pork patties and liver. Vlados would pick the cut of meat to cook for us – adding a plain tomato and vinegar cabbage salad. The jam-lined strawberry crepes with whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream always topped it off.

On the road

Favourite food city and why

It’s Tokyo in Japan. Favourite restaurants there include Roppongi Inakaya – a grill-style restaurant where the chefs kneel at the counter while cooking on
charcoal.

We like Nanbantei in Minato City for their excellent yakitori grills. Tempura Tensei is a small spot that only holds 11 people. The tempura is like nothing else you’ve tried.

We stay at the Ritz-Carlton in Roppongi. From there, you can see Mount Fuji and Tokyo Tower.

Seasons Where The River Bends: Recipes and Stories from the Garden of Jane and Jimmy Barnes, published by HarperCollins, is out now, RRP $59.99.