VOL. 48 OCTOBER 2012
HOSPITALITY | THIRST
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EDITOR – HOSPITALITY Veronica Johnston Ph 021 756 582 editor@hospitalitymag.co.nz ASSISTANT EDITOR – HOSPITALITY Jes Magill Jes.magill@xtra.co.nz EDITOR – THIRST Don Kavanagh Ph 021 262 3990 donk@mediaweb.co.nz ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER – HOSPITALITY Wendy Steele Ph 021 300 473 Email wendy.steele@mediaweb.co.nz ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER – THIRST trish Day Ph 0275 616 556 Email trishd@mediaweb.co.nz DESIGNER Amber Renée Hobbs amberh@mediaweb.co.nz CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Linda bennett (christchurch) Email: lindabennett@clear.net.nz Sue Fea (Queenstown) email dave@queenstownproperty.com Kathy Ombler (Wellington) Email: kathy@ombler.co.nz INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTORS Marisa bidois, thomas chin, Pip Duncan, Ken Harris, bruce robertson, Vic Williams GROUP SALES MANAGER Lisa Morris ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR Pip Maclean Ph 09 529 3000 Email ads@mediaweb.co.nz ACCOUNTANT Pam King Ph 09 300 2670 Email pamk@mediaweb.co.nz CREDIT CONTROL Gladys Hooker Ph 09 300 2672 Email gladys@mediaweb.co.nz CIRCULATION/SUBSCRIPTIONS Sue McDiarmid rates: $80 for 12 issues plus Directory incl GST and post. Overseas rates available on request. Address to: Subscriptions Dept, Mediaweb, PO box 5544, Wellesley St, Auckland 1141 email subs@mediaweb.co.nz www2.mediaweb.co.nz/shopping
From the editor. The bar’s been raised The recent winners of the 2012 Hospitality New Zealand Awards For Excellence deserve a special mention here because they’ve continued to defy these tough times. The winners excelled at the basics of great customer service, marketing, food and accommodation at a time when just convincing people to walk in the door can still be a major struggle. The message at this year’s Hospitality New Zealand conference was loud and clear however; give people a reason to come out, create an atmosphere and innovate to survive. Smart businesses that continued to flourish through changing times did several simple things, says Michael McQueen on page seven. “They constantly re-calibrate, get back to basics…you need to get off auto pilot, evaluate and innovate.” As the recent awards highlight, this is already happening in plenty of venues up and down the country. But how many failed businesses could have been saved if they’d been more inventive? And how many were already being inventive but didn’t tell anyone? Columnist Vic Williams mentions how Bottega in Bourke Street, Melbourne is one of many establishments proudly advertising that they make their own homemade pasta. “Few chefs who do so in this country promote the fact. They should. People are interested,” he writes on page 46. One chef owner/operator of a small restaurant in Auckland is offering a new way of dining. Sid Sahrawat is being inventive by creating new masterpieces every week and he’s proudly promoting this. See page 12 for the story. Sid and all the winners of the above awards have raised the bar. You can too. Have a great month everyone,
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contents October 2012 Appetizers 7
Hospitality NZ conference highlights.
11
Proud to be a chef competition.
12
Sid’s art of surprise.
14
Northern Nibbles: The Tokyo Club, Chef Loreto Bembo and the Dilmah High Tea Challenge.
15
Capital Comment: Visa Wellington on a Plate, Le Metropolitain and Telecom smartphone technology.
16
Southern Snippets: Café Valentino, The Ibis Hotel in Hereford Street and Te Anau’s Fiordland Lodge.
18
Chef Profile: Mark Wylie joins The Hip Group.
28 12
Mains 22
Simply, seafood Snapper and shellfish are in demand; sustainable and simple the current catch words: these are the major themes we’ve gleaned from chefs serving up seafood.
28
Let's go outside Every venue needs an outdoor room. Jes Magill explains how to weatherproof it from the wind and rain.
34
Stay cool this summer Blast chillers and shock freezing are the latest hot things in refrigeration, writes Sue Fea as she checks out the latest cool inventions.
Food for Thought 44
A new column from SPANZ praises people with good service skills.
45
Cameron Douglas talks upselling. Bruce Robertson is disappointed in the new Act and Vic Williams isn’t so envious of Melbourne anymore. Books to Savour.
Mark Wylie joins The Hip Group
page 34
ATING
track to success
page 18
refrigeration
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The in-cider
The latest hot things in VOLUME 48 • OCTOBER 2012
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On the cover
VOL. 48 OCTOBER 2012
Marisa Bidois argues for house rules. HOSPITALITY | THIRST
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page 58
The Novotel Auckland Airport utilised the Skope customised refrigeration service throughout the open kitchen. See page 36.
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58 51
Soapbox Editor Don Kavanagh reports on the poor state of the Irish bar scene.
52
Competition time The Beam Bar Legend heats up with the shortlist of finalists released.
53
What's New We check out what's flash and fancy on the shelves this month.
54
The Good gets going Queenstown's Good Group is restructuring, including making a move into Auckland, reports Sue Fea.
58
In-cider track The Panel gets its five-plus a day with an extensive cider tasting.
62
Hey sweetie Tomas Vikario continues his musings on sugar in our food and drinks.
64
The bitter end The Panel tests its collective palate with a selection of herbal liqueurs and Vermouths.
69
Bartender profile We launch a new feature focusing on some of the best bartenders in the game.
70
Shining star The Panel celebrates the glory of sauvignon blanc in this month's wine tasting.
72
Top Glass Editor Don Kavanagh picks the best by-the-glass wines he's tried in the past month.
Snapshots.
The new Dipjar device lets users leave small tips by credit or debit card. Dipjar is a cylinder containing a card slot that can be placed near the point of sale for tips. Users insert their card, take it out and wait for the confirmation sound to indicate that the transaction – which is always US$1 – was successful. Since the sum is a small amount, no PIN is required. For tips larger than US $1, the user simply ‘dips’ their plastic the desired amount of times.
VenueSeen is a new digital platform that tells restaurateurs when people are talking about them. Those who sign up for a VenueSeen account are told when someone mentions their business on social sites such as Instagram and foursquare. The Dashboard feature then shows all of this data in a central feed, enabling business owners to respond immediately and analyse how customers are talking about them. See www.venueseen.com for more.
Nelson Wineart gave locals the chance to sample the region’s new release wines and some old favourites last month. Twenty-one wineries showcased over 10 0 wines while winery owners and staff were on ha nd to talk about them. The $35 ticke t cost covered all the wine tasting (with no separate charges) and nibbles. Among the wineries involved were Rimu Grove Winery, Tohu Wines and Waimea Estates.
To reduce the number of disposable containers, restaurants offering takeout services in Vancouver are providing consumers with round metal containers that they can purchase and use whenever they pick up a takeaway or want to keep leftovers from a sit-down meal, thanks to the Tiffin Project. A portion of the profit made on each tiffin is then reinvested into the restaurant to allow it to afford higher quality foods from local producers. Consumers using the containers also get a discount on their bill, in the hope that diners will be encouraged to be more loyal to those restaurants making conscious ecofriendly choices and supporting local farmers. See www.thetiffinproject.com for more.
Food luminaries and critics turned up to Maison Vauron, French Wine specialists in Newmarket, Auckland recently to taste Ma Cherie’s new range of macaron. Vivid and delicious, Guillaume Nicoli’s new stars – pistachio, caramel, cherry, blueberry, passionfruit, feijoa, pineapple and coconut – were sampled along with the boutique French bakery’s already popular flavours. A selection of exquisite Ma Cherie canapés and petit fours also wowed the crowd. Nicoli established the French pastry brand Ma Cherie in New Zealand several years ago after working for French pasty master Thiery Mulhaupt in Strasbourg and several Michelin star restaurants. See www.macherie.co.nz for more.
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Appetizers.
Kudos and costs A pat on the back was swiftly followed by a bitter reality check at this year’s Hospitality New Zealand conference, writes KatHy omBler .
One step forward and several back, is how it seemed at the Hospitality New Zealand conference during sessions discussing liquor reform legislation and alcohol-related problems in downtown Auckland. First, Auckland mayor Len Brown gave kudos to the hospitality industry for its support in tackling the central city’s late night alcoholrelated issues, and confirmed his belief that it is pre-loading, not licensed venues, that needs to be targeted to clean up the city. “We do have an issue with people leaving bars and causing problems, or pre-loading before they get into bars. It’s really about managing those … it’s just encouraging people to get inside a regulated environment. “I thank the (hospitality) industry roundly and appreciate the way they have approached and engaged with our council with real maturity faith and openness. We want a great pub, club, restaurant, café culture in Auckland and we will support you to ensure we get that.” However, the mayoral pat on the back was swiftly followed by judiciary forecasts that confusion, uncertainty and higher costs would all be inevitable outcomes of the Alcohol Law Reform Bill, when Judge John Hole outlined the ramifications of the Bill for hospitality operators.
Judge Hole, chair of the Liquor Licensing Authority, said increased local authority influence over liquor licensing would be one of the most significant changes occasioned by enactment of the Bill. New District Licensing Committees (DLCs), replacing current District Licensing Authorities, will be required to prepare a Local Alcohol Plan (LAP), for setting out policies regarding the location and numbers of licenced premises, trading hours and one way door restrictions. Judge Hole urged operators to get involved in the creation of these or they may discover the provisions of any particular LAP will operate quite significantly against their interests. “There is no doubt there exists in most communities very vocal lobby groups whose interests and aspirations are not necessarily compatible with yours.” Is it all doom and gloom? In a positive, perhaps hopeful conclusion Judge Hole suggested the new legislation would lead to overall shorter licencing hours, reduced sales, reduced costs and a level playing field. “There is reasonable prospect that overall your lifestyles will be improved; and some of the cultural changes necessary to improve our society will be achieved.”
