The popular entertainer shares his favourite places to eat in his regional Victorian home, plus his go-to spots around Australia.
He may be best known for capturing the attention of young viewers as Jimmy Giggle on ABC’s Giggle and Hoot, keeping kids (and their parents) laughing for a decade until 2019, but since switching his focus to making adults laugh during the not-very-funny pandemic, Jimmy Rees hasn’t looked back.
Along the way he’s garnered more than 1.8 million followers on social media — proof that comedic timing is everything.
The father of three lives on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula with wife Tori and sons Lenny, 10, and six-year-old twins Mack and Vinny, where he draws on his playful persona to create viral videos that take down local politics and has satirical swipes at everything from US politics to generational stereotypes at supermarkets that tickle his — and his many fans’ — funny bones.
Rees has found his groove at home – where he now has a dedicated studio for filming content. He loves nothing more than cooking a simple chicken parmigiana for his kids – and he’s teamed with Hello Fresh to craft simple recipes for home cooks.
These include a South-east Asian prawn po’boy with chilli crisp and lime pepper potato chips, cheesy butter chicken parmigiana and his own spin on a Korean TikTok viral food with gochujang carbonara.
“It’s about creating a menu that’s fun to whip up at home, to try something different and get a bit of fusion going on in the kitchen,” he says.
Here are the places Rees loves to eat at around Australia and overseas — and what he likes to order — when he’s not whipping up a pub-worthy parma at home.
Eating In
Signature dish at home
It’s always a chicken parmigiana with chips. Sometimes we like to be adventurous at home and put pineapple and ham on it.
My guilty pleasure
Ordering Indian take-away from my local Chutney Bar Mornington. My wife Tori was recently in Melbourne for an overnighter with the boys and I ordered two mains all to myself because I couldn’t decide what to eat – butter chicken and lamb korma plus rice.
The kitchen wisdom I live by
Dad always made cooking fun when he was in the kitchen. When it was time for fish and chips, he’d serve it in paper and we’d get super excited as kids. It’s about bringing in the props!
Eating out
My hometown favourites
The Filling Station in Mornington is my go-to for great fresh sandwiches and coffee.
The Rocks Mornington is where I go when I want to order a seafood platter to share. They have great oysters and the freshest fish.
Loosie’s is a cool dive bar on the Peninsula where I eat a lot of fried bar snacks like chicken wings and burgers – and I always order the fries.
I get my flat whites from Commonfolk Coffee Company. They take their coffee making super-seriously. The food is very good. I recommend the eggs Benedict because I love hollandaise sauce. They also make great crab cakes.
Favourite takeaway spots on the Peninsula
I like Pizza Craft & Pasta Co for a parmigiana – it’s so huge and also a family favourite destination.
Vinni’s Pizza e Pasta in Mount Eliza is another special spot. We’ve been dining here ever since I was a kid. Our son Vinny loves going here because they share a name in common and they make the best margherita pizzas. It’s a great family-run business. Vinni hasn’t aged a day!
A great Australian food dining memory
Tori and I spent a few nights at Jackalope [also in Mornington] without the kids which was an amazing getaway close to home. We sat through a degustation menu at Rare Hare and ate fresh oysters, pork belly and bourbon-glazed brisket.
My favourite Sydney dining spots
You line up for ages to go to Malaysian restaurant Mamak Haymarket but it’s totally worth it. You can see them make roti in the window. The satay is unbelievably good. I’d drink it by the jar if I could.
Mecca Coffee in Alexandria is my regular since the King Street location closed. It’s always an order of chilli scrambled eggs with a flat white.
It’s a toss-up between Maggie’s in Potts Point and Una’s in Darlinghurts for the best schnitz in Sydney, so why not both? I get my Jaeger sauce (creamy mushroom sauce) on the side and just pour it all over it.
Fei Jai Potts Point is my favourite Chinese restaurant in Sydney. It’s perfect for when you are feeling a bit boujee and have something to celebrate.
The Artisan Farmer isn’t in Sydney, but a few hours north in Nabiac. It makes a great road trip stop. The pies are insane and the pastries probably the best I have had anywhere. It’s so good.
My Perth favourites
If there is a tiki bar on offer, I’ll take it. I can’t remember the food, but the spiced rum cocktails are awesome at Hula Hula Bar.
If you’re up for some fancy Japanese in Perth, I would recommend Nobu Perth. Let someone else order and watch it all come to the table. It’s my favourite place for a business meeting in Perth.
My Brisbane favourites
From the same guy who perfected Longrain in Sydney, Short Grain is so good. The whole crispy fish is incredible.
Moo Moo Wine Bar & Grill is just around the corner from the theatre where we sometimes play in Brisbane. The staff are awesome and so are the cocktails. There is one on the Gold Coast too.
I am not vegan, but I love to get into vegan meals to see how creative and delicious they can be. Govinda’s West End in Brisbane is great and it’s really easy on the credit card. The menu is always changing and it makes you feel good about yourself.
Find Jimmy’s recipes at hellofresh.com.au
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 Twitter or email.
