Hospitality Magazine November 2012 by Hospitality Magazine

No.689 November 2012

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

foodservice

Â&#x201E;

accommodation

Â&#x201E;

beverage

Â&#x201E;

management

Hey good looking Australian flavour Native ingredients making their mark on menus

Food safe stars

Foodservice leaders put their safety record on display

Sizzling summer drinking ahead

Print Post Approved PP349181/00109

Experts reveal their tips for hot summer wine lists

How smart table top design can boost your business

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Martin Sinclair martin.sinclair@reedbusiness.com.au Ph: (02) 9422 2607

Editor’s Note

EDITOR Rosemary Ryan 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

derful for stewing to have with ice cream or cream, in pies or turned into my great Aunty Hazel’s famous jam, they also have a perfectly round stone that makes a great marble. I grew up eating quandongs on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, plucked from the wild trees around the place. So on my last trip back home while I was out walking around town I was excited to spy a quandong tree growing in a little patch of roadside bush and laden with the fruit just waiting

I’VE always been a fairly law abiding citizen but I have had one brush with criminal behaviour that I’m still a little ashamed of. It involves quandongs. For those of you not familiar with quandongs - or wild peaches as we called them when we were kids let me enlighten you. They are one of Australia’s truly unique wild foods that are a wonder of nature. Not only does the shiny red fruit look gorgeous on the tree and have a delicious tartness that makes it won-

to be picked. I was amazed that no one had gotten in before me so I began gathering a few. But it wasn’t long before a nearby resident gave me a hoy and let me know I was a committing an offence. “Leave them for the emus,” he said. As I discovered, as I was lectured by a friends over the next few days, wild quandongs are a protected native food in SA with the trees out of bounds to greedy little fingers like my own. These days quandongs have been noticed by the rest of the world and their value has skyrocketed - and it’s the same for many of our other bush foods that continue to amaze international chefs with their incredible flavours that are uniquely Australian.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Ronnie Lawrence Ph: (02) 9422 2741 PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR Laura Panameno Ph: (02) 9422 8772 laura.panameno@reedbusiness.com.au PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Troy Stevens Ph: (02) 9422 8748 SUBSCRIPTIONS Ph: 1300 360 126 ONE YEAR: $132.00 incl GST TWO YEARS: $220.00 incl GST

FACEBOOK.COM/hospitalitymagazine TWITTER.COM/hospitalityed hospitalitymagazine.com.au

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

4 New

12 Mystery diner

Regional restaurant named best in Australia. Healthy outlook for fine dining.

Our diner heads to Sydney’s original Red Lantern.

14 Imbibe 6 Openings The latest new hospitality openings on the block.

Sommeliers’ predictions for what will be hot this summer.

8 Workplace

29 Burgin

Getting clear on sick leave changes.

It’s a ‘social’ world. Don’t get left behind.

10 Secret ingredients

32 Shelfspace

Meet Justin Wise from The Point at Albert Park.

MOST READ STORIES

1 2 3 4 5

Liquid nitrogen ban for NSW bars T-rex spearheads Palmer’s Coolum Resort strategy Maggie Beer criticises supermarket duopoly Almonds containing salmonella recalled Australia-wide New backpacker tax a tourism threat, says industry

Source: hospitalitymagazine.com.au, 22-30 October, 2012

hospitality | november 2012

Awards

Regional restaurant savours crowning as national best Victoria’s Eleonore’s Restaurant has been named Restaurant of the Year. THERE were big celebrations at in the Victorian town of Yering last month when Eleonore’s Restaurant was named Australia’s Restaurant of the Year at the national Restaurant and Catering Australia’s Savour Awards for Excellence. The restaurant, at the historic Chateau Yering Hotel, was also named Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year, up against finalists including Sepia, Jacques Reymond, Sage, Restaurant Sanctuary, Spicers Peak Lodge and 1907 Restaurant and Cocktail Bar. Chateau Yering chef Mathew Macartney accepted the awards at a glittering industry event held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. The award caps a successful time for Eleonore’s since Macartney started at Chateau Yering in late 2007. Over the past four years the restaurant has maintained its one chef hat status in The Age Good Food Guide for the consistently high standards there. It’s the second year in a row the restaurant has been named national Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year at the Restaurant and Catering Savour Awards.

Mathew Macartney and some of the fine food at Eleonore’s.

STREAT’s the path to success for homeless A Melbourne organisation is using hospitality training to help to break the the cycle of homelessness for young people. By Brea Carter ON ANY given night, 26,060 of the 105,000 Australians defined as homeless are young people aged between 12 and 18-years-old. Compelled to see these numbers decline following their own experiences with street youth in Vietnam, Rebecca Scott and Kate Barelle formed not-for-profit organisation STREAT that’s using hospitality training to combat the problem. Now celebrating three years of operation, STREAT runs three businesses in Melbourne - two cafes producing tasty, affordable dishes inspired by the street culture of countries throughout the world as well as a coffee cart - that are used to train young people for a career in hospitality. STREAT general manager of operations Jen Miller said the trainees complete a Cert I and Cert II in hospitality with William

Angliss while doing weekly work experience shifts in the cafes. The organisation’s experienced baristas, chefs and hospitality staff facilitate on-the-job training as they coach and mentor the students while they prepare coffees, serve customers and learn food

preparation skills. So far more than 52 students have participated in the organisation’s program, which takes between eight and 14 students in January and July each year. For more see www.streat.com.au hospitalitymagazine.com.au

news

Trends

Restaurant revival tipped for top end WHILE THERE have been plenty of predictions of the demise of fine dining in Australia a new report says sounding the death knell may be a bit premature. The report published by the business analysts IBISWorld predicts the market share of premium restaurants will increase from 40 per cent this year to 42 per cent by 2018. And it also indicates mid-tier restaurant market share will rise as well from 32 per cent to 34 per cent in the same period. Losing ground, according to the report, will be the lower end fast food category - IBISWorld predicts it will decrease from 28 per cent to 24 per cent. IBISWorld general manager

Hotel industry welcomes six star Packer plan THE controversial Crown development proposed for Sydney’s Barangaroo featuring Australia’s first six star hotel and high rollers’ gambling facilities has received strong support from the hotel industry. Major hotel operator Accor and Tourism Accommodation Australia both gave the plans the thumbs up saying it would be boon for Sydney and elsewhere in Australia. Tourism Accommodation Australia managing director Rodger Powell said the development of a world-class integrated luxury resort and gaming facility in Barangaroo would benefit the country’s $38 billion tourism industry. “This is an exciting proposal put forward by Crown and it’s pleasing to see the NSW government giving it serious consideration,” he said. Accor chief operating officer, Simon McGrath, said Sydney needed investment in infrastructure to stop it from “falling behind its competitors in attracting major events, highyielding tourists and large-scale conferences”. “These produce tens of millions of dollars for the local economy and in the end benefit the whole Australian economy,” he said. hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Karen Dobie said strong wages growth and returning consumer confidence would drive the “renaissance” of the mid-range and fine dining sectors. She said while value for money had been the primary concern since the global financial crisis, recovery is “well underway”. “Aussies will be splashing out a little more when it comes to entertainment,” she said. “However recent restaurant closures at the top end of the market are a reminder that even in the premium segment we’re not willing to pay through the nose if we don’t feel we are getting value.” The report said this year Australians were predicted to spend almost $15bn in restaurants with

premium dining accounting for almost $6bn of that and mid-tiered dining around $4.8bn. “Cheap eats” will attract $4.2bn of consumer spend. Over the next five years fine dining will have above average growth of 3.7 per cent to reach $7.1bn, while the broader restaurant industry is expected to grow an annualised 2.7 per cent over the next five years to reach almost $17bn, the reports says. Currently the average Australian household spends $67 - or 5.4 per cent of their weekly expenditure - eating out compared with with $220 a week in the supermarket. Eating out spend is predicted to grow 3.6 per cent between now and 2018.

in brief Australians culinary Olympians ranked top ten in world The Australian national and junior teams competing at the culinary version of the Olympics have achieved top ten status at the recent event in Germany. The Australian junior team brought home gold medals for their efforts in the hot kitchen and silver for the cold table category at the Culinary Olympics, while the seniors had silver in both categories in their suitcases. The Australian Culinary Federation’s Deb Foreman who was on the ground in Erfurt with the teams said the achievements were a “tremendous” effort. She said the junior team was ranked seventh in the world and the national team was ninth.

Nitrogen ban “knee jerk”

Convention centre tops in dairy production

Sydney mixologist Grant Collins described a ban on the use of liquid nitrogen at two Sydney venues as a “knee jerk reaction” and has called for an open discussion with the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing. It ordered Zeta Bar at the Hilton and The Roosevelt in Kings Cross to cease serving drinks which use liquid nitrogen, after a girl in the UK had her stomach removed after ingesting the substance.

Perth retains pricey coffee spot

MCEC sous chef Dale Vocale working on the centre’s award-winning yoghurt.

WHO’S the producer of the best yoghurt in the country? Well, that would be the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. That’s the claim MCEC exec chef Tony Panetta and his team can make after winning a champion trophy at Australia’s premier food event, the Royal Melbourne Fine Food Award. The MCEC’s housemade vanilla yoghurt was the overall winner in the category where it was up against some of the country’s top yoghurt makers, beating almost 30 yoghurt entries. Overall the kitchen team was awarded seven medals, including four golds, for its cream, sorbet, labna and yoghurt. “It’s a real credit to our skilled and creative team of chefs who have developed flavours that stand out against the best producers in Australia,” said Panetta.

Perth is still the most expensive city in Australia to grab a takeaway coffee, while Sydney is the most affordable. The latest Gilkatho Cappuccino Price Index revealed Aussie coffee drinkers are paying an average $3.47 for a takeaway cappuccino, a jump of 3.6 per cent on last year. In Perth the average price is $3.88, up by one cent on last quarter and 16 cents over the year. If current trends continue, Perth is expected to be the first city to break the $4 barrier.