The way of the future
Innovate, deliver an experience and connect with Gen Y to survive. Innovate, sell experiences and give Mr Average a reason to come out. That’s the key to survival according to Hospitality New Zealand president Adam Cunningham, speaking at the organisation’s conference and AGM in Wellington last month. “Our industry’s biggest fight in the future is not competition or even rising prices, it’s the risk we face that potential customers do not see what value we add. When Mr Average’s favourite drink is so cheap to buy and take home to his waiting mates and 60-inch television screen what chance as an industry do we have to convince him to come to us? “My belief is that our future as an industry is linked directly to innovation and delivering an experience, without these ingredients we will continue to see our business’s viability being eaten into.”
Cunningham’s message was endorsed by keynote speaker Michael McQueen. “People are staying home, getting in beer, and re-creating the atmosphere in their own home that you have been creating for them.” Smart businesses that continued to flourish through changing times did several simple things, he said. “They constantly re-calibrate, get back to basics. (So) defi ne yourself; you are in the experience business, selling atmosphere not just food and beverage. You need to get off auto pilot, evaluate and innovate.” Connecting with Gen Y is critical, says McQueen, who shared a few Gen Y pointers: "They are cashed up, they are loyal to people and relationships over businesses and brands. They are tech-addicted and need to be in touch at all times."
And the winners were…
Congratulations to all the 2012 Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence winners. Supreme Award Winner: Rydges Wellington Best New/Redeveloped Bar/Restaurant: The Thomas Green, Gore Best Bar: Sprig & Fern Milton St, Nelson Best Restaurant: Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland Best Café: The Batch Café, Invercargill Best New/Redeveloped Accommodation Hotel: Tuakau Hotel, Tuakau Best Accommodation Hotel: Rydges Wellington Best Country Hotel: Duke of Marlborough Hotel, Russell Excellence in Customer Service: Rydges Wellington Excellence in Gaming: Yardhouse, Hamilton Excellence in Marketing: Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco, Nelson Excellence in Training & Staff Development: Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland Best Music Entertainment Venue: Studio the Venue, Auckland Excellence in Host Responsibility: Little Rock Bar & Nightclub, Nelson Best Environmental, Sustainable & Ethical Practice: Fiordland Lodge, Te Anau Best Beef: The Clare Inn, Mt Eden Beef and Stout Wellington, green pea and smoked pork purée with Guinness reduction and hot mustard. Best Lamb: The Riverhead, Auckland Espresso lamb fillet
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 7
Appetizers.
Making it count The talented team of three at Dualcom are highly solution-focused. The team at Dualcom believes there’s a solution for everything, a way to make things work just how you want them to. And integrating technology with innovative, creative thinking, a little Kiwi ingenuity and a desire to make it work better is what drives this team. Nearly four years ago, Auckland’s Casino needed to upgrade money scales for counting high volumes of coin for its gaming facilities, and asked Dualcom – automated and technical systems developers – to assist them. That started a whole new area of business for the New Zealandowned and operated company where the three partners – Brendon Wallace, Craig Barnes and Dale Botica – like nothing more than a good challenge. “What our client needed was a specialised purpose-built system. The scales needed to be compatible with existing gaming systems, future system upgrades and have backward compatibility for a seamless transition to our new counting system. We couldn’t find what was required anywhere in the world,” says Wallace. “So we designed and built it ourselves; from software development, fabrication through to system integration, support and now ongoing integration.” Dualcom also customised the system to comply with other requirements such as revenue services, surveillance and security systems. Th is opened up opportunities with other casinos around the country and abroad. The company is currently working on a new system for a casino in the South Island and has recently completed a large-scale installation for the Adelaide Casino. “We supply all sorts of currency management systems that save people time reconciling takings at the end of a busy day. Providing POS thermal printers, UV detectors, bank-quality note counters, small footprint teller note and coin scales are further areas of expertise,” says Wallace. “Modern technology means customised solutions are more affordable than ever and that means components and software can be readily integrated to provide new and better business solutions.” Wallace, Barnes and Botica established Dualcom in 2009. Wallace is experienced in product development, Barnes in IT development and systems integration, while Botica is a fully-certified welder and fabricator with more than 15 years' experience in metal fabrication, mechanical engineering and custom design projects.
8 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
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Appetizers.
Canterbury chef crowned champion The winner of the Monteith’s Beer and Wild Food Challenge combined pork with apple cider. Eight of New Zealand’s wildest chefs battled it out in a live cook-off last month to determine the victor of the 2012 Monteith’s Beer and Wild Food Challenge. The event saw all eight finalists, and a veritable cornucopia of wild ingredients, come together at Auckland’s Seafood School in the ultimate culinary showdown. Kane Bambery from Mount Cook Backpacker Lodge & Chamois Bar & Grill was crowned champion, taking home the cash prize of $15,000, an increased bounty from previous years in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Challenge. Head judge Kerry Tyack said picking the winner was no easy feat. “All of the chefs who competed have a wealth of experience behind
them and we were splitting hairs to pick a winner. Mount Cook Backpacker Lodge was considered something of an underdog, going up against culinary heavyweights and Monteith’s Beer and Wild Food Challenge alumni, but at the end of the day, they put up the best dish. “From a wild location came a superbly wild dish that hit every mark that we set for the competition. The match with Monteith’s Crushed Apple Cider was sublime, exposing different characters of the cider with each bite. The dish was wild and deceptively complex, yet it looked simple and
we could tell a lot of work had gone into the finished product,” he adds.
Proud to be a chef? Fonterra Foodservice’s Proud to be a Chef competition is now calling for entries.
Young New Zealand trainee chefs are invited to vie for the opportunity of a lifetime with the fourth annual Fonterra Proud to be a Chef programme, proudly hosted by Fonterra’s Foodservice division. The programme, targeting trainee chefs, gives 10 culinary protégés the chance to impress some of New Zealand’s most respected chefs at a semi-finals event, staged at the AUT School of Hospitality in November. There, four lucky contestants will be selected to compete in the exclusive, all expenses paid, Melbourne finals from February 25-28, 2013 where they will join 28 Australian competitors. During the event they will be mentored by some of the best chefs in Australia, experience fine dining, participate in culinary master classes and work with a food photographer to bring an original recipe to life. All this before one stand-out trainee chef is crowned the overall winner receiving an international culinary scholarship valued at $7500, and tailored to their individual aspirations as a professional chef.
The Fonterra Proud to be a Chef programme is open to all trainee chefs 18 years or older who are enrolled in a government recognised culinary course as at February 25, 2013. Entrants must be a New Zealand citizen or hold an eligible work visa. Entries for the programme close on Wednesday, October 31. Trainee chefs interested in registering can apply online at www.fonterrafoodservices.co.nz or mail entry forms to Fonterra.
European design that’s built to last – that is the core idea behind the Brabantia brand. With a long heritage of engineering and craftsmanship that dates back to 1919, it has grown from a small factory in Holland to a major international housewares brand, building a reputation for stylish, functional products and superb quality along the way. Brabantia’s extensive range of products include waste care, laundry, kitchen utensils and many more. And with most products carrying a 10 year guarantee, you can be sure to find a high quality solution to suit your needs. Premium Corporation is the New Zealand distributor for Brabantia. See www.premiumcorp.co.nz.
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 11
Appetizers.
Sid’s art of surprise Chef Sid Sahrawat is pushing his creative skills to the limit by unveiling new masterpieces every week. By Veronica JoHnston
A bottle of Pimm’s awaits its fate on a kitchen counter. Award-winning chef Sid Sahrawat is keen to use it somewhere in next week’s menu. He hasn’t used Pimm’s in a dish before but he’s clearly excited by it. Thoughts of matching flavours and textures race around in his head as he considers pairing the subtly spicy, fruity tasting liqueur with some shellfish. But this culinary master is only just warming up. It’s Friday morning and Sahrawat has eight new dishes to create before Tuesday night on top of a busy weekend of service ahead in his Auckland restaurant, Sidart. The heat is on, but Sahrawat is in his element. Once he’s done, 12 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
no two ingredients or dishes will be the same, and those with any specific dietary requirements will also be fully catered for. Back in January, Sahrawat decided to do away with à la carte menus, preferring to make an eight-course menu that changes weekly instead. The weekly cycle starts on Fridays when Sahrawat and his two souschefs start thinking about what they want to cook before making the new menu for the first time on Tuesdays and rolling it out for the rest of the week until it’s time to ditch that menu and make another. Though Sahrawat starts visualising and planning the eight courses the Friday before, the team doesn’t actually get around to
cooking and plating each one until around 5.30pm on the Tuesday − just one hour before service begins. That hour is frantically spent tasting, sometimes slightly tweaking, and matching wines to the dishes before the first guests arrive. So what exactly the eight dishes will be is usually a mystery to him – and his diners − until he makes them for the first time that Tuesday evening. This kind of pressure is not for the fainthearted or the inexperienced, but Sahrawat’s team are thriving on it. Instead of making the same dishes every day for months, they get to experiment with some exciting new techniques and ingredients every single week.
Appetizers.
Like the Pimm’s for example. “That’s the fun part, says Sahrawat. “The Pimm’s is going to make an appearance somewhere in the next menu. I just don’t know where, what or how yet. Right now, we’re just wondering what we can do with it.” And it seems the more unusual the pairing the better. In other words, diners could well find some Pimm’s-tinged broccoli or cucumber in their dessert next week. But then Sahrawat and his team also have “a bit more leeway” to do anything but play it safe as Tuesday night is advertised as a Test Kitchen night, where guests are prewarned that all the dishes that evening are experimental. Since introducing this Tuesday night concept ten months ago, the restaurant has been fully booked which is why the ever-popular Tuesday Test Kitchen is now surprising diners every night of the week. Sahrawat starts the eight-course menumaking process by thinking about the main ingredient profiles he wants to use for each dish. For the menu next week, as well as the Pimm’s, he’s thinking celeriac, coffee and mushrooms for the first course, banana, liquorice and marshmallow in one of the desserts and some artichoke in another.
