Travel tales: the gourmet mecca Karen Martini keeps returning to

Karen Martini is among Australia’s most recognisable chefs – a frequent sight in kitchens and living rooms around the country, with a stack of cookbooks to her name and roles including My Kitchen Rules inspiring countless cooks to bring modern Mediterranean flavours into their homes.

Soon she’ll be taking her talents to the sea for the Great Australian Culinary Voyage. Before that, we caught up to chat about all things travel, from bar hopping the Amalfi Coast to why Sicily is her favourite culinary destination, despite having never been there.

What are some of your favourite food travel memories?

I guess one of the moments that left the biggest impression was in a French town named Biot; seeing the local shops setting in the late afternoon. I came across a pop-up shop roasting rabbit, chicken and pork with all the vegetables at the bottom – you could smell the rotisserie from around the corner.

From what little French and Italian I understood, everyone was talking about their next meal. Villagers coming down and buying meats and vegetables by the kilo; delicatessens selling stuffed artichokes and rabbit terrine.

Positano on the majestic Amalfi Coast of Italy.

Another is my husband and I travelling the Amalfi Coast in the 90s. Renting a boat and bar hopping along the coast, eating fresh oysters and sea urchin, mozzarella and tomato drizzled with local oil. All things we take for granted, but in the right setting it just heightens the pleasure.

What’s the one meal that stands out above the rest?

In Monaco at Alain Ducasse’s restaurant Le Louis XV. It was simply extraordinary. Every dish was exceptional. When it was time for dessert they brought out a greenhouse on wheels and were snipping off the leaves to make your tea.

Artful plating in a setting fit for royalty at Le Louis XV.

I was only in Monaco to visit that restaurant. It was a train ride around the coast from Biot, which was also phenomenal. We stayed at the restaurant so long that we missed the train, and to get back to Biot cost almost more than the meal. It was worth it.

Have any of your signature dishes been inspired by your adventures?

A regular in a lot of my dishes is a crustacean essence inspired by those amazing aromats you find in Italy and France. It’s tomato driven, but with lots of cray or prawn heads. There’s a touch of tarragon or anise through the broth, which then becomes a reduced sauce.

It’s the sauce on a lot of my signature pastas, and also featured in a dish I’m making for Cunard’s Culinary Voyage in January next year (it’s also about page 10 of my latest book).

Karen Martini onboard the Cunard Queen Elizabeth.

Where have you travelled recently and what surprised you about the trip?

Overseas we were last in Phuket for a short break, staying at The Surin. I think what I found about Thai food is the amount of fresh herbs and seafood in the dishes; punchy flavours that are very robust but presented in a very delicate, balanced way.

More recently I was in Adelaide for the Adelaide Food Festival. I’d been once before about 10 years ago – for a basketball tournament, so I saw 17 games and not the inside of a single restaurant. But it’s grown so much since then.

This time I managed to dine out on some beautiful modern Australian food and was thoroughly impressed at Arkhé. Everything is cooked over fire; it’s an open kitchen with a lot of theatre. It’s not tricked up, but it’s flavour driven and masterful.

Dinner with a side of theatre at Arkhé in Adelaide.

Adelaide Hills are only 20 minutes away too. I think people assume you have to go on a big drive to reach the wine regions, but you really don’t. Everything’s at your fingertips.

What’s one dish that always makes you think of travel?

I always look at things and connect them to their place. Just making a grilled fish sandwich instantly takes me back to Istanbul and to around the foot of Galata Bridge, where they often grill fish and put it straight into bread with onion, lettuce, sumac and oil.

Balik ekmek is a quintessential Turkish street food dish.

It’s a really simple snack, and so delicious. It’s probably one of the most touristy attractions, everyone standing around waiting and six sandwiches being made up at once, but where else are you going to get something like that?

What’s your favourite gourmet destination in Australia and why?

I’m very fond of my own home town of Melbourne. There are endless restaurants to enjoy, but I do love a trip to Sydney, because so many of my favourites are up there. I’ll take any excuse to keep going back. 

Places like Cafe Paci, Saint Peter, Ester and Poly in Surry Hills. And because you’re out of your hometown it feels like an occasion.

The Apollo, a contemporary Greek taverna in the heart of Potts Point.

Icebergs is still dear to my heart because I founded that restaurant 20 years ago. They’re still doing an amazing job, perched down on the water. The smaller bars like 10 William, Fratelli Fresh and The Apollo Greek taverna too are also worth a mention.

And internationally?

I know it’s going to be Sicily… even though I haven’t been there yet. My great, great grandmother was born in Palermo, and my father later migrated to Tunisia. But the flavours of that region really speak to me.

You’re on Cunard’s Great Australian Culinary Voyage in January. What can people expect?

I think it’s going to be a very energetic trip. Around every corner will be something delicious to eat and someone amazing to chat to. They’ve jam packed the itinerary with a lot of great chefs.

One of Martini's dishes on the cruise: ajo bianco, burnt butter scallop and trout roe.

Plus I’m doing five consecutive nights of multi-course set menus. I think people should expect the unexpected. My menu is Mediterranean-inspired, plated up in the main restaurant which is usually very classic French, but I’m leaning toward a more robust and edgy menu.