Stream free On Demand
Memory Bites with Matt Moran
series • cooking
PG
series • cooking
PG
When you taste a dish that instantly transports you back to childhood, what would it be? Is it tied to a special moment, a ritual, or a loved one? For acclaimed chef, restaurateur, and host of SBS Food’s new series, , Matt Moran, the answer is simple: slow-cooked lamb.
“It brings me straight back to my grandmother’s house on a Sunday lunch – sitting around a table with all my family members and eating lamb.”
In his show Memory Bites, Moran delves into the deep connection between food, memory, and emotion by inviting six celebrity guests to share their culinary nostalgia. Blending storytelling and cooking, the show highlights how certain dishes serve as a ‘time machine’, transporting people back to meaningful moments in their lives.
Credit: KITTI GOULD
The roots of Matt Moran’s ‘Memory Bite’
Known for his refined culinary techniques and a portfolio of high-end Australian restaurants – ranging from ARIA to Opera Bar and Barangaroo House – Moran’s most cherished dish is a humble roast lamb.
Whether it’s a shoulder or a leg, with beautiful roasted vegetables, Moran explains, “Knowing that for many generations we've been lamb breeders... As soon as I smell that lamb, I think of my grandmother's house.”
As soon as I smell that lamb, I think of my grandmother's house.
Growing up on a Western Sydney farm, he was surrounded by food traditions that shaped his career. Now, at , a 1000-acre regenerative property in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, he has reignited his passion for farming, continuing to focus on ethical and sustainable practices.
The celebrity chef now spends almost half his time at the farm, when he is not in Sydney busy with his other professional commitments.
His passion for quality produce carries through to his restaurants, where lamb features in dishes like lamb saddle with garden peas, morels, and tarragon at ARIA; slow-roasted lamb shoulder with mint salsa or slow-cooked lamb ragu with penne pasta and parmesan at Chiswick.
In fact, when asked what his top chef's tip for home cooks would be, he brings it back to the P word - produce. “That is the most important thing," he says. "Go to the farmers markets, buy it off the person growing it. For me, it's so much more romantic when you know the story."
And stories are what he helps to tell through his conversations on the show. “In Memory Bites, I get to uncover the stories and memories behind some truly special dishes with some amazing Aussies,” .
For Moran, dishes can act as a ‘’ that catapults people back to meaningful moments in their lives – a memory of a dish, “cooked by someone you love”.
"I like people, I like talking with people. I found myself really glued to what they had to say. I was really interested in their upbringings, because they're all so different," he adds.
The power of sharing food, creating new memories
While a slow-cooked lamb holds the key to Moran's past, his everyday cooking at home often centres on simpler fare. "I love fish, done really simply. Seared in a pan, squeeze of lemon," he says.
"I eat normal food," he admits, with cheese toasties and eggs on toast as his comfort food staples.
Moran's approach to home cooking remains grounded in hospitality – "When I'm at home, I just love cooking, I'm always entertaining, I love having people over. It's just in my blood."
Acknowledging today's cost-of-living pressures, Moran encourages people not to overlook secondary cuts of meat, which are often more affordable. His culinary philosophy emphasises balance – "pairing fatty-flavoured lamb with an acidic element," he explains, with the traditional accompaniment of mint sauce working because it's "full of vinegar and lemon," – just like squeezing a wedge of lemon over deep-fried fish and chips.
When I'm at home, I just love cooking, I'm always entertaining, I love having people over. It's just in my blood.
For food lovers everywhere, Moran’s memory bite is a reminder that sometimes, the simplest dishes are the ones that mean the most. More than food, it’s about heritage, nostalgia, and the emotional weight of a meal made with love.
--- Watch Memory Bites on SBS Food (Ch. 33) on Mondays, 7:30pm from March 10, 2025, and stream all episodes anytime at---