But where this culinary master takes these ingredients from here is anyone’s guess. He doesn’t know himself yet. As long as the dishes are balanced, he’ll go wherever the ingredients take him, he says. “I want to use Jerusalem artichoke in one of our desserts and I’ve never used it before but as long as the balance of flavours is good, most of the things come together quite well. “For me, it’s important, when I make the menu, to use what I really want to use. If I want celeriac and coffee and it ends up having some sort of seafood in it, so be it. It’s just where my mind goes really.” In lieu of a menu, Sahrawat simply lists one or two main ingredients from each course in a sealed, black envelope that he puts on every table. He doesn’t want to give away much at all. And the diners don’t seem to mind as 80 percent don’t even peek at their envelopes until the end of the night. “I guess they want to be able to pick the combinations or the flavours,” he says. Like any true artist, he doesn’t mind if someone tells him they didn’t like a dish. “I don’t want the diners to like all the eight dishes. Of course if they like them, it’s great, but I’m quite fine with it if they say they ‘didn’t like this dish’ or they didn’t ‘get it’.
That’s because the whole point of the test menu is to try things. And more often than not, the diners end up liking something they wouldn’t normally. For example, some have told him how much they usually loathe liquorice but have loved it in his dish. “The challenge is to introduce something to people that they hate by changing the form and texture of things,” says Sahrawat. Likewise, the talented master chef has been learning to eat a lot of things he used to hate too. Like oysters and tomatoes: “I hate tomatoes…but now I try to cook them in a way that I would want to eat them.” Like making foam or a jelly out of them for example, he adds, “something that when you look at it, it doesn’t say tomato straight away. But when you eat it, you think ‘wow, that’s quite a cool way of eating that vegetable, fruit or meat’.” This is Sahrawat at his best. He’s become a master of surprise who seems to be enjoying surprising himself as much as anyone else. And just in case you’re wondering, the Pimm’s ended up in a jelly, alongside some John Dory and Kingfish with lemon espuma, cucumber ribbons, parsnip purée, a cuervil emulsion and a prawn cracker to finish it off.
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 13
Appetizers.
The Tokyo Club is one of the latest restaurants to sign up to Ponsonby Central – the retail, restaurant, food stall and produce precinct opening up along Ponsonby Rd between Brown St and Richmond Rd. Co-owner Mark Smith (the brains behind Soto Japanese Restaurant) is aiming for a soft opening early November for the Tokyo-style urban dining concept, with the official opening for Ponsonby Central scheduled for late November. Tokyo Club’s talented kitchen line-up includes master chef Hideharu Shimura (formerly head of Michelin starred Tokyo restaurants), along with chef Keiko Yoshida. The 40-seat restaurant will offer a Yokocho marketplace of “laneway” dining, which originated in the alleys of Tokyo between two main streets where the black markets used to trade. Today, they’re packed with Izakayas (drinking establishments) and food stalls serving gastronomic delights, with a homecooked ambience. Tokyo Club is proud to offer Ponsonby’s first Japaneseowned take-out sushi counter with everything prepared fresh throughout the day, as well as teppanyaki and okonomiyaki – a Japanese-style pancake pizza. The sake will be brewed exclusively for Tokyo Club by the master of Kawatsuru Sake Brewery on Shikoku Island. See www.tokyoclub.co.nz for more.
Northern Nibbles Programme co-ordinator for the Hospitality department at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic in Tauranga for the past three-and-a-half years, Andrew Targett resigned recently to open his own restaurant earlier this month – the Elizabeth Café & Larder. Located on street-level premises in the new high-rise building on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Cameron Road in Tauranga, it’s open from 7am until late, specialising in shared plates in the evening. The cuisine-style is Modern European with a taste of Asian and there’s a Depot vibe too, with Allan Scott wine available on tap. Targett was a hospitality student at the BOP Polytechnic 16 years ago and in a tidy sequence of events, his replacement, Lee Pearce, was also a student there and was taught by Targett.
Chef Loreto Bembo has just joined the team at Sky Tower’s brasseriestyle buffet establishment specialising in seafood, the Observatory Restaurant. Bembo has nearly 30 years experience, working around the world and within the United States. He also worked in the kitchens of the Princess Cruises line around Australia and New Zealand. Prior to his move to Observatory, chef Bembo worked as executive chef at the Distinction Hotel in Rotorua.
Junior sous chef Chris Webb and waitress Leanne Ayre from Kermadec Fine in Auckland won gold in the New Zealand section of the Dilmah High Tea Challenge held in Auckland last month. The young team, mentored by Kermadec’s renowned head pastry chef Juan Balsani beat 13 top chefs from around the country who also competed in the inaugural event. Each team had to create a contemporary high tea and present it with flair. They were required to produce a hot tea, hot tea mocktail, a chilled tea cocktail and a chilled tea mocktail. The competitors then had to serve the tea creations with both savoury and sweet afternoon tea food items as well as a sweet and savoury food item using tea as a key flavour ingredient. In order to take out the title, the Kermadec representatives produced a stunning display of gastronomic delights including the ‘Next Generation Scone’, a playful, innovative take on the traditional scone, jam and clotted cream, and the ‘Lemon Poppy Seed Macaron, Salmon and Goat’s Cheese Smoker’. As part of their prize package, Webb and Ayre will fly to Sri Lanka for five days, to present their High Tea to the Dilmah family, as well as to guests at the Hilton Colombo Dilmah T-bar and the global final will be held in Sri Lanka next year. 14 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
Appetizers.
Chef Rex Morgan’s T Rex took top honours at Burger Wellington 2012. The burger – served on a shoulder bone, held in place by a rib bone with sauce supplied in a cannon bone – saw Boulcott Street Bistro take out Wellington’s coveted Battle of the Burger title. Morgan edged out stiff competition from Wellington City’s Shinobi Sushi Lounge, Plimmerton’s Topor Bistro and Bar, Miramar’s Café Polo and Greytown’s Bar Salute.
One closes another one opens. It’s tough times and a major rent hike has rung the death knell on French bistro Le Metropolitain. Co-owners Maryline Raynal and Sebastian Jacquet opened the popular Cuba Street eatery five years ago. Raynal says having to close is very disappointing after so much hard work, and as yet the couple haven’t had time to think of what they might do next. Meanwhile Samuel North (formerly of the White House) and Jozsef Szekely (ex Matterhorn) have put a brave face on the economic climes and opened Muse on Allen. They promise fresh, organic and contemporary New Zealand cuisine.
Thousands of oysters shucked, tens of thousands of chocolates eaten, a real meat burger winning the burger battle, foodies braving the wild winter weather in their droves and the local industry performing at its creative and collaborative best; these would be just some of the standout features of the Visa Wellington on a Plate, held in August. Now in its fourth year, festival co-director Anna Neilson says she’s finally got the feeling the festival is here to stay. “People are expecting it now. August is wet, windy and cold and it’s nice to have something to fill that. Getting people out at a traditionally quiet time is a key aim of the festival. “The other aim is building awareness of regional food and beverage products, while the restaurants enjoy it because they get new customers. People will try a new place and if they have a good experience then they’ll go back.” In summary, this year’s festival encompassed 110 events (including tours and masterclasses), 108 restaurants participating in Dine Wellington and 64 Burger Wellington entries. This represented a 61 percent growth in events and 73 percent growth in Dine Wellington participants since the inaugural year. “What surprises me every year is the creativity in the food and beverage industry in Wellington,” says Neilson. “Every year there are so many new ideas that make us go, ‘wow’! For example, who would have thought that standing outside a little caravan in Cuba Street mid-winter eating oysters would attract queues?” Nielson is referring to the Oyster Saloon, the inspiration of Yellow Brick Road seafood supplier Rachel Taulelei. Several thousand oysters from Stewart Island, Te Matuku Bay, Mahurangi, Clevedon Coast, Orongo Bay and Tio Point, were shucked during the 16-day event. “Rachel was blown away by the demand, which was a clever combination of interesting products and beverages and top local chefs helped shuck the oysters. That’s the beauty of the Wellington industry, everyone works together, they collaborate, innovate and they have fun doing it,” says Nielson. Riding on the coattails of the main event was Beervana, the craft beer festival, which also tallied up record attendances and participatory breweries this year, and the incredibly popular New Zealand Chocolate Festival. Check out these sweet figures: over three days some 600 kilograms of chocolate was sold by exhibitors, 60kg of chocolate and 53kg of marshmallows were eaten at the Chocolate Fountain, 18,000 chocolate caraques were eaten inside Chocolate Origins and 40kg of chocolate were transformed into sculptures by the New Zealand Pastry Team.
Capital Comment
Food is always a focus when crowds get together for a big game. The recent All Black/Argentina test match at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium was no exception, with everything from corporate hosting to hot dogs and chips churned out by stadium caterers. One innovation, encompassing smartphone technology, was introduced by Telecom for invited guests. A downloaded app doubled as an electronic ticket which, when scanned at the stadium gate not only provided entry, but also sent a message to the stadium kitchen to start preparing that guest’s pre-ordered food. Thus, soon after the guests were seated a Telecom host was delivering hot food and drinks direct to their seat. No queues or counter service required – sure is food for thought for future hospitality hosting.
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 15
Appetizers.
Dunedin hospitality operators were brought up to speed on the latest policing strategies for The Octagon over breakfast recently. Ian Paulin told operators about the latest strategies for cleaning up The Octagon at the event held at Crown Mill Restaurant. Dunedin City Council liquor licensing co-ordinator Kevin Meecham was also on hand to discuss the implications of the Alcohol Reform Bill for licensees and Hospitality NZ national president Adam Cunningham gave an industry update on ways to improve business in challenging economic times.
Southern Snippets The owner of Merivale’s No 4 Bar & Restaurant, Shaun Halliwell is close to opening up a new venture called Fiddlesticks in the old Le Bon Bolli site on the corner of Worcester Boulevard and Montreal Street in Christchurch.
