Restaurant: Restaurant Balzac
Matthew Kemp is a chef for the people. His restaurant philosophy is simple – sensational food at affordable prices packaged in a suburban location. It has certainly been a great score for the people of Randwick, with Restaurant Balzac (named for a French gastronome of some repute, predominantly for his gluttony) achieving culinary accolades year after year, yet prices remaining incredibly reasonable. British chef Kemp has gleaned his skill from restaurants on all corners of the globe, from The Square in London (where he learnt the how and why of cooking and the importance of being guided by the seasons) to Banc in Sydney (a hothouse of young culinary talent, where Kemp learnt the impact of extravagance on the plate).
Kemp’s earliest food memory revolves around the warm profiteroles on a dessert trolley in Greenwich, London. Nowadays, Kemp would be more likely found indulging in the honest Italian fare at Pilu at Freshwater, while at home with wife Lela and son Thomas food is pared back and is most likely to consist of toast with marmalade or vegemite. Garnering his inspiration from British chefs and authors Simon Hopkinson, Fergus Henderson and Jane Grigs, he too has a little knowledge to impart to the public: prepare, prepare, prepare. He suggests for a special occasion we should get into it at least a day in advance, noting “professional kitchens re-heat items, you can as well.”
Libby Travers, August 2006