Print Post Approved PP349181/00109
No.675 August 2011
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
foodservice
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accommodation
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beverage
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management
Fine Food Australia
Tapas kings Why is Porteno one of our best new restaurants?
On the side From quinoa to freekeh, grains and seeds are on the menu
Head inside for our bumper preview of all the action at this year’s big event
Winter calling We explore the local Bordeauxstyle wines just right for winter
Sweet seduction Chocolate's on top for tempting diners
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PUBLISHER Michelle Graves michelle.graves@reedbusiness.com.au EDITOR Rosemary Ryan
Editor’s Note
Ph: (02) 9422 2880 rosemary.ryan@reedbusiness.com.au JOURNALIST Danielle Bowling Ph: (02) 9422 2667 danielle.bowling@reedbusiness.com.au CONTRIBUTORS Christine Salins Ken Burgin Tony Berry ADVERTISING NATIONAL Rhonnie Merry Ph: (02) 9422 2481 Fax: (02) 9422 2863 rhonnie.merry@reedbusiness.com.au MARKETING Kevin Kasih
poisoning at eateries in this state”. The figure was “according to some estimates” it said. The SMH is vehemently pushing for a mandatory arrangement requiring all foodservice outlets to display the council rating of their hygiene standards, good or bad because it doesn’t think the industry will do it without a big stick. Restaurant and Catering Australia had lobbied for the program to be voluntary along the same lines as the program being operated by
IF THERE was ever a reason to make every operator in the NSW foodservice industry determined to clean up their act it was there in the editorial of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on August 1. “A let-off for the greasy spoon” read the headline of the piece that went on to heavily criticise the NSW Government for making the new state wide trial of the ‘Scores on Doors’ program a voluntary one. It quoted a figure of “some 900,000 people suffering from food
the Brisbane City Council. And it has thrown its weight behind the trial that began rolling out from the start of this month. The danger of a voluntary program, of course, is that not enough individual businesses will support it so it will be impotent. But my feeling is that most foodservice operators will be keen to participate and will encourage their councils to get on board so they can get rated and show off their stars Early adopters will earn themselves plenty of free publicity too, I imagine. The community too is very aware of food safety issues and once they learn about the trial and start seeing food businesses displaying the ratings they’ll be asking questions of their lo-
cal businesses who aren’t involved, and of their local councils if they are tardy. Food safety and food poisoning is top of mind for consumers and I’m pretty sure they’ll be voting with their feet by seeking out restaurants, cafes and pubs that do show their scores. Of course a problem is that if you are reading this you’re probably one of the good guys of the industry who takes hygiene and food safety very seriously. But it’s very much in your interest to try to encourage others to support the new system. Hospitality magazine certainly will be.
Rosemary Ryan
Ph: (02) 9422 2642 kevin.kasih@reedbusiness.com.au GRAPHIC DESIGNER Ronnie Lawrence Ph: (02) 9422 2741 NATOR PRODUCTION CO-ORDIN
contents 6 News
16 Hospitality chef
State-wide Scores on Doors trial begins. Industry acts to retain apprentices.
Ben Milgate is one half of the dynamic duo behind top Sydney restaurants Bodega and Porteno.
Ph: (02) 9422 8748
8 Openings
21 Imbibe
SUBSCRIPTIONS
The latest restaurant arrivals opening doors.
Winter is time for Bordeaux-style wines.
10 Mystery diner
33 Burgin
We visit Nino Zoccali’s new pizza place.
What do diners hate about restaurants?
12 Workplace
35 Dr Hospitality
Getting it right with public holidays.
Hospitality management dilemmas answered.
Laura Panameno Ph: (02) 9422 8772 laura.panameno@reedbusiness.com.au PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Troy Stevens
Ph: 1300 360 126 ONE YEAR: $132.00 incl GST TWO YEARS: $220.00 incl GST
REED BUSINESS INFORMATION PTY LTD SYDNEY HEAD OFFICE Tower 2, 475 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, NSW 2067 Australia Ph: (02) 9422 2999 Fax: (02) 9422 2863
Features 22 The grain revolution They have funny names but some of the new (but old) grains and seeds appearing on menus have serious potential.
28 Seduction by chocolate If in doubt go the chocolate, that’s the diners’ mantra. We asked chefs about their cracker chocolate desserts guaranteed to tempt.
Print Post Approved PP349181/00109
No.675 August 2011
ON THE COVER:
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
foodservice
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accommodation
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beverage
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management
hospitalitymagazine.com.au Tapas kings
Fine Food Australia
Why is Porteno one of our best new restaurants?
Average Net Distribution Period ending March 11 13,950
MATERIAL The publisher does not accept responsibility for any editorial or advertising material forwarded or held in storage nor will material be automatically returned. Whole or part of this publication cannot be reproduced without prior written approval from Hospitality’s management.
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hospitality | august 2011
On the side From quinoa to freekeh, grains and seeds are on the menu
Head inside for our bumper preview of all the action at this year’s big event
Winter calling We explore the local Bordeauxstyle wines just right for winter
Sweet seduction Chocolate's on top for tempting diners
THE glorious image of oozing chocolate comes to our cover this month courtesy of chef Brendan McQueen from Melbourne’s dining destination Matteo’s restaurant. The chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream is one of the guaranteed crowd pleasing creations that are featured in our story about chefs’ top chocolate desserts. McQueen reckons that nothing beats a good chocolate dessert in
the temptation stakes — unless of course it’s a warm chocolate dessert like his chocolate fondant. Turn to page 28 to get the low down from chefs including Christine Manfield from Universal and Leigh McDivitt from food focused Sydney pub, the Three Weeds. Winter or summer they reckon it’s vital to have a drop dead gorgeous chocolate dessert on your list. So don’t miss their tips.
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news
Apprenticeships
Restaurant industry rallies to meet challenge of drop out apprentices Hospitality industry leaders are sharing their knowledge and support to a program aiming to solve the problem of low apprentice completion rates. SOME OF the most successful operators in the restaurant industry have lent their support and their names to efforts to help increase the number of hospitality apprentices who complete their training. High profile chefs and restaurateurs including Neil Perry, Peter Doyle, Luke Mangan, Colin Fassnidge, Mark Jensen, Peter Kuravita and Con Dedes were amongst those who attended a series of industry forums being run by TAFE NSWNorthern Sydney Institute’s Ryde College to discuss the issue of why only around 40 per cent of apprentices in food trades complete their apprenticeships. The Hospitality Industry Leader’s Forums are part of the 2011 TAFE NSW Apprenticeship Completions Project focused on the need to lift Australia-wide apprenticeship completions. TAFE NSW - Northern Sydney Institute’s Andrea Poletti said the project aims to identify and develop ways
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hospitality | august 2011
Peter Kuravita and Neil Perry at one of the forums in Sydney.
for TAFE NSW to work collaboratively wih employers to improve completion rates. The program will also include survey apprentices and further research on apprentice completions. As well as looking at why apprentices drop out, the research will look at why some apprentices do complete their studies. “We wanted to get industry feedback because it’s very important that
we work with industry if we are going to address this really immense issue for the industry,” Poletti said. Poletti said employers in the industry can play a major role in encouraging apprentices to finish their apprenticeships and make a career in foodservice. “Many of the reasons for apprenticeship non completions are due to factors outside the influence of the training organisations.”
Pilu’s wine list is national best GIOVANNI Pilu’s Sydney restaurant has beaten a field of some of the biggest names in Australian dining establishments to take out the top gong in the prestigious Australia's Wine List of the Year Awards 2011. Pilu at Freshwater has won the award for best wine list in Australia with sommelier Lara Caraturo taking out the Judy Hirst award for creating the winning list that is a journey through the best vineyards in Italy and NSW with key selections from other regions. The 28 strong panel of judges from Australia, UK, Europe, NZ and US said they were impressed by the “clarity, depth and focus” of Pilu's list and by the standard of Australian wine lists overall. Chairman of Judges Peter Forrestal said the quality of our lists has gone through the roof. “Our fine dining wine lists rank with the best in Europe,” he said. “Across the board, we’re putting together much better lists than you would generally find in France or Italy — I'd go so far as to say we whip them.” More than 380 establishments entered this year's awards.
Burswood chef shows off giant truffle IS THIS the biggest, most perfect truffle ever harvested from WA’s Manjimup region? Weighing in at 626g the black beauty is in the proud possession of Matt Horne, chef de cuisine at Burswood Complex’s Alure restaurant. Horne (pictured) served up the truffle from Oak Valley Truffles as part of his annual Truffle dinner. “I was astounded when I saw it,” Horne said. “When the guys bought it up they said we’ve got something in the box here that you might want to have a look at.”