After being forced from their buzzing Montreal Street site by earthquake damage in April, Jen Black and the team have got Blax Espresso Bar back up and running not too far away from its old home, at 100 Victoria Street in Christchurch. And down the road in Merivale, Aikmans and Bardello have a new general manager, Steve Holmes.
The Ibis Hotel in Hereford Street has become the first to reopen in Christchurch’s quake-shattered CBD – on the second anniversary of the first earthquake of September 4, 2010. The hotel has had $10 million dollars worth of repairs following the earthquakes and 50 people will be employed at the revitalised offering. Accor’s Novotel Christchurch hotel is scheduled to re-open in mid-2013, while the future of the group’s two All Seasons hotels is yet to be determined due to restricted access to the hotels following the earthquakes.
16 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
Café Valentino is set to return at a new site in St Asaph Street, Christchurch. Twenty long months since losing his Colombo Street spot, owner Michael Turner is raring to go with former head chef Karen Gray returning to lead the kitchen team, along with a number of other previous staff members. For the first three months, the menu will be exactly the same as it was on the fateful day of February 22, 2011, including prices. Turner has made every effort to source the fit-out locally, using Canterbury suppliers including Moffat and Sksope to create a beautiful state-of-the-art kitchen and dining space. He’s hoping to open at the end of October, with the new café open from 4pm daily to begin with. The north-facing site is ideally situated, right on the green frame of the new city blueprint.
Appetizers. Fiordland wine buffs will be converging on Te Anau’s Fiordland Lodge on October 16 with Lion Nathan wine ambassador Josh Forward discussing top wines at what is now a regular event. Each month 30 to 40 guests enjoy matching first-class wines with a five-course dinner at the lodge, as part of the Fiordland Lodge wine club. The lodge also has a new head chef. James Loughnane, who joined the team in late August, has worked for seven years in Australia at Cradle Mountain Lodge, Orpheus Island Resort and Cable Beach Club Resort and Spa. Loughnane replaced head chef James Musk, who left for Dunedin to open his own bakery.
Luxury lodge Blanket Bay at Glenorchy, near Queenstown, has done it again. Prestigious US-based Hideaways International has named the five-star lodge number one in New Zealand and number six in the world in its annual 2012 Readers Survey. Long time general manager Philip Jenkins says there’s no better testament to a lodge’s consistent standards than travellers themselves voting it tops. He says his team’s “ceaseless search for excellence” sets the lodge apart, while its “superlative facilities and incredible location” also attract discerning travellers. “Just last month Kate Florence, one of our young chefs, claimed the prestigious New Zealand Commis Chef of the Year title for 2012, the third time it has gone to Blanket Bay,” says Jenkins.
Queenstown’s Dairy Private Luxury Hotel was awarded second place in the Best Hotel/Resort in New Zealand category at the New Zealand Travel Industry Awards early last month. Methven’s Quickenberry Lodge took first place. The Dairy owners Matt Diack and Paul Cook only took over the boutique property in April last year and are thrilled with the result. “To be recognised for that effort by the judges is a real honour,” says Diack.
Cantabrians have missed the offerings of Tony Astle since the earthquakes put paid to his popular Chinwag Eathai. But the hospitality legend is back. King of Snake has opened at 145 Victoria Street, a bar and restaurant based around shared dishes, and named after one of the most popular cocktails at another of his former ventures, Indochine. And he’s planning on opening another Chinwag as soon as he can find a location.
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 17
Chef Profile.
Joined at the Hip
Young and ambitious with a great mix of skills ranging from top chef to top manager – Mark Wylie recently left SkyCity and joined The Hip Group. So what drives him and where is his ultimate kitchen? Jes maGill finds out.
Mark Wylie sure can handle the heat in the kitchen. He’s worked a total of six years at SkyCity, the largest single-site hospitality operation in the country. During Wylie’s first appointment there, between March 2004 and November 2005, he was executive sous chef, responsible for opening the Auckland Convention Centre and overseeing its food operations, and for this career chef, it was a highlight. “It was the biggest convention centre in the country,” he says. “It was different – there was no precedent.” Then came a move to the large-volume, à la carte restaurant Soul Bar and Bistro as head chef for a couple of years before heading back to SkyCity in May 2008 as executive chef and in March 2010, he was promoted to director of kitchens. “When I joined SkyCity the second time one of my initial challenges was to do a restructure. There’d been a lot of growth, we were expecting more, and I had 15 people reporting to me so we streamlined that to six.” 18 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
Wylie trots out stats as eye-watering as a sack full of Pukekohe onions. Under his watch were 23 kitchens, 255 chefs and 110 kitchen stewards. His return also coincided with Rugby World Cup 2011, the biggest sporting event this country has ever seen and the biggest event for the hospitality industry too. “Preparing for the Cup was a huge challenge and it was pretty taxing,” he says. “We were on an aggressive growth phase before a major sporting event and there were multiple issues – construction, compliance and a big call on diplomacy skills. We had eight openings within four months, including the international gaming area and the incredibly successful Federal Street precinct of Depot, The Grill and Red Hummingbird. We were pretty proud of what we achieved. “Most of my job involved a financial focus, dealing with accountants and analysts, interpreting data, signing off purchasing contracts and looking at legislation. But one
of the most important skills required was managing and empowering people. In my role, there are so many different stakeholders and you’re constantly changing your style. In one hour, I might talk to a kitchen-hand and then to one of our executives.” Behind the fi rst-class hospitality though, there was real pressure. “To handle the stress you need a good team and a balanced life is vital to keep perspective. I also exercise regularly and consciously try to ‘let go’ of things at the end of the day. My wife and two little girls at home certainly help with that.” Despite the high-rolling, big-budget environment, Wylie says his greatest achievement at SkyCity was guiding the Modern Apprentice Scheme. “It’s been running for eight years now, and involvement with the scheme has been my main creative outlet. Our trainee chefs train for three years in 15 different in-house environments. It’s an awesome training ground and when they leave for other roles
Chef Profile.
Mark Wylie and Peter Gordon organise a fundraising dinner for the Leukaemia Foundation at SkyCity, Auckland in 2010.
Mark Wylie worked at SkyCity, Auckland during its busiest and most exciting growth phase.
we want them to enhance our name. As the country’s largest hospitality employer, SkyCity has a huge training responsibility and I think we turn out good chefs. I’ve always wanted to have a kitchen culture where everyone is either learning or teaching and the Modern Apprenticeship Scheme has been the perfect vehicle for this.” A good chef with a savvy business brain as well is relatively rare and Wylie’s upbringing takes some credit. “I’m from a family of accountants. At secondary school I studied accounting and thought that’s what I would be, but work experience in a kitchen changed my thinking. I liked the people I met in the industry and I liked what I saw of the lifestyle. I wanted my independence too.” In 1988, Wylie started his cooking apprenticeship in the army, leaving as a lance corporal to finish his trade certificate at AUT and what he describes as a “few lucky breaks” followed. He was selected
to head a team taking part in the Taste of Canada international student competition in Canada in 1993. The Kiwis won Gold but the victorious group returned home minus Wylie. “I was keen to work internationally and gain more qualifications. Before I left New Zealand, I’d written to several chefs in Europe and the UK, including the Gleneagles Hotel and that year, Gleneagles offered me a position as a commis chef.” Surrounded by five-star, Michelin-star luxury, the kitchen was classical-style with a brigade of 70 chefs. “It was extremely disciplined; a tougher environment than the army and the days were long and hard. Every docket was called in French. We weren’t allowed to read them, we had to listen. The main restaurant seated 220 and there were 40 to 50 chefs working each shift. With a full restaurant there could be 1800 calls across the kitchen each service. You definitely felt you were part of the process. “Everything that came out of the kitchen had to be fresh each day. I worked in the potage section for a few months, making all of the soups, egg dishes and various aspic jellies but we couldn’t keep anything over night. I was responsible for ordering and it was a free-for-all. I’d order five onions and might get one, so all day we’d barter for ingredients, swapping two heads of celery for a couple of onions. Sometimes we’d steal from other sections to get what we needed. I gained tremendous respect for ingredients! “I loved the environment. Everyone there was extremely talented and they were all capable of becoming executive chefs. It was incredibly competitive, which suited me fine and that meant great results. I worked 16-hour days every day for a year, gaining two years experience in one year in one of the best training grounds.” Results flowed that year for Wylie as well.
He won the Scottish Final of the Academy of France Annual Excellence Awards and in the same competition was a national finalist for Great Britain. He then headed back to New Zealand for more experience in the best hotels and large hospitality operations before heading off overseas again to Fiji and eventually America. “I like big places and managing staff but management can take you away from close involvement with the food and that’s something I’ve really missed over the last few years. I’m looking forward to food being the focus again.” This month, Wylie starts his new role with the Hip Group and he’ll be working primarily with Café on Kohi and The Store on Kohi plus he’ll oversee another opening the group has planned for St Heliers. Another Hip Group project, The Pavilions, is currently under construction at Britomart and due for completion this December. It’s a bistrocafé at the heart of a garden-themed retail complex, with a dessert restaurant and patisserie nearby. Before Wylie clocks in though, he’s taking a break; playing some golf, catching up with mates from Fiji (a few years back he was executive sous chef at the Sheraton Denarau Resort) and drinking a lot of kava. (For those who think kava unsophisticated, he’s a connoisseur at picking the terroir of the brews.) Wylie says he’s proud of what he and his team have achieved at SkyCity but he’s looking forward to working directly with food again. “In a café, there’s one style and in my role with The Hip Group I will be solely focused on the food. You can be close to the product and you can influence everything. ” And asked about his dream kitchen: “I’d like to open my own restaurant, I’ve got a head full of ideas, plenty of gas left in the tank and it’s the next step for me,” he says. Watch this space – Wylie’s home to stay.