Organic heads maintream The 2012 Organic Market Report paints a picture of organics becoming increasingly “mainstream” with a 40 per cent increase in the number of people buying organic compared to 2008. The industry is now worth $301m a year to farmers with 65 per cent of adults

hospitality | november 2012

openings

Rosetta, Melbourne Possibly winning the title of most beautiful restaurant to open this year is Neil Perry’s new Rosetta Italian restaurant at Crown. It combines an impressive and luxurious Iain Halliday design with Perry’s seasonally driven menu of his favourite regional recipes from his travels in Italy. It’s The Rockpool Group’s third restaurant in Melbourne and seventh in Australia. Opened: October Owners: Neil Perry, Trish Richards, and David Doyle Chefs: Neil Perry, Brendan Sheldrick Manager and sommelier: Danielle Bilancetti The food: At the heart of the Rosetta’s kitchen is a wood fired oven and chargrill for creating simple Italian dishes such as suckling pig, roast chcken and wood fired suckling lamb. Pasta is also a feature with two dedicated chefs hand making more than 16 different kinds each day from maccaronara and cavatelli, to pappardelle and gnocchi. Perry says it’s where people will meet to be “fed from the heart”. Where: 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank Phone: 03 8648 1999 Web: www.rosettaristorante.com

MoVida, Sydney

Print Hall, Perth

The much anticipated Sydney outpost of Frank Camorra’s successful MoVida brand has set out to capture the essence of MoVida in Melbourne’s Hosier Lane. It’s menu incorporates the classics that MoVida devotees know and love but also allowing room for change in it’s new northern home. Camorra has relocated to Sydney for the first six months of its operation.

Perth’s first multi-level dining and bar precinct, Print Hall has been created in the city’s heritage listed Newspaper House on St Georges Terrace in the CBD. It’s the latest addition to the Colonial Lesiure Group portfolio and encompasses outlets ranging from bakery and coffee house Small Print to the Print Hall Bar and Dining Room that has David Coomer as executive chef. Plus there’s The Apple Daily Bar and Eating House, named after Hong Kong’s popular daily newspaper and featuring a South East Asian menu designed by Cheong Liew.

Opened: October Owners: Frank Camorra, Andy McMahon Chefs: Frank Camorra, James Campbell Front of house: Andy Jacoora Seats: 90 The food: With the familiar menu perfectly suited to grazing, picking and chatting early favourites that Sydney’s reviewers have been swooning over include dishes like the salt cod croquette, the grilled bread rubbed with tomato and munched with some rich pork sausage, the little rolls topped with a single slice of chorizo, some aioli and a fried pepper, and those pork ribs. Where: 50 Holt Street, Surry Hills Phone: 02 8964 7642 Web: www.movida.com.au/sydney 6

hospitality | november 2012

Opened: September Owners: Colonial Leisure Group Chefs: David Coomer, Shane Watson, Cheong Liew, Sunny de Ocampo. The food: Depends where you are! On the Print Hall Dining Room menu you’ll find a European inspired menu focusing on the best of WA produce with local oysters being served fresh at the bar daily, while in the Apple Daily Bar the Asian street food menu awaits. Where: Print Hall, Brookfield Place, 125 Georges Terrace, Perth Phone: 08 6282 0000 Web: www.printhall.com.au hospitalitymagazine.com.au

MADE FOR A BUSY DAY OF BUMS ON SEATS. Think inside the box and have everything picked, delivered, assembled and ready to go.^

By signing up to IKEA BUSINESS, you’ll get beneﬁts like an IKEA BUSINESS Specialist to help you plan what works best for your space.

Sign up for free to IKEA BUSINESS today and you’ll go in the draw to win a $5,000 business makeover* IKEA.com.au/HOSPITALITY

^For more details and prices about IKEA services, head to your local store or visit us online at IKEA.com.au/services * The promotion commences at 12.01am ADST 15/10/12 & closes at 11.59pm ADST on 14/12/12. To enter participants must sign-up to the IKEA Business program online at IKEA.com.au/BUSINESS & complete the online registration form. Only one entry per person will be permitted. Entrants must be eligible to purchase on behalf of a registered Australian business. The draw will take place at 2.00pm ADST on 21/12/12 at MDSA, Ground Floor, 15 Grosvenor Street, Neutral Bay NSW 2089. The winner will receive for their Business a $5,000 IKEA Ofﬁce Makeover, which will include $5,000 worth of IKEA products of the winner’s choice. The Promoter is IKEA Pty Ltd, 630-726 Princes Highway, Tempe NSW 2044. ABN 84 006 270 757. Authorised under NSW Permit No. LTPS/12/07489 & ACT Permit No. TP12/03422. For full Terms & Conditions go to IKEA.com.au/terms © Inter IKEA Systems B.V. 2012

IKEB0011_HOS_HOS

workplace

Personal or sick leave? National Employment Standards have affected the definition of sick leave. Here Restaurant and Catering Australia’s workplace relations team clarifies the current arrangements. MANY employees believe paid sick leave is an accrued right similar to annual leave, eligible to be taken at will without notice or evidence, at any stage during the course of their employment. However sick leave, is now known under the Fair Work Act 2009 National Employment Standards as “Personal Leave”and is broader in application. The National Employment Standards provide that an employee may take paid personal/carer’s leave if the leave is taken: (a)because the employee is not fit for work because of a personal illness, or personal injury, affecting the employee; or (b) to provide care or support to a member of the employee’s immediate family, or a member of the employee’s household, who requires care or support because of: (i) a personal illness, or personal injury, affecting the member; or

(ii) an unexpected emergency affecting the member. However, this new form of paid leave of absence is not crystal clear

single day’s absence, to evidence from a suitably qualified registered professional relevant to the employee’s illness or injury.

‘This new form of paid leave of absence isn’t crystal clear...and often misunderstood.’ under the National Employment Standards and often misunderstood by employers. This article seeks to touch on some of these issues. Notice and evidence The provision indicates that an employee is required to provide notice to an employer ‘as soon as reasonably practicable’, and if, or when, requested provide evidence that would ‘satisfy a reasonable person’. A medical certificate is regarded as irrefutable proof of an employee’s personal illness or injury. However, satisfactory evidence may vary from a statutory declaration for a

Although the term medical practitioner is defined in s.12 of the Fair Work Act 2009 to mean a person registered, or licensed as a medical practitioner under a law of a state or territory that provides for registration or licensing of medical practitioners, it is not used in the context of the evidence requirements under the Personal Leave provisions. Whether an employer accepts a personal/carer’s leave certificate from a person other than a medical practitioner will depend on whether the employer considers the certificate to be reasonable (on objective grounds) in the circumstances.

A factor which may be relevant as to the reasonable provision of a certificate could be whether the provider of the certificate belongs to a professional group which requires official registration, as this would be more likely to be acceptable. A recent case in Fair Work Australia Ropafadzo Tokoda v Westpac Banking Corporation [2012] FWA 1262 (14 February 2012) Commissioner Deegan found the employee tendered a falsified medical certificate to cover for an absence. The employee delivered to the bank a purported medical certificate indicating that she’d be unfit for work for the week. As the document didn’t have the doctor’s provider number on it, her manager contacted the surgery and was told it wasn’t a certificate provided by the doctor, who said he hadn’t seen the employee since 2009. Continued page 34

Our commitment to safety is reﬂected in our outstanding safety record. Our clients respect us for it and as a result we have long term contracts with some of Australia’s largest resource providers. Our Registered Training Organisation ensures our people are well trained and assists them in their career progression. The latest equipment, competitive pay, numerous employee beneﬁts and a professional and positive working environment are just some of the things that make us all together better.

%H SDUW RI VRPHWKLQJ DOO WRJHWKHU EHWWHU Call 1300 395 627 or scan the code for more information.

hospitality | november 2012

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

newsextra

secretingredients Justin Wise, The Point at Albert Park It’s been just over a year since this former Young Chef of the Year took over the reins as executive chef at The Point at Albert Park. We managed to lure him away from the kitchen for five minutes for a chat about his career, inspirations and biggest challenges. Tacos, everyone’s trying to do it. Leave it to the ones that do it well.

Can you give us a brief outline of your career so far? For sure. I grew up in regional Victoria - Wangaratta – and knew from the age of 15 that I wanted to be a chef. I studied for my diploma, worked as an apprentice under my first mentor Peter Hoppach, then moved to Melbourne, where I have worked in great restaurant such as Reserve, Fenix and Press Club. I was head chef of The Press Club when it was awarded Best New Restaurant in 2009, and opened Gordon Ramsay’s new venture, Maze, in 2010 before joining The Point. What was your goal when you joined The Point in terms of the kind of food and dining experience you wanted to deliver? I wanted diners to come in and enjoy food that’s not pretentious, food that matches well with wine and conversation. The emphasis here is on creating a complete dining experience. How would you describe the style of food on your menu? Your food philosophy? It is honest and produce-driven – no smokes or foams here! I try to maintain purity of flavours in my dishes rather than overcomplicating them – that amazing produce should be the star of the dish. I appreciate food that references classic dishes but contributes something contemporary and creative, too. Where do you get your inspiration and ideas for your menus? I regularly get inspiration from producers and suppliers who are so passionate about what they have to offer a diner. And ideas quite often come from my team in the kitchen – they’re so keen to create and I often get to channel that with a bit of experience into a great dish. What’s your favourite dish on your menu? It would have to be the Murray cod. Farmed at Brimin Lodge, near Rutherglen, there’s really interesting story of how this species was nearing extinction and these farmers have found a way to bring it back and supply us with even cleaner, 10

hospitality | november 2012

What’s the most indispensable piece of equipment in your kitchen? It would have to be the chargrill; it would be pretty hard to cook 80 or more steaks a night without it. What’s at the top of your wish list for a new piece of equipment that you’d love to have in your arsenal? A pressurised brat pan. It’s just great for making stocks, which are the basis of all good sauces.

tastier, more sustainable fish than the indigenous people used to enjoy. We serve it with a cauliflower sauce, roasted yabbies, clams, almonds and a herb puree. What’s your favourite ingredient you’re using at the moment? I’m loving the simplicity of asparagus, dressed with olive oil, Murray River salt and lemon juice – perfection. Apart from your own restaurant, what’s your favourite place to eat out at? Two very different places, Hare & Grace and Epocha. I really respect what they have both set out to achieve. What’s your pick of the menu there? Last time I visited Hare & Grace Raymond [Capaldi] made a yabbie sandwich – it was awesome! And at Epocha you have to try the fried duck tongues. What’s your most memorable food experience? Every family Christmas Day (which we celebrate on Boxing Day as I’m always working). My mum goes to town, cooking everything from traditional Ukrainian dishes to turkey, goose and duck. It’s just the best day. What do you think is the most over-rated ingredient being used on menus at the moment?