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
news
Food Safety
Call to scrap name and shame as hygiene star rating goes state-wide The NSW Government has begun rolling out a year long voluntary trial of a new star rating foodservice hygiene rating system across the state. RESTAURANT and Catering Australia (R&CA) came out swinging as it put its support behind the NSW Government’s decision to roll out a state-wide trial of a voluntary ‘scores on doors’ foodservice hygiene star rating program. R&CA used the launch of the new scheme to again voice its opposition to the NSW Food Authority’s ‘name and shame’ website which lists foodservice businesses who have breached food safety requirements. R&CA chief executive officer John Hart said it was time to scrap the ‘name and shame’ program. “The association will continue to support a voluntary national ‘scores on doors’ program which allows restaurateurs and cafe owners to decide whether to use this program or not,” Hart said. “However, Restaurant and Catering calls on the minister to scrap the ‘name and shame’ program in NSW as the two programs cannot work together.” The new 12 month star rating trial that began rolling out on August 1 and that will be adminis-
tered by the NSW Food Authority is a follow up to the ‘scores on doors’ pilot program run last year in 20 NSW local council areas. Under the new program, participatig foodservice outlets receive a star rating reflecting their performance in an inspection with a top score of five stars. NSW Minister for Small Business Katrina Hodgkinson said the extension of the pilot would further the Government's strategy “to reduce foodborne illness while improving overall food safety in the retail food sector”. “Scores on doors offers businesses a fantastic opportunity to show customers just how seriously they take food hygiene and the results they have achieved," Hodgkinson said. “Certificates...will be displayed near doorways of participating food outlets so customers can see how well restaurants, cafes and other outlets have performed during food safety inspections”. The adoption of the star rating system is a move away from the system of letter grading that was used in the original pilot program. The announcment of the new
program came in for some criticism for the decision to make it a voluntary system rather than mandatory. The Food Authority launched a public response to the criticism saying it gave “full and careful consideration as to whether the ‘scores on doors’ system be introduced as a voluntary or mandatory measure”. “A comprehensive review of the six month pilot found feedback received from businesses and local councils indicated a preference for voluntary participation; while consumers indicated a preference for a mandatory system,” it said. “The NSW Food Authority needed to balance these opinions and opted for a trial to further inform the decision," the statement said. “Introducing a voluntary trial will allow the scheme to grow by genuine industry and consumer demand. “The Food Authority believes councils will respond to demand and will ensure this aspect is considered when the trial is evaluated. First and foremost, this 12 month trial is exactly that, a trial.”
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Nobu to open second Oz restaurant in Perth Perth's Burswood complex has confirmed the next Australian branch of chef and restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa will open there next month. Taking up the reins as head chef of Nobu Perth will be French-born Nicolas Mazier, who was previously executive sous chef at Nobu Miami. In the key role of sushi chef will be Asao Tsukama from Nobu Los Angeles and before that Nobu's namesake restaurant Matsuhisa. And experienced Nobu staffer, Casper Khamphouy, has been named general manager having worked for the chain since 2005 at a number of the restaurant's outposts including Dubai and most recently LA.
Perth sushi workers underpaid $47,000 Two foreign workers at a Perth sushi business have been back-paid a total of $47,100 following intervention by the Fair Work Ombudsman. The Fair Work Ombudsman's office said the workers had complained to the Fair Work Ombudsman of being underpaid the minimum hourly rate and not being paid allowances, penalty rates, annual leave entitlements, redundancy and termination pay. Fair Work Ombudsman Nicholas Wilson said once Fair Work inspectors contacted the business and explained its obligations, both employees were reimbursed all money owed.
Hard Rock Cafe makes Sydney comeback
Three times lucky for Wetton? CAN talented young Aussie chef Cameron Wetton make it three times in a row with another victory at this year's annual Nestle Golden Chefs Hat competition in September? It's a possibility with Wetton once again securing a place in the national final of the prestigious apprentice chef competition by winning the Victorian state final leg of the event with his new team mate, Matthew Wynn. Both chefs at the soon to be Wilson's Boathouse on WTC Wharf, the pair out cooked 18 other young chefs at the gruelling cook off .
in brief
ACF president Peter Wright (left) with Cameron Wetton and Matthew Wynn, and Nestle’s Pete Di Pino.
The Hard Rock Café concept has returned to Sydney with the opening of a new restaurant. The new 500 seat Sydney outlet of the music themed chain launched at its Darling Harbour location and joins the other existing Australian Hard Rock outlet in Surfers Paradise in Queensland. Hard Rock International’s senior director of franchise operations and development Asia/South Pacific Matthew Putna said the company was excited to be returning to Sydney. The Hard Rock Café Sydney, which is operated by Goddings, Hard Rock's master franchisor in Australia, is located above the Rock Shop outlet which opened in December.
hospitality | august 2011
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openings
El Loco Mexican Cantina Y Barra The latest venture from the fast moving Merivale group is El Loco, a pop up Mexican cantina established as part of the Excelsior Hotel in the Sydney dining mecca of Surry Hills. It’s the first stage of what will be the next addition to the Merivale family of restaurants — an authentic Mexican restaurant. Busy chef Dan Hong is heading up the kitchen. Opened: June Capacity: Around 150 Executive chef: Dan Hong Food: Hong is serving up a pared back menu of five tacos including pork, beef, chicken, prawn and tofu, all adorned with salsas, herbs and cabbage as well as grilled fish with fennel salad and an El Loco hot dog. The tacos remain true to Mexican cuisine in their simplicity and fresh flavours. There are also 25 tequilas, a house slushy of tequila, pink grapefruit, lime juices, coriander and ginger syrup and a jalapeño margarita to complete the experience. Address: 64 Foveaux St, Surry Hills, Sydney Website: elloco.com.au
Wombat Hill House
Esquire
Iconic Victorian chef and restaurateur Alla Wolf-Tasker has expanded her portfolio with the opening of her “restaurant in the gardens”, Wombat Hill Garden cafe. It’s an original 1940s caretaker’s cottage that’s been gutted and resurrected in the middle of the beautiful Wombat Hills Botanical Gardens. The whimsical nature is reflected in the logo — a furry fat wombat with wings.
Ex Buffalo Club executive chef Ryan Squires has sparked much excitement in Brissy with the opening of his first restaurant Esquire. The city’s second degustation only restaurant is located in a prime waterfront location with a glorious view of Storey Bridge and with a menu style reflecting Squires’ time at top restaurants like Per Se, El Bulli and French Laundry.
Opened: July Capacity: Up to 110 with inside, outdoor and garden seating areas. Executive chef: Alla Wolf-Tasker Food: A breakfast and lunch menu of dishes featuring seasonal food, sourced locally where possible — brioche French toast, saffron pears, Meredith yoghurt, Des' honey, walnut crumble, “posh” pies, pasties and pizza, and salads. Plus a list of local wines by the glass or bottle. Address: Wombat Hill House, Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens (car entry off Central Spring Road), Daylesford, Victoria. Website: wombathillhouse.com 8
hospitality | august 2011
Opened: July Capacity: Up to 70 in the formal dining room and 40 in the informal.. Head chef: Executive chef Ryan Squires and head chef Ben Devlin. Food: Esquire offers a degustation only menu of seven or ten courses with modern Australian dishes drawing on European and Japanese cuisine and changing daily. Dishes already raved about by critics include agnoletti paired with goat’s cheese, burnt onion and salty caramelised walnuts; rare Kobe beef with Japanese spices; and a dessert of almost savoury chocolate mousse, with coconut cream and candied mandarin. Address: 145 Eagle Street, Brisbane Website: esquire.com.au hospitalitymagazine.com.au
review
La Rosa Bar and Pizza Sydney chef and restaurateur Nino Zoccali has kept things close to home with his latest venture. His new pizzeria La Rosa is located at the opposite end of the same floor in the building his successful Pendolino restaurant is located. Our masked diner headed along.
mysterydiner WE WEREN’T family nor friends of chef and owner of La Rosa Bar and Pizza, Nino Zoccali, and not VIPs, which is why, we assumed, we didn’t get a nice personal visit to our table, trays of complimentary drinks, or weren’t forced to have at least one dessert to try on the house (the tables were very close together). It was no matter but it did get my dining partner and I thinking about the variables of the dining experience. You know; you have a good time and recommend it to a friend only to find the experience they had was very different. Chefs work on consistency with the food — with recipe cards, pictures of how a dish must look and practice before the dish is cooked or served — but you can’t take the unpredictability of the human element out of the equation which is where staff come into it. As it happened, we had a very professional group of floor staff take care of us, waiters, hosts, runners, that were all very amiable and keen if lacking a little menu knowledge — we were referred to three waiters with a query about one of the dishes and then it wasn’t quite what we expected from the description. But we didn’t get what some others were having— the personal visits etc — which yes I will confess left us feeling a little left out. What we did get, however, was a very enjoyable meal in this newly opened Italian eatery with heavy expectations — thanks to Zoccali’s reputation and popular restaurant on the other side of the second floor of Sydney’s historic Strand Arcade, Pendolino. Be warned, however, La Rosa Bar and Pizza is probably not the best place to take vegetarians and people who aren’t keen on pork. On the pro side, though, this is a great place for sharing and nibbling (do we still call it plate surfing?). When there’s a buzz about a new restaurant it is hard not to have pre-conceived ideas or want to order the ‘must try’ dishes but we did. And in a place called La Rosa Bar and Pizza, well you have got to have a least one pizza. We chose Margherita Pizza — not fancy, not special — but if a pizzeria can’t make a decent Margherita it shouldn’t be making pizza. No problems here, with a crunchy base and the right balance between sauce, cheese and basil; top marks; wolfed down. We also shared the Salame di Wagyu-Mixed 10
hospitality | august 2011
La Rosa, the latest venture from chef Nino Zoccali.
