David Pugh
Chef David Pugh is known for his down to earth attitude and approach to food. David’s continual search for the best available fresh produce provides his inspiration and the basis of the menu at his acclaimed Restaurant Two. David is known for working with rare and premium produce from carefully sourced suppliers. His use of classic technique combined with these fine ingredients and thoroughly modern flair are what place Restaurant Two in the forefront of contemporary Australian cuisine.
David’s love of cooking emerged at age seven when he would treat his parents to Sunday breakfast. “When I was about seven I used to do breakfast in bed for mum and dad. I would work it all out, trying to get the timing right so that the bacon was finished just as the toast had popped up and the tea was stewed. It became a challenge – how to make the perfect egg,” he laughs. “It was my Sunday morning ritual.”
Since then, David has worked with some of the world’s finest chefs in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. David trained in Auckland, and then worked at the Melbourne Hilton, then the Hotel Connaught in London for about three years with some of the world’s top chefs, including Russell Armstrong and Michel Bourdain, drawing inspiration and skill from each and every encounter. About - 15 years ago David became head chef at Two Small Rooms prior to putting in place his ‘ideal’ Restaurant Two.
Three months after opening, TWO was named by Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine in Australia’s top 20 restaurants. Twelve years on David Pugh’s inimitable cooking style continues to place it amongst Australia’s top dining rooms.