Sydney is consistently voted one of the best cities in the world. Would you agree?
That it's voted one of the world's best cities doesn't surprise me at all. Because it's very progressive. It's influenced by other countries, but it's still very pure and its own place as well. It's very unique. I must say that from the time I arrived to today, it really has changed quite a lot. It has gotten much better.

Where did you live in Sydney?
I lived in the Mossman area, in a beautiful place called Cremorne Point, which lies on the North Side. Sydney is surrounded by water, and we were right there on the harbor. We didn't have a view of the Opera House or anything like that, because we were looking in the opposite direction. Never­theless, it was a beautiful view. Eventually, I moved from the North Side to the Eastern Suburbs. We had a beautiful apartment on Bondi Beach. Selling that place is one of my biggest regrets in life. We sold it for a song, and, of course, now the real estate there is worth so much. But anyway …

Where do you stay now when you're in town?
There is a charming little hotel on Bondi Beach called Ravesi's. It's been there for as long as I can remember. It started out as a two-star hotel and then they piled a lot of money into it. I'm not sure if they have their third or fourth star now. You overlook Bondi Beach there. That is just worth its weight in gold to me, because those are all my memories. Just looking at that beach and walking on it and eating fish and chips on it and swimming. My favorite thing to do when I was living there was to get up every morning around 6 or 6:30 and run on the beach. Even better was the walk from Bondi­ to Bronte, which is about two or three beaches away. Bronte is approximately­ 45 minutes from the center of town and completely clean. The color of the water is extraor­dinary. The temperature of the water, depending on the time of year, is pretty great. I would say the walk from Bondi to Bronte, back and forth, takes 45 minutes. It's got a lot of rocks and cliffs and beautiful beaches. It's just a priceless experience. For me, it's a nostalgic experience.

You must have worked up an appetite with all that walking.
There are a number of great cafes on Bronte Beach. They are literally stacked up next to each other. They have great vegetable or chicken pies, great smoothies. And the coffee in Sydney is arguably the best coffee I have ever had in the world. Better than Italian, Parisian, or from any major city. I don't know, they just have it right. It's good, strong, bitter, and how it's supposed to taste.

Where do you go to get a good cup of joe?
On Bondi Beach, I go to Gusto. You sit on stools on the street and have your coffee and juice. You can grab a sandwich, too. There's another place called Bondi Aqua Bar, on the north end of Bondi, that does great scrambled eggs. It's a very tiny place, a hole in the wall. It's sort of controlled chaos in there. The food is great, always fresh, but much of the allure is the ambience and spirit of fun.

You mentioned fish and chips earlier. You can get that in Sydney?
Yes, right there on Bondi Beach at a place called Bondi Surf Seafoods on Campbell Parade, where I've been going since about 1990. You can get your greasy-style fish and chips or you can get it freshly grilled, without the batter. They sell extraordinary seafood as well, if you want to cook it yourself. But the fish and chips you just take away in a box and sit with there on the beach at sunset. It's beautiful.

What about when you want to actually sit down at a table to eat?
Hugo's, on Bondi Beach, was always my favorite. It's a small place and they do great seafood, great cocktails, fantastic daiquiris with fresh fruits, and a great balmain bug [a slipper lobster], which is one of Australia's delicacies, somewhere between a crab and calamari. It's beautiful and fresh. I get a little upset with them now, because they always call the paparazzi. You can't go in there without it being in the paper the next day.

Where do you go, then, if you want to avoid finding yourself all over the tabloids the next morning?
Icebergs, which is also on Bondi Beach, but is more on the Italian side. It's quite rich, actually. Again, these are beachfront restaurants and, again, much of the experience is about more than just the food. It's what you're looking at and where you are. There are a number of great places in the city, too, especially on the wharf near the W Hotel. The one I go to is called Otto, which is also Italian. They make great risotto and do a great bellini. Then there's a landmark called Harry's Cafe de Wheels. He has always sold meat pies. I don't know if it exists anywhere else in the world. I'm not a meat lover, but it's a huge thing in Australia, so you go for the meat pie.