Chef Michael Guirguis: A life in recipes

Chef Michael Guirguis of Suq

A LIFE IN RECIPES

WORDS CARLA GROSSETTI PHOTOGRAPHER LISA HAYMES

THE MENU AT SUQ RESTAURANT IN WAMBERAL READS MORE LIKE A MEMOIR, AS CHEF MICHAEL GUIRGUIS GIVES DINERS A GLIMPSE OF HIS LIFE THROUGH FOOD.

It is late in the afternoon in the galley kitchen of Suq restaurant where chef Michael Guirguis stands, pen poised, head down, scribbling a recipe he has suddenly recalled from his six-week stint in Japan.

‘Yellow fin tuna. Wasabi. Sesame dressing. Pickled ginger … that’s it,’ says Michael, with a satisfied smile, pausing from his notetaking.

‘My restaurant is called Suq because it’s a little bit like getting lost in the narrow passages of a suq [marketplace], where the flavours and aromas seem to meld together,’ he says.

The extensive dinner menu at Suq revisits Michael’s past, taking customers on a magic carpet ride from Egypt, where he learned to cook alongside his seven uncles, to France, Japan, Italy, Greece and, finally, to his home on the NSW Central Coast.

Instead of flicking through photo albums of his travels, diners at Suq are transported to pockets of Europe, northeast Africa and Australasia through their palate with dishes that Guirguis believes represent the most delectable parts of each particular cuisine.

Kernels of truth

Taste the Cairo-style corn on the cob in peanut and sweet chilli mayo with aged parmesan and you can envisage Michael first as a little boy in Egypt, wandering around the mazelike bazaars of an old medina eating corn from the cob. Close your eyes while crunching on a fresh-baked baguettine and you may follow him to France where his parents sent him at age 13 to join a seminary and become a priest.

‘My mum was Egyptian; my dad was Moroccan and we spanned the cultures between the two countries. My parents sent me to France to become a priest in order to avoid being called into the army like my older brother. They wanted me out of there. After six months in the seminary, I said I wanted to become a chef. A family friend sponsored me and I stayed there in France for six years, learning and studying,’ says Michael.

‘At first, I didn’t want to stay in the country. It was very difficult without my family. But I eventually regarded this family friend as being like a father. It was more than three decades until I saw my family again,’ he says. A haven of tranquility

Today, Michael’s globally inspired menu reads like a compilation of his greatest hits: you might start with a selection of small tapas-like dishes such as Tasmanian salmon on betel leaf, Japanese edamame with Maldon salt and seared Japanese scallops. Then move on to the To Share sections where the flavours are even more abundant: there’s the house-made Grand Marnier duck liver pâté with cornichons, Dijon mustard, quince, truffle oil or beetroot remoulade, or the crab and lobster wrapped in house-cured salmon with a gremolata-style salsa. Egyptian-style broad-bean falafel, crispy-skin barramundi fillet and a 12-hour braised lamb also trace Michael’s career path from Egypt to the Central Coast where he opened Novanta Quattro in Terrigal in 1990 and Sirocco in Sydney’s Darlinghurst in the year 2000.

Sharing is caring

During a busy dinner service, the terracotta-hued restaurant in Wamberal is a haven of tranquility, far from the sounds of scooters and haggling of hawkers that echo around the Egyptian suqs that inspired its name.

‘Suq leaves the concept of an entrée and main course behind. It is like a snapshot of my travels but it also melds the different cuisines together. I want people to explore the whole world on the table, to feel and taste different flavours. It is my interpretation of my experience around the world and what I explored, touched and tasted,’ Guirguis says.

‘The whole menu is representative of my life. These are the dishes that I love and that I have kept close to my heart. When I was in Greece, I learned how to make the perfect lamb shoulder. I make the prawns the same way they do in Japan with the wasabi mayo. The duck foie gras speaks 100 per cent to my time in France and the Moroccan lamb roast with cinnamon is how they do it in North Africa,’ he says.

As for what Guirguis is most proud of over the course of his career, he says it’s the fact he has clung to the concept of food made to share, which harks back to his Egyptian childhood: ‘Food tastes better when you share it.’

Suq Restaurant is located at 80 Ocean View Drive, Wamberal. For bookings visit suqrestaurant.com.au or call (02) 4306 0859.

Let your tastebuds do the travelling THIS WINTER

WORDS CARLA GROSSETTI

WE MAY BE STAYING CLOSER TO HOME THIS WINTER, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE CAN’T INDULGE OUR WANDERLUST AT EATERIES WITH MENUS THAT ROAM THE GLOBE FROM MASSACHUSETTS TO MAUI.

LYONS DEN, Gosford

Gosford on the Central Coast is a long way from Kruger National Park in north-eastern South Africa. But the jungle references abound, with a wall mural of the African savannah inside the Lyons Den and an inviting beer garden with festoon lighting that evokes the allure of an African safari camp. Lyons Den is named after brother and sister duo Jared and Claire Lyons, who have transformed the landmark building that was formerly a funeral parlour and, latterly, a speakeasy-style bar. The sandstone space, which is now lighter and brighter, also screams ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ with a tapas menu that roams the African continent: try the traditional Mozambique prawns in a peri peri sauce, Old Mates Kitchen biltong, and boerewors (flavoured South African sausages).