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 19
Appetizers.
Making the caviar of cured ham Jamón Ibérico de bellota; cured ham from acorn-fed, pure-bred Iberian pigs, free-ranging in the native oak forests of southern Spain, has been described as the caviar of cured meat. Earlier this year KatHy omBler visited the factory and a finca (estate, or farm) of Cuyar, an organic, artisan producer in the village of Jabugo, the heart of jamón Ibérico production.
These “happy pigs” spend most of their day eating acorns in the native oak forests of southern Spain, to produce what’s called the caviar of cured meat. 20 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
Appetizers.
The dryness and temperature of the room where the ham is stored for two or three years can really affect the taste, says Cuyar manager Jesús Cuesta Sanchez.
In Huelva, Andalusia, white villages nestle in the valleys; holm and cork oak forests shade the grassy sierras; and beneath them sleek, healthy Iberian pigs forage freely on bellotas, or acorns. These scenes go back centuries, along with the time-worn traditions of jamón production. There’s nothing ancient, however, about the computer database Cuyar manager Jesús Cuesta Sanchez maintains, recording the genetics, weights and ages of every single Iberian pig that’s feeding out on his company’s fincas. Jabugo, 700 metres above sea level on the Sierra de Aracena, is blessed with pure air, cold winters and humidity levels ideal for the traditional, natural curing process. The village is crammed with processing plants and considered a premium source of jamón Ibérico de bellota. Even the town’s main square is called La Plaza del Jamón. With a mere 35,000 jamónes (back legs) and 30,000 paletillas (front legs) hanging to dry at any one time, Cuyar is considered a small, boutique company. It’s also highly innovative, marrying centuries-old tradition with the development of new, specialist products that are sought after by discerning parador hotels and gourmet shops throughout Andalusia. Exporting further afield is always an option. But fi rst, let’s visit the finca, where just to walk among the oak trees and foraging pigs requires you to don protective overgarments to prevent you introducing alien germs. Quality control begins here, because what happens on the fincas is critical to achieving the end, premium product, explains Cuesta Sanchez. “The acorn diet is key. Acorns are rich in oil, acidity and vitamin E; healthgiving properties that compare with olive oil. For their fi rst few months the young pigs feed on natural cereals such as corn, wheat and hops, and they forage. For the
last four to five months of their lives, from the start of the acorn season in October, they eat only acorns. They fatten quickly – they need at least 600kg of acorns during these last months which means there must be at least one hectare of grazing available per pig.” Fortunately, then, exercise is another key factor in the premium quest. Most important, however, is the pure Iberian breed, continues Cuesta Sanchez. “Even if a mixed breed pig eats the same diet the meat will not be the same quality. The Iberian is healthier, they have a higher proportion of oil and acidity and the meat is an antioxidant so it’s a really good fat.” Happy pigs, they’re called – out there free-ranging and snuffl ing up acorns to their heart’s content, happy that is until it’s time for the winter ‘mantanza’, or sacrifice. Yes, we mean when the pigs are killed. Then the long, artisan process starts at Cuyar. Curing and drying takes years, the process is entirely natural and every single ham is taken care of individually. Not so surprising perhaps, to learn that Cuyar’s jamón Ibérico retails at around $50 per kilo. To summarise: it begins with the bleeding, the fi rst critical step that also gives the ham its shape. Then comes the salting (20 days on salt in controlled temperatures and humidity), washing, draining, reshaping (by machine these days, not beaten with sticks as they used to be) and only then are the hams moved to the ‘secadero’, or drying room. Every leg is labelled with its history of origin and colour coded for weight and size according to the official “Protected Designation of Origin” quality controller El Jamón de Huelva. Th is organisation closely monitors every step of production, from the fincas to the factory, says Cuesta Sanchez. “They can visit either at any time.”
Th roughout the natural drying process windows are opened and closed depending on the weather and humidity. During summer the fat melts and covers the floor. One or two years on the rind colour changes and the hams are moved to the bodega, the underground room, for a further two to three years. Here is where we really work with the dryness and temperature, as they both affect the taste, says Cuesta Sanchez. “To have a really good ham you need a dry, cold winter and warm summer. Th roughout the process olive oil is applied to control mould and keep the skin moist and clean,” he adds. Finally, before the hams leave the bodega each one is “smell-tested”, to ensure it is in prime condition. A small bone tool is inserted in three diff erent places, where the blood was originally taken out all those years ago. “You need a lot of experience and a good sense of smell, the skill is handed from one generation to the next,” says Cuesta Sanchez. Hams aside, it wouldn’t do to waste the rest of the free-range, acorn-fed, drycured Iberian and here is where Cuyar gets innovative. New products just released include bellotita chorizos and bellotita salchichóns. Bellotita means little acorns and these specialist small goods are Cuyar’s miniature, secret-recipe version of the traditional chorizo and salchichón. There’s more. Production of the fi rst Ibérico de bellota hamburger patties is imminent. Oil, vitamin E, antioxidants − could this mean the world’s fi rst really, truly, healthy hamburger? Kathy Ombler’s Spanish travel was partly sponsored by Singapore Airlines, which flies one of the most direct routes to Spain via Barcelona.
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 21
Seafood.
Josh Emett changes his seafood menu daily and bases it around what fish and shellfish are available at his Queenstown restaurant Rata. 22 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
Seafood.
Simply,
seafood
Snapper and shellfish are in demand; sustainable and simple the current catch words: these are the major themes gleaned from chatting with some noted Kiwi chefs about serving up seafood. By KatHy omBler
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 23
Seafood.
Logan Brown restaurant keeps it simple with some fresh whitebait.
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24 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
Be it the ocean or harbour side, Stephen Barry’s Mount Bistro restaurant sits within metres of the sea at his Mt Maunganui resort location. Therefore, even given Barry’s status as a Platinum Beef and Lamb Ambassador Chef, his customers expect good fish. Keep it simple, let the fish speak for itself, is Barry’s mantra. He says his fish of the day – usually snapper but sometimes John Dory, hapuka, blue nose or tarakihi – is treated in the same, uncomplicated way; coated with a little hollandaise, sprinkled with panko crumbs, topped with toasted sesame seeds and wakame crust, baked in the oven and served with mash and fresh salad. “The hollandaise and topping create a nice little barrier to hold the moisture in. Work with good fish and keep it uncomplicated,” he says. At Wellington’s Logan Brown, Shaun Clouston echoes the simplicity spiel. “We don’t do too much to the fish. If you have a beautiful piece of snapper then that’s the hero. You don’t try to mask it with so much flavour you can’t recognise what it is, that defeats the purpose.” Logan Brown’s current à la carte menu offers line-caught snapper with roast radicchio, cauliflower, olives and popcorn scampi, the latter done in a lightly-spiced tempura. “It’s simple and tasty,” says Clouston. That the fish can even be the hero of the dish is thanks to today’s improved standard of supplier, he adds. “When I returned to New Zealand in 2006 I was surprised to see how badly the fish was treated. So we started buying in our own fish and doing the fi lleting ourselves. That was getting too big so now we also use The Fish Factory, a small Wellington supplier and processor, for some of our fish. He dry cuts – fish that’s washed in water goes off very quickly.” We know exactly where all our fish comes from, he adds. “The Fish Factory source blue cod from the Chathams. We also get some locally caught line fish and we get a good consistent supply from Yellow Brick Road. Every container has the name of the fisherman and where it’s from. We buy the whole fish from them, keep it whole, separated in ice in poly bins and we just fi llet what we need, as we need it.” Handling is everything, agrees Josh Emett from his Queenstown restaurant Rata. “The big thing with our seafood menu is we change it
Seafood. Despite his ‘keep it simple’ mantra, Stephen Barry has got creative and, yes, complicated, at times. Patrons won’t let him abandon the Sword in Sauce-ry, a Monteiths Wild Food finalist back in 2007. It’s a spectacular array of skewered scallops, prawn tail, crayfish, salmon and fresh fish, flambéed with horopito and lime vodka and served with dipping sauce.
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daily, we base it around what fish and shellfish are available and we take care of how we handle the product. “First you have to have trust in your supplier then once it’s in your kitchen you have control. It’s how you handle it, how many times it’s touched. We pack our products in ice and change the ice twice a day, after lunch and after dinner service. It’s about setting good practies.”
Clamouring for clams, and other shellfish We’ve all done it, probably on summer holidays at the beach, squishing our toes into the sand to find what we call cockles, or tuaki, the sweet shellfish the rest of the world calls clams. Now picture this: it’s a cold, blustery Otago winter morning, low-tide, and several, wet-suited bodies back slowly through the water, waist deep, each hauling hand dredges filled with little-necked clams destined for the world’s best restaurant tables and, increasingly, our own. Otago-based Southern Clams has been supplying the export market for 20 years and for the last five years the domestic market has been on the climb. Just the last six months has been greater than ever, says operations manager David Redshaw. Clams are becoming very popular, agrees Josh Emett. “I think until now they have been under-utilised. I use them a lot and they are flying out the door. Currently we serve them lightly steamed with a little seaweed butter. We try not to do too much, we keep them natural.” They also have an amazing shelf life, he adds. Redshaw says this is probably one of the standout features of the clam – apart from the sweet flavour, of course.
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Seafood. They are also available year round, harvested in a sustainable, rotational way, he says. “Commercial harvesting from Blueskin Bay has been stable for the past 40 years; we don’t want to overexploit it.” Logan Brown’s clam supplier, Westhaven in Golden Bay, is also wary of over-fishing. “They only fish part of their quota because they think their full quota just isn’t sustainable,” says Clouston. As with fish, the standard of shellfish supplied to restaurants has also improved, he says. “In 2006 you were lucky to get oysters in their shells, whereas this year we have just been shucking six different types of oyster, at Yellow Brick Road’s ‘Oyster Saloon’ in the Visa Wellington on a Plate Festival.” Our overseas visitors love our shellfish, he adds. “We serve tuatua from Cloudy Bay Clams; they offer a point of difference especially for international guests when we tell them how we can get them from the beach at low tide.”