What are the biggest foodservice trends ahead that are going to have an impact on the industry? Restaurants need to be profitable, so long gone are the days of kitchen brigades of 20 chefs for a 40 seater restaurant, and it seems also the 40 seater restaurants. The movement seems to be in simple food done well and with minimal staff and more seats in a smaller area. Pop up restaurants in things like shipping containers. Low costs and higher returns. What are the biggest challenges you would say you face in your role as a chef? Staff! It’s a hard job to find them, and to find ones as dedicated as you need to be in this job. Then there’s keeping and managing them…. What do you think are the biggest challenges ahead for the foodservice industry in general? Finding people that are passionate about our industry and want to commit themselves 100 per cent. What’s the key to keeping your kitchen staff motivated? Committing to excellence, constantly trying new things and improving, exposing them to extraordinary produce and giving them some responsibility to grow and develop themselves. What would be on the menu at your last supper? Foie gras, suckling pig, Murray cod and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. If you weren’t a chef you’d be…? My mum always wanted me to be an engineer. hospitalitymagazine.com.au

review

Red Lantern on Crown, Sydney The new restaurant from the dynamic team behind the Red Lantern concept may have been getting all the press lately but it’s the sublime original that our masked diner headed along to recently.

mysterydiner THE RED LANTERN website states that to “raise a red lantern outside of the home is a symbol of honouring good company” and, at the original of Luke Nguyen and co’s restaurants, we’re certainly made to feel welcome. In fact the service was exemplary right from the moment we arrived. Set in an old terrace house on the high side of Crown Street in Sydney’s Surry Hills, the first Red Lantern has not lost any of its joy or punch as a result of the opening of the new Riley Street incarnation. Seated on the balcony, we have a view of this bustling strip and are warmed by the overhead heaters as a colleague and I make the tricky choice between the tasting and a la carte menu options. We are well assisted by our exceedingly helpful and funny waiter, Tim, who walks us though both menus and then offers to create a version somewhere in the middle with half serves of his favourite dishes, matched to a selection of wines. Perfect, although we were expecting 100ml flights of wine in line with the tasting menu offer and ended up a little dusty on the full glasses that arrived. Salads are Tim’s recommended starting point. Goi Du Du is a green papaya salad with twice cooked pork belly, tiger prawns, perilla and mint. The green papaya lends an astringency and structure to the salad, offset by the rich pork and complemented by the split prawns. Topped with fried shallots, peanuts and slices of chilli it is at once fresh, hot, crunchy and satisfying. It’s clear with one bite of salad number two that ‘crunchy’ and ‘fresh’ could be the adjectives of the night and we lean into the Goi Vit Ung Khoi Tra. Tea smoked duck breast is sliced and mixed with picked vegetables before being dressed with a sauce of great balance that I wouldn’t take a guess at the ingredients for fear of being horribly wrong. It was delicious. These light, yet rich and complex beginnings were washed down with an excellent method champenoise from La Cache. Next came the national dish of Australia, Muc Rang Muoi - lightly battered squid with chilli and salt. If only all versions could be this good. Flash fried strips of squid are piled high on shredded lettuce and scattered with sliced chilli and spring onions with fresh lemon to squeeze and a white pepper dipping sauce. These are paired with a 12

hospitality | november 2012

couple of Thit Ga Nuong Chao or satay chicken. These portly serves are chargrilled ‘Burrawong’ chicken, which have been marinated in bean curd and lemongrass. There are crushed peanuts in a side dish and it gives a different dimension to one of my favourite dishes. These are partnered with a lovely, buttery Bloodwood chardonnay. The next dish is an absolute ripper, a ‘meat free’ masterpiece called Rau Muong Xao Chao. The menu states simply, “Water Spinach, wok tossed with fermented bean curd sauce”, yet this definition does little to convey the brilliant flavour, colour and texture of this bowl of bright green stalks and wilted leaves. I love this dish on its own but partnered with some Ca Thu Di Chinh, or Spanish Mackerel, it was even more delicious. The mackerel fillets were chargrilled, mixed with some shredded veg and tossed in a broth devised by “Aunty 9”. The Penfolds Traminer was super with these meals. A NZ Pinot from the now slightly blurry Tim

and we’re next looking down the barrel of taste bud overload and busting belly. At that point, who could want for anything else, but Thit Heo Nau Mam, pork shoulder braised in lemongrass, shrimp paste and coconut juice. With a side of shredded salad the addition of fragrant shrimp to moist pork is an elixir to the appetite and we’re enlivened. This comes with our last dish, a serve of Thit Cuu Nuong Xa - sliced Mirrool Creek Lamb Leg with a marinade of lemongrass, chilli and garlic from Luke’s sister Pauline. Beautifully tender with a green apple remoulade, it’s a fitting finale to a succession of excellent savoury choices. Just when I’m ready to raise the flag of complete contentment, Tim reappears with the dessert card and my colleague has found the strength to face a Kem Flan or coconut crème caramel made with free range eggs and coconut milk. It’s sublime; a textural triumph and comes all burnished gold on the top and with shavings of coconut as garnish. The service at Red Lantern was as personable and professional as you could ask for. But it comes combined with food made with great ingredients, true to region, superbly flavoured and beautifully chosen and paced, with wines perfect for each course. If every person who walked into Red Lantern left feeling as engaged and welcomed as we did then they have certainly lived up to the mantra of what it means to hang that lantern out the front; we felt our company had been honoured.uu

The details Red Lantern on Crown Where: 545 Crown Street, Surry Hills NSW Phone: Ph: 02 9698 4355 Website: www.redlantern.com.au/crown Open: Lunch - Tuesday to Friday, 12pm-3pm; Dinner - Monday to Sunday, 6pm-10pm Owners: Luke and Pauline Nguyen, Mark Jensen Chef: Mark Jensen, Luke Nguyen The verdict: Superb service combined with great food with great true to region ingredients made the original Red Lantern a sublime experience. It certainly lives up to the mantra behind the lantern it’s named for.

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

incl. gst Using our intuitive matching technology, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be served up only the most qualiďŹ ed people for the job, from our network of thousands of ready and waiting short term legends. F I N D O U T M O R E AT

OneShift.com.au

imbibe

Hot drops for summer drinking As the warmer temperatures arrive and people slip into celebration mode what will be the wines and drinking styles that will sizzle this season? Christine Salins sought some tips from our leading sommeliers.

ocial media and television shows haven’t just increased public awareness and interest in food - they’ve also boosted people’s knowledge and curiosity about beverages. And therein lies something that sommeliers and wine waiters ought to take into account, warns Marcus Corcoran, restaurant manager at Biota Dining in Bowral, one of New South Wales’ most highly awarded regional restaurants. “A lot of customers know as much or more than you,” said Corcoran. “Many consumers are reading and/or writing blogs, attending tastings, undertaking wine appreciation courses, brewing their own beer and visiting wine regions and wineries, so beware the patronising or dismissive sommelier or wine waiter.” Another trend Corcoran has observed is a dramatic increase in the number of diners ordering wine by the glass. On some services at Biota, up to 80 per cent of wine sales are by the glass. “This I think is due to the increasing desire for customers to match their individual courses with different wines,” he said. “Just like a degustation menu where they get to try more dishes, customers are realising that by-the-glass options are giving them access to more food-friendly wines from all over the world. Or maybe we are just seeing more interesting by-theglass lists?” Corcoran predicts this summer will see a continuation of the Rosé trend, especially towards food-friendly styles like the 2011 Freeman ‘Rondo’ Rosé and 2011 Farr Rising Saignee, which have been flying off the list at Biota. “Over the last few summers we’ve seen Rosé resurface with customers looking for more dry, savoury styles similar to those of France, Italy and Spain,” he said. Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio are also back again, but Corcoran’s money is on Riesling for the best value in summer drinking. “It’s great on its own, brilliant with food, amazingly diverse in style, expresses regionality beautifully, is fantastic value for money and should be drunk in great volume all year round, but especially over summer,” Corcoran said. Cassaly Fitzgerald, sommelier at Appellation at The Louise, one of South

hospitality | november 2012

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

imbibe

More than wine

Australia’s best regional restaurants, lists two Pinot Grigios that she says are made for long summer nights and bright, fresh dishes. “Te-Aro Estate and Hahndorf Hill wineries have both produced outstanding 2012 Pinot Grigios that are refreshing and exciting; think crisp pears, apples and zesty tangerines,” she said. “What I’m noticing at Appellation at the moment [is that] there seems to be greater interest from guests in emerging and alternate grape varieties, as well as a keen support of smaller producers who are making wines with lower alcohol and softer tannin structure. Perhaps the little glimmer of sunshine has tweaked people’s interest in lighter styles?” With such a huge choice of wine in the marketplace, guests seem to be looking for wines that will not only complement their dish but also capture their intrigue and their tastebuds, Fitzgerald said. “A great example of a local wine suitable for summer would be Torzi Mathews Vigna Cantina’s Negro Amaro. Originally only grown in Puglia, this softer, spicelaced wine is refreshing and enjoyable on its own, outside on our terrace watching the sunset, or paired to a dish of game hospitalitymagazine.com.au

‘Customers are realising that by-the-glass options are giving them access to more food-friendly wines from all over the world.’ meats, such as duck or pigeon. “I’ve also noticed an interest in Viognier, Mataro and Grenache blends and these styles are great at the dinner table, and well-suited to late spring, early summer drinking.” Fitzgerald said the hero of a Barossa summer is Eden Valley Riesling, especially from 2012, a “cracker” vintage. “And I imagine we’ll see the return of Sauvignon Blanc and of course crisp fizz to many a table,” she said. Singling out particular wines to enjoy during summer, Fitzgerald recommends Flaxman Wines 2012 Riesling or any 2012 Eden Valley Riesling, Michael Hall Sauvignon Blanc, Henschke Blanc de Noir (“when I can get my hands on some?”). Whisson Lake Pinot Noir, Caillard Mataro, Teusner ‘Joshua’ GSM, Massena Surly Muse Viognier (“I love this new release”) and Kalleske Chenin Blanc.

