This dessert had Nigella Lawson “purring with pleasure” – here’s how you can make it at home

• Nigella Lawson is back in Sydney for Vivid 2025 – and of course, she is eating her way through the city.
• She has returned to all her favourite dining spots, praising her favourite restaurants.
• One in particular has won her heart – with a funky Bombealaska.

Nigella Lawson has made her highly anticipated return to Sydney, and when she’s not gracing the front row at Australian Fashion Week, you’ll find her revisiting her favourite local dining spots.

The world-famous British chef is in Sydney for Vivid 2025, where she will be curating three exclusive multi-sensory dinners in Martin Place’s pedestrian tunnel, Muru Giligu. However, the queen of cooking is staying busy before the Vivid festivities begin, returning to her favourite Sydney restaurants and singing their praises to her 3.1 million Instagram followers.

Potts Point favourite Fratelli Paradiso is Nigella’s “first stop in Sydney”. In 2024, she visited the restaurant and raved about its staple spaghettini with scampi and cherry tomatoes (which has been on the restaurant’s menu since it opened in 2001).

Calling the restaurant her “happy place” and her “home [away] from home”, she stated that she has eaten at Fratelli Paradiso “more often than at any other restaurant in Australia”.

Perhaps the owners of the restaurant have a secret way of attracting celebrities to their venues.  Brothers Enrico and Giovanni Paradiso also own 10 William Street in Paddington, which hosted popstar Dua Lipa in March.

As many of us are with our favourite Sydney restaurants, Nigella is a creature of habit. She headed straight back to Fratelli Paradiso to try the exciting new dishes on their menu.

READ MORE: Everywhere Dua Lipa ate in Sydney

The “beauteous Bombalaska”

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Want to dine like Nigella? Ordering this unassuming $21 dessert off the Fratelli Paradiso menu is a must.

The chef spoke highly of the “beauteous Bombalaska” served at the restaurant. She told her Instagram followers:

“I don’t expect to eat a better pudding while I’m here, and I don’t need to: I’ll just keep on coming back for this! It’s got a base of hazelnut praline, and beneath the flame-bronzed Italian meringue is mounded pistachio semifreddo and lemon curd. Yes, I know! I swooned with every spoonful.”

Never has a person spoken on Bombalaska with this much enthusiasm, but hey, if it’s good enough for Nigella, it’s good enough for us!

Nigella’s “every-time, on-arrival order”

Nigella stated that the Olive Ascolane, which will set you back $12, is her order on arrival.

“Olive Ascolane, my every-time, on-arrival order, those fat and juicy green olives stuffed, here, with sharp cheese before being breadcrumbed then deep fried.

Other dishes that had Nigella “purring with pleasure” was a “magnificent” pork chop with agretti and white polenta. She insists that she’s planning to go back for more, remaining loyal to the restaurant after another exquisite meal.

Where else will Nigella go?

Her love for Fratelli Paradiso is unmatched, however, she also returned to Sean’s in Bondi over the weekend, speaking favourably of their Sunday dishes. She wrote, “Roast chook at Sean’s Bondi epitomises the perfect Sydney Sunday for me.”

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Nigella has previously spoken about which restaurants she plans to visit in Sydney during her trip, including favourites such as Palazzo Salato, Cafe Paci and AP Bread and Wine. We’re watching out for where Nigella heads next, and what her favourite dishes on the menu will be. Maybe she’ll find a new favourite restaurant to replace Fratelli Paradiso!

READ MORE: The best Sydney restaurants to visit in May, according to Nigella Lawson

Feel like you’re missing out? Here’s how to make Nigella’s favourite dessert at home

If this story has left you feeling peckish, this recipe from Ocado will help you create the perfect pistachio Bombe Alaska, like the one from Fratelli Paradiso.

Ingredients:

• 65g unsalted butter, plus extra for the tin
• 100g 70% dark chocolate
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 200g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs, 2 whites separated
• 75g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp milk
• 900g pistachio ice cream
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Method:

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas 4. Grease a 20cm round cake tin with butter and line with baking paper.

Step 2

Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, or in the microwave. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile, use an electric whisk to combine 100g sugar and egg until pale and fluffy. Fold into the chocolate.

Step 3

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder together; add half to the chocolate mixture, using a balloon whisk to combine. Add the milk, then whisk in the remaining flour mix.

Step 4

Pour into the cake tin and bake for 15-20 mins, or until a skewer in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool completely, then remove from the tin. Trim the cake to 15cm in diameter. Place on a freezer-safe ovenproof tray; transfer to the freezer.

Step 5

Remove the ice cream from the freezer 10-15 mins before use. Line a freezer-safe bowl (15cm in diameter and at least 8cm deep) with baking paper. Pack the ice cream into the bowl; freeze for at least 1 hr.

Step 6

Once the ice cream is frozen solid and the cake is very cold, remove from the freezer. Dip the ice-cream bowl into a large bowl of warm water briefly to loosen the ice cream. Invert the ice-cream dome onto a plate, then slide it onto the centre of the sponge. Return to the freezer.

Step 7

Measure the marshmallow ingredients into a metal bowl, add a pinch of salt and place over a pan of boiling water – don’t let the water touch the bowl. Whisk continuously with a balloon whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot (3-5 mins). If you have a thermometer, whisk until it reads 75°C or reaches 70°C for 2 mins, whichever comes first. Remove from the heat; whisk on high using an electric mixer or handheld mixer until nearly-stiff, glossy peaks form.

Step 8

Heat the grill; remove the ice-cream sponge from the freezer. Use a palette knife to spread the marshmallow over the dome. Grill briefly until the marshmallow takes on some colour. Serve immediately.