Peter Gilmore spent 24 years building Quay into one of Australia’s most celebrated restaurants. Since its closure in February, he’s been keeping busy – most recently partnering with Booking.com for a one-off seafood lunch experience on Sydney Harbour. We sat down with him to talk fish markets, rising prices, and life after Quay.
Gilmore has spent decades sourcing seafood for Quay and Bennelong, and says the new Sydney Fish Market won’t fundamentally change much for chefs – most deal directly with wholesalers anyway. But for the city, he sees it differently.
“For the general public and the city as a whole, having an updated beautifully built marketplace is something to be proud and will just improve Sydney’s reputation as a culinary city,” he tells Forbes Australia.
On the rising cost of seafood, Gilmore is direct.
“Yes this is true, seafood is becoming more expensive but this is a world-wide trend as it becomes harder to source the abundance of seafood that was once available in our oceans 30 years ago.”
He points to sustainable practices – line catching, hand harvesting – as necessary trade-offs against industrial trawling and dredging. “So paying a higher price and protecting and respecting our ocean resources is part of the equation.”
For those wanting quality without the price tag, he recommends blue mackerel and bonito. “These are perfect for searing on a hot grill. Being oilier fish, they are best served medium rare.”
On cooking aboard a yacht versus a restaurant kitchen, Gilmore says the setting changes everything. “You naturally lean into simplicity and let the ingredients shine.” The outdoor BBQ on deck, he says, becomes the hero.
And on Quay, which served its last meal on Valentine’s Day: “Overall though I feel exceptionally proud of what we achieved over 24 years. I believe that Quay will stay in people’s hearts and memories for some time to come.”
A $19 yacht-side lunch
Booking.com has partnered with Gilmore for a one-off experience: one traveller and a guest, a private yacht, and a five-course lunch. The catch – there’s only one ticket, priced at $19.
The day starts with a behind-the-scenes tour of the new Sydney Fish Market, led by Gilmore. From there, guests board Sir Thomas Sopwith – a classic 72-foot yacht built in 1974 – moored at Jones Bay Wharf in Pyrmont. The vessel has private cabins, bathrooms, a full galley kitchen and deck space for dining.
On board, Gilmore runs a cooking session covering fin-to-tail techniques before serving lunch on deck. The menu runs through Sydney Rock Oysters, half-shell scallops with XO sauce and yellowfin tuna sashimi. After lunch, a dedicated skipper takes guests out across the harbour before two nights moored at the wharf.
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