IT’S NOT only wine that will be on your customers’ minds this summer with predictions that drinks like cider and sake will also be top choices. Stuart Knox, of Sydney’s Fix St James says people’s tastes in beverages have become more exotic and adventurous. At a Talks & Thoughts seminar session during lat month’s Crave Sydney International Food Festival, Knox was one of a panel of speakers on the topic “What’s on the list these days?” Along with Richard Hargreave, of Momofuku Seiobo, and Matt Young, of Blackmarket Sake and 10 William Street, there was general consensus that diners were looking beyond traditional wines for other beverages to match with dishes. Young said wine tastes were changing and he was more inclined to list vintages that were best drinking now - wines that “work” - rather than the “must have” wines that were on more traditional lists. Knox said diners were interested in artisan products and alternative styles of wine. Cider was also a growing market “now there are good ciders, not like the old Strongbow sweet stuff”. Hargreave says fruit juices and sake are other options. He suggests apple and fennel juice as a good match for pork dishes, for example. Sake, he says, “stays true. It doesn’t change the flavour of food.” Young agreed, quoting a Japanese saying: “Sake doesn’t get in a fist fight with food.” Hargreave said another beverage option was whisky, which pairs well with Thai food. Chris Hansen is so enamoured of whisky he’s put more than 70 types on the list at his new Canberra venue, Ox Eatery. Hansen is also seeing “a real interest in gin of all sorts”, which he is catering for with around 30 types. “Our fastest mover in recent weeks has been the Tanqueray Ranpur; it has a lovely Ranpur Lime undercurrent which measures up nicely against its juniper base,” Hansen said. “Other strong sales have come with what’s now the mainstream Henricks with cucumber, plus Sipsmith, Finsbury 47, and Bulldog. And there’s some tasty American small batch gins like Leopold’s from Denver and Junipero from San Francisco.”

hospitality | november 2012

Taste of Australia on the menu No longer regarded as a novelty, Australia’s range of amazing native foods, from salt bush to muntries, is being embraced by local chefs using their unique flavours to create a distinctive cuisine. By Danielle Bowling.

t could be the public’s insatiable appetite for new and exciting flavours. It could be our chefs’ desire to stand out from the crowd and have a point of difference with their food. Or perhaps it’s our growing respect for produce-focused chefs like the king of wild and foraged foods Rene Redzepi or our own Ben Shewry and Kylie Kwong. We might not be sure why, but native Australian ingredients are increasingly finding their way onto our plates these days. Chefs are steadily realising there’s a wide range of versatile and flavoursome ingredients native to Australia and in increasing numbers, they’re embracing them on their menus. One such chef is Hamish Ingham from Sydney’s Bar H and also now the creative mind behind the menus at the Four Season hotel’s new Grain Bar, and soon to open The Woods restaurant. Ingham says there’s now more of a selection of native ingredients available to foodservice and more chefs are willing to give them a go after seeing the successes of various high profile chefs. “One of the biggest selling items [on the Grain menu] is the Fried Old Man’s Saltbush, which is pretty much the whole branch of the saltbush which has a really light tempura batter and is deep-fried,” Ingham says. “It looks really cool and it’s

hospitality | november 2012

been really popular. We also use sea parsley which goes on my kingfish tartare at Grain Bar. I really love it. It’s juicy and has that parsley flavour, but it’s a bit more delicate. And I have a Roquefort cheese dish with muntrie jam. Muntries are like little blueberries but with the crunch and acidity of an apple. Amazing.” Ingham also uses native Australian thyme, pepperberries and Warrigal greens that he harvests from a plant growing right out the front of Bar H. While he believes Australian chefs could do with some more training on how to source and handle native Australian ingredients, he says simple trial and error can work well. “If you’re a chef you should try things. It’s all about trying things and having a play with things, seeing what you can do,” Ingham says. “I think it’s really important to get as much different produce as you can. “That’s what we do for a living so you might as well get new things in and see what happens when you cook them or deep fry them. It’s a matter of trying.” Ingham believes the best way to raise the profile of native Australian cuisine is not to create an entirely separate and unique set of flavours independent to what’s already on offer, but simply integrate them in to what people are already familiar with. “I definitely think that’s

the way to go,” he says. “Australia is still finding its identity I think. We are only young and our cooking is very much influenced by other cuisines. “‘Australian’ food is internationally flavoured food because we have so many different cultures influencing us on how to cook - Asian foods, Mediterranean. “Everyone asks ‘what’s Australian food?’ and I really think it’s using those native ingredients and pairing them with Asian flavours and Mediterranean flavours. That’s who we are, isn’t it?” At Brisbane’s Tukka restaurant, diners are faced with a plethora of native ingredients on the menu, many of which are grown on the premises. Head chef and owner Bryant Wells is doing more than just serving up the native ingredients we’ve all seen before, plating up ingredients like emu and possum for diners at the West End restaurant. Wells says while many chefs may be unsure how to cook native meats, it’s not as difficult as some might think. “To be honest, possum is very much like rabbit,” he says. “The difference between possum and rabbit is very much like that between duck and chicken. “Possum is like duck in that it’s slightly darker, slightly stronger, slightly more oily, but if you prepare it correctly it comes out beautifully. “Our main possum dish is a confit poshospitalitymagazine.com.au

produce

sum, we confit it in duck fat. It doesn’t really do well with pan-frying or things like that, so slow cooking is the way to cook your possum. It goes really well with your acidic and fruity flavours, things like Davidson plums which are also native ingredients, berries, raspberries, things like that. They really break down that gamey, fatty flavour.” “Kangaroo and emu have a very small fat content so they’re different to cook. If you’re cooking it as a steak you won’t be able to cook kangaroo past medium and emu you can’t really cook past medium

rare before it goes really dry and that gamey flavour comes out.” Native ingredients go beyond meats at Tukka, which has a dessert menu that incudes lilly pilly savarin served with a mixed berry salad and vanilla cream, and lemon myrtle white chocolate sorbet with raspberry dust and a macadamia sable. Wells agrees with Ingham that native ingredients need to be experimented and played with to have their real potential realised, but insists more training is needed in the early days of chefs’ cooking careers. “I think training in native Australian

Real potential lost for wild foods Vic Cherikoff, an advocate for native ingredients who supplies his own range of bush foods to the foodservice industry, is pleased to see Australian ingredients popping up within other cuisines, but says we need our own authentic food style too. “I think both at the same time is really what the industry needs,” says Cherikoff. “We need a full-on Australian cuisine offering. “People are grabbing a smattering here and there and are just introducing them as ingredients, which makes it really difficult for producers, marketers and suppliers because you don’t get the volume, you don’t get the cross-section of product. So there are some great products disappearing, for example fruit spice is a seasoning that you put over any fruit and it just isn’t used by anyone - it’s disappearing.” Cherikoff isn’t alone when he argues chefs need more training about native foods in their formative years. He says while some chefs are giving native ingredients a go, their lack of understanding means the real potential of the ingredient is often lost. “There are a lot of examples where I’ve gone to a restaurant and I’m tasting what is ostensibly wild food used in a dish and I cannot taste it, it’s disappeared,” he says. “Either there’s too little of it or it’s been cooked out or it’s just not a good use of the product. “You need to understand the nature of the essential oils in many of the herbs, and even the pungency in the spices. Many of the herbs are more equivalent to basil and coriander than they are to bay leaf, so where many chefs will see lemon myrtle leaf, and see that it looks like a bay leaf, they throw it in a pot and cook it to buggery. The kitchen smells great and the food ends up tasteless because the essential oils all boil off at 40 degrees. “Some chefs then deep fry the leaves, like deep fried basil which can work but then the leaves are tough and they’ve got a thick vein so the eating experience isn’t all that interesting. “Who’s at fault here? The food is bad or the chef is bad? I do say there’s no such thing as a tough steak, just a tough chef. In many ways the presentation of wild foods can be lacking because of the lack of experience of the chef.”

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Going wild: (Clockwise from top left) Fried salt bush at Grain; Anisata smoked trout at Tukka; a Tukka’s native platter.

ingredients, especially in the official curriculum, is extremely minimal and very lacking,” he says. “People that are teaching and people that are creating the curriculums don’t have that regular, everyday cooking knowledge of how to use these ingredients. They’re starting to push classes and little bits of teaching but there aren’t many people out there that know how to use it as a general ingredient, so they’re only being used as niche ingredients every now and then.” The InterContinental Hotel in Adelaide is addressing this training issue head-on >> hospitality | november 2012

produce

Wattle Seed Crusted Braised Lamb Rump with Swiss Brown Mushroom, Parsnip Purée and Potato Wafers From Tony Hart Executive chef, InterContinental Hotel, Adelaide Serves 6

About Us The Foodservice Industry Association is a nonprofit organisation formed in 1985 to organise and manage Hospitality and Catering Expos throughout regional NSW. The events provide an opportunity for members and non-members to promote their products and services to all sectors of the foodservice and associated industries. By specialising in high value exhibitions for both participants and visitors alike, The Foodservice Industry Association has established itself as the leader in the regional Foodservice & Catering Expo/ Trade Show field. The association is managed by industry professionals from our membership, with some of Australia’s leading Foodservice providers at the helm, including Bayview Seafoods, Sara Lee, Clorox, Patties Foods, Ingham’s, Ready Bake, Murray Goulburn and Peerless Foods, just to name a few.

