From a bakery’s Big Mac-inspired pies to a three-hatted regional restaurant, the chef, restaurateur and MasterChef judge shares his top dining picks.
As MasterChef Australia judge Andy Allen and his business partner Darren Robertson get ready to open their Byron Bay style farm to table restaurant Three Blue Ducks at Burradoo in the Southern Highlands, NSW in February 2026, there’s little rest and lots to get done to bring the bakery, farmhouse casual eatery and 60-seater restaurant to fruition.
“We will be serving food that is Three Blue Ducks inspired with more finesse,” explains Andy Allen who lives in Northcote but is traveling interstate for work right now.
“Daz and I are excited to delve into a simpler way of cooking, and the menu will highlight proteins and veggies coming off the land,” he says.
The 300-acre property features an eight-acre veggie garden, while a Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden and cooking school is set to come to the site.
As Allen’s business footprint grows; so too will his family as he and his wife Alex announced they’re also expecting their first baby in 2026.
The Toyota bZ4x ambassador says he loves nothing more than exploring Melbourne with his electric car; heading to bakeries, choosing pubs over late night bars and has a soft spot for farm to table restaurants Brae and O.My in regional Victoria.
Signature dish at home:
A beautiful piece of trout on the barbecue with an oak leaf lettuce salad and a glass of wine with my wife Alex in the backyard.
Guilty Pleasure:
It’s ice cream – a tub of Connoisseur Cookies and Cream or Maggie Beer’s Burnt Fig.
Kitchen Wisdom:
With Christmas coming up, I like to do as much as I possibly can before the actual day. Make sure you have all your sauces done, so you can find yourself enjoying Christmas day and being able to spend time with your family, rather than, running around the kitchen like a headless chook!
EATING OUT
Reed House in Melbourne’s CBD. Owner and chef Mark Hannell worked with us at Three Blue Ducks for seven years and always had a dream to open his own place. It’s been so lovely to see that come to fruition. I like their take on British classics – the ramen Scotch eggs is a must. Chicken, bacon and leek pies are pretty epic here too; as are the lamb and ox tongue ones. When these things come to the table it’s a piece of art. The bone marrow pops out of the top and it’s well done. The family size pies are winners.
Nostra Kitchen – it was a fabulous pop-up on Victoria Road, Northcote run by chef Dane Hewson and his partner Lydia Greenwood. He used to work at Embla and there’s a lot of cooking over fire here. It went gangbusters over a week. I ate some of the best pasta and can’t wait for them to do it again.
When we lived in Carlton, we ate at Etta a lot. It’s one of the few restaurants in Melbourne where the mains are better than the snacks and entrees. Chef Rosheen Kaul isn’t there anymore, but I need to get to her pop-up Bistro Marigold where she serves a pork trotter braised in yellow wine. It comes with a beautiful trotter glazed sauce. I don’t think I can get a seat; but I’m gonna try!
Alex and I love Fenton Farmhouse. Nes [Nesbert Kagonda] is an epic dude; and he runs this more like a café. He’s built a community and there’s even a run club there. The coffee is very good here. I always order a long black. The triple smoked ham on a perfectly set jammy boiled egg is my go-to. It’s got some pickles on it and fresh veg and It’s all you want on a Sunday morning. They also do a roti night during the week.
I love The Royal Oak – a great pub in Fitzroy North. It’s been around since 1871. The owners have done a great job keeping its natural beautiful facade. I order a chicken schnitzel with Japanese curry sauce which is delicious and served with a punchy coleslaw. They do pickled mussels on toast and an epic tempura eggplant with sweet and sour sauce all over it.
Favourite Place in Australia
O.My Restaurant in Beaconsfield, Victoria. We took my mum there for her birthday while she was in town visiting with my dad. We grew up in a country town west of Newcastle; so, to experience something like this was definitely special.
My parents took me to Sizzlers for my 21st birthday, and like a lot of people’s childhoods, mine didn’t revolve around food or anything fancy. We always sat together as a family for meals, but it was really just to get fed.
Taking mum and dad down to experience this restaurant was amazing. Again, it’s the amazing farm and working hard to create awesome produce. Mum loved the sourdough bread. They also make a slow braised cabbage dish; rich and full of umami and plated so delicately. The snacks are so good – we ate raw flathead and a turnip dish. Dad grew up fishing and he’s never seen flathead done raw and he was really interested in that approach.
ON THE ROAD:
Falco make a great smashed burger/Big Mac pie. Their laminated pastries and croissants are on point. They mix pickles, American cheese and bake in their pies; and add a big mac sauce they make in house.
Tivoli Road is another favourite spot for traditional pies. I always get the brisket pie – it’s amazing.
Brae – we stayed down for a night and it was a great experience. It’s a world class site. The dessert was memorable – we ate the parsnip and apple cigar. The salad dish was also insane; made with lots of ingredients from the garden and it came out looking like a beautiful arrangement of flowers. They spray the vinaigrette tableside which is awesome.
Sydney Favourites
Banh Xeo in Rosebery. They make a famous turmeric pancake – it’s crispy and normally filled with barbecue pork. They also make fried pigs trotter with caramel sauce. I love an iced cold schooner at The Icebergs RSL. It’s nothing revolutionary food wise, but it’s one of those spots to people watch. Everything slows down here.
AP Bakery is leading the charge in the café/sandwich style scene. The egg roll and fermented chili sauce is so simple and delicious.
For pasta, it’s Ragazzi in the city. A spaghetti vongole is my favourite dish. They also make an anchovy toast with a wedge of sourdough, and put on an abusive amount garlic and chive butter and drape a couple of anchovies over the top. This is the perfect way to start a food crawl in Sydney. Also a big fan of Sean’s. It’s classic cooking. Perfect for long lunches in the sun. You have to order the roast chicken. Simple and the garnishes change seasonally.
Bubba’s Place The head chef is formerly Three Blue Ducks. It’s flavour food first. It’s the best Mediterranean, Middle Eastern style food that is not traditional and lots of fun to eat. There’s tarama on toast, BBQ Skull Island prawns with tomato butter and Italian crumb.
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.
