The Aussie restaurants Helen Goh loves most (and her go-to dishes)

Malaysian-born Australian pastry chef and Good Weekend recipe columnist Helen Goh is best known for developing recipes for celebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi, whom she met when she moved to the UK in 2006. But it took writing her first solo cookbook – released late last year – to realise that her recipes have plenty to do with her dual career as a psychologist.

Goh returns to the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival to host the special three-course Lunch with Helen Goh on March 29, and to celebrate the cookbook, Baking and the Meaning of Life. It’s a kitchen-to-therapy lounge reassurance that comfort food and psychology go hand in hand for Goh.

“For a long time, I kept the psychology and baking separate – like two train tracks that never converged,” she says. “Writing this book made me realise how they each fed into each other.

“My psych practice has made me more attuned to the emotional dimensions of baking and has helped me understand why baking matters. And baking gives me a lived, tangible way to experience those insights.”

After a seven-year tenure as head pastry chef at hatted St Kilda stalwart Donovans, Goh retains an enduring affection for Melbourne’s food scene.

“Melbourne has shaped me completely as a cook. It’s a city that takes food seriously but there’s also a curiosity, generosity and playfulness,” she says.

“Growing up and working in Melbourne meant being exposed to an extraordinary mix of cultures and cuisines. You could have perfect handmade pasta one night, a soothing bowl of pho the next, and interesting Middle Eastern the day after that. That breadth is astounding, and what’s amazing is the availability of the produce.”

Helen took some time out ahead of her visit to share some of her favourite food finds.

Eating out

What is your favourite place to eat in Australia?

I love Merricks Store in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula for the relaxed vibe, hyper-seasonal food, great all-day menu and the excellent service. I planned a big birthday party for my husband there one January, and it was the most perfect day.

Favourite spots in Melbourne

Any Vietnamese joint that sells good banh mi. I have never had a good one in London, and it’s the thing I miss most. I also like Rock Pho in South Yarra for their beef bun cha, and Cicciolina in St Kilda for spaghetti vongole.

In the city, the first place I’ll go to eat when I land is Supernormal. I like Apollo Innfor whisky sour and Gildas, and the gnocco fritto with bresaola and parmesan from Gimlet. It’s so perfect.

Favourite takeaway spot

I met up with my friend, Kathy, in Albert Park and she’d bought fish and chips, a fish burger and potato cakes from Pipis Kiosk. We ate it all on the beach, washed down with beer and had a glorious time. She recommended the clam flatbread, but we weren’t able to get it that day.

In Sydney

A.P House meets all my needs. I order congee with egg, parmesan and chilli crisps if I’ve flown in from London and am feeling woozy, followed by a cake or pastry.

I like Bar Copains for the bacon and comte custard tart, it’s pastry perfection, and a sharp salad.

I go to Spice I Am for pad prik pao (crispy pork belly stir-fry).

My favourite hometown restaurant and go-to dish:

London is home, and Tosa in Hammersmith is my favourite for izakaya-style dining. I start with ingen no gomaae (boiled green beans with black sesame sauce), then a couple of skewers of grilled quail eggs, followed by mackerel or sea bass with grated radish and lemon.

My favourite London cafe

HIDE restaurant for breakfast – the scrambled egg and Viennoiserie are exceptional.

On the road

Favourite food city

I can’t choose between San Sebastian and Kuala Lumpur. I first went to San Sebastian in 2019. I love the vibe, and the old town is compact and walkable. A pintxos crawl followed by a walk along La Concha is the perfect day.

I was born in Malaysia, so I’ve been eating in Kuala Lumpur and Penang my whole life. The street food is amazing, and now some of the best can be found in the basement of the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur. I always have nasi lemak, char kway teow and an oyster omelette, and sometimes have two portions of [popular dessert] chendol in succession.

I love the Georgetown morning markets, too. Steamed dumplings and bak kut teh (meat bone tea) and roti canai are my essentials.

Where do you stay when you’re there and why?

I have mainly stayed at traditional rowhouses that I find on Airbnb. I like their character: it gives me insight into how the folks lived. The stairs are often very narrow and treacherous!

Eating In

Signature dish and what is your go-to at home

Salmon poke bowls [like these from RecipeTin Eats, pictured below], as requested by my children every week. I toss the salmon cubes in gochujang, mayonnaise, soy and maple syrup and then grill.

My guilty pleasure

It would be steamed jasmine white rice with Poon’s wind-dried pork sausage, fried egg and XO sauce.