Vision Statement The Foodservice Industry Association is committed to the ongoing growth and development of the industry and our members by continuing to deliver high quality, high value trade shows and exhibitions throughout regional NSW. These expos and trade shows give a broad range of industry users the opportunity to meet and compare and discuss the latest trends in the Food Services Industry. By specialising in high value exhibitions for both participants and visitors alike, The FIA – NSW has established itself as the leader in the regional Expo/Trade Show field

Upcoming shows PORT MACQUARIE - NOVEMBER 13th - 14th Tuesday - 3pm to 7pm, Wednesday - 10am to 4pm THE PORT MACQUARIE SPORTS STADIUM Cnr of Hastings River Dr & Hibbard Dr, Port Macquarie

For any enquiries please contact Melinda SnowFoodservice Industry Association NSW Inc

PO Box 4062, BAY VILLAGE NSW 2261 Tel: 02 43341114 Fax: 02 43341114 Mob: 0422 087 488 melinda@foodservice.org.au

www.foodservice.org.au

hospitality | november 2012

6 x 300g Spear Creek Dorper lamb mini rumps 200g ground wattle seed 400 ml red wine 10 sprigs fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 2 large carrots, chopped 1 red onion, chopped 4 tablespoons olive oil 6 cloves garlic chopped 1 litre chicken stock Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tbs finely chopped parsley 6 parsnips peeled 500 ml chicken stock 500ml milk 2 tbs butter 6 x 8 cm Swiss brown mushrooms 2 cloves garlic 1 tsp thyme chopped 2 tbs olive oil 1 Sebago potato 6 leaves of parsley

the stock does not cover the lamb) and bring to the boil. Simmer covered for three hours over very low heat. (The meat should be very tender).Remove the rumps from the liquid and roll in wattle seed then sear in a hot pan with a little butter just till fragrant. For the purée: Chop the parsnips and place in the liquid. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated. Place in a food processor and puree till smooth. Add the butter and season to taste.

For the lamb: In a large ceramic dish place the lamb, wine, thyme, bay leaves, carrots and onion, making sure the marinade covers the lamb. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove the lamb with a slotted spoon and season. Place the marinade in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, removing the scum that floats to the surface. Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a large heavy based flameproof casserole pot. Brown the lamb in batches and set aside. Heat the remaining oil in the pan and sauté the carrots, onion and herbs from the marinade and the garlic until the onion is soft. Return the lamb to the pot and add the wine marinade. Pour in the stock (add extra water if

with executive chef Tony Hart enlisting native foods producers Mike and Gayle Quarmby from South Australia’s Outback Pride to help train his staff. “Gail and Mike come in and they set up in the staff cafeteria and show the staff the local product in its raw form, and then train the chefs on what to do,” he says. “We’re pretty lucky.” Training in how to handle these flavours is crucial, Hart says, because they have the potential to damage a dish if used inappropriately. “Quite often the flavours are a lot more pungent,” he warns. “They can be overpowering, so if you don’t really know what you’re doing or if you get carried away then they can totally overpower your dish. A number of the [ingredients] have eucalypt undertones and things like that so if you are at all heavy-handed with them, like if you’re doing a basic lemon tart and you put lemon aspen in it you can really go way too far with the fla-

For the mushroom: Toss in the olive oil and garlic and sauté in a hot pan till tender. For the potato wafers: Peel and slice the potato wafer thin. Take one slice and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place one nice leaf of parsley on top and cover with another slice of potato. Place in a mild oven at 125C and bake for 15 to 18 minutes or till crisp. To serve: Place the mushroom in the middle of a large plate, top with two tablespoons of the purée, then place a lamb rump on top. Spoon over the sauce, garnish with the fresh parsley and top with the potato wafer.

vour. Without it being subtle and uplifting it can be insulting almost.” Native Australian flavours on the InterContinental’s menu include rosella flower danishes, lemon myrtle danishes, wattleseed scones, lemon aspen tarts and oysters with a finger lime dressing. “The flavours are fairly unique and I also think it’s a great selling point,” says Wells. “At the hotel we’re very involved in featuring local South Australian produce and partnering with our suppliers to make sure we celebrate great products. We’re lucky because there’s a lot of fantastic artisan suppliers in South Australia. [These ingredients] really suit the climate and the style that we do here. There’s value in what we’re doing, it’s not just a novelty factor.” Want to learn more about native ingredients and finding growers? Go to www.anfil.org.au hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Take a seat at my table Mix and match seems to be the name of the game when it comes to restaurant table top settings these days as smart and creative hospitality operators and chefs look for ways to add extra personality to their businesses. By Rosemary Ryan

hen diners head to the new Ananas Bar and Brasserie in Sydney it’s not just chef Jerome Lagarde’s food that’s impressing them once they sit down at the stylish tables. It’s also the beautiful and carefully created look of the table tops that’s playing a key role in the venue’s focus on hospitality in the true sense of the word. Hospitality is big at Ananas, the latest venture from restaurateur John Szangolies’ Urban Purveyor Group - afterall its name is French for pineapple which has long been a symbol of good hospitality in

hospitality | november 2012

many cultures. It’s approach is a stunning example of the power of using thoughtful table top design to enchant your guests and enhance their dining experience - even before they take a bite of food. It’s an eclectic mix of different crockery and serving plates, cutlery and glassware, as well as flowers and pepper grinders that have all been carefully selected as part of the opulent French Meditteranean personality of the restaurant. The playful mixing of ultra modern with classic pieces reflects the evolution

taking place in Australian restaurants, that’s shaking up the old conservativism of the market as smart operators grab the chance to add some fun and charm, and set themselves apart from competitors. At Ananas, Lagarde worked closely with tableware supplier FEI to select the range of tableware from several different manufacturers that would best compliment his brasserie menu. Lagarde says the look of the table top and the style of tableware used plays a vital part in the overall experience for guests. “I think it huge,” he says. “A nice hospitalitymagazine.com.au

tabletops

Bernardaud porcelain shows off Ananas’ Lobster and Sea Scallop Carpaccio

The eclectic table tops of Brasserie Ananas.

set up is not just a nice set up - it gives the confidence to the guest when he arrives at the restaurant. “When he sees it and touches it he will understand directly what he’s going to get, he knows where he is, and that he’s in the hands of someone who cares about him and the presentation of the food. It’s a big part of the hospitality that we focus on. It sets the tone for the whole experience and it’s a big part of the atmosphere.” The chinaware selected includes a range of different shapes from European factories including Rosenthal, Thomas, hospitalitymagazine.com.au

and Arthur Krupp. There’s also a new porcelain shape from leading French manufacturer Bernardaud called Ecume that emulates the look of champagne bubbles in the rim of the plates. They’re being used by Lagarde as the support act for his signature dishes like his Chateaubriand, and his Lobster and Sea Scallop Carpaccio. Lagarde particularly loves the Bernardaud Perle plates in the shape of a ring that provided a practical and lovely stage for serving oysters. “I didn’t want just a plate for the oysters and these are just a perfect way to present them,” he says. When it came to cutlery, Lagarde chose a traditional design to add another layer to the eclectic look. It’s from the Belgian company Eternum and features a pearl like pattern that echoes the champagne bubbles in the rim of the signature plates. “It’s like a classic old fashioned style so it just gives a good twist alongside the modern plates,” Lagarde says. Glassware is also a big feature with retro champagne coupes being used for sparkling wine and cocktails, and rose

pink water glasses adding extra colour. Also with a passion for table settings is leading hospitality design specialist Michael McCann from Dreamtime Australia Design. He says not enough operators appreciate the opportunity the table top and elements of it presented for impressing their guests. “The tableware can have as much impact as the owner/operator wishes” he says. “But unfortunately, usually through lack of experience or understanding, in most restaurants the table top isn’t used to enhance the guest experience. “Once the customers have entered the venue and sat down this is what they will immediately look at. Whether the look and feel is eclectic and ‘recycled’ with slightly beaten up tables and fun and whimsical table top items, or a clean cut industrial look, to the other end of the spectrum with luxury table top items, it should immediately inform customers about what they are about to experience. And if their wine is presented in a lovely glass and the tableware is good quality it reassures them about what’s ahead, that hospitality | november 2012

tabletops

B2B SPECIALISTS

Designer tables: Artisan plates at Grain (top left); Old and new at Ananas (left); “Wobblyware” at Jamie’s Italian (above).

‘Once the customers have entered the venue and sat down this is immediately what they look at.’

With 30 years experience, Mardev can can provide you a list for your next direct marketing campaign. FOR A FREE QUOTE CONTACT

Leandro Abiz on 02 9422 2642 or email leandro.abiz@reedbusiness.com.au

hospitality | november 2012

the restaurant cares about their experience. “But if you looked at the restaurants in the Good Food Guides how many would actually have a table top that you might want to take a picture of, something memorable?” McCann is a major fan of table lighting, no matter what the style of restaurant. “We try to convince all our clients that a table light is crucial to achieving the necessary balance in the evenings no matter what the fit out,” he says. “The table top candle, electric or battery light plays an invaluable role in providing that needed sparkle not to mention sufficient lighting in many cases.” At one of McCann’s recent projects – the recently launched Grain Bar at the Four Seasons hotel in Sydney - the table top features from the bespoke crockery to the custom-made timber coasters have been designed to fit with the organic personality of the bar. It’s a theme that will carry through into the second stage of the project – the new restaurant at the hotel The Woods. The tableware at Grain reflects the casual feeling of the bar and provides a perfect canvas for chef Hamish Ingham who’s developed the bar food menu of Grain as well as the restaurant’s. One of the most appealing elements is the fluid shaped plates Ingham chose to present his food on. They’re the work of Melbourne’s Glenn Tebble whose individual hand-made edgy pieces are also gracing the tables of top restaurants like

Grossi Florentino, Jacques Reymond, Circa and Vue de Monde. They sit alongside Bohemia Crystal and Schott Wiesel glassware and Sambonet cutlery. Ruby red candle holders add the final warm touch. The use of mismatched crockery with a hand made look is a definite trend at the moment, says leading industry tableware supplier Daniel Voyce, from Southern Hospitality Australia. “We’re being asked for it regularly,” he says. “And we have just imported a full range of ‘wobblyware’ as I call it from Europe for The Keystone Group’s latest opening, the Newtown Hotel. It’s very rustic with the impression of being hand made.” Voyce points to successful operations like Jamie’s Italian, and the hot place of the moment The Grounds of Alexandria as some of the leaders in this casual, earthy look. He says the demand for the more casual looking tableware that’s high on personality is all part of the increasing casualisation of the industry as mid-tiered operators try to create the kind of welcoming and comfortable atmosphere that today’s diners are looking for. “The tableware has a big role to play in creating the dining experience and a little attention to detail can go a long way with customers,” he says. “It’s important to them they are touching and feeling it and putting it in their mouths.” hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Great food deserves great tableware.

