‘I’m very simplistic’: Shaun Micallef’s not-very-foodie Melbourne favourites

Australian comedian and TV host Shaun Micallef may not be much of a foodie, but that didn’t stop him from sharing – or avoiding – dishes with his celebrity travel companions while filming SBS series Origin Odyssey.

“Food is about as interesting a conversation as talking football is to me,” he says.

In the new series, Micallef travels to Scotland with comedian Luke McGregor, Ireland with TV personality Tony Armstrong and the Aeolian Islands (north of Sicily) with actor Pia Miranda. Each trip presented its own food challenges.

“I couldn’t stomach the haggis in Scotland, and Tony Armstrong had the serve of Irish breakfast I didn’t eat either,” Micallef admits. “I did eat a nice pasta dish between course seven and nine with Pia’s family. It had apricot in it.”

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At age 64, Micallef turned a recent type 2 diabetes diagnosis around with some healthy adjustments to his diet, which has never been especially adventurous.

Micallef confesses he has never tried an artichoke, or a lychee, and won’t eat oysters either. A man of simple rituals, these are the places he likes to return to. And what he actually does like to eat.

Eating Out

Your favourite place to eat in Australia, and its special food memories

I remember eating a meal at Florentino with Sir Michael Palin, who was in town to promote a book and TV series. We had dinner together upstairs and Guy Grossi came out of the kitchen and grated truffle onto my soup.

Other memorable meals are milestone anniversary dinners with my partner. We like Vue de Monde for the degustation.

I also took Monty Python’s Terry Jones to Sebastian in Williamstown for dinner one night – it’s got a great outlook of the beach. I will always have a steak and a salad on the side there.

Favourite Melbourne restaurants

We love to go to Thai street-food restaurant DoDee Paidang in the city. I get a bit of carb action with noodles, but it’s always fish or pad Thai with chicken.

When in the city, we go to Kenzan Japanese for a degustation dinner. We also like The Hardware Club for the fish of the day.

Favourite local westside restaurants

I have enjoyed dining at Pizza d’Asporto over the years. In Williamstown, I go to Squires Loft for a fillet steak, medium-rare with English mustard. It’s the same meal every time I go. I don’t even have to order it now.

I go to Tick Tock cafe in Williamstown for my carrot cake slice.

We also have a favourite Japanese spot called Saikyo. I’m very simplistic – it’s always the sashimi; rice is to be avoided.

My partner and I like to dine at Smile Buffalo in Yarraville. We go to the pictures at Sun Theatre and visit the bookshop followed by a Thai meal. I order the steamed chilli fish with some vegetables – that’s my indulgence.

Favourite food shop

We used to get our sliced deli goods at Marazita Bros Delicatessen in Williamstown. They had an amazing assortment of cheese and hams, but it’s no longer there.

Now we go to Sacca’s Brothers [Sacca’s Fine Foods] in Altona – we get our meat, vegetables and biscuits here.

Favourite takeaways

There’s a chicken and chip shop in Williamstown called Hot Wings Charcoal Chicken & Salad Bar. There’s a big picture of a chicken out the front holding the hot wings – I think he’s a traitor to his species because he encourages you to eat him. They’re a nice bunch here.

I also like to go to the Southbank food court and buy the discounted sashimi after 5pm.

On the road

We drive to Adelaide every year, and at the midway point stop at Nhill to go to the bakery. These days I’ll probably have a cheesy bite scroll, but in the old days, I’d have a bun dusted with icing sugar. I’m more savoury now.

A great Thai restaurant in Adelaide is Duthy Thai. It’s really good fresh produce and the dishes are amazing. When we lived in Adelaide, we’d get our takeout dinners here.

When I was courting Leandra, we’d go to Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills and hang out at the Old Mill — there are a lot of memories of the courtship here. We also like to go to SheShells in Glenelg for the SA whiting.

Eating in

Signature dishes at home

I am not a big breakfast guy. I usually whip up something in the NutriBullet with plain yoghurt and a banana for a healthy breakfast at home. I don’t drink coffee, I never have. I do like a green tea because I need to be sociable.

I make a steak sandwich my partner Leandra really likes. I’ll cook a perfect egg in an egg ring to try and get an oval shape, and fork the egg to destroy the yolk. The steak is cooked medium rare. Sometimes I do it on the barbecue. I’ll add cheese, some greenery – a plastic bag of leaves will do. The order I stack it is leaves, steak, cheese, egg and sauce on top.

Guilty pleasure

I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, but I turned it around. I made it go away by opting for a healthier diet and lost 10 kilos. I do like a packet of licorice allsorts, and I’m a complete finisher. Once you open a packet, I’ll generally finish it off. I’ll also indulge in a piece of carrot cake.

The kitchen wisdom I still cling to

Always have a good hiding spot for sweets. My mother and my grandmother were great bakers of biscuits and cakes. That’s probably where I got my sweet tooth from. I am happy to blame them rather than my gluttony. When my mother wasn’t cooking biscuits, she was purchasing them and hiding them for herself in the bottom of the cupboard. I managed to find a paper bag full of Mint Slices and would eat one or two.

Shaun Micallef’s Origin Odyssey is streaming now on SBS On Demand

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Jane Rocca is a regular contributor to Sunday Life Magazine, Executive Style, The Age EG, columnist and features writer at Domain Review, Domain Living’s Personal Space page. She is a published author of four books.Connect via X or email.AdvertisementAdvertisement