Snapping the snapper, and other sustainable stuff Unless you’re in deep-south blue cod territory, snapper remains the pre-eminent, popular fish on restaurant menus. Yet the species sits rated right down there in the red, the “worst choice” on Forest & Bird’s Best Fish Guide, which rates species for
Six different types of oyster were shucked at this year's Visa Wellington on a Plate festival.
their ecological sustainability. Should restaurants be concerned? Some suppliers contend that snapper have ‘come back’ and are now in good numbers. F&B’s advocacy manager, Kevin Hackwell, says the guide’s ratings are based on the latest, official stock assessments done jointly by government scientists and the fishing
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industry, but acknowledges some difficulties with these. “The reality is there has been historic depletion however we agree stocks are now improving in some areas. The difficulty is that two stocks (East and West Coast) are managed as one, and Northland and Eastern Bay of Plenty assessments have not been
Seafood.
updated since 2000. If for the next guide the assessment goes up we can make a different evaluation.” There are also issues of ecologically-damaging bottom trawlers and by-catch of seabirds, in particular, the rare black petrel in the Hauraki Gulf, he adds. Logan Brown is a champion of sustainability.
In fact the launch of the 2012/13 Best Fish Guide took place in the Wellington restaurant, yet snapper is on the menu. Co-owner Steve Logan has done his own research and is comfortable about this. “The F&B Guide does generalise to some extent. We use line-caught snapper from Northland − we know there is plenty of it there as opposed to other areas. [The presence here of our oldest marine reserve, and the benefits of reserves as breeding grounds, can take some credit.] The other important factor is how it is caught, line caught as opposed to netting, which can harm the sea bottom or catch marine mammals or birds.” Chef Clouston says Leigh Fisheries, who supply Logan Brown, fish carefully with heavy sinkers so the lines drop fast and they have a zero rate of seabird by-catch. “Their skippers are very proud of what they do.” Hackwell agrees that some fishing companies do a better job than others; and it’s worth restaurants doing their own research into their suppliers. For Logan, procuring seafood per se and holding true to sustainable principles is a constant balancing act. “Our customers do want to eat fish. We do need to cater to our market to stay in business and cannot always stick to our principles if weather or seasons affect supply. We also have to consider our
carbon footprint in balancing the distance the fish is transported with how sustainable the species is. “If snapper is unavailable we use spotted cod from Southland or the Chathams. We would love to use local, line-caught Cook Strait hapuka regularly but there are too few, or West Coast turbot which is relatively plentiful but is trawled.” He is emphatic about one species: “We would never ever serve blue fin tuna.” Josh Emett agrees. “At Rata we’re very careful about what we use and blue fin tuna is one of several different species we won’t. You’ve got to make a stand.” Logan says it’s up to this generation to make changes to ensure the fisheries have a future, before it’s too late. “We are motivated by doing the right thing by our environment. We encourage and support suppliers who do the same. More of our guests are taking an interest in where we get our fish. Eventually consumers will be a lot more discerning and actually choose to dine only in restaurants that purchase sustainably. “Maybe some retailers think short term and happily buy and serve fish that is not sustainable. They obviously have little regard for their children and future generations who (otherwise) potentially will have only jellyfish to eat.”
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OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 27
Outdoor Rooms.
Let's go outside 28 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
Outdoor Rooms.
Every venue needs one – an outdoor room. But the wind and rain can often stop people from dining alfresco or enjoying a few drinks outside if they are not protected from the elements. So Jes maGill unravels some shades to discover the key to a weatherproof outdoor room and rooftop bar.
Shade 7’s tulip umbrellas at The Commons in Takapuna can take winds up to 60 km/h. OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 29
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Outdoor Rooms. Come summertime, when restaurants and bars are humming, patrons like to head outside and socialise in the great outdoors. The most popular outdoor hospitality “rooms” usually include something from the natural elements, such as a great view, or feature trees in planters or lush foliage in tubs. Retaining or emphasizing natural materials such as native timbers and original brick walls, offers a timeless ambience that has broad appeal. Th e ambience of a restaurant or café’s outdoor spaces will usually be dictated by the theme created inside. The hottest places in New York right now seem to be inspired by an unpretentious backyard of a friend, where mis-matched chairs are teamed with tables from different eras and great evenings are always guaranteed. What’s happening in the kitchen also has an impact on alfresco dining and with tapas and small plates all the rage, outdoor dining and social spaces are much more casual and dynamic. New York sets the style for innovative dining around the world and right now, rooftop bars are popping up everywhere and leading operators are investing in retractable glass windows and ceiling panels. According to specialist hospitality architect Mike Marshall from Two Point Zero Design (and as co-owner of Tin Soldier in Ponsonby, a moonlighting restaurateur); the popularity of rooftop bars is going nuts around the world and about to explode in New Zealand. And that has challenges for hospitality operators, with the most testing environmental factor to consider being wind control. “It’s easy to manage rain and sun, but wind
is tricky and traditionally, New Zealand hospitality operators have been bad at going upstairs. Dealing with a scenario where a lower level building has a five-storey building next door takes some planning, because controlling swirling wind is tricky. But essentially, successful wind control is all about having adequate flexible cover. Next, think about the sun. A rooftop bar needs to embrace the sun but you need to offer shade options too.” The key to a winning rooftop bar begins at the design stage and thinking of the space in three dimensions: the walls, roof and flooring. With those resolved, furniture, lighting, heating and sound systems can then be incorporated. “Rooftop bars need to be special. Simply adding a deck or creating a verandah just won’t cut it. We’re lucky in New Zealand with our harbour views and elevation but if you haven’t much in the way of aspect – and many popular rooftop bars around the world don’t – you need to create a point of difference, like an outdoor cinema, for example.” Marshall advises anyone thinking of opening a bar to ensure it has an adequate outdoor area. “And that’s not just for smokers. It’s important to create areas where non-smokers and smokers can be comfortable together, thinking ‘separation’ not ‘segregation’ and this is possible using planters and thresholds.” Michael Pearce from Shade 7 – umbrella distributors, part-manufacturers and assemblers – says windswept conditions in New Zealand often stop people from dining alfresco or enjoying a few drinks on the deck and that spells lost patronage for restaurants and bars
without weatherproof outdoor areas. “Large umbrellas are ideal for hospitality operators with limited seating indoors and who have the opportunity to expand their outdoor seating capacity,” Pearce says. “Because large commercial umbrellas are retractable, resource consent isn’t required. They can be erected and pulled down simply by turning a handle and by removing the handle after hours; the umbrellas are tamperproof. The robust aluminum frames, which don’t rust – are ideal for New Zealand conditions.” At Columbus Coffee in Glen Innes, Auckland, Shade 7 recently installed two large 4m x 4m commercial Icon umbrellas. The frames are made and wind-tunnel tested in Germany and rated to withstand 60 km/h winds. “We positioned the umbrellas side-by-side and connected them with guttering to create a continuous shaded, waterproof area. Clear plastic drop sides were then added by the client to create a completely sheltered space when required,” says Pearce. The high-prof ile Pack & Company’s Takapuna McKenzie precinct on Auckland’s North Shore is another recent installation by Shade 7. In The Commons – a shared area between several restaurants – six tulip umbrellas were selected. They’re a top-end product made with fabric from Spain, German-made frames and assembled in New Zealand. “Rain water is collected down the seethrough perspex stems of the tulip and the umbrellas – also tested in Germany – can take winds up to 60 km/h as well.”
An outdoor room for every season at the Aikman’s Bar in Christchurch.
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 31
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When Good Group bought Aikman’s Bar and Restaurant in Merivale, Christchurch, it came complete with a new outdoor area that has been so popular, work commences soon on a similar but larger pavilion. The extended outdoor area will deliver extra cover as well as include a new outdoor bar which can be enclosed with drop-down sides for inclement weather. The original structure has a wooden roof frame, with a wooden floor beneath, and supports an aluminum Louvretec opening roof system. There’s a combination of different seating options: bar leaners and stools, tables and chairs, and an area to the side of the shelter ideal for settled-weather days. Lighting, heating, flat screen TVs, drop screens and a sound system have also been included in the space, which customers and management have declared a huge success. It’s hard to enjoy stunning views at a harbourside location without copping an occasional chilly wind and the constant challenge for restaurant operators and designers is finding a product that performs the required task – in this case, heating the outdoor deck for the Fish Restaurant at the Hilton in Auckland – without compromising the ambience or fighting with the views. “The selected heating solution at Fish was the Platinum Smart-heat Gas 500 Series. It needed to protect diners from cold, windy conditions and distribute a comfortable level of heat across the outdoor area,” says Matt Kelman from Bromic Heating. “Our New Zealand customers are finding this model of heating ideal for local conditions. Made from brushed stainless steel and ceramic, it’s robust for coastal locations. Wind resistant levels are up to 18 km/h; there’s electronic ignition which can be wired into C-Bus or smart control systems for single or multiple units and there’s electronic re-ignition should a gust blow out the flame.” Kelman says customers are finding the new-release Tungsten Electric heater incredibly effective too. “In fact, we think it has revolutionised the world of outdoor heating. It comes in four models, has directional heating and it’s compatible with smart control systems which makes dimming easy. It can be wall or ceiling mounted, is fully waterproof and emits infra-red radiant heat so the sense of warmth and well-being for café and restaurant customers is a hugely valued feature.” While time might be running out to establish a rooftop bar in time for Christmas, there’s always next year. In the interim, why not introduce a few planter boxes for decoration and delineation, lighting (functional and aesthetic), plus a flat screen or two for entertainment. Then let the good times roll.
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OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 33
Refrigeration.
Stay cool
this summer
Blast chillers and shock freezing are the latest hot things in refrigeration, writes sue Fea as she checks out the latest cool inventions.