Contact WWRD Customer Service on 1300 852 022 to enquire about our Royal Doulton Commercialware distributors. Pattern featured: Loop.

foodsafety

Food safety in the stars The food safety and hygiene records of foodservice businesses are coming under ever more intense scrutiny with the growth in programs aimed at letting consumers know how businesses rate. By Rosemary Ryan.

hen the story broke in September of a $97,000 fine handed down to a Sydney food business for consistent breaches of food safety and hygiene regulations, it would not only have sent a shiver through some in the foodservice industry. It would have also once again raised in the minds of consumers thoughts of grubby restaurant kitchens and dangerous food preparation practices. Images of dirty conditions and detailed media reports of dead rats found by council inspectors at the Sydney business were sure to make people squirm at the thought and add to their suspicions of what goes on behind the swinging doors. The issue of food safety and hygiene in Australia’s foodservice industry has continued to have a high profile with any story of food poisoning or foodservice businesses breaching laws, as well as programs like the NSW Food Authority’s “name and shame” register, guaranteeing it remains in the spotlight. But around the country there are growing moves by councils and food authorities to shift the focus into more positive territory with the growth of so called “Scores on Doors” programs that, rather than holding up the bad operators, recognise the outstanding ones publicly. In New South Wales a year long trial of the government’s voluntary Scores on Doors program, based on a star rating system, was completed in August and is now under review, but early reports from stakeholders are giving it the thumbs up for its achievements in lifting awareness and foodservice business food safety compliance. And in South Australia the government is gearing up to launch a state-wide pilot of a similar program following a major review of the effects of such initiatives in Australia and overseas. At the same time the joint Australian and New Zealand body, the Food Regulations Standing Committee is currently working on developing a national approach for a food safety disclosure system. Around Australia there are now 11 food safety rating systems operating around Australia - most under the control of individual councils - all voluntary. The NSW system now under review hospitalitymagazine.com.au

How do you rate? NSW foodservice operators stand up to be counted.

was based on the successful model of the Brisbane Council’s Eat Safe program, and had grown to include more than 850 businesses across 30 councils by the end of October. It’s introduction more than 12 months ago also coincided with the roll out of new legislation making it mandatory for all food businesses to have a certified food safety supervisor on staff. Early indications from NSW Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson are that the scheme - that revolves around businesses receiving a highly visible purple and green certificate showing their star rating (from three to five stars) under the system - was regarded as a success and that “due to its popularity” it will continue. Although the impact that the Scores on Doors program in NSW may have had on the reduction of food borne illnesses is still under review, councils that took part say they believe there had been an overall lift in standards in their area. “I think it has lifted awareness in the sense that people really are paying more attention to our inspections and reports,” says Chris Imrie, development services manager at Cootamundra Shire Council

‘We now have significantly more people signing up for Scores on Doors than those that are being issued with fines and that’s a real shift.’

in western NSW, which took part in the 12 month trial and now has 38 per cent of the 44 eligible food businesses in its area on board. Imrie says the council had already been planning to introduce its own Scores on Doors style program when the NSW Food Authority launched a previous trial of a program that worked on an A, B or C score. He says the council “jumped on board” with the latest trial once it had canvassed its foodservice businesses. “We had some very good feedback from our businesses and they thought it would be a good idea,” Imrie says. “We gave them a lot of time initially and had quite a bit of familiarisation around it before we actually started the trial and began to participate in it.” The council also took the program a step further launching a register of businesses that had joined the scheme, displayed their scores on its website and in communication with the local residents. While Imrie is enthusiastic about the merits of the program and particularly its ability to reward foodservice operators who are focused on high standards of food safety and hygiene, he believes >> hospitality | november 2012

foodsafety

Food safe stars: The White Ibis in Cootamundra displays its score.

more needs to be done to enlist the public in encouraging more food businesses to come on board. “I think for the scheme to work effectively a greater emphasis needs to be placed on the general public’s awareness of the scheme,” he says. “We’ve recently started to look at more ways to educate the public so they will being asking businesses who aren’t displaying their score cards, ‘Why not?’. “I think once that happens it will snowball. From our experience we found that once one business signs on, no matter what the score, their competitors will begin to follow because they can see the business benefit in having the sign on their door. Then I think we will really see businesses trying to improve their health and hygiene standards to a level that may exceed their competitors in the hope of gaining a competitive advantage.” At the other end of the scale the City of Sydney Council, who has also has been a major supporter of the NSW Scores on Doors initiative, says it’s now beginning to receive calls from the public wanting to know more about the purple Scores on Doors certificates they are seeing, as well as an ever increasing rate of take up by its eligible food businesses. The council’s building and health compliance manager Peter Harding said that at the end of October it had 283 of its eligible businesses on board out of the 2068 restaurants, cafes and takeaway food businesses in its area. Of those, 178 have achieved the five star rating. “And we now have between ten and 20 a week that are joining the program,” Harding says. “We launched a couple of initiatives that have helped boost that take up rate - we’ve added the incentive of a reduction in administration fees 26

hospitality | november 2012

for those who take it up and we’ve also started carrying out the report regardless of whether [businesses] want to take part and then showing them what score they would get - five, four three or no grade awarded. Then we give the business the opportunity to sign up. “We now actually have significantly more people signing up for Scores on Doors than those that are being issued with fines and that’s a real shift. It’s been a steady decline [in fines] that we’ve seen and I think Scores on Doors certainly goes a long way in assisting with that. The businesses see it as an opportunity to promote the good work they’re doing.” Harding says the council’s aim is to continue to increase the number of businesses involved at a faster rate. “Our inspectors are always promoting it whenever they do an inspection. And for those businesses who aren’t at five stars we are showing them how easy it is to improve the business and their systems to get on to the program.” In the report released last month by the South Australian Government Social and Development committee following its review of the various Scores on Doors programs it was very clear in its conclusions that such programs are beneficial in increasing businesses’ compliance with food safety regulations and in reducing the incidences of foodborne illness in Australia, which stands at approximately 5.4 million cases a year. It’s recommended a 12 month statewide pilot food safety rating program similar to the NSW and Queensland schemes that would be “voluntary in the first instance”. South Australia currently has two councils operating their own Scores on Doors programs: the City

‘There is overwhelming evidence that... food safety schemes have improved the level of compliance.’

of Salisbury and City of Charles Sturt Council. “There is overwhelming evidence that the operation of food safety schemes, in Australia and overseas has improved the level of compliance with food regulation,” the committee said in its report. “These schemes have provided encouragement for food businesses to improve their food hygiene standards. Program evaluations have consistently shown a direct link between food safety disclosure schemes, improved food safety standards and hence compliance.” It said a “state-wide food safety management scheme would significantly reduce the risk of food borne illness and contaminations in a sector which is currently over-represented in causal and costing data”. The City of Salisbury says its program has had a strong effect on increasing the compliance levels in food businesses in its area. It says that since it first began the program the average score for businesses out of 100 had increased from 77.8 to 90.2. As well there had been a 133 per cent reduction in minor non-conformances and a 380 per cent reduction in major non-conformances. It says 81 per cent taking part have a four or three star rating. While the NSW program has drawn strong support from Restaurant and Catering Australia (R&CA), its South Australian arm is wary of the proposal to introduce a similar system there. R&CSA president Sally Neville said the program would add another burden to foodservice businesses because it sets the benchmark higher than the current food safety legislation in the state demands because of the addition of the requirement under the new scheme for businesses to produce food safety plans. She says the industry would like to see a program of food safety and hygiene training for foodservice operators introduced ahead of the implemention of any kind of Scores on Doors program. “We maintain that food safety training would go further to improve food safety standards than a scheme like this that would add more paperwork and admin for businesses,” Neville says. R&C nationally however says it believes Scores on Doors programs can be positive for businesses and consumers. R&CA chief executive officer John Hart said the NSW program was a “great initiative” that means businesses can assure their customers about their food safety and hygiene standards. “It also acts as an incentive for all food businesses to better comply,” Hart says. “And a prominently displayed scorecard can give businesses a competitive edge.” hospitalitymagazine.com.au

FRESH FRUIT FROM VIC

DAIRY PRODUCE FROM WA

SEAFOOD FROM SA

E-COLI FROM YOUR COOLROOM?

Guess which coolroom didn’t specify COLORBOND Permagard steel? ®

Certified by HACCP Australia, COLORBOND® Permagard® steel is proven to reduce the risk of cross-contamination, is available in FM Approved panels, complies with Australian Standards and has tested effective against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli 0157.

For your FREE guide to coolrooms:

1800 022 999

Specify COLORBOND® Permagard® steel by name. Anything else could leave your business reputation somewhat on the nose.

A MAG RD

PER

When the health of your business depends on the hygiene in your coolroom, be sure to specify COLORBOND® Permagard® steel with Microban® antibacterial protection.

colorbond.com/permagard

*Warranty subject to application and eligibility criteria. For full terms and conditions and to determine the eligibility of your project for the warranty visit www.bluescopesteel.com.au/warranties or call BlueScope Steel on 1800 022 999. Microban® and the Microban symbol are trade marks of the Microban Products Company, Huntersville NC and are used by BlueScope Steel under license. COLORBOND®, Permagard® and BlueScope are registered trade marks of BlueScope Steel Limited. © 2012 BlueScope Steel Limited ABN 16 000 011 058. All rights reserved. HM32769C

ANTIBACTERIAL PROTECTION AUSTRALIAN STANDARDS BLUESCOPE STEEL WARRANTY* HACCP AUSTRALIA CERTIFIED

foodsafety

/ iÊ +ÊÃiÀ iÃ >ÊLiÌÌiÀÊi Û À i ÌÊv ÀÊiÛiÀÞ i

/ iÊ ÃÌÊivwV i ÌÊ ` Ã Ü>Ã iÀÃÊ ÊÌ iÊÜ À `t `Û> Vi`Êi } iiÀ }Êvi>ÌÕÀiÃÊ Ì> iÃÊÌ iÃiÊ>`Û> Ì>}iÃÊiÛi ÊvÕÀÌ iÀ UÊ-Ì> `>À`Ê Ìi}À>Ìi`ÊL ÜiÀÊ`ÀÞiÀÊÜ À ÃÊÜ Ì ÊÌ iÊ > Ày ÜÊ > >}i i ÌÊÃÞÃÌi °

. ..

