Nik Hill – co-owner and head chef of Paddington restaurant Porcine, serves up a summertime selection of dishes you’d usually find at his acclaimed bistro in Sydney.
At the Australian Open this month, he teams with Grey Goose for the return of their Courtside Bar – where a French bistro charm defines the menu – think lobster quiche and his signature truffle honey custard tartlette.
Since opening Porcine in 2021, Hill has gone from strength to strength; and was last year named Gourmet Traveller’s Chef of the Year in 2025.
Nik Hill spoke to The Write Drop for our At The Bar series.
MY CITY
Sydney quite literally has it all! Obviously, the beautiful Harbour, the perfect beaches and a very relaxed way of life, it also has one of the most diverse dining scenes in the world. There is so much to see, do, eat and drink and it never stops evolving.
FAVOURITE FOOD MEMORY
I have an odd knack for remembering dishes from restaurants and food from when I was very young. I remember eating at Rockpool when I was 15 as a budding apprentice, my mum took me for dinner to celebrate a birthday. I had a dish of Seared Scallops, Salt & Pepper Tofu & Foie Gras Sauce. Still to this day holds up as one of the top dishes I have ever eaten.
FAVOURITE BAR
I actually don’t get to bars as much as I would like as I do spend plenty of time in the four walls of my favourite pub The London Hotel in Balmain. That said when the time calls you will find me at Earls Juke Joint deep in a Negroni. Hard to fault, always a good time!
DRINK THAT DESCRIBES YOU
An ice-cold schooner of Reschs Draught. Cold, Delicious and straight to the point.
BEST HANGOVER CURE
When hungover one needs grease. But also, the sides maketh the cure. I’ll take a bacon sandwich with a dab of HP sauce, a double espresso, an ice cold blue Powerade, and a dip in the ocean.
BEST INTERSTATE BAR
Le Splendide in Melbourne. Right next door to (and owned by) my Favourite restaurant France-Soir. It’s slick, moody, ticks all the boxes and it’s the perfect spot for a pre or post drink when dining at the old French temple.
OVERSEAS BAR
La Dauphin in Paris. Again, owned by the same people as one of my favourite restaurants – Le Chateaubriand. It’s all marble with mirrored ceilings and lots of light comes the rough the open front in the afternoons. Summertime, it’s perfect. The drinks are fantastic, wine list is killer and if you can’t get into the restaurant next door they do an amazing whole roasted pigeon. Très Bon.
FAVOURITE WINE
Something I tend to gravitate towards has to be Domaine Charnay Gamay. So delicious and easy drinking that I tend to stick to it for most occasions. Slightly chilled to take the edge off. Delish.
FAVOURITE WINERY
Lulu Vigneron in the Jura. I had the pleasure of visiting a couple of years ago with my wife and a few friends when we were travelling through France. The place is breathtaking. Only very small and the cellar is part of the house where all of the winemaking is done. We spent the afternoon tasting, chatting and eating beautiful food cooked by Lulu’s wife (who is a fantastic cook) and wandering through the garden. Memories of that day at part of my “happy place”.
Tell us about the dishes you’re bringing to AO and how it reflects what you do at Porcine.
The dishes curated for the Grey Goose Courtside Bar at AO are very much an extension of what we do at Porcine in the summertime. We tend to keep the food lighter and lean into the French Riviera for inspiration this time of year. We are serving a decadent Lobster Quiche filled to the brim with leeks, tiger prawns and a savoury lobster custard. As well as a beautiful salad of tomatoes, cucumber and herbed goat’s cheese to accompany the quiche. We are doing a very simple picnic style offering of a light and airy Foie Gras and Duck Liver Parfait and a beautiful wedge of Camembert with some boozy prunes. The hot ticket is the Truffle Honey Custard Tartlette. We will only make a select number per day and they will be available from when the gates open until sold out. It’s a take on one of our classic desserts in the restaurant made specifically for the event.
Dining and Cooking