Skope Pegasus Refrigeration helps cool things down at Christchurch Casino.
34 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
Refrigeration.
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 35
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Refrigeration.
Some Skope Pegasus Custom Drawers in action at Novotel Auckland Airport.
Ovens often take all the glory in a commercial kitchen – all that drama, heat and fire power claiming centre stage, while refrigeration gets to chill out in the background. However, hospitality operators know only too well how important it is to stay cool on the job and with summer approaching good refrigeration is vital. Southern Hospitality’s Otago Southland regional sales manager Mark Latham says there haven’t been too many major advancements during the past five years, but the latest hot thing off the block would have to be blast chilling and shock freezing. Although these are not new concepts, many chefs are now realising their benefits. Blast chilling reduces the temperature of any freshly cooked product quickly, which retains the quality of the food, preventing it from deteriorating or drying as it cools. If this process takes a longer amount of time then effectively there’s a longer break down period. “Imagine cooking a large roast of beef and pulling it from the oven to reheat or serve at a later date. If you put it into a standard cool room there would be substantial weight loss or yield and also a decrease in moisture and flavours,” says Latham. Blast chilling is very beneficial in minimising bacteria. A large pot of mince mixture cooked on a stove-top could take hours to cool in a cool-room and would chill from the outside putting temperatures at dangerous levels for bacteria. “If this mixture is cooled quickly then it’s not only safe, but you can work with it faster cutting down on prep time and overall labour costs.” The main advance in shock freezing is how water crystals act as key to the freezing and regeneration of a product. The longer it takes to freeze, the larger the crystals that form and effectively the “soggier” the product becomes on thawing. Th is breaks down the molecules and ultimately gives a far less appealing end result. By purchasing larger quantities of in-season meat or produce when prices are low operators can win out and minimise wastage. OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 37
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Where will we been see 38 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
Refrigeration.
Several food display cabinets keep things cool in a Lake Tekapo venue.
Kiwi celebrity chef Simon Gault uses an Irinox blast chiller in his Euro restaurant, Auckland.
Italian-manufactured Irinox blast chillers and shock freezers are a hot favourite and for those who can afford the investment there are big savings to be made in shrinkage, moisture loss, wastage and labour. Skope has recently released the Irinox Rolls Royce range, the MF-Plus multi-function centre, which has the ability to not only blast chill and shock freeze but to low-temperature cook, thaw, regenerate, pasteurise and even proof breads. Skope’s Irinox product manager Richard Bennett says this new innovation allows operation from minus 40°C to 85°C in the same cabinet. “The big advantage is you don’t have to be there. It will work for you 24 hours a day. After a normal day’s use you can load the cabinet with meat, chicken or fish portions, slow cook, auto blast chill and/ or shock freeze overnight or hold at 65°C serving temperature,” says Bennett. Th is new dream machine even HACCP data records cycles with an in-built fivesensor probe. The data can be downloaded and presented for food hygiene inspections. With traditional cooking and standard cooling it can take 15 to 20 hours to achieve the required 3°C core temperature. Th is creates bacteria growth moisture and volume loss through oxidation and evaporation lasting only one to three days, depending on the food. But 90 minutes in, the MF Plus blast chiller will preserve the quality, taste, volume, moisture and freshness for one to three weeks fresh or in a vacuum bag.
Bennett says meat cooked traditionally then refrigerated loses up to 15 percent of its volume and weight. Th is low-temperature cooking method can reduce that to two or three percent retaining the look, taste and fl avour. “So it’s a massive cost and labour saving.” It allows for planned production on one day of the week instead of three days a week, reducing labour costs and wastage. A small 60-seater restaurant may balk at investing $15,000 in a blast chiller, but Bennett says in a year they could save up to $25,000 more than paying back their investment. The MF Plus blast chiller range offers 60 programmed cycles and 12 customised cycles of blast chilling and shock freezing which can be electronically set to a standard restaurant ‘gastronomy’ mode, ‘baking and pastry’ mode or as an ‘ice cream confectionary’ unit. Kiwi celebrity chef Simon Gault would not be without his Irinox blast chiller and says it’s very important to research before you buy. A cheaper brand he initially tried didn’t keep up at all. “They may be more expensive, but they’re truly fantastic. You get what you pay for. It’s the only blast chiller I’d use.” Gault says a seminar he attended in Australia on blast chilling three years ago was probably one of the best things he’s ever done. “They demonstrated freezing a piece of meat in a normal freezer and one in an Irinox blast chiller. In thawing them out, the one from the traditional freezer was surrounded in a
pool of juice but there was not a drop of juice around the Irinox blast chiller one – it was all retained within the meat.” By using a blast chiller and getting the core temperature down to 3°C quickly you extend the life and freshness of the product, says Gault. “A roast chicken reheated the next day is a good example. Normal chicken reheated the next day would be dry, but by getting the core temperature down to 3°C that retains its integrity for reheating.” Traditional slow chilling slowly destroys the structure of the product whereas blast chilling retains volume, structure, flavour, freshness and moisture. He’s more than recouped the costs and challenged the head chef in his Wellington restaurant, Pravda, to trial an Irinox blast chiller, and if he could save two percent on food costs he could keep it. “He did that and has consistently saved two percent since then.” Gault reckons some Kiwi chefs are too hung up on using the cheapest of everything instead of forking out for a superior product which will make them bigger savings in the long run. “Restaurant owners often fall into the same basket. Buying the cheapest doesn’t work – buying the best does,” he says. He always tries to design a bit more refrigeration space than he needs so all food products can be sighted when you walk into a cool room. Th is results in fresher food on the table and lower food costs.
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 39
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Food for Thought.
Know the rules
The ‘house rules’ are a separate and important part of the business. After several discussions lately with employers dealing with issues relating to team culture, I’ve come to the realisation that employers are habitually relying on verbal communication to convey their workplace policies and as a result information can get lost in translation. An important tool to help to describe the ethos of your business is your ‘house rules.’ Whereas your employment agreement is an essential document which provides a legal outline for employees and employers on the employment relationship, the ‘house rules’ provide information on some of the business’s key policies and communicate your expectations of how employees should behave.
the culture of the business is an efficient way of orientating new employees and can also be provided to prospective staff members to highlight the business’ expectations of its employees.
Do you really need to write them down?
What should you include?
Verbal communication between management and employees is an essential part of establishing management credibility and developing team culture. However, it can easily be forgotten, misunderstood or misinterpreted. All important information should therefore be available in writing. Having a written document outlining
Shouldn’t house rules become part of your employment agreement? It’s not a good idea to outline workplace policies in employment agreements as it makes it harder to amend them. Policies which are combined as part of your employment agreements would normally require the employee’s consent to change. The process is usually a lot simpler if the policies are standalone or incorporated into your ‘house rules.’ Typically the ‘house rules’ will include guidelines for employees on rosters, timesheets, signing in (and out), punctuality, grooming/uniform requirements, breaks, staff drinks/meals/staff discounts, cash handling and stock control, use of the business phone/computer/music system and disciplinary procedures.
Once you’ve developed your house rules you need to ensure you use them. It’s not enough to have a copy of them lying around − new employees should be provided with the ‘house rules’ and should sign their acknowledgment that they have read and understood the policies. Any amendments over time also need to be clearly communicated to all staff and you must always be consistent when applying the policy. It is worth spending some time getting this communication right. If you’d like some advice or assistance in customising your ‘house rules’ call the Restaurant Association on 0800 737 827.
Marisa Bidois is CEO of the Restaurant Association of New Zealand.
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 41
5:10 PM
Food for Thought.
Merger in motion
A new merger is currently underway between three key Industry Training Organisations. Since March 2012, three Industry Training Organisations, the Aviation, Tourism and Travel Training Organisation (ATTTO), Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI) and Retail Institute have been engaged in formal merger discussions. Th is has followed six years of working closely together and collaborating on some key projects. Last month a Deed of Merger was signed by the ATTTO, HSI and Retail Institute, committing to form a new Industry Training Organisation named the Service Skills Institute. Though the Deed of Merger is now signed, it is still subject to certain conditions. Each ITO must obtain the necessary support for the merger from their respective industry training sectors. The parties also need to obtain recognition and extension of coverage from the Tertiary Education Commission and approval, as the standard setting body, from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Satisfactory completion of financial, legal and other diligence processes is also required.
The merger is based on the shared view that it will enable the three ITOs to better protect and promote the interests of our industries and provide a greater voice and forum for the service sector. The planned commencement date for the new organisation is January 1, 2013, with a likely transition period of several months as the three organisations complete the integration process. An important condition of the merger is to retain the key capability including the technical skills, knowledge and expertise of each party to ensure that the new ITO, Service Skills Institute, will be able to effectively service and support its industry sectors. The role of the three existing ITO boards will be picked up in the Industry Advisory Groups within SSI, representing the interests of their industry sector. Each Industry Advisory Group will also nominate two directors to the board, taking up six board positions, with an additional three external independent board members, one of
whom will be a representative of employees, appointed through a board selection process. During the transition period, the frontline operations of the three current ITOs will continue to function on the current business models, providing the same service. Integration will develop best practice systems and processes, and provide improved services to learners, employers and key stakeholders. The proposed merger is dependent on the support of industry. All three ITOs are now formally seeking support for the merger from their respective industry sectors.
Ken Harris is chief executive of HSI.
Above: At the Deed of Merger signing are (seated from left to right): Philip Shewell, Retail Institute chairman and Carol Stigley, HSI chair with (standing from left to right) Jill Hatchwell, ATTTO board director, John Albertson, Retail Institute board director, Kathy Wolfe, CEO of ATTTO, and Bruce Robertson, HSI deputy chair. Rick Bettle, ATTTO chair, was unable to attend.
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OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 43
Food for Thought.
Top-class service Study and part-time work in hospitality equals great service.
What character traits are important in hospitality?