.. . .....

UÊ/ iÊ ÌiÀÊÃÞÃÌi Ê>VÌ Ûi ÞÊ> `ÊV Ì Õ ÕÃ ÞÊÀi ÛiÃÊ v `ÊvÀ ÊÌ iÊÜ>Ã ÊÜ>ÌiÀ]ÊvÕÀÌ iÀÊÀi`ÕV }Ê`iÌiÀ}i ÌÊ V ÃÕ «Ì °

. . . . .. .

UÊ7>À ÊÜ>ÃÌiÊ> ÀÊ ÃÊÀiVÞV i`ÊÌ Ê«ÀiÊ i>ÌÊ V }ÊÀ ÃiÊ Ü>ÌiÀ° UÊ Ý >ÕÃÌÊi ÃÃ ÃÊÀi`ÕVi`ÊLÞÊ>ÃÊ ÕV Ê>ÃÊ ä¯°

UÊ Ê>VÌ ÛiÊÌ> Ê > >}i i ÌÊÃÞÃÌi ÊV Ì Õ ÕÃ ÞÊ Ì ÀÃÊ> `Ê>` ÕÃÌÃÊÜ>ÌiÀÊ iÛi ÃÊ ÊÌ i Ê >V iÊ>ÕÌ >Ì V> Þ°

v ÀÊ ÀiÊ v À >Ì Ê Û Ã ÌÊ i °V °>Õ ÀÊV> Ê£ÎääÊxÈÓÊxää

hospitality | november 2012

... .

...

Beware the humble egg Salmonella accounted for around half the food poisoning cases investigated last year in New South Wales - and raw eggs were a key culprit. THE SAFE handling of eggs by foodservice operators continues to be a key focus for food authorities around Australia with the humble little ingredient proving to be a ticking time bomb if not handled properly. Eggs remain one of the key causes of salmonella poisoning which itself is one of the leading causes of food poisoning in the country. In New South Wales alone last year 50 per cent of all outbreaks or incidences of food poisoning investigated by the NSW Food Authority were caused by salmonella - with the most common factors being the misuse of raw eggs, inadequate cleaning and sanitising, and temperature abuse. Over the last three years the Authority has investigated 59 confirmed salmonella outbreaks with around 25 of these linked to the misuse of eggs at retail. One of the most recent food poisoning prosecutions by the Authority was of a Bankstown Bakery that was linked to a salmonella outbreak which saw 20 people hospitalised. A former company director was fined a total of $12,000 after being found guilty of four charges including selling unsafe food, unsafe handling of raw egg products, unclean equipment and the failure to ensure food handlers had adequate skills and knowledge about food safety. Last year a Sydney woman was fined a total of $20,000 after a community event she catered for resulted in more than 50 people falling ill from eating food contaminated with salmonella. It said an investigation had revealed the most likely cause of the contamination was a raw whole egg mayonnaise that had not been kept at a correct temperature. As well as mayonnaise, aioli made with raw eggs has also been the cause of major recent outbreaks. In January 2010 a gastroenteritis incident involving 179 people was linked to a NSW retail burger bar and was traced back to an aioli that had been prepared on the premises. The aioli had been made using raw eggs and didn’t receive any further cooking. The business was instructed to stop serving this type of product. The business had been sourcing its eggs from a local hobby farm rather than a dedicated egg supplier. The farm didn’t have any system for quality control such as crack detection and the eggs were not safely washed prior to sale. Later that year the NSW Government introduced the NSW Egg Food Safety Scheme that was aimed at reducing the incidence of salmonella on farms with the implementation of a food safety program for egg producers and processors. In another case that year fried ice cream prepared using raw egg at a Sydney restaurant was the cause of an outbreak of gastroenteritis that saw several people hospitalised. The restaurant was coating the ice cream in the raw egg and then briefly cooking it in a wok. For tips on safe egg handling head to www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

management

It’s a social world of marketing opportunities

The HMDA is the professional development arm of the Club Managers’ Association Australia (CMAA) serving management in the wider Hospitality Industry

In this fast paced world, with something new in social media hitting us constantly, it can be hard to stay up to date. Ken Burgin offers his tips for making the most of this “social” world. ANOTHER year of new marketing – are you keeping up? Social media is now firmly established, and there are very few cafés, restaurants or bars that would claim traditional marketing is sufficient these days. Now the challenge is to make social media interesting, useful and effective – there are still no magic marketing bullets! In September Facebook announced its one billlionth member, and new-kid Instagram (the photo sharing application on your phone) is now used more often on mobile phones than Twitter – impressive!

Ralph Kober Executive Officer

DID YOU KNOW?....

IT’S ABOUT A CONVERSATION We’ve all had times when someone talked at us in a conversation, sharing nothing but news about themselves. Very dull. Sadly, this what a lot of social media messaging has become. Instead of in a printed newsletter, restaurants and bars now broadcast at their customers on Facebook or Twitter. We may not be able to escape the real-live party bore, but we can easily delete or ignore selfish social media messsages – the new term is ‘unfollow’! An effective online marketing or social media campaign should turn your customers into voluntary ambassadors for your business, raising awareness, providing you with knowledge about service success (and shortfalls) and offering a whole new world of ‘behind the scenes’ news. Customers relish the inside stories from chefs, café owners and bar managers – information about new products, demonstrations of cooking techniques, a 30 second video of an event or a photo album from a special dinner. Just two ideas to get you started could be asking the chefs to show off their favourite knives, or tell people about their best-loved cookbook, then share them on your Facebook Page.

FOLLOW THE LEADERS Just by looking at what others are doing can be a great source of ideas. Look on Facebook for Sydney’s Cornersmith Café or Southport RSL Club to see the back-and-forth of happy customers and news-savvy managers – you can keep the conversation alive even when the customers aren’t there! Track down BlackStarChris on Instagram for a friendly mix of fabulous cakes and happy families, or Kurrawasurf to see photos that will make you want to jump on the next plane up north. Twitter’s still popular and persuasive (watch @ capitalwines for the best of wine and restaurants), but the ease of sharing pictures with your phone has made Instagram zoom ahead. hospitalitymagazine.com.au

‘I have benefited both personally and professionally in my career through education and training. HMDA offers all managers that same opportunity’

‘A social media campaign should turn your customers into...ambassadors for your business.’

If you are a Chef, a F&B or Catering Manager, a Hotel Manager or a manager within a hospitality venue you are eligible to join Australia’s premier hospitality management association, the CMAA, & take advantage of a range of education opportunities, representation, and networking with similar professionals. Go to www.cmaa.asn.au to find out more.

GETTING LEARNING WITH WEBINARS One of the great things about living in our wired world is the opportunites for getting some training for you and your staff via the wonderful world of the webinar. Throughout the year I’ve been running a series of free webinars covering everything from controlling costs in the kitchen to of course how to get the most out of social media. Under the Clubs+ banner, we’ve worked with the Club Managers Association and Hospitality magazine to open the doors to some great marketing ideas, through the webinars and workshops. Our attendees have linked in from computers around the country – from Darwin to Perth, sitting with a coffee to learn the details of online marketing and hear from industry experts. In the Clubs+ Advanced Online Marketing Webinar series, we showed participants how to make the most of modern social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube (to name just a few). Plus add more interest and responsiveness into email – still the gold standard for communication. We hope to see you when our programs kick off again in 2013. Ken Burgin is a leading hospitality industry consultant. To contact him call 1800 001 353 or head online to profitablehospitality.com for more of his tips in marketing and social media.

DIARY DATES • CMAA Conference & Hospitality Expo March 12 & 13 @ Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour • CMAA Mid Year Conference July 17, 18 & 19 @ Jupiters Casino, Gold Coast Go to www.cmaa.asn.au and click on the CMDA tile.

THE CMAA GROWS THE PEOPLE WHO GROW YOUR BUSINESS For further information: Ph: 02 97464199 E: training@cmaa.asn.au W: www.cmaa.asn.au

hospitality | november 2012

management/comment

doctorhospitality We’re considering employing trainees in our new café – are the subsidies worth the effort? You will need to have the proper facilities to train them and someone with the right qualifications to supervise. Registered training organisations (RTO’s) provide assistance for restaurants that may not be able to meet all the requirements, and may share some of the subsidy with you. Taking on a trainee is a big responsibility – they’re not always work-ready and may be slower than you expect. You need to deliver on their apprenticeship needs and work with them for the full term. Be prepared to sign a contract to act as a career mentor – talk to a local RTO to start the process. I love cocktails and would love to offer them at our small café. Can we make them work? Think practically. Are your staff in a position to make a great product consistently, and serve them with style? Do $12 cocktails fit in with the pricing of your wines, beers and other beverages? Start slowly – have a small range and give tastings to the regulars. Make two popular cocktails each night and have the servers offer them with the dinner specials – blender cocktails are often less trouble. Pay special attention to people who make a special request and hold contests for the servers that sell the most. This could be fun. A wine company has approached us to hold a ‘wine dinner’, but I’m wondering if this will really work in a small country restaurant. If they’re approaching you, then they must see good potential. Wine dinners can involve quite a change of pace from your normal routine, with up to five courses of dinner and at least five different wines to be served. They’re a great opportunity for the kitchen to extend their skills and floor staff to expand their horizons - a nice break in the monthly routine - and able to generate good word-of-mouth. Give yourself plenty of lead time for publicity and even if the first one is small, a well-run event will have everyone hungry for more. This is about making new friends as well as a money-making opportunity on the night. One of our competitors has introduced a range of organic items on their menu. Does the extra expense justify the effort? Send a few friends into their restaurant for dinner and have them strike up a conversation with the staff about the new menu. Ask how successful it’s been and whether it’s drawing new clientele or simply giving the regulars some new options. It’s the perfect way to test the waters using someone else’s resources. Some restaurants are finding that ‘local’ menu items have a stronger attraction, ahead of ‘organic’. They may also be less expensive. Experiment with a small range of items and see what the reaction is. Change is good.

