Acclaimed food writer and TV personality Nigella Lawson has touched down in the Harbour City, where she has wasted no time exploring the city’s best restaurants and bars.

Nigella is in the country for her event series “An Evening with Nigella Lawson,” where she has been sharing her musings on food, live in conversation with delicious. senior editor Matt Preston.

While Sydney is not an official stop on the tour, Nigella is currently visiting the city and has already stopped by two local restaurants. The ‘domestic goddess’ was spotted last night at Baba’s Place in Marrickville, where she discreetly sat at the bar for dinner with friend and events director, Hannah Pike. She was seen chatting with the staff, taking photos with them and hugging them as she left.

Baba’s Place chef Jean-Paul El Tom said the whole experience was surreal. “I grew up watching the Food Network, so in a way, she taught me how to cook.”

“It was surreal to be able to cook for her, she was so humble and down to earth.”

For dinner, Nigella ordered the sesame cucumbers, BBQ chicken with chips, pickles and toum and the bluefin tuna melt with green olives, almonds and manchego cheese on an AP baguette.

She also tried Baba’s signature dish – the tarama on toast,  a slab of toasted shokpan topped with a pretty pink piping of taramasalata, finished with a snow of bottarga and sesame praline.

“We wanted her to try a bit of everything. But we didn’t smash her with food, which was very tempting. We did have to pull back a bit.”

“I did third-wheel her dinner with her friend a bit. We spoke about some of her dining experiences in Sydney and how much she loves the dining scene here, how it’s so casual and unique. I had to remove myself at a certain point because I was chatting with her too much,” he jokes.

Baba’s Place in Sydney’s Inner West celebrates suburban culture through the immigrant experience.

The restaurant is housed in a converted warehouse, which has been made to look like a cosy suburban home complete with family heirlooms and bric-a-brac sourced from local op shops and Facebook Marketplace.

It was Nigella’s second food stop in the city, following on from King Clarence by the Bentley Group, where she raved about the Fish Finger Bao on Instagram saying “I want to eat it every day of my life from now on.”

Nigella has chronicled her dining experiences on social media throughout the tour, sharing food pics and lengthy captions that generously heap praise on local establishments and reveal her favourite dishes in details.

 

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Nigella is also believed to have visited Ester, Matt Lindsay’s restaurant in Chippendale.

In Brisbane, the cookbook author dined at Agnes Restaurant in Fortitude Valley as well as Lobby Bar and Sushi Room at the Calile Hotel.

In Perth, she visited Balthazar Restaurant, Indigo Oscar and Lula La Delizia, while also stopping by Cullen Wines in the Margaret River for lunch.

In Adelaide, she returned to Leigh Street favourite, Fugazzi Bar and Dining, for the second time.

What we want to know now is, where is she heading next?

Related restaurant review: If you’re missing your Teta, come to Baba’s Place