FoodinFocus gets up close and personal with Sean Moran and Michael Robertson of Bondi’s iconic Sean’s Panaroma.
By Eleanor Glass
Nestled on the northern end of Campbell Parade, Sean’s Panaroma (say, and smell, ‘pan aroma’) is almost ready, set, and go for the night’s service to begin. Wicker chairs out the front are being unstacked, the lazy after-school traffic hums past the salt-sprayed doors, and the flat Bondi afternoon is beginning to take shape on the horizon to the tune of Elvis, playing softly through the speakers. Seasonal offerings are written in Sean’s own impeccable handwriting on blackboards hung above the kitchen, and the menu boasts plenty of great local wines by the glass.
Blue-eyed chef, author of Let it Simmer (Lantern), and part owner, Sean Moran, introduces his partner, Michael Robertson as ‘Mamoo’. The two are as much of a Bondi institution as the restaurant, which has been open since 1993. They met 20 years ago in a restaurant ("…of course," says Robertson) in Port Douglas. Robertson laughs when telling the story of the ‘best meal’ that he’s ever had, and his refusal to pay for his meal until the chef came out to join him for a drink. "The rest is history," laughs Robertson.
"When we first came here, it was a very different demographic," says Moran.
"We used to close for a month in winter," adds Robertson, not surprised when I look at him with disbelief. "You could park where you liked – there were no parking meters, there was no traffic. Then, all of sudden come summer it would come alive. Now, you’ve got four sets of lights, and parking warnings all over the place."
"We did every day of the week for a couple of years, and then slowly over the years we cut down to breakfast on weekends before cutting out breakfast altogether," says Moran. "It was what we wanted to do, but eventually we had to ask ourselves how much we wanted to work. You know, you’ve got to have a life too, don’t you?" Their weeks are divided up between their Blue Mountains retreat and their North Bondi abode. From their place in the mountains, a lot of the produce is sourced: garden vegies, fruit, rocket and herbs, even eggs from their "chooks".
"When you’re up in the mountains, you can be huddled around the fire, having a stew, and then wake up in the morning, get in the car, head for Bondi and have a swim," says Robertson. "So it’s the best of both worlds really. Our lifestyle is great."
When asked the predictable, ‘where to from here?’ Moran laughs, and says they have just signed another lease, so they’ll be "here for a while."
"I’d like him to get another book out," says Robertson, more seriously. "I think he has another one of those in him."
"If I didn’t push him, we wouldn’t have opened this restaurant," adds Robertson, as Moran laughs again. "Like they say, ‘behind every great man, there’s a great woman’. I’m probably that great woman. I’m more sort of the house wife; I look after him."
"It’s something we’ve evolved," says Robertson, "it’s still sort of trial and error, but we’ve been lucky. If Sean says he wants the wall green, then it’s my job to say ‘are you sure?’ give him a budget, and let him go. I could never say, ‘oh, green’s not the right colour’ He’s just got that ‘thing’ that has given ten people their livelihood for the last 13 years, so I’m not going to start messing with something unless it’s broken." Indeed, Sean’s Panaroma is infamous for the longevity of their staff, and boasts one of the lowest turnover rates, a rarity in such a rapid-fire industry. As he speaks, someone bangs away in the kitchen, and Robertson laughs as Moran explains the noise, "It’s not even the apprentice, he’s the waiter, and he just loves doing it!"
"I think it’s the way we treat out staff," continues Robertson. "We realise that to have a business like this, and to be successful, you can’t take all the credit yourself, because we can’t do it on our own, so we don’t, and two; you’ve got to share it with the staff."
"We were the first restaurant to say that you couldn’t smoke. You were never allowed to smoke in here."
"People couldn’t believe it," recalls Moran, "and we didn’t take credit cards. And we were BYO." Moran recounts how foreign these policies seemed in the early days, but how they have now become the much-respected norm.
"So really and truly, it just goes to show, that it’s all about the food," says Robertson. "Everything else doesn’t matter, and that’s what we’re really all about."
Sean’s signatures dishes to try before you die!
* Linguine with shredded arugula, lemon, chilli & Parmesan
* White chocolate & rosemary nougat
Sean’s Panaroma, 270 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach 02 93654924