Sophie Reason is a second-year AUT student studying a Bachelor of International Hospitality Management. She also works part time as a waiter and maître d’ at Monsoon Poon, Auckland. Nicola Richards finds out why Sophie's so good at her job.
Positivity, being genuine and smiley and always being excited about creating an amazing atmosphere for guests are the main traits you need to be successful in hospitality.
What attracted you to hospitality?
What are your future plans?
I love travel, learning about new cultures and people, and enjoying food and drink in new, exciting places. When I was in high school I read about this AUT degree and thought it would be perfect for taking me around the world doing what I love.
I finish my degree at the end of next year, after which I hope to go and see a lot of the world. I am especially interested in Asia and South America – then I would love to bring my experiences back to New Zealand. I hope to go into a role in human resources within a hospitality setting – either for a large hotel or a restaurant chain.
What are some of the challenges of work and study? My timetable and work schedule are both very flexible so I am able to make it all balance which is great although sometimes after a full-on day at uni I just want to put my feet up!
How do you apply what you study to your job? So much of what I study in my course helps with my job, especially taking papers such as Beverage Management and other practical service and kitchen hospitality papers. My job has helped me to be able to apply what I learn in theory to real-life situations which is awesome!
Nicola Richards runs Monsoon Poon and is chairman of the Service Professional Association of New Zealand (SPANZ).
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44 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
Food for Thought.
Upselling well More wine! Knowing the product and your customers’ needs and wants will help you upsell. A key difference between an average and excellent dining experience is arguably the level of service received. If the phrase ‘good service can save a sub-standard meal, but nothing can save bad service’ means anything to you, excellence in service standards should be a key goal. Upselling is important to the bottom line of a hospitality operation. However, the concept of upgrading, upsizing or selling more of a product must be based on a comprehensive understanding of the products available for sale, the customer’s needs and wants, and an ability to make suggestions that appeal and are appropriate. Upselling a $10 to $15 glass of wine is going to be of benefit only if the guest is pleased with the selection. In depth product knowledge, a background story and an understanding of how the wine is going to enhance their enjoyment of a food/wine combination is the way to go – simply suggesting a more expensive wine is not enough.
The ‘special’ dishes offered by the chef can provide an opportunity to sell a more expensive wine not ordinarily offered ‘by the glass.’ If the manager or sommelier decides to open a bottle of something special for a particular dish, knowledgeable staff members can take this opportunity to add to both the guest’s meal and the restaurant’s bottom line. If the dining experience is enhanced by this, a win-win outcome is achieved. Here’s another technique: After finding out what styles of wine excite guests and which examples on the list meet, or come close to, their desires, offer to open a bottle just for them on an understanding that they purchase a minimum of two glasses. The chances of selling a third or fourth glass are high if the wine is then ‘hand sold’ to neighbouring tables who witness the encounter, and in the event that any of the wine is left, it can be used later in the evening for staff training. Remember to be as flexible as practical
– offering ‘tasting size’ pours for a lesser price with individual courses may mean higher sales and happy customers – it’s great for an establishment’s reputation, for host responsibility practice, and provides an opportunity to enhance an experience with appropriate beverages for each course served. Successful upselling is about developing a team of competent, pro-active and customerfocused staff – and is part of creating exceptional dining experiences.
Cameron Douglas is New Zealand’s first and only Master Sommelier.
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Food for Thought.
Dealing with the mess
The Alcohol Law Reform Bill was not the game changer trumpeted by our politicians. The Alcohol Law Reform Bill is all but done and dusted. The major debate was around the age of purchase and on that issue at least a sound decision was made. However, it is the rest of the Bill which is going to create a minefield for the industry as it deals with the new powers of the Local Alcohol Committee, being one councillor plus two lay persons. Th is new committee will have enormous power to decline applications for new liquor licences and just as importantly, not renew existing ones based on nebulous factors such as the impact of that licence on the amenity value in that locality. The District Licensing Committee also has powers to impose whatever conditions they think appropriate on any liquor licence. Based on the rhetoric coming out of some councils this is likely to be more restrictive
and costly for licensees. Sadly greater restrictions and fewer licensees will make little difference on efforts to reduce alcohol harm. With 75 percent of alcohol now consumed away from licensed premises, putting more restrictions on what is already the most responsible service of alcohol simply cannot make the difference politicians are looking for from this legislation. Our Members of Parliament have missed a real opportunity to make a difference. They could have reduced the alcohol consumption of those under the age of 18 by having a drinking age at 18 instead of a purchase age. They could have said to New Zealanders it is no longer acceptable to get drunk by making it an offence to be drunk in a public place. They could have included the power in the legislation to apply minimum pricing
to prevent loss leading from supermarkets. Instead, the new Bill is not the game changer trumpeted by our politicians and will not reduce harm. It will only increase the compliance burden on hospitality businesses already doing a good job and struggling to survive in a tough market.
Bruce Robertson is the chief executive of Hospitality New Zealand.
Envious no more
Dining out in New Zealand is becoming more like Melbourne now. I love Melbourne, and go there whenever I can. In the past, dining in this food-oriented metropolis was an envy-causing experience simply because there was so much more variation in food styles than was the case here. But that has changed. Sure, population means that Melbourne has a lot more of everything, but nowadays our largest cities and towns offer at least a smattering of similar dining experiences. Want homemade pasta? In Melbourne, Bottega in Bourke Street and Tutto Bene in the Southbank complex are just two of many establishments proudly advertising that they make their own. Few chefs who do so in this country promote the fact. They should. People are interested. Major cities in both New Zealand and Australia now offer dishes inspired by the cuisines of Italy, Spain, France, Vietnam, Japan, Mexico, various Chinese provinces and many other parts of the world. Melbourne simply has more of them. One major difference between our two countries is in the wine service. Things are changing, but in New Zealand it can still be difficult to get sound and sensible advice
on choosing the right bottle or glass to accompany a particular meal or dish. In one week in Melbourne, however, not once did we receive the response, “I’m not sure. I’ll send the bar manager/sommelier over.” That is still disturbingly common here, particularly away from the major cities. Making sure that all your staff members are familiar with the dishes on the menu and as many of the wines as is practical isn’t just good business sense. It is an investment in a successful future. Organise regular tastings for the frontof-house and kitchen teams. If the chefs find a particularly good wine match for a dish they’ve created, their thoughts are likely to be picked up enthusiastically by the people in the front line. The best menus are those that include a handful of classics, plus a few that head off in perhaps unexpected directions. Best new restaurant in Melbourne according to the always-reliable Age Good Food Guide is Pei Modern, at the top end of Collins Street. We enjoyed anchovy shortbreads with parmesan custard, braised rabbit with green olives on toast and grilled octopus with fresh Borlotti beans before moving on to an exemplary steak tartare. Other offerings included pork jowl with
46 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
radicchio, lamb sweetbreads with carrots and a beetroot tart with fresh horseradish. The nibbles are Mexican at Mamasita, a block away from Pei Modern, and diners patiently queue for an hour or more most nights for the chance to try a few. Particular famous are the char-grilled corn cobs, served with a dusting of grated cheese and chilli salsa and a drizzle of lime juice. This is street food – tasty, filling and moreish. Nowadays, most of these dining experiences can be approximated on our side of the Tasman, but visiting a different city can still be an inspirational experience. Melbourne is close enough to be a practical choice. Go there.
Vic Williams is cellar director for the New Zealand Wine Society.
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OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 47
The Modern Vegetarian Maria Elia Published by Kyle Cathie, UK, 2009 RRP: $50 Hospitality special: $45 UK chef Elia was an apprentice with Trusthouse Forte and has been head chef at Delfina, the Whitechapel dining room, and Joe’s in Knightsbridge. She also stars in TV’s Market Kitchen and did a season at El Bulli. Elia has a Greek Cypriot father who has had a huge influence on her culinary journey. She shows the versatility of vegetables is an endless adventure. Her recipes are ingenuous and eclectic. I’d like to try Elia’s menu; Watermelon gazpacho, Thai style, followed by butternut squash tagine with buttered chilli couscous and coconut-braised Chinese cabbage leaves, and for dessert a lemongrass, ginger and lime leaf chocolate tart. You too will be inspired by this clever collection of recipes.
Thanks to Virtue Books we have a copy each of The Modern Vegetarian and Cooking with Quinoa to give away. To be in to win, call 09 486 0908 or email admin@virtuebooks.co.nz. Congratulations to last month’s winners. A Southern Woman’s Kitchen was won by John Buxton of Dunedin and Esme Ranger of Auckland has won Party Food. Books can be purchased from Virtue Books. Call 09 486 0908 to secure your copy.
Cooking with Quinoa Rena Patten Published by New Holland, Australia, 2011 RRP: $45 Hospitality special: $40 Quinoa pronounced keen-wah, is often referred to as a super grain and is gluten free. It is a native of the Andes that has been around for over 5000 years and is still an important food in the South American kitchen. The grain, which is very small, expands to four times its size when cooked. It is available as grain, flour and flakes and can vary in colour from white and pale yellow through to red, purple, brown and black. Cooked quinoa has a soft inside and a trail which has crunch and a distinctive slightly nutty taste. To increase the nutty taste, it can be toasted before cooking and can be sprouted. With all these attributes quinoa has a place in all kitchens (especially those with café-style cuisine – you will really need this book.) 48 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
FREE PHONE: 0800 699 463 FREE FAX: 0800 329 946 www.hancocks.co.nz
z
soapbox.
When Irish pubs are dying I’ve been back to Ireland for a few weeks and I thought I’d drop into a few old haunts while I was there to check out the bar scene. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that out of five bars I visited, only two were still open. My surprise turned to sadness when I realised that the other two were only open from 5pm. The trade is really hurting over there as high unemployment, falling wages and an increased trend in drinking at home combine to form the perfect storm. I spoke to one owner who told me that he could see the rot setting in as far back as 1994, when a strike by Dublin barmen brought the trade to a