“You are only afraid if you are not in harmony with yourself. People are afraid because they have never owned up to themselves.”~ Hermann Hesse circa 1980s around Darling Point Road
How to host a seafood feast — Sydney style
How to host a seafood feast — Sydney style Designers Patrick and Tamsin Johnson serve up a deliciously slow lunch at Darling Point
In the leafy suburb of Darling Point, on a ridge overlooking a glistening Sydney Harbour, the hum of a house party gently permeates an otherwise quiet cul-de-sac. The sunny front courtyard of an ivy-covered, 1920s brick-and-tile home is playing host to friends of Patrick and Tamsin Johnson, who are almost as well known in their respective fields – as fashion and interior designers – as they are for throwing a good party.
“We love hosting – I feel like we’re constantly having some kind of dinner party or lunch,” says Tamsin, who was born in Melbourne but has lived in Sydney for nearly 20 years. She founded her interiors practice in 2013 and has become known for mixing antique and vintage furniture from different eras with modern designs. Her discerning eye has seen her kit out retail spaces and homes for some of Australia’s most well-known names, including billionaire investor James Packer and influencer Nadia Fairfax-Wayne – as well as the grand residence we’re in today.
“Having people over is always a loose, warm, slow kind of thing – it’s always very relaxed, and very much shaped around the guests,” adds Patrick. Born and raised in Adelaide, the designer started his tailoring-focused clothing brand P Johnson in Sydney in 2009, and now has showrooms throughout Australia as well as in London, New York and Jakarta. His clothes, which are classic yet unfussy, outfit some of this afternoon’s guests – among them jeweller Olivia Bond, interior stylist Steve Cordony, private-equity investor Nick Speer and his wife Camilla, a travel adviser, and Sophie Darling, the founder of fashion archive Galerie S.
Today’s menu is served outside on a long table under the shade of a parasol: it feels decidedly Australian. Patrick, barefoot, is tending to scallops on the barbecue, before he and Tamsin start handing around plates laden with oysters and prawns served with Marie Rose sauce. “We often start by going to the Sydney fish market and seeing what’s available – that’s normally the beginning of the process,” says Patrick. “I’ll usually look for the weird and wonderful, but we always start with oysters. I’m South Australian, so I really love the ones from Coffin Bay.”
Fresh crayfish – one of the Johnsons’ festive traditions – follows, then a crowd-pleasing whole roast ribeye fillet. A variety of “big, beautiful salads”, including a tomato panzanella with melon and mozzarella, mixed green leaves with goat’s cheese and a fennel, blood orange and kalamata olive number, accompany the mains. To finish is a showstopper pavlova – covered in mango and passion fruit and served with watermelon and berries.
“We know exactly what all of our guests like as their drinks, so we try to cater to each of them,” says Patrick. “One of them likes sticky wine, another really likes Koshihikari Echigo, this amazing Japanese rice beer, and another just has Belvedere vodka, straight up.” Drinks are often served in Joe Colombo Smoke glasses, which Patrick collects, or Venetian champagne flutes. “I like having a really sharp Martini at the start of the day, and Tam’s a champagne girl.”
Like their hosting style, decorations are kept simple – burning frankincense wafts across the garden and, when the sun eventually sets, the space is lit up with only candles. “I don’t like too-done table settings,” says Tamsin. “We’ll usually just throw on a white tablecloth, but we’re not polishing silver or serving on fine china.” The only flourish is a few vases of mixed coloured roses; a tip Tamsin picked up from Sydney institution Sean’s Panorama in Bondi. “I remember when I first visited this restaurant, there were always beautiful mixed roses from [Sean’s] garden on the tables. That really stayed with me.”
The Johnsons’ long lunches usually go well into the evening, unfolding to a soundtrack of jazz before inevitably ending with a turn of the Grateful Dead. “Our guests seem to not want to leave,” says Tamsin, “but that’s probably an us problem rather than a them problem
