LUNCH WITH LIVING LEGENDS ROBERT AND SALLY MOLINES AT THEIR FAMOUS BISTRO

Living LEGENDS

Renowned restaurateurs Robert and Sally Molines look back on 50 adventure-packed years of living and working in the Hunter Valley.

When you arrive at Bistro Molines, the first thing you see is a breath-taking view of Tallavera Grove’s rolling hills and the wide open sky, framed by the restaurant’s rustic courtyard. You could be in the south of France – bentwood café chairs, tables adorned with white linen, artfully placed vintage objets d’art and masses of fresh flowers everywhere confirm the impression. “Ah yes, the flowers, I keep saying we should open a florist shop,” Robert Molines jokes later when we join him for a free-ranging and highly entertaining conversation over a sublime lunch. French chef Robert met English-born equestrienne Sally Young at his first Sydney restaurant, Le Sagittaire, in 1972 and the following year they moved to the Hunter Valley. Their first joint venture, with Robert in the kitchen and Sally front of house, was Pokolbin’s Happy Valley restaurant, which they opened in 1973.

“At the time, there was only one other restaurant in the area – a Chinese place in Cessnock – and two motels,” Robert says. “How could we have imagined how much things would change when we first moved here? Vineyards have diversified, there are now many beautiful places to stay, and the dining scene is second to none.” Robert and Sally opened the multi-hatted Bistro Molines in 2008, after running numerous storied establishments in the Hunter Valley. Their culinary journey is intricately entwined with the evolution of the Hunter and the larger-than-life characters who helped make it what it is today. Robert met wine expert, writer and high-profile businessman Len Evans very early on; Len, and famed winemakers such as Murray Tyrrell and Max Lake were enthusiastic patrons of the Happy Valley restaurant. “Len and I struck up a wonderful friendship. We were almost like father and son,” Robert says. “He ‘lured’ me to The Rothbury Estate in 1978, when we were also running The Cellar restaurant at Hungerford Hill and The Verandah Restaurant at Calais Estate, and that’s when we became very close friends. “Rothbury used to run Ribbon Dinners for wine-lovers, which was very appealing to me. About 200 guests sat at long tables surrounded by wine barrels, and the tables were given red, white and blue ribbons that denoted what category of wine knowledge the diners had for a competition. It was convivial and fun – there was lots of laughter, talk, music and, of course, great food and wine. Len did an extravagant flambé for dessert and we all had to leap out of the way when he lit it.” The next few years were crazy busy for the Molines. Their two sons, Louis and Joseph, were born in 1979 and 1984, and while still running their other restaurants the couple became involved in the groundbreaking Pepper Tree project. Robert describes the combination of a prestigious winery, accommodation in the historic Convent and fine dining at Robert’s in one destination as a “perfect marriage”. Robert’s restaurant at Pepper Tree cemented the Molines’ far-reaching reputation as restaurateurs and played a huge part in their lives for 16 years. They were also involved in Len Evans’ Tower Estate, and Robert says they were devastated when Len died in 2006 – “my world had gone”. Len Evans had an OBE and AO (Order of Australia) and although he doesn’t mention it, 2006 was also the year that Robert was awarded an AOM (Medal of the Order of Australia) for services to the Hunter Valley’s tourism and hospitality industry. For a person who is so universally revered and influential, Robert is modest about his achievements. He has mentored many well-known chefs – Troy Rhoades-Brown of Hunter restaurant Muse, and Bistro Molines’ Garreth Robbs, just to name two – and gets great pleasure from helping young chefs realise their potential. He is also endlessly grateful to long-term friends and guests and the word ‘trust’ recurs frequently during our conversation. “We are very fortunate to have made friends over the years with people who have ‘adopted’ us and keep returning to us for what they know and love. One has to be consistent, committed and not think about yourself,” Robert says. “Some chefs think the menu is all about them. But call me old-fashioned – and maybe it’s my Latin blood – but I believe in simple recipes based on seasons and flavours, a convivial atmosphere and, above all, a sense of joie de vivre.” Bistro Molines, 749 Mount View Road, Mount View. For bookings at the Bistro and accommodation at Little Orchard Cottage, call 02 4990 9554, email dine@bistromolines.com.au, see bistromolines.com.au