Do you have a question for the good doctor? Send him your queries via Hospitality editor Rosemary Ryan with a quick email to rosemary.ryan@reedbusiness.com.au

hospitality | november 2012

Taste buds take flight Long haul food has travelled far from the bad old days, says our jet-setting columnist Tony Berry. Wild boar anyone? IT WAS the slowcooked casserole of wild boar that did it for me; plus the braised red cabbage and fondant potatoes served with it. Mind you, the seared Gilthead bream with caponata, pan-fried polenta and salsa verde did come in a close second. A week later my palate went into raptures over a zucchini, basil and parmesan soup followed by Barossa Valley chook with rosemary kipfler spuds, ratatouille and a red wine jus. Admittedly such delights came at a price – nothing less than a business class fare on a Qantas international flight, making it one of most expensive meals of my year. They were samplings from the latest inflight menu designed by Rockpool chef Neil Perry. And they show just how far in-flight catering has progressed. Comedians and snarky commentators have long resorted to use of the phrase “inflight meals” when seeking a cheap and easy laugh. But, as so often is the case, the audience response they trigger is based on outdated clichés from the past. In-flight catering has moved on, along with foodservice production wherever customer expectations are high but there are unforgiving constraints on space, time and equipment. We should be singing its praises; recognising it as the innovator it has become; and using it as a yardstick for providing quality foodservice under restrictive conditions. Those who deride in-flight catering somehow manage to ignore the huge difficulties under which it operates. Expectations are high – often unreasonably so – while time is limited and cooking and serving conditions cramped. No high street restaurant or food hall outlet has to operate under such conditions yet day after day thousands of air travellers are presented with meals that compare more than favourably with some of what is offered 35,000 feet below. It really is time in-flight catering ceased to be the butt of jokes; for it to be recognised as an innovator in mass catering in circumstances which are far from being conducive to high quality product or performance. There are so many factors involved. A considerable diversity of dieting needs has to provided for. Many “normal” ingredients

are not suitable for the cooking, suspension and reheating processes involved. A balance of choice has to be provided – there’s no nipping out to the kitchen for top-ups if there’s a sudden run on the lasagne. This marvel of miniaturisation is a daily demonstration of efficient service against the clock in cramped and awkward surroundings. And it is generally delivered with the sort of friendly smile that is so often sadly lacking in far more reasonable surroundings down at ground zero. Admittedly the gourmet delights which inspired these thoughts are not available to those flying economy class. However, during my recent travels I did also experience dining “down the back” where legroom and seat movement seem to have been designed solely with midgets in mind. And although the delights of Mr Perry’s creations are missing in this sardine tin of a dining-room, the standards, when set against the conditions in which meals are prepared and served, remain something to be lauded. Each meal offered a choice and was adequate, appetising and served hot. It’s a miracle of logistics no landlubbing cafe or restaurant ever has to match. Anyone who criticises or carps should pay for an upgrade or take a catering reality check. But it is not only the high-flying (literally) foodservice operators who deserve greater recognition for their craft. So do all who work in cramped and/or limiting environments; places such as cruise ships, vast multi-function venues, reception halls, oil rigs and the delightful Queenslander train that meanders from Brisbane to Cairns. Standards in these offshoots of the traditional foodservice outlets have risen enormously, helped by big leaps in kitchen technology and impelled by much higher client expectations. All merit greater recognition and praise, and far less criticism based on ignorance and impressions from the distant past. And sad-sack comedians should go and feast on some more justifiable target. Now have you heard the one about ....?

For years known to Hospitality readers by his nom de plume, E S Scoffer, Tony Berry is a former editor of this magazine, restaurant reviewer, and restaurateur. You can find him at tonybee@ozemail.com.au hospitalitymagazine.com.au

whatsnew

shelfspace 1

5 1 All natural mixers. It is not uncommon to witness bartenders mixing spirits, cocktails and other alcoholic beverages with sugary, preservative fuelled post-mix juices and soft drinks. CAPI mixers offer something a little different. Free from artificial sweeteners and preservatives, they come in flavours such as ginger beer, ginger ale, lemonade, sod water and tonic water. You’ll find them at top spots like Longrain, Rockpool and Apollo. See www.capi.com.au 2 Meatball magic. Meatballs are hot right now and this latest new product from Seara Food Serivices is primed to meet the demand. This latest food trend for these meaty morsels is reflected globally and here with Australia’s first meatball specific restaurant opening recently in Melbourne. Seara’s new pre-

hospitality | november 2012

mium Angus and Wagyu meatballs are designed to be a versatile and cost effective menu item, perfect drink-friendly finger food, sharing plates and tapas and with pasta. The product is made with 100 per cent Aussie farmed meat. See www.searafoodservices.com.au 3 Flickering, flameless candles add final touch. The warm glow of a candle can add ambience to any venue, however they are often messy, smoky and pose genuine safety concerns. Smart Candles has developed a range of flameless candles that light up a room and flicker in a way that’s almost identical to that of a real flame. The aptly labelled Smart Flame range features ivory and red coloured candles that are made from real wax for added authenticity, and they are powered by two small

AA batteries. See the full range at www.smartcandle.com.au 4 Enjoy filtered water, three ways. Zip Heaters has released a new filtered water system that instantly provides cold, boiling and sparkling water: the HyrdoTap. It can be used by kitchen staff back of house, or by guests in hotels, restaurants and cafés. It is easy to use, simply press the respective red or blue lever for boiling or chilled water, and press both levers to obtain sparkling water. It features a 0.2-micron filter, which removes impurities that are more than one fifth of a micron in size. See www.zipindustries.com/ zip-hydrotap 5 Sweet treat lovers rejoice. The new Bulla Dollop Cream Portions offer an easier way for foodservice operators to serve fresh cream with

their dishes. The 22ml portions are made from real, gluten free, Halal certified cream, and delivered frozen to prevent wastage and extend shelf life. The individually packaged portions eliminate the need for staff to handle the product directly, which allows for added hygiene. See www.bullafoodservice.com.au 6 Delicious gluten free. Melinda’s Gluten-Free Goodies has unveiled the latest in its range - a new Red Velvet Cake premix. Right on trend with the popularity of this cake at the moment, the premix creates a butter cake with a bright red colour and a light chocolate taste sharply contrasted by cream cheese frosting. Freezer stable for up to six months, the Red Velvet Cake can be prepared as a slab for events or as a whole cake for those special occasions. See www.melindasgfg.com

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

whatsnew

shelfspace 7

10 11

7 Next phase for pancakes. Popcake has made some advances on its existing pancake making machine with the arrival of the PC11. It features removable hot plates that mean cleaning is a breeze while more intuitive software allows operators to produce the pancakes by pressing just one button. The new machine is also more energy efficient using only 10 amps of power. It produces three pancakes in about one minute, and can be programmed to create mini, medium or large sized pancakes. See www.popcake.com 8 Real fruit purees. From Monin comes this new range of fruit purees designed for use with cocktails; mocktails, fruit based smoothies and juices. Comprising 50 per cent whole fruit, the purees are packaged in plastic rather than

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

glass bottles, and feature a waste minimising cap system that automatically closes when not in use. Each flavour has its own brightly coloured packaging to make it easier for staff during busy times. Flavours include banana, mango, passionfruit, strawberry, kiwi and coconut. See www.monin.com 9 Cleaning simplified. The new SmartDose range from Diversey is aimed at making it easier to measure the exact amount of cleaning concentrate required when creating cleaning products from concentrate. Rather than using standard pelican pumps or pouches, each product is equipped with a patented “smart” pump and packaged in a uniquely designed bottle to deliver a dosing system that automatically calculates the exact amount of cleaning concentrate

required. Head to www.diversey. com for more information. 10 The easy meal delivery solution. Scanbox and Palux have teamed up to deliver the new Scanbox BanquetMaster Cart for use at functions, events and conferences. Operation is simple; kitchen staff arrange chilled meals on the Palux 2011 plate cassette, place it in the Touch n Steam Oven and select the desired cooking cycle. The plate cassette is then unloaded from the oven and placed into the preheated Scanbox cart. The cart can then be wheeled to the appropriate location. See www.mauricekemp. com.au 11 Escape the grind. New technology for salt and pepper mills has won Cole & Mason an international design award - the Best Innova-

tion in a Product at the annual Excellence in Homewares Award. Its Precision Grinding System has been designed to bring an end to the hassle of clogged salt mills and grinders that fail to work after a couple of years. See the whole range at www.coleandmason.com 12 Fish and chips served with a side of personality. Tap into the nostalgic memories of your diners with these two new products now available from Top Shelf Concepts in Australia. The high quality grease proof paper features a design that looks just like the newspaper that for many years was the traditional wrapper for takeaway fish and chips. Teamed with the new mini fry baskets it’s a quirky way to serve the dish at your tables. Find out more at www. topshelfconcepts.com.au

hospitality | november 2012

workplace

Personal or sick leave? Continued from page 8 The employee initially denied she had falsified the certificate but then agreed she had because she had been unable to afford to visit a doctor. Commissioner Deegan found: “I did not find the [employee’s] evidence persuasive in relation to her reasons for falsifying the medical certificate. Her evidence was contradictory and her

story changed whenever she was shown that her version was not supported by the evidence.” Each case stands alone and it is important to gather appropriate evidence before proceeding with termination of employment. This article was written by the workplace relations team at Restaurant & Catering Australia. Contact them on 1300 722 878.

AUSCROWN

MADE IN KOREA

More Catering Appliances shop online

www.auscrown.com

hospitalitydiary MARCH 2013 9-10; Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Masterclass program. See melbournefoodandwine.com.au APRIL 1-3 Hotelex Shanghai; Shanghai

New International Expo Centre Shanghai. See hotelex.cn 14-16 Fine Food Western Australia; Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. See finefoodwesternaustralia.com.au for details.

P R O D U C T S

Austcrown P/L Ph: (03) 9873 5811 Fax: (03) 9873 5311 email info@auscrown.com

1815 Inspired by heritage. Designed for today. Contact WWRD Customer Service on 1300 852 022 to enquire about our Royal Doulton Commercialware distributors.

hospitality | november 2012

hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Hospitalitymagazine.com.au is now mobile

Available on PC, tablet and mobile!

Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most trusted and respected hospitality title since 1967