37A Mann St, Gosford; lyonsdengosford.com.au

IL TOSCANA PASTA BAR, Terrigal

It takes a certain amount of know-how to make Italian food look so effortless. The menu at this artisan pasta bar run by Italian chef Matteo Piccardi has been built around Tuscan dishes that are so traditional you will feel like you have time-travelled back to that trattoria you found on a hillside in Tuscany. While the walls of the restaurant, painted warm yellow, conjure images of sunflowers and long, sunny days, the cheerful soundtrack of chefs singing love songs in the kitchen will make you forget about your thwarted travel plans. The menu at Il Toscano sticks to the classics such as homemade pasta with ragù or cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper), which Matteo learnt to cook alongside his mamma and nonna in their home town of Castelfranco di Sopra.

5/1 Campbell Cres, Terrigal; iltoscano.com.au

BAMBOO BUDDHA, Holgate

Central Coasters lamenting the fact they are not kicking back by the pool in Kho Samui for their annual holiday to Thailand should head to the Bamboo Buddha in Holgate where you might not get a foot massage but you will certainly receive a warm welcome and feel like you’re in your own peaceful tropical paradise. Take things up a notch on the cosmic frequency front by booking a Gong and Crystal Bowl Sound Bath or gentle yoga flow class in their yoga studio which is positioned next to a lotus-filled pond. Enjoy lunch options such as Thai-style tofu noodle salad or a Buddha burger stuffed with salad and a walnut patty from the allvegetarian menu. Visit the adjacent plant nursery and art gallery after enjoying desserts, many of which are vegan and gluten-free.

L’ISLE DE FRANCE, Terrigal

A year without international travel means Australians are looking a little closer to home for their culinary adventures. Happily, we have a raft of local eateries that allow us to let our imagination run wild. L’isle de France is a case in point with Mauritianborn owner Bernard Mallet giving us an appetite for exploring the secluded beaches and verdant hills of his island home in the Indian Ocean. Book a table on the terrace at the waterfront restaurant in Terrigal and meditate on the colour of the ocean and whether it’s the same shade of turquoise as the waters off Mauritius, which was formerly known as the L’isle de France. Mallet is a phonetics and language specialist, so can best advise on how to properly pronounce the confit de canard (confit of duck leg), joues de boeuf à la Bourguignonne (slow-cooked beef cheeks) and agneau du chef sous vide (lamb cooked sous-vide) when you place your order.

1 Ena St, Terrigal; lisledefranceterrigal.com.au

BOWLARAMA BOWLS, Terrigal

Although the açai berry is native to the Amazon, it’s hugely popular in tropical Hawaii, where the sorbet-textured blended berry becomes the base for highly Instagrammable smoothie bowls topped with a mixture of fruits, honey and granola. Gym junkie Scott Madden is the brains behind Bowlarama; expect sugar-free options of açai topped with seasonal fruits such as dragonfruit, mango and raspberries. Try and get in synch with island time by asking your partner to be your butler for the day and bring your smoothie bowl home so you can eat it by the pool. Failing that, bring your açai bowl down to the sandy fringes of Terrigal Beach, lather coconut oil all over your body and enjoy a long stretch in the sunshine watching the surf.

5/6 Campbell Cres, Terrigal; bowlaramabowls.com/stores

SWEET CAROLINE, East Gosford

In case you missed the nod to Neil Diamond in the name of this Gosford cafe, there is a not-so-gentle-reminder of the lyrics to the love song, Sweet Caroline in the screaming neon sign in the courtyard declaring ‘Good times never seemed so good’. While we can’t get to Boston to hear the song that is traditionally played at Fenway Park stadium ahead of the eighth inning at every Red Sox game, we can instead hear the American crooner belting out this cheesy banger at Sweet Caroline cafe in Gosford. What better dish to transport us to Boston Massachusetts than the Reuben Burger, stuffed with sliced silverside, slaw, pickles, Swiss cheese on a toasted milk bun.

New Winter Menu

CONTACT US

51-52 THE ESPLANADE ETTALONG BEACH NSW 2257 (02) 4343 0111 WWW.ETTALONGDIGGERS.COM

Available from early June 7 days a week Lunch & Dinner Bookings essential

Wamberal locals Roy, Jo and their Three Donkeys, Sienna, Hunter and Elijah are very proud to own and operate Three Donkeys Wholefood Café & Three Donkeys Home. Offering a lifestyle of eating well, living well and feeling well.

Wholefood Café Home

threedonkeys.com.au

Our menu caters to dietary requirements, specialising in gluten, dairy and refined sugar free options, as well as being Vegan friendly. Enjoy a Specialty coffee or one of our many caffeine free drinks, with your choice of locally made raw desserts. The Home shop offers a unique range of décor, fashion, furniture and flowers. Jo and her team will also help you with any styling advice you may need, and if you haven’t got time to pop in, go to our website and shop online.

WHOLEFOOD CAFÉ Open 7 days. 7am-2pm 6 Ghersi Ave Wamberal NSW 2260 I 02 4339 8052 HOME Open Mon-Sat. 10am-4pm 2 Ghersi Ave Wamberal NSW 2260 I 02 4309 5440