Wagyu Beef and Pork Salami with Wild Fennel Seeds and Garlic ($16). All cured and house made with beautiful strips of meat, served not from the fridge and not quite at room temperature but somewhere in between and great tasting for it. We also tried Crocchette di Patate, Fried Neapolitan Potato Croquettes with a centre of Buffalo Mozzarella ($14). Moorish, light fluffy, parcels of dough perfectly fried and served alongside a light aioli. The only complaint was there weren’t more of them. By this stage, most people would have filled up. From what we could see, the norm was to share a salumi plate, croquettes or some baby calamari served with cuttlefish ink and tomato sauce before going on to order a pizza or two depending on how many people were sharing. There were some thoughtful pizza combinations on offer including the Wagyu Beef and Fennel Salami and Chicory pizza and Pizza Bianca with Roasted Cauliflower, Buffalo Mozzarella, Truffled Pecorino and Béchamel. But we persevered working our way down the menu to the few listed mains. Bracciole al Sugo was Tomato Braised Pig’s Trotter Rolls with a centre of Raisins, Pine Nuts and Parsley ($28) — the dish that was the cause
of some menu knowledge confusion as mentioned earlier on. Unlikely as sounded, we were told it was meat served in a roll and served on a bed of mash potatoes. It wasn’t. It was meat sliced down the trotter covering the pork raisins and pine nuts and served on the bed of mash potato. Slow braised in beautiful tomato sauce it was very, very tender. The other main dish ordered was Conchiglioni col Ripieno di Zucca, Baked Conchiglioni (large conch shaped) Pasta filled with Pumpkin and it started us off on one of the foodies favourite meal time debates — do Australians tend to cook pasta over al dente? I still suspect there would be many people ordering this dish who think the pasta is undercooked but by Italian standards and with a name like Nino Zoccali behind it you know this pasta is going to be the real Italian McCoy. Beautiful thick sauce and still firm pumpkin full to the brim in a creamy sauce. With such dedication to the main course, we had little room for dessert but we did try the homemade mixed gelato — the rosewater scoop the standout. La Rosa should do very well. Food costs and labour presumably will be lower than Pendolino with its more detailed menu, it has an ideal city location for workers, shoppers and tourists, and also offers a take away menu. And it has room to grow. Curiously though while the restaurant was full to capacity the very pleasant looking bar with its great offering of Italian digestives was quite empty. I’ll keep it mind when I want to duck in for a reviver while shopping perhaps.
The details La Rosa Bar and Pizza Level 2, Strand Arcade Sydney 02 9223 1674 W: larosabarandpizza.com.au Chef: Nino Zoccali Verdict A good place to go for great pizza and a drink after work, shopping or visiting the ciy; not a restaurant with a complicated menu, and it doesn’t pretend to be.
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
workplace
It’s a holiday Here are some tips from the experts at Restaurant & Catering Australia to ensure you’re across the latest changes to public holiday obligations. PUBLIC holidays are provided for in the National Employment Standards (NES), the system that covers employers and employees in the national workplace system, and include New Year’s Day; Australia Day; Good Friday; Easter Monday; Anzac Day; the Queen’s birthday holiday; Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. This list doesn’t include state or territory holidays that may also apply. Here’s some guidelines for you to remember. Can you substitute? These days may be substituted for another day under state or territory law, by agreement under the terms of an award or agreement, or between an employer and an award/agreement free employee. An employer must not exert undue influence or pressure on an employee in relation to agreeing to substitute a public holiday for another day or part-day. A full-time employee who works on a public holiday which is subject to substitution as provided for in the NES will be entitled to the benefit of the substitute day. What do you pay employees? Similar to award wages, the public holiday penalty rates are going through transitional provisions. The penalty rates during this transitional period vary by such factors as region, pre-modern award and type of business. Depending on the pre-modern award, some penalty rates will be phasing up while some are phasing down. For those not going through transitional provisions, the penalty rates on public holidays will are doubletime-and-a-half (250 per cent) times the base rate of pay in the Restaurant Industry Award 2010; and doubletime-and-a-half (250 per cent) times the base rate of pay for full-time and part-time staff and double-time-andthree-quarters (275 per cent) the base rate of pay for casuals in the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2010. Annualised salaries An employee on an annualised salary arrangement (that is a part-time or full-time employee which is paid at 12
hospitality | august 2011
least 25 per cent or more above the minimum Monday to Friday award rate multiplied by the hours worked in a week, multiplied by 52) is not entitled to penalties on public holidays. However if an employee covered by this clause is required to work on a public holiday, such employees will be entitled to a day off instead (to be used within 28 days), or a day added to their annual leave. What if they don’t work on the public holiday? An employee is entitled to be absent from his or her employment on a day or part-day that is a public holiday. If an employee is absent from his or her employment on a day or partday that is a public holiday, the employer must pay the employee at the employee’s base rate of pay for the employee’s ordinary hours of work on the day or part-day. If the employee doesn’t have ordinary hours of work on the public holiday, the employee isn’t entitled to payment under this section. Casual employees who aren’t rostered on for the public holiday or permanent employees whose hours don’t include the day of the week on which the public holiday occurs don’t have to be paid for the public holiday; although they should be paid public holiday rates if they work on a public holiday. Can an employer request an employee to work on a public holiday? An employer may request an employee to work on a public holiday if the request is reasonable. The employer must consider a variety of factors when asking an employee to work on a public holiday, for example the nature of the business, the nature of work, employee’s personal circumstances, whether the employee would be entitled to overtime or penalty rates, the amount of notice given to work on the public holiday and whether the employee is casual, full time or part time. If an employer requests an employee to work on a public holiday, the employee may refuse the request continued on page 38 hospitalitymagazine.com.au
newsextra
secretingredients Margot Janse, executive chef, Le Quartier Français This acclaimed chef, whose restaurant at Le Quartier Français Hotel in South Africa has been included in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants for the past six years, wowed diners when she took part in Savour Tasmania in June. Here she shares some of her ideas (and one of her recipes). Can you give us a brief history of your career? I was born in Holland and came to South Africa when I was 20. I started cooking professionally when I was 23 at a restaurant in Johannesburg, as there were no short cooking courses available at that time. After one and a half years I moved to Cape Town and worked at The Bay Hotel. I learned a lot about fine dining and I was promoted to junior sous chef after a year. In 1995 I moved to Franschhoek and started at Le Quartier Francais as a sous chef. After six months the head chef left and I was asked to take his place. I’ve been here ever since.
farms that I buy from. When I am looking for a specific new product I generally find very willing people to try it out. I brainstorm a lot with my chefs. Apart from your own, what's your favourite restaurant? That's a very difficult question, I am privileged to have been eating all over the world. Locally I love Bread & Wine Restaurant. Your pick of the menu there? Chef Neil Jewell is a self taught
charcuterie master and his charcuterie is very, very special. What's been your most memorable food experience? Another difficult question, there are so many. Dining at El Bulli was probably one of the most memorable ones. What's your favourite ingredient that you're using at the moment? Namibian! Nara oil (the ! is supposed to be there and produces
What's the most popular dish on the menu at the moment? I’ve managed to find a goat farm which is prepared to sell me kid. We cook it sous vide and serve it with a puree of cauliflower and amasi (a local soured milk), braised radishes and cured garlic. We’re getting very positive feedback on this dish. What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas for your menu? South Africa is my inspiration, things are possible here and we can make it happen. Enthusiasm is courageous and I love visiting the 14
hospitality | august 2011
What would be on the menu at your last supper? Good bread, good cheese and a glass of champagne. If you weren't a chef you’d be… …I always thought I wanted to be an actress. But I am feeling extremely passionate about educating children about food.
Wild mushrooms, slow cooked yolk, parmesan foam, and bread wafer Serves 6
Can you give us an idea of the style of food you're doing at Le Quartier Francais. I’m very inspired by the South African produce and heritage. When guests leave I want them to have tasted and experienced South Africa. We serve a nine course African inspired surprise menu, using indigenous ingredients and modern techniques. We encourage our front of house staff to share their knowledge and memories on the ingredients when they explain the food to the guests.
the click when you say it). It’s an oil from a seed of a dessert fruit that grows in the Kalahari.
Mushrooms 50ml olive oil 100g butter 1kg wild mushroom, cut into cubes 60ml balsamic vinegar 200ml cream 2tblsp Caramelised onions Chopped parsley and chives 2tblsp red onion, finely diced Heat up a large frying pan. Add the butter and oil and then the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms until they are caramelised and golden brown. Strain the fat off the mushrooms and add the vinegar. When all the vinegar has evaporated, add caramelised onions and the cream, reduce. Take off the heat and add parsley, chives and red onion. Slow cooked egg yolk 6 eggs Cook the eggs sous vide for 40 minutes at 63C. Break the eggs and carefully remove the white. Parmesan crumbs 100g Parmesan, finely grated Sprinkle the parmesan in a thin layer on a non stick baking mat. Bake in the oven at 160°C for 8 minutes until golden. Leave to cool and break into fine crumbs. Caramelised onions 2 onions, finely diced
100g butter Cook the diced onions in the butter for four hours, until the onions have caramelised and are a dark golden colour. Place the onions in a fine strainer, to strain the butter. Bread wafer 90g bread crumbs 360g water 120g vegetable oil 30g Mielie meal Heat a not stick pan over low heat. Pour a small ladle of the mixture into the pan and cook until the mixture is brown and loosens from the pan, drain on paper towel. Parmesan foam 1 onion, diced 5 garlic cloves, cut in half 2 tbsp butter 50ml olive oil 200g celeriac, peeled, cut into cubes 250g Parmesan rind 1 celery stick, diced 1L vegetable stock 1 tbsp lecithin Sweat celeriac in butter and oil until soft, add the onion and garlic and sweat for another three minutes. Add Parmesan rind and caramelise until golden. Add vegetable stock. Bring to boil and switch it off. Leave to infuse off the heat for about two hours. Strain through muslin. Add tablespoon of lecithin to the warm parmesan stock and foam with a hand blender.
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Flat out: Ben Milgate (right) and Elvis Abrahanowicz in the kitchen at Porteno.
hospitalitychef
Kings of tapas When Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz launched Sydney’s Bodega restaurant with a bang five years ago it was described by one critic as the tapas bar Sydney had been waiting for. Their latest venture, Porteno, is also wowing the crowds with its rustic South American cooking styles and fun vibe. By Danielle Bowling.
“S
ometimes we go to a restaurant, and looking the way we look, and being young, if that restaurant has no music and the people are looking at you, you feel uncomfortable,” says chef and restaurateur Ben Milgate. “That wouldn't happen in any of our restaurants.” Young, boisterous and heavily-inked Milgate and his similiarly inclined business partner Elvis Abrahanowicz are used to being stared at when they walk down the street. But their physical appearance isn't the main reason for the attention they’re getting these days. Milgate and Abrahanowicz are the founders of Sydney's successful Bodega tapas bar and their follow up South American restaurant Porteno, where the music is loud and fun is served up night after night. The pair, who run the restaurants with Abrahanowicz's brother-in-law Joe Valore, have been leaders in the tapas wave sweeping over Sydney, where diners would rather share a handful of dishes and catch up over a few glasses of wine than carefully select their own three course dinner only to later be envious of what's served up for the person sitting opposite. When Bodega opened about five years ago, the pair thought they'd play it safe and offer a tapas menu as well as an a la carte one, but after one week of business
where tapas was the clear favourite, they knew that was the path they'd stick with. “When we go out to restaurants, even if it's not a share plates restaurant we'll turn it into one because you don't want to go out and sit there and have your entree and your main and look at everyone else's and say 'well I want that, why can't I have that as well?',” Milgate says. “People don't want to be limited anymore. They want options, lots of options. They don't just want one plate of food that tastes the same over and over again. They want lots of different flavours.” Milgate previously worked at Bistro Lulu and Four in Hand in Paddington with Brent Savage, where he met Abrahanowicz. The two were supposed to go on to work at Savage’s Bentley Restaurant and Bar, before deciding to team up and go out on their own. Tapas is definitely the name of the game at Surry Hills' Bodega, but at Porteno it's all about the grill. “We just cook what we like to eat and I think people like to eat what we eat as well,” says Milgate. “We're keeping it casual but innovative as well. “We've got a parrilla, which is a horizontal grill, and the asador where we do the whole pigs and they sit vertically in front of a log fire. The whole menu is designed around cooking over coal or cooking over wood. “During the day all the vegetables are
Ben Milgate’s picks FAVOURITE FOOD-RELATED BOOK? Francis Mallmann's Seven Fires. FAVOURITE RESTAURANT? Other than Bodega....Sean's Panaroma. FAVOURITE PLACE TO SHOP FOR FOOD AND INGREDIENTS? Eveleigh Markets in Redfern on Saturday morning. FAVOURITE MEAL EXPERIENCE? Christmas Lunch in Argentina with Elvis' family, you can go to a restaurant any day but that isn't something you can do any given day.
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Torture chamber? No it’s the asador grill at Porteno.
‘As soon as you walk in you see four animals, two pigs and two lambs, everyday.’
prepped on the coal grill, and then on one side we do all the cuts of meat really slowly, like all the sweetbreads and the sausage and lamb ribs, and then on the other side we do our seafood which we do quite hot and fast.” The asador works on a pulley system, so Abrahanowicz's dad, who works the grill from 8am until the whole pigs and lambs are ready at 6pm, can raise or lower it depending on how quickly he wants the meat to cook. Everything from the grills to the furniture and the wine are imported from South America, even the coals for the grill, where possible. “We’re working with different hospitality | august 2011
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coals because at the moment we can't consistently get coals from Argentina so we're working with Aussie stuff as well,” says Milgate. “Coal definitely gives more flavour. A lot of grills in kitchens don't even use coal, it's just gas, or some of them use those volcanic rocks, but that's not even close to cooking with coal. You get a lot more smoke and flavour from cooking with coal.” Ironically enough, one of Porteno's most popular dishes is its crispy fried brussels sprouts with lentils and mint. Despite this, Porteno is not the best place to be if you're a vegetarian with a queasy stomach. “It’s all on display, right in the middle of the restaurant.” says Milgate. “As soon as you walk in you see four animals: two pigs and two lambs, every day.” “We use Mirrool Creek lamb and they deliver to us every Thursday. We get 12 whole lambs off them, about 24 or 25 kilograms each and we get about 80 kilograms of the lamb breast or lamb ribs.” Porteno sources its beef from O'Connor Beef in Victoria, which like Mirrool Creek is a family-run business, and Claudios Seafood delivers 40 kilograms of tuna and 100 kilograms of Australian A family affair: The expansive two level South American themed Porteno.
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hospitality | august 2011
calamari a week. Not only is the grill out on display — carcases and all — but so are Milgate and Abrahanowicz. If they're not manning the open kitchen then they're working the floor or maintaining the asador. “I think people really enjoy that,” says Milgate. “They want to see what's going on. Here, all night people are coming up to the pass and looking at the grills or the whole animals and asking me questions. “We don't want to be hidden away, we want to be part of the experience. We want to be part of the restaurant and so people can see us. I don't want to be out the back cooking and not seeing who's in. And there's definitely a social aspect to it as well. Because we work a lot we don't really get to see our friends, so when our friends come in we're right there.” There aren't any immediate growth plans on the cards for the pair, who say they have no interest in being restaurateurs who leave the cooking to other people. That aside, the partners are busy enough as it is. “We're here every day,” says Milgate. “We get a lot of people asking us to do TV and other stuff outside the kitchen and we do some, but we knock a lot of it back because we are in the kitchen every day. “The only two days I've had off at Bodega were when both my kids were born and
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hospitalitychef
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hospitality | august 2011
Elvis has been there every single day.” Working hard is more than just putting good food on the tables, says Milgate, who with Valore and Abrahanowicz makes a point of carrying the quirky, unique South American theme throughout the whole venue, not just on the plate. The bar staff upstairs wear high pants and braces, the maitre d' Sarah Doyle manages the floor, pin curls intact, and Mexican rockabilly music blares. The furniture has been custom-made and mix-matched tiles
downstairs are imported, with some more than 100 years old. When it comes to wines, most are Argentinean and are exclusive to Porteno. “This isn't a restaurant that's built around a kitchen. There are a lot of other aspects to it, like the design and the style throughout the whole place,” Milgate says. “It's our style, it's how we want the place to look. This place is a direct representation of all of us...it's what we think looks good and people seem to love it.” hospitalitymagazine.com.au
imbibe
Bordeaux’s winter calling Hey, it might still be chilly and maybe a bit gloomy outside but let’s look on the bright side of winter — hearty Bordeaux-style reds. Christine Salins explores some of these wines being made in Australia. f Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends are the top of mind drink of choice for summer, winter calls for its Bordeaux sibling — hearty red blends. Famous for its rare and expensive wines, this renowned region of France allows just six red varieties to be bottled under the Bordeaux label — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere. Blended together, usually three or four, rarely all six, these varieties produce big, complex reds with great ageing potential. Using grapes that have ripened at different times is a great way for winemakers to spread their risks and resources. But more importantly, it enables them to produce a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. Wines labelled as a varietal might contain a small proportion of another variety without the consumer even being aware of it. A wine labelled Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, might contain a small amount of Cabernet Franc or Merlot. Under Australian legislation, at least 85 per cent of the wine must be the variety named on the label. The winemaker might have tweaked the wine with a small amount of other fruit to achieve a particular flavour profile, or for logistical reasons (such as not having enough of one variety to make a wine on its own). A typical Bordeaux blend, however, would have Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot as the primary grape, with other varieties accounting for between 15 per cent and 50 per cent of the blend. The aim in this case is not to let one variety dominate but rather to transcend varietal expression and achieve a wine that is distinctive in its own right. Canberra vignerons Brian Johnston and Janet Johnson were inspired to create a Bordeaux-style blend after visiting Saint-Emilion, near Bordeaux, in 2008. Their McKellar Ridge Merlot Cabernet Franc is ripe and juicy with great depth of flavour. Johnston points out that the inland Bordeaux area is cooler and damper than the more famous Medoc and
I
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Canberra vineyard Domaine Rogha Crois vineyard specialising in Bordeaux-style reds.
Graves vineyards that are situated on the gravel banks laid down by the Gironde River. The cooler, damper area around St-Emilion and Pommerol struggles to fully ripen Cabernet Sauvignon. The predominant sandy and clay-based soils better suit Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Here, the Chateaux of Ausone and Cheval Blanc, among others, produce divine wines with strong plummy flavours and a soft tannin structure. “We were lucky enough to visit both Ausone and Cheval Blanc in 2008 and a barrel tasting at Chateau Ausone provided the inspiration to try that blend at McKellar Ridge, where we knew Merlot ripens beautifully,” Johnston said. After further research, they found Cabernet Franc available from a nearby vineyard and they made their first blend in 2008, followed by one in 2009. Fellow Canberra vignerons, David and Lyn Crossley, are great admirers of Cheval Blanc, and believed the climate around their Domaine Rogha Crois vineyard, on the Lake George escarpment, shared similarities with Bordeaux. At 840 metres, this is one of the region's highest and coolest vineyards. So they planted Cabernet Franc and Merlot and have been pleased with the results, as they consistently produce fruit of great spiciness and
intensity. Foregoing Shiraz and Riesling, varieties the Canberra District is best known for, and with a climate that is far too cool to ripen Cabernet Sauvignon, the Crossleys concentrate on Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and their Bordeaux-style blend, Conti's Tower. This 70:30 Cabernet Franc Merlot blend is made by Andrew McEwin. Richly flavoured and perfumed for a cool climate wine, it combines the lifted aromatics and spicy notes of Cabernet Franc with the depth and texture of the Merlot. It's an approachable and versatile food wine, complementing dishes such as lamb shanks, veal ragout and Moroccan spiced chicken, and it’s great with truffles. There is beauty in a wine that has ageing potential as well as elegance and a softness that allows it to be drunk while young. Penley Estate winemaker Kym Tolley has achieved that with Chertsey, which he created as a super-premium Bordeaux blend to highlight the versatility of the Coonawarra region. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot are co-fermented in batches to create the complexity he is after. The wine is unfiltered, aromatic and rich with spice, chocolate and licorice notes. It is made in very limited quantities. Also from Coonawarra comes
Rymill mc2, a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend that is very food-friendly. “I call it the 'no worries' wine," says Frenchborn winemaker Sandrine Gimon. Gimon believes that in Coonawarra, as in Bordeaux, there’s an affinity between the three varieties. “The Cabernet Sauvignon provides structure, allowing all the flavours to fall into alignment; the Merlot gives softness and fruitiness reminiscent of fresh berries, and the Cabernet Franc contributes a delicate spiciness of cloves and thyme,” he said. “A blended wine brings together the best attributes of each variety. The result is a tasty, textured and full flavoured wine and the bonus is that when it's enjoyed with food more than one variety will match. The success rate is extremely high” Clare Valley winemaker, Steve Wiblin, ex-Neagles Rock and now with a new label of his own, Erin Eyes, brings Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot together in his Bordeaux blend. Wiblin says people overlook that the Clare Valley's original reputation was built on both Shiraz and Cabernet. “I’ve found that while (Cabernet) is an outstanding variety on its own, it also benefits from the addition of varying amounts of other classic varieties.” Malbec and Mataro were particularly useful for maximising structure and appeal. The 2007 Erin Eyes is a robust, earthy wine with rich chocolate and liquorice characters. All Saints Estate Pierre was named in honour of the late great Rutherglen winemaker Peter Brown. Each of the flavours brings something special to the blend: Cabernet Sauvignon the lovely berry flavours and fine tannins, Merlot a rich midpalate, and the Cabernet Franc gives lifted floral notes. The varieties were picked and fermented separately in old open concrete tanks, hand plunged and then gently pressed in an old basket press before being aged in premium oak. The wine will benefit from cellaring if you can resist the temptation to drink it. hospitality | august 2011
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The new grains like couscous are adding variety texture to menus. Image courtesy Meat and Livestock Australia.
grains
Something on the I D E They have funny names and some are being touted as “superfoods” but the new variety of grains and seeds appearing on menus are also versatile and cost effective ingredients for foodservice. By Danielle Bowling.
F
reekeh, faro, bourghul, buckwheat, couscous, quinoa. Grains and seeds have undergone a serious transformation over recent times, from being rarely seen and almost exclusive to vegetarian dishes to being an exciting and increasingly popular choice for chefs and diners alike. As consumers are becoming more adventurous with their palates, chefs are experimenting more with their menus, and according to chef Paul Wilson, who in partnership with Melbourne’s The Pub Group has overseen the openings of venues including the Newmarket Hotel, Middle Park Hotel and Albert Park Hotel, this can only help the industry. “All good chefs like discovering new ingredients,” Wilson says. “They like discovering new cultures and new food genres. And when you're using ancient grains you're exploring different food cultures. You find yourself researching where they came from, how they're cooked, what they're served with, and that generally creates a new dish or a new idea. It's more inspiration for your team, front of house and for the customers.”. Wilson often uses various grains on his menu as a starch replacement, making an otherwise stodgy dish lighter and more interesting. “Potatoes and traditional starches are quite robust and it's game over after a plate full,” Wilson says. “So you introduce hospitalitymagazine.com.au
starch and texture with things like barley and faro and freekeh. It adds some substance and protein to the meal, plus colour and texture, and it's interesting in terms of menu planning. If you write a menu and use the word 'freekeh' it kind of forces the customer to engage with the front of house.” One grain Wilson is working with at the moment is buckwheat, which has a number of health benefits, something else that diners are looking for these days, he says. “We make pancakes with our buckwheat at the Middle Park, served with our own gravalax and some local Yarra Valley salmon caviar. We also use buckwheat to make breakfast crepes with chestnuts, which is served with gingerbread. “It's got a nice texture and it's a bit lighter ... it suits things like smoked fish, and when you make a chestnut and buckwheat risotto it's a nice pink colour, has a good texture and doesn't overcook like rice. It's almost foolproof, which is handy, and it's interesting to have on the menu. “I think vegetarians look to have different things. They don't just want a risotto, they see the buckwheat and chestnut risotto and think it's an experience.” Wilson’s also working with farro, millet, hominy and freekeh, which is on the menu at the Newmarket Hotel. “We use [freekeh] to garnish a short rib dish called Short Ribs Carbonada, with a cervesa negra sauce, which is a dark Mexican beer. In Mexican cookery you braise
On the menu Quinoa A grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds, originating in the Andean region of South America. It’s closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds. Quinoa grains contain essential amino acids like lysine and good quantities of calcium, phosphorus and iron. Freekeh A cereal food made from green wheat that goes through a roasting process in its production. It is an Arab ingredient especially popular in Levantine, Arabian Peninsula and Egyptian cuisine, but also in North African and other neighbouring cuisines. Pearl barley Barley processed to remove its hull and bran. It’s similar to wheat in its caloric, protein, vitamin and mineral content, though it differs in that some varieties are high in lysine. Farro Consists of the grains of certain wheat species in whole form. It is prepared by cooking in water until soft, but still crunchy It’s sometimes ground into flour to make pasta or bread.
meats with beer . It's like you see rice in a lot of Asian cookery. Freekeh's a nice complement to something spicy or rich. It doesn't have a lot of flavour but it's comforting and quite nice to have with green curry or something like that.” Being Peruvian, Diego Munoz, head chef at Bilson's, particularly loves quinoa, but cooks with a number of other grains as well. They're a fantastic way to transhospitality | august 2011
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grains
port the flavour and improve the texture of a dish,” he says. “All the grains, if you cook them well, they soak up all the flavours. It's like rice really, and they just give you a mini explosion of flavour in the mouth. “Whatever you cook them in they'll just take that flavour in, so for example, the water will need to be well seasoned for the grain to cook, otherwise there's no point. Or you can finish it in a good stock or cook it in a good soup. Otherwise you'll get bored. The texture is amazing but when you're adding flavour it's just unreal.” He prefers to source all his ingredients, including grains, as locally as possible, and hopes to one day be able to source a favourite of his, Amaranth, which he'd use in either a fish or a rabbit dish. “[I’d use it with] something that doesn't have a really strong flavour so you can appreciate it,” says Munoz. “If it’s so delicate you don't want to overpower it.” “[Amaranth] is pretty much like quinoa, a little bit smaller, but the nutritional value is huge, there's so much protein in the little grain. You can make it puff up or pop, which is really good for texture. You cook it in water and then you let it dry out and then you fry it.” Munoz is also working with wild rice, as a garnish for a blue eye cod dish, mak-
Alejandro Saravia's Sweet of Quinoa Serves 6 500g quinoa 2 cans evaporated milk 1 can condensed milk 100g currants 100g dry shredded coconut 1 cinnamon quill 5 cloves 2 segments orange zest Boil the quinoa with the cinnamon quill, cloves and the orange zest. Once the quinoa is cooked add the evaporated milk and the condensed milk, boil for three minutes. Turn off the heat and add the dry shredded coconut, let it rest and chill, then serve.
chop them and make a powder texture with it, mixing it with equal amounts of crispy chicken skin powder, and that's a little garnish for the blue eye cod dish.”
ing it a more texturally exciting option. “We get the olive oil up to 120C and start adding small amounts of the rice until it starts to puff and then after that we
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grains
At Perth’s Greenhouse restaurant — the brainchild of sustainability guru Joost Bakker, and the kitchen headed up by chef Matt Stone — the theme of the menu is fresh, healthy and simple, so it's no surprise that grains make a regular appearance. “That's the style of the food we do here at Greenhouse,” says Stone, who is set to move to Sydney when Greenhouse moves east to set up an outpost, hopefully next year. “Everything is quite simple and in the rawest form we can keep it in.” “We get whole wheat in for our flour, so having that on hand we use it in a lot of salads. It's got a really nice texture, and a really natural, earthy flavour. I soak it in warm water for 48 hours so it cooks really slowly and plumps up, so when you eat it it pops in your mouth a little bit.” Stone is also one of a number of chefs experimenting with quinoa, one of the most popular grains on menus today, and it's a common inclusion on both the lunch and dinner menus at Greenhouse. "It's gluten free, so that appeals to a lot of people these days, and it comes in four different colours, so visually it looks really nice on the plate, and the flavour is quite neutral so it can lend itself to a number of cuisines, it can be in Modern Australian, or Middle Eastern.” While many chefs prefer to use quinoa in soups or hot dishes, Stone is staying true to the Greenhouse philosophy and leaving it in its rawest form, mostly using it in salads. When Hospitality spoke with Stone, he was using quinoa in a salad with woodroasted broccoli and almonds, about 30 serves of which he dishes up a night. Alejandro Saravia, currently sous chef at Sails at Lavender Bay but soon to be head of his new restaurant Morena, a Peruvian and Latin American restaurant which will open in Surry Hills in October, says the best thing about quinoa is its versatility. At the moment, he's working on both sweet and savoury dishes which highlight quinoa, and like Wilson, the grain is acting as a starch replacement. “I've been trying something I call Sweet of Quinoa, which is basically the same concept as arroz con leche, which is kind of a rice pudding from the Spaniels, and I take out the rice and add the quinoa and it makes a big difference,” Saravia says. “You're adding vegetable protein to it and you're adding extra value to the dish in terms of health, and also a nice nutty taste. I've also been stuffing quails or spatchcocks with a mixture of quinoa, porcini mushrooms and confit eschallots. You cook the quinoa in a stock with the eschallots and butter, add some porcini mushrooms for extra flavour and with all 26
hospitality | august 2011
Semi-cooked and raw Crystal Bay prawn, consomme, baby sorrel From Diego Munoz, head chef, Bilsons restaurant Degustation size, serves six Prawn stock Prawn raft 50g prawn meat 20g diced brown onion 100g egg whites 5g salt In a food processor, blitz the raft to form a paste. Mix the raft in the cold prawn broth with a whisk. Cook it over a low heat until it comes to the boil, as slowly as possible, taking care that it doesn't attach to the bottom of the pot. Once the raft is set, break with a small ladle and pour hot liquid on top of the raft. Pass it through an oil filter. Dried quinoa 50g quinoa 100g water 1g salt 10g olive oil Bring water and salt to the boil. Add quinoa, stir with a whisk and cook for 10 minutes. Strain, allow to dry for a bit then toast in a non-stick pan with a little film of oil. When gold in colour strain and absorb excess oil. Spread on a layer of the dehydrator and dry for 12 hours. Raw prawn roulade (makes 30 10g portions) 21 pieces, 16/20 prawn tail clean, peeled, deveined Zest of two lemons Zest of two limes 1tsp Espelete pepper 1tbs pink peppercorn skins 10g lemongrass juice Salt 1g meat glue transglutaminase Dress prawn tails with the rest of the ingredients, with the transglutaminase at the end. Mix well and lay three rows of seven tails on each roulade, tighten them up with cling wrap to make a roll. Pinch to get rid of excess air, then freeze them. Once frozen, slice to 10g discs. Prawn oil 400g prawn heads 400g vegetable oil 30g brown onion 30g peeled carrot
that just stuff the deboned quail and cook it in a pan with butter. It's a better alternative to stuffing your quail with a bread mixture or another meat that will overlap with the flavour of the quail.” Saravia says the key to using quinoa well is to match it with the right flavours. Game meat has an earthy flavour, and
5g garlic 10g tomato paste 1g saffron threads 100g water 1 star anise 4g fennel seeds 1 stem of whole tarragon Roast prawn heads in a bit of the oil until nice and brown. Take off the pot. Sweat the onions, carrot and garlic in pan then add and roast tomato paste. Add spices and the rest of the oil and water. Boil rapidly until the water is consumed then lower the heat and cook for 20mins. Let it cool then pass through an oil filter and reserve cold. Prawn tails Six 10/15 whole prawns 20g olive oil Peel off prawn tail, leaving tail and legs intact. Devein. With a sharp knife slice the bottom of the tail making zig-zag incisions. Skew the tail to make it flat. In a hot pan with some olive oil sear one half of the prawn leaving the top half raw. Brush with olive oil and sea salt. Extras 1 lime 54 baby sorrel leaves Roasted sesame oil Presentation In the centre of a bowl put a disc of raw prawns roulade. Add three drops toasted sesame oil. Lay the half cooked prawns next to it. Dress toasted quinoa with prawn head oil and two drops of lime juice and zest of one lime, adjust seasoning. Put a spoon of the quinoa on top of prawn heads. Lay nine leaves of baby sorrel on top of prawn tail. Serve warm consomme on the side.
goes well with the grain, as does barramundi, but not salmon. Fresh fruit also helps to make quinoa a unique dessert, like the fresh mango and rum-soaked currants he uses in his Sweet of Quinoa. “You can have three meals a day for a year with quinoa and you'd have a lot of adventure with it,” he says. hospitalitymagazine.com.au
Efendy’s Chocolate and Pistachio Baklava with Pedro Ximenex cherries.
desserts
SEDUCTION BY CHOCOLATE If in doubt choose chocolate! That’s the dining mantra of diners it seems, given the popularity of chocolate desserts. This obsession makes a killer chocolate creation essential on menus if you want to seduce your diners into going that extra mile. Rosemary Ryan spoke to four top chefs about their best selling chocolate temptations. hocolate. When it comes to desserts it’s the magical ingredient that’s guaranteed to attract attention. For diners it’s the sweet ending option they’re likely to choose if they can’t decide – it’s a safe bet that if it says chocolate they’re going to love it. For restaurants that means having at least one ripper chocolate dessert is essential to maximise sales. “It’s absolutely the crowd pleaser, both for people who are chocoholics but also those who want to play it safe,” says Leigh McDivitt, head chef at The Three Weeds, the award winning food focused pub in Sydney’s inner west. “And there is so much great chocolate available out there these days to work with that it’s stupid not to make sure you have some really good chocolate desserts. They [our chocolate desserts] are always consistently the top sellers.” Chef Christine Manfield, who’s earned a big reputation for her amazing creative desserts at her restaurant Universal, agrees. “Yes absolutely, totally,” Manfield says. “To some people dessert equals chocolate and you’ve got to play to that audience.” Manfield is a chef who knows desserts — the hit rate of customers including dessert at Universal is consistently close to 100 per cent. And then there are the diners who just arrive for dessert. “It’s a very important part of my portfolio,” she says. “And I treat it as such — the dessert menu is written alongside the whole menu.
Christine Manfield’s
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hospitality | august 2011
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signature Gay Time Goes Nuts dessert.
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We look at the balance of the entire menu when we’re creating dishes.� At the top of the popularity list with her chocolate desserts is a Universal signature Manfield is now unable to take off the menu, the Gay Time Goes Nuts. It’s a decadent combination of honeycomb, hazelnut, caramel and chocolate. “I use Valrhona hazelnut chocolate in it and it has honeycomb caramel with little chocolate beads and a hazelnut chocolate mousse,� says Manfield. “And we make a wafer that’s made to order that’s a spray of chocolate. Then the whole thing is filled from the inside. It looks deceptively simple but there are actually 13 recipes to make it. The final touch is the quenelle of hazelnut chocolate mousse.� “It’s our best selling dessert — it’s become part of who we are. It’s the most delectable flavour combination that you just can’t get away from.� But Manfield says one of the newest chocolate desserts she’s added to the menu, the Mocha Bomb, is almost rivalling Gay Time as a hit with diners. “It’s a perfect cube of chocolate mousse using Valrhona’s Grand Cru Araguani and Cafe Noir chocolates. Within that, while it’s setting, we put in some little chocolate shells that are filled with an espresso caramel and diced date, so it sort of explodes as you journey through
it. Once it’s set it’s sprayed with chocolate so it looks like sand and that all sits on a disc of espresso ice cream with chocolate ganache underneath.� While Manfield says she usually aims to have no more than two chocolate desserts on her menu she’s also just added the “Berry Punk� that combines Valrhona white chocolate, with layers of lemon curd and lemon cream, topped with fresh raspberries and blood orange sorbet in peaks the same size and shape as the raspberries. Very thin white chocolate “handkerchiefs� stick out of the top. There’s also the much loved Lady Marmalade with Valrhona Caraibe chocolate jaffa mousse, chocolate marmalade fudge cake, dates and candied orange. Looking to the seasons Manfield says when developing a chocolate dessert she looks across the range of chocolate profiles available and also the fruit that’s at its best at the time. “It’s driven by the fruit of the season,� she says. “I always start with the fruit and then build from there.� The Three Weeds McDivitt also works by looking at produce in season and then pairing it with the most appropriate kind of chocolate when he’s developing a new chocolate dessert. “At the moment because blood orange is in season I’m adding a new dessert that’s
a tempered chocolate cigar filled with a blood orange curd with chocolate praline underneath, with a Campari sorbet and a caramel marshmallow,� he said. “Lots of alcohols go really well with chocolate. Campari’s one of the best, but I even used tequila last year and that worked well too.� A previous chocolate dessert hit just heading off the menu when Hospitality spoke to McDivitt was his My Chocolate Delight — a combination of a chocolate biscuit base surrounded by chocolate mousse and filled with caramel cream. But he also experiments with more unusual combinations. “One I did last year that was really popular was one that used beetroot,� he says. “We had a sponge dipped in beetroot cooking liquor that was inside a chocolate marquis with candied beetroot on the outside.� Currently using Valrhona chocolate in his desserts, McDivitt, says he chooses from a variety of chocolate with different cacao percentages to balance out the flavours, but also to manage the cost on the plate. He says being smart about how you use chocolate can help to keep the cost down when using such a high quality ingredient. “The better quality the chocolate, the less you need to use to get that intense flavour,� says McDivitt. “And you can design the dish so it has good hospitalitymagazine.com.au
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Drive profits and create savings for your business by discovering new and innovative foodservice and hospitality products at Fine Food Australia, the largest food industry event in the country. Featuring over 1,000 exhibitors, this is your opportunity to meet face-to-face with thousands of industry specialists and take advantage of special trade deals.
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5 – 8 SEPTEMBER 2011 SYDNEY CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE www.finefoodaustralia.com.au
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desserts
Best seller: Brendan McQueen’s chocolate fondant.
Cherries, cheesecake and chocolate at Matteo’s.
chocolate elements but using smaller quantities of chocolate and different grades of chocolate with different chocolate percentages. In the Chocolate Delight there’s a 53 per cent in the mousse but a 70 per cent in the tempered chocolate.” Chef and restaurateur Somer Sivrioglu knows the power of chocolate.
He even had to step outside tradition to come up with a chocolate dessert to meet the demands of his customers at his Efendy Turkish restaurant in Balmain. The result was his Chocolate and Pistachio Baklava, Pedro Ximenez spiked Sour Cherries, served with ice cream featuring the classic Turkish ingredient sahlep
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(wild orchid buds). The dish is now Efendy’s top selling dessert. “Chocolate of course isn’t a traditional Turkish ingredient,” says Sivrioglu. “But so many of my regulars were asking for a chocolate dessert. So I thought the best thing would be a marriage of the most popular traditional dessert, baklava, with chocolate. It was a lot of trial and error to ensure it would work and not be overly sweet because you know baklava can be really heavy.” Sivrioglu uses a Callebaut 67 per cent chocolate to create a mousse that he layers with filo pastry and pistachios in the centre, and teams it with the Turkish sour cherries soaked in Pedro Ximenez, and the ice cream with sahlep. “The more bitter chocolate just helps drop down the sweetness of it and the cherries also are really quite tart so they offset the sweetness as well.” Traditional pleasure Executive chef at Matteo’s restaurant in Melbourne Brendan McQueen says he’s found diners favour the traditional when it comes to chocolate desserts — from chocolate fondants to souffles and brulees. And if you can add some heat it’s a bonus. “Everyone loves chocolate,” McQueens says. “And if it’s warm or hot even better.” Top selling on his dessert menu all year round has been a chocolate fondant in some form. On Matteo’s winter menu it goes by the name Hot Chocolate and features a dark chocolate soft centred fondant pud-
ding served with a coconut and rum hot chocolate shot, and a milk chocolate souffle. “Everyone loves a souffle too so when you combine a souffle with chocolate it’s even more of a hit,” says McQueen, who uses Lindt chocolate for his desserts. While chocolate’s a hands down winner with diners it can also be a tricky ingredient to work with and can test a chef’s skill and knowledge. “It’s not always the easiest product to work with,” says McQueen. “You do have to be gentle with it and patient to achieve good results.” “Tempering chocolate can be one of the pitfalls, you have to be very precise with the temperature you’re heating it up to. And things like making a ganache is a very simple process but you can easily muck it up. “And it’s good to have a separate section of the kitchen where it’s cooler to work in — our pastry chefs are down near cold larder. Make sure you have a marble bench to use — it’s cooler than stainless steel.” The quality of the chocolate you are using is also paramount. “If you want flavour you’ve got to invest,” says Manfield. “If you’re going to work with chocolate then it’s so important to use the best chocolate imaginable. Like any dish, it’s about good produce.” Manfield also suggests care when you’re switching between different brands of chocolate. “Every one is a bit different so you’ll need to experiment with it first and adjust the recipe,” she said. hospitalitymagazine.com.au
management
Finding negatives to create positives You might be concentrating on the things your customer’s love about your business but what about the things that really piss them off? Ken Burgin rounds up the top offenders. A LITTLE negativity can sometimes be useful: tapping into the very human tendency to complain can yield a whole range of useful material when teaching customer service. A recent workshop on ‘quality service’ was going nowhere fast: a group of strangers, a cold room and first topic in the morning. So I decided to pop the cork and ask each table to come up with their ten pet hates when visiting a restaurant or café. Specific, not vague and real crimes — not some made up. Suddenly the room came to life — there’s nothing like a little rage to stoke the conversation. The trainer’s skill is to use this raw material to look at what participants are doing in their own business and ensure these horrors aren’t being inflicted on their own customers. Here are the best (or worst) on the list. Some will be familiar, and a great way to kick off the discussion when you next sit down for a pep session.
Bad coffee. Period. Why has this one item become such a religion? Whatever the reason, the passions are intense and some places are forgiven bad service and scruffy staff if the black gold is made perfectly. When you have great coffee, good service, clean and comfortable surroundings, the combination is unbeatable. All smiles when you deliver the right customer experience.
I want to spend money but I can’t read the menu. Yep, I wear reading glasses but if I’m dressed to impress I will leave them at home. And if I can’t read a description of the $50 bottle of wine, I’m not likely to order it. Use 12 or 14-point type on the
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
‘When a tourist restaurant lists ‘vitello tonnato’ on the menu with no further description, you know the ‘sales prevention officers’ have been at work.’
hospitality | august 2011
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management
menu so everyone’s happy.
No vegetables with the main course. A puddle of sauce and a wisp of dill don’t usually make the meal ‘complete’. Call it a hangover from a suburban childhood, but satisfying vegetables add to the contentment of diners. Why leave them out if it annoys people?
No information about the food. When a tourist restaurant lists ‘vitello tonnato’ on the menu with no further description, you know the ‘sales prevention officers’ have been at work. This classic Italian dish of poached veal with a tuna mayonnaise is always popular when described with enthusiasm. It’s likely that only one in a hundred of your customers speak the language, so the dish won’t sell itself without descriptive words.
No hello, goodbye or even a sign of recognition. Have you ordered? Well no actually and I’ve been sitting here for ten minutes! Sorry…we’ve just been so busy. Hmmm. When staff can’t look up from their phone call and nod hello, they may only be capable of doing one thing at a time.
‘The toilet is more than just a convenience. It should be a sanctuary, and if you can’t keep it clean and fresh, why should I trust your kitchen hygiene?’ If their choice is between talking and working, they usually choose to chat. This one was closely linked to another of the top gripe from thirty-
plus customers — if you’re not young, thin and gorgeous, customers may actually ‘disappear’ for many staff. Hello.
staff or the customers? But everyone agreed it should add to the experience not upset it.
Single people treated as problems.
Scary bathrooms without a mirror, a shelf and a hook. Demand-
Cafés love them, restaurants don’t know what to do with them. Are they really blocking up a table that’s needed by a group of four? Singles often spend more, and even small signs of care and attention create loyalty and enthusiasm. We need more customers like that single diner over there, not fewer.
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hospitality | august 2011
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Rock ‘n roll tables and hard chairs. If I’m comfortable, chances are I’ll stick around and keep ordering. Don’t make it deliberately uncomfortable to make my stay short. The chair is a subtle but powerful signal about comfort and quality.
Music that only a teenage could love. At the workshop, there was plenty of animated discussion about what type of music should be played, and who makes the call on the selection — the manager, the
ing? Not really. The toilet is more than just a convenience. It should be a sanctuary, and if you can’t keep it clean and fresh, why should I trust your kitchen hygiene?
Nothing local on the menu. This is often a sin in areas with great produce and food. Dishing up the same old same old from the freezer doesn’t cut it anymore, if you’re promoting a quality product.
No website. You mean I have to cross town to visit your restaurant and take a punt on the menu? What have you got against people who use computers, as we all know they often spend more? Recognise anything on this list? Remember them when trying to improve the overall quality and service in you restaurant and café. Could these be the reason you’re not as busy as last year? Ken Burgin is a leading hospitality industry consultant. To find out more visit profitablehospitality.com or call 1800 001 353. hospitalitymagazine.com.au
management
doctorhospitality
That’s not coffee Coffee is a serious business in Australia. Why is it then that
We need to print presentation folders for our function menus, but they are expensive. Is there a cheaper solution? Plain glossy folders are available from stationery suppliers, and they just need a coloured sticker (with your logo and contact details) on them to create a professional look. Put your money into quality design and photography for the stickers, and have a local print shop create them – this is not the time to ‘do it yourself’ with an inkjet printer. In addition, create a CD in a smart plastic case – this will be a ‘trophy’, and usually more valued than glossy paper and cardboard. Our staff have always disliked wearing nametags – should I keep insisting? If they’re part of the uniform, everyone should wear one, from the boss down. Make sure there’s an efficient system for collecting them at the end of each day. How do you explain why they actually are important? It makes more sense if it’s understood to be part of a wider scheme to improve customer service and satisfaction; if not, it’s just another imposition. Short sessions on customer likes and dislikes, complaint handling etc will all introduce the ‘bigger picture’ of customer service. We have a terrific new website but not much site traffic. What do we need to make it generate better sales? People use restaurant websites for four main reasons: to find the location, get nutritional information, find out about special promotions and learn about the menu. So your address, phone number and map should be up front, plus plenty of information about the menu, nutrition, specials and events. People find your website by using ‘keywords’ when they search, so optimising for these is essential. Your keywords will include words about the location, types of food (eg pizza, steak etc), atmosphere and entertainment (eg jazz, live bands etc). Google’s Keyword Tool is very useful for finding the most relevant – create a list and make sure they are used throughout the site. When your website contains the words that most people search for, you’ll be up on page one of Google. The cost of our ‘cash on premises’ and ‘in transit’ insurance has gone up 58 per cent. Any tips on reducing this? Maybe it’s time to ‘self-insure’, in other words weigh up the risk of no money insurance and put in extra security measures to reduce the risk of loss. Safes are inexpensive (buy one with a drop-slot in the top) and invest in bars on the windows, cameras and a proper back-to-base alarm. Put signs and stickers around to warn about the security measures. Investigate the cost of a security firm to transport your money to the bank. Encourage credit card use if you’re not doing this already. These measures will make everything safer.
Have a burning question for the good doctor? We'd love to hear from you. Send it to him via Hospitality's editor at rosemary.ryan@reedbusiness.com.au
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some of the big boys can get it so wrong, asks Tony Berry. REMEMBER the labours of Hercules? Ah, thought not. Or the trials of poor old Sisyphus? Hmmm, bit before your time eh? Before mine, too. No worries, it’s simply that both these old guys leapt into the mind as I contemplated recent news from the world of caffeine. Poor old Greek hero Hercules had a dozen seemingly impossible tasks imposed on him as punishment for killing his sons. Even when he failed two of them he pressed on to complete two more and thus achieve the reward of immortality. Fellow Greek Sisyphus was sentenced to rolling a boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down just as he was in sight of the summit. But he was a sucker for punishment and kept on going...and going. Like Hercules, he persevered. And so, too, do the foodservice invaders from the New World who believe Australia would be a far better place if every mall, street corner and food hall was blessed by the presence of one of their “outlets”. All credit to the likes of Starbucks and Gloria Jean’s. They deserve an A plus for persistence. They adapt, prune, rethink, reshape and follow the marketing manuals to the nth degree in their undying pursuit of Australian coffee drinkers. No doubt, like Hercules, they see their reward as immortality — or at least achieving an indelible footprint on the local landscape. What they don’t seem to realise — like those earlier settlers who tried to implant English trees in antipodean soil — is that they’re pushing rocks up hill and are doomed to do so endlessly without reward. Starbucks has already confronted reality and done a massive cull of its outlets. It followed this by refocusing, which is really management lingo for going back to basics and doing what should have been done in the first place. And that is to study and learn from your market and not dictate to, and impose yourself on the market. Now we have Gloria Jean’s undergoing what it calls a revamp. In so doing it forgets that a rose by any other name is still a rose. And after watching the eye-glazing video used to announce what is really little more than a quick paint job and a shifting of the furniture, it is clear lessons still have not been learnt. Like its predecessor it simply doesn’t understand the coffee (and cafe) culture, not only here but in much of the coffee-drinking world. It talks of stores and shopfronts, of “open format store layouts” and, heaven help us, an “interactive coffee experience”. Coffee drinkers are addicts shuffling into small, dim, dark places redolent with character and atmosphere and with baristas who not only understand every bean but are in tune with the mood and nature of every customer. Think of all those holes in the wall in Florence, Milan and Rome; and their counterparts in Paris, Amsterdam or Barcelona. There’s a counter for leaning on, stools lined along the bar, small tables for singles and couples, espresso served in glasses and chinaware. The food offered is simple, snack-like and complimentary to the beverage that’s the focus of the house. In Australia, think Pellegrino’s.This small Melbourne outlet is what the local market understands by “delivering an exceptional coffee house experience” — not some wide open space that’s a cross between Ikea and the furniture department at Myer. You can go right back to the first coffee house, at Lloyd’s of London, to see the formula that met the market’s demands then and has done so ever since. Remember, if it ain’t broke. As in so many other areas of our lives, America has the sheer size and economic power to dominate and force its attitudes, brands and products on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, its foodservice pushers and purveyors – who rarely seem to take the softly softly approach — don’t always fully understand local needs, customs and tastes. If they did they wouldn’t have inflamed local passions by opening a Starbuck’s in Lygon Street. Nor would they serve in-house drinks in styrofoam containers. Or suggest customers adulterate an espresso by adding “any combination of our premium syrups...from buttery to nutty to fruity”. That is not coffee. Good luck to Gloria Jean’s in its bid to lift local market share from two to 10 per cent. But I’d rather put my money on Sisyphus finally pushing his boulder to the top of the mountain. For many years known to Hospitality readers by his nom de plume E S Scoffer, Tony Berry is a former editor of this magazine as well as a travel editor, restaurant reviewer, chef and restaurateur. He's also the world's fourth fastest half-marathoner in his current age group. hospitality | august 2011
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1&2 Inghams expands with poultry. Top poultry products supplier Inghams has added to its extensive range with the launch of Ingham Bistro Breast Schnitzel and Ingham Perfect Bites. Made from 100 per cent Australian chicken breast meat and coated in a crunchy crumb, Ingham Bistro Breast Schnitzel comes in 190 gram portions making it ideal for effective portion control and is individually quick frozen for storage and preparation convenience. The product has no artificial colours or flavours, and can be prepared in a number of ways — deep fry, shallow fry, or oven cook. Meanwhile, the new Ingham Perfect Bites, are bite sized snacks also made from 100 per cent Australian chicken with no artificial colours and are quick and simple to prepare. They come in two varieties — Oriental, features a coating
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made with five different spices; and Southern Style, a traditional southern coating with a hint of pepper. Find out more at inghams.com.au 3 Verified Angus pies. West Australian company Mrs Mac’s has unveiled its latest product — the new 280g Angus Steak Pie. The launch comes as the popularity of Angus Beef with consumers continues to rise. The Angus Steak Pie is made from premium, chunky Verified Angus Steak in rich gravy and slow-cooked for an authentic, gourmet flavour. The product is available fresh in the Western Australian metro region and frozen in the Western Australian country region and the rest of Australia. For more head to mrsmacs.com.au 4 Healthy herbal range now in bags. The range of Beaming with
Health herbal teas created by naturopath Mim Beim are now available in convenient tea bags. The range uses herbal remedies blended together to create teas that offer health benefits as well as flavour. With quirky names including Bright-Eyed and BushyTailed, Forget Me Not, Hair of the Dog, Nighty-Night, Preggers and Frisky Business, the blends contain herbs that are locally grown and organic, where possible. For more see beamingwithhealth.com.au 5 Stone for authentic pizza. From ceramic specialist Emile Henry comes this pizza stone for cooking delicious pizza with the thin, crisp crust that the Italian original is renowned for in the oven, under the grill or even in a hooded BBQ. The pizza stone features Emile Henry’s Flame
technology that allows it to withstand intense heat – it can be used over direct flames or in a very hot oven. The stone’s non-porous, micro-glazed surface won’t absorb any flavours, stain or scratch. It’s also the reason the crust of the pizza will always be crisp and golden. It’s good looking with a rustic appearance, that’s clean and simple. It has a slim circular base, 37cm in diameter, with easy-grip handles that are a continuation of the base. Its classic design creates the perfect presentation for any pizza — simply take it straight from the oven to the table. For details on local stockists call distributor DKSH on 02 8884 6000. 6 Eco-friendly ice makers. Scots Ice Australia has introduced the Scotsman MF59 and MF69 ice flakers. These ecofriendly ice machines run carbon dioxide as the
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refrigerant. No hydro-fluorocarbon gases are used and the machine is carbon neutral so these truly are environmentally friendly ice machines. Hydro-fluorocarbons refrigerants are some of the greenhouse gases controlled under the Kyoto Protocol and these have a high global warming potential. Find out more at scotsice.com.au
head to everybodyeats.com.au
7 Get stuffing. The Konu Pocket Knife is the first in a range of innovative Finnish designed kitchenware products and is designed to make stuffing food a breeze by allowing the user to easily make perfect pockets in the food with only a 17mm incision point. You can then pipe in the chosen stuffing, then rub the incision point with egg white to close off the hole to retain the stuffing and the moisture of the product. For more information
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8 Warm from the feet up. The latest eco-friendly European heating invention that’s ideal for commercial outdoor entertaining has arrived in Australia. Fresh from Europe, the clever new infrared outdoor heating solution, Vireoo from Mensa Heating has been launched here by The Cool Stuff Company. The weather-resistant Vireoo is positioned as being cheaper to operate than traditional gas heaters emiting 80 per cent less carbon dioxide. The winner of the Innovation Award 2010 at the garden trade fair SpogaGafa in Cologne, the Vireoo Commercial is specially designed for the hospitality industry and cleverly combines an outdoor table with a built-in infrared heater, designed to radiate heat from the feet up through the rest of the body.
Ge more information at thecoolstuffcompany.com.au 9 Indigenous ingredients for beer. As the use of indigenous ingredients in food continues to grow, Barons Beer has tapped into the trend by using Black Wattle Seed, and Lemon Myrtle as ingredients in its latest new beers. Baron’s new Black Wattle Original Ale Lemon Myrtle Witbier have used the native flavours to create a unique taste. Find out more at Barons.com.au 10 Luxury without price tag. At the forefront of innovative bathroom design, Paco Jaanson has redefined luxury with their new Next Gen range. Taking into consideration the recent financial climate, Paco Jaanson says it’s out to prove that luxury in the bathroom doesn’t have to come
with a high-end price tag. Inspired by a vision that seeks to combine quality of life and fine design, the Next Gen range offers a simplistic and irresistible sensation to the bathroom space. This functional yet stylish range offers home owners an opportunity to include luxury items in their bathroom without breaking the bank. The Next Gen integrates the WC Suite and Bidet to add a luxurious element that will distinguish your bathroom interior. The curvaceous contours of the WF Suite and Bidet add instant appeal, brightness, and sophistication. Want to know more? Go to pacojaanson.com.au
Do you have new products you’d like us to include? Send your information and images to rosemary.ryan@reedbusiness.com.au
hospitality | august 2011
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hospitalitydiary SEPTEMBER 5-8 Fine Food Australia 2011; Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. More at finefoodaustralia.com.au 11-14 Sydney BarShow
Week; Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park, Sydney. More at barshow.com.au 12-16 Australian HACCP Conference; RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, Qld. More at haccptown.com.au
if the request is not reasonable; or if the refusal is reasonable. In Mr Steven Pietraszek v Transpacific Industries Transpacific Cleanaway [2011] FWA 3698 28 June 2011 Commissioner Williams of the Fair Work Australia Tribunal found that the company unfairly dismissed Mr Pietraszek for refusing to work on public holidays over Christmas period and awarded the employee $12,595 in compensation.
These new employee rights under the National Employment Standards of the Fair Work Act 2009 are now becoming enshrined into employment case law and so it’s important for business owners to be compliant by ensuring company policies and procedures are up to date. Prepared by the Workplace Relations Team at Restaurant and Catering Australia. For more information call 1300 722 878
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hospitality | august 2011
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Features
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The secret formula behind Australia’s top chefs is now yours. T F RI E N
Formula 40 Original Cottonseed is quite simply, a better quality frying oil - you’ll see the difference. Its thicker, cloudy robust base ensures:
Standard frying oil:
• Longer fry-life - without compromising quality
A thinner oil with a less robust base, which will reduce fry quality and life, compared to Formula 40.
• Superior drain off - for crisp, good looking food • Neutral oil taste - to retain food’s natural flavour • Healthier - virtually transfat free & cholesterol free
Order your 20L tin or 15L box through Peerless Foods on 1800 986 499 or visit: www.peerlessfoods.com.au
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