Christine Manfield is one of the Australia’s most high-profile chefs and one of Sydney’s most iconic residents, with her streaky blonde hair, Kohl-lined eyes and take-no-prisoners attitude. A few years back, she challenged the finalists on Master Chef to recreate her incredibly complex Gaytime Goes Nuts dessert (if you’re up to it, here is the recipe). Here, she talks to us about her love for inner Sydney life, some of her favourite local 2011 haunts – and delivers a few foodie tips just right for now.

“Having a harbour view seemed so quintessentially Sydney, that when we moved from Adelaide in 1988 we couldn’t imagine living without looking out over the famous harbour. Add to that a terrace, a garden and a pool, and we snapped our apartment up – 30- years later, we still love it. It’s great 1970s stock, and we renovated in 1995, then again late last year when we got David Katon to redesign it. Our brief was to create a monochrome backdrop of black white and grey – to maximise views and give a sense of perhaps more space than there actually is. David did this by creating one wall in porcelain tile, the opposite wall in mirror panels – they reflect each other. Everything is designed to reflect the sparking blue harbour that seems so close, we can almost touch it.”

“One of the things we love most about this end of Elizabeth Bay (or, some say Potts Point) is its centrality – we can walk to the city and inner east – but at the same time it’s incredibly quiet, we’re away from the noise up the hill towards Kings Cross. The other thing, not too surprisingly, is that we love being so close to great restaurants. With the spate of recent openings, we’re spoilt for choice – we love Monopole, Billy Kwong, Cho Cho San (ironically on the site of our Paramount restaurant 1993-2000). Zinc is terrific for casual breakfast or lunch, as are Room Ten and Kim, a Korean restaurant on Llankelly Place. Favourite retail in the area include Bourke Street Bakery for bread, Potts Point bookshop for their great and selection of literature, art and cook books, and Becker Minty for indulgence and gifts.”

“When I closed Universal in 2013 it was with the idea of going out with a bang, at the top of my game. In fact, this swan song was built into the business from the very beginning. Since then, I’ve been busy writing, researching and hosting food tours to India and Bhutan, consulting, and doing stints as guest chef around town. These things aren’t substitutes for owning and operating my own restaurant, they are part of who I am. Restaurant life was pivotal to allowing that to happen, a springboard for other opportunities – it allowed me to explore how I can translate food experiences across a broad platform.”

“One of the things I love, is collaborating with other chefs – it stretches my imagination and discipline and opens new possibilities. Flexibility is key. Working with Nathan Sasi and his team last year at Nomad, then taking the Dessert Divas (me and my 2 dessert chefs) on tour to launch the book of the same title, bumping into a restaurant in every city and taking over their dessert menu for a week. Challenging stuff, for sure, but infinitely rewarding.”

“And, I’ve just put the finishing touches to a new book due out in November – ‘A personal travel guide to India and Bhutan’. Oh, and juggling a few other interesting one-off projects. That’s all certainly keeping me busy and off the streets.”

“Sydney being so food obsessed, the industry inevitably goes through phases, or trends. The trend for cooking on wood continues, the emphasis on artisan local produce stays strong, chefs are chasing pure flavour –  where the integrity of flavour is dominant, regardless of cuisine type and there is so much on offer from fine dining elegance to stylish, casual chic, shared plates and considered food with casual flair. Not only is the offer enormous, the standard is high.”

Six Food Tips for Sydney food lovers, by Chris Manfield:

• Eveleigh Markets on Saturday mornings for some of the best artisan and organic produce around (start with a ‘crooked madam’ from Alex at Bird Cow Fish stall for breakfast)

• Get juicing – buy a cold press juicer and start the day with a healthy hit

• Do a regular supervised detox – I go to Last Resort in Bondi

• I am loving hand made cheeses at the moment. Australia has some amazing producers in many different regions, particularly the Southern Highlands and Hawkesbury regions of NSW, Hobart/Huon Valley in Tasmania, McLaren Vale in SA, and the Yarra Valley in Victoria. These producers need as much encouragement and support as possible. But then, you can also enrol in a cheese making course at Cornersmith Picklery

• I love sitting with friends at the bar of Monopole, with a Negroni, a glass of champagne or a Vouvray Blanc and a mixed plate of their pastrami, goats curd and pickled cucumber. Divine!

• I love the crispy fried salt bush cakes and chilli, and the Sichuan duck at Billy Kwong – two of my go-to dishes every time I visit!