With his band in Australia for a national tour to promote their latest albumIn Times New Roman, you might find Homme at his favourite Melbourne strip,Degraves Street in the CBD,where eggs benedict,an espresso and people-watching is his favourite activity.
But it’s the finer things in life the 50-year-old has come to appreciate,thanks to a 15-year friendship with the late chef,food writer and television personalityAnthony Bourdain that created a culinary road map he’s still chasing.
From the signatureroast bone marrow and parsley salad at chef Fergus Henderson’s London restaurants St. John to foam-topped dishes in Copenhagen,Homme says his appetite for quality ingredients is all thanks to Bourdain.
“There’s a rule that my good friend Tony Bourdain taught me that I stick to. He used to say to me,‘Season a little harder please’.”
“Tony and I loved dining out all the time. It could be a hole-in-the-wall spot or somewhere way fancy,” says Homme.
“Fifteen years of friendship meant I got to learn a lot from him and really appreciate food. Tony and I would dine atOsteria Mozza in LA. I’ll never forget the tomahawk rib-eye porcini-encrusted steak. Normally,a steak shouldn’t be touched,but this was beyond and out of this world. I still remember it.”
Eating in
Favourite go-to meal at home
I have been cooking a lot of swordfish and salmon. My preference is for fattier fish in a pan on the barbecue. I like to cook the fish in its own fat on high heat and not add anything extra. Basting fish in its own fat is my favourite flavour. I also like to cook vegies with lots of garlic.
Guilty pleasure
It’s chocolate chip cookie dough.
Kitchen wisdom
There’s a rule that my good friend Tony Bourdain taught me I stick to. He used to say to me,‘Season a little harder please’. I think that was very restaurant of Tony – more butter and more seasoning whenever he was around. I have taken that with me in life,and I always tell my mum to season more when she’s cooking too – that way,no one touches the salt and pepper shakers on the table.
Eating out
Angelini Osteriain Los Angeles – this place on Beverley Boulevard makes a lasagne I simply can’t avoid. I don’t eat much of them these days,but if I am in the mood to eat whatever I want,I’ll come here and order one. I generally don’t like lasagne,but I do like it when you find a place that has found a way to make you like it.
Favourite bar
I loveCherry Barin Melbourne and have had a lot of nights I don’t remember there. I ownedMonty Bar in LA with my business partner Rio Hackford (son of the late Oscar-winning director Taylor Hackford,who is married to Helen Mirren),who passed away in April 2022. We have since sold it. It was a great place because it was dark,had high ceilings and it felt small. It was all about the lighting for me,as the booze is all the same. Rio and I started it together,so it was special for me in that sense. It was nice to own a house of vice.
Favourite local spots in Malibu
I love a place calledItalia Deli.Delis are not created equal. Some people consider them to be like pizza,that even the worst is OK,butItalia Deli in Calabasas is incredible. When you can get a sandwich here,they scoop the centre of the roll out to allow for more filling.
There’s a local place I go to every day,but it’s about the people not so much the place. It’s calledLe Cafe De La Plage – I jokingly refer to it as “the plague”. It’s where a group of us meet for coffee every morning and I always order an oat milk latte.
Don Cucois a place I love to go to. They make fajitas with charred onions just the way I like them – brutalised and charred. They’re served on a sizzling cast iron and the vegetables have been pulverised – just how I like to eat them.
Tacos 1986 makes real street food tacos you get on the street. They took the same colours as the In&Out Burger chain,simplified their menu and they make delicious tacos. It’s simple – coriander,onion,habanero and guacamole on a corn tortilla with a meat of your choice. They make a delicious mushroom and chicken taco.
Favourite food city