Rick Stein's Melbourne Pub Crawl: Fish Cakes, Greek Taverns and Sunday Roasts

Key facts

• Rick Stein, 79, is filming the six-part SBS travel show 'Rick Stein's Australia', premiering Thursday.
• He has three restaurants in Australia, all in New South Wales.
• Stein visited The Albion Hotel, Jim's Greek Tavern, The Gertrude Hotel, and The Builders Arms Hotel.
• At The Albion, he ordered beef and pork sausage rolls and crumbed fish cakes with curry aioli.
• At Jim's Greek Tavern, his wife Sarah was told the restaurant has not had a menu for 40 years.
• At The Gertrude Hotel, Stein chose the Sunday roast (pork with trimmings) for $38.
• The Builders Arms Hotel served Sydney rock oysters, pork and pistachio terrine, and twice-cooked cheese soufflé.

A Chef's Off-Duty Research in Melbourne

Rick Stein, the British chef whose cookbooks and television programs have made him a household name in Australia, has been eating his way around Melbourne while filming his new SBS series. The six-part travel show, titled 'Rick Stein's Australia', premieres on Thursday. Stein has been visiting Australia since he was 19 and now operates three restaurants in New South Wales. While he has shared his favourite New South Wales food discoveries on Instagram—from burgers with the lot to lunch at Three Blue Ducks in Byron Bay—he has kept his Melbourne adventures under wraps. When asked by Good Food about the places he visited while filming, he responded through a spokeswoman: 'I'm not able to discuss anywhere we visited while filming.' Those spots will be revealed over the coming weeks as the show airs. In the meantime, the 79-year-old chef has shared some of his top off-duty bites in Fitzroy, Collingwood and the Melbourne CBD.

The Albion Hotel: Sausage Rolls and Fish Cakes

The old Punters Palace on Smith Street was reborn more than two years ago, returning to its former name The Albion Hotel with a retro pub fit-out. It hit the mark for Stein, who was staying nearby. He says he tried the beef and pork sausage rolls and crumbed fish cakes served with a curry aioli. Peter Walsh, co-owner of the Albion, says that Stein initially ordered one fish cake but liked it so much he added another. 'He was super friendly. It's not often you get a superstar like that coming in,' Walsh said.

Jim's Greek Tavern: No Menu for 40 Years

Jim's Greek Tavern in Collingwood is beloved for its no-nonsense approach to both cooking and service. 'Very gruff' is how Rick's wife Sarah Stein described the service after asking for a menu and being told Jim's hasn't had a menu for 40 years. 'I like restaurants [on] Trip Advisor moaned about and loved equally,' Stein posted on his Instagram account, along with a video of him filleting a whole flounder at his table in the whitewashed brick dining room. 'You know they'll all probably be quite special.' Fans feel the same way about this Collingwood institution.

The Gertrude Hotel: Sunday Roast with All the Trimmings

Out of Fitzroy's many pubs, the Stein entourage picked The Gertrude Hotel for Sunday lunch, sitting outside in the plant-fringed parklet dining area. Unsurprisingly, given the chef's British heritage, he opted for the Sunday roast, which was pork 'with all the trimmings' including Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, peas with pancetta and gravy. For $38, Stein was impressed with the serving size, according to co-owner Iza Dawkins. Dawkins had no idea the celebrity chef would be coming in, but was glad they'd introduced their Sunday roast a couple of days earlier. 'Everyone [in our team] that spotted Rick got a little pep in their step,' he says.

The Builders Arms Hotel: Oysters and Soufflé

The pub crawl continued at The Builders Arms Hotel in Fitzroy, the sole pub within Andrew McConnell's hospitality empire, known for its top-tier wine list and polished pub fare. For Stein and his party, it was Sydney rock oysters, pork and pistachio terrine, and a twice-cooked cheese soufflé that got their vote. Stein's off-duty explorations highlight Melbourne's diverse pub and tavern scene, from chaotic Greek eateries to refined gastropubs, all while he keeps the filming locations for his upcoming series under wraps.

The bottom line

• Rick Stein is filming a six-part SBS series 'Rick Stein's Australia' premiering Thursday.
• He has been eating off-duty at Melbourne pubs and taverns, including The Albion, Jim's Greek Tavern, The Gertrude, and The Builders Arms.
• At Jim's Greek Tavern, his wife was told there has been no menu for 40 years.
• Stein enjoyed a $38 Sunday roast at The Gertrude Hotel, impressed by the portion size.
• The Builders Arms Hotel served oysters, terrine, and soufflé to the chef's party.
• Stein's filming locations for the show remain undisclosed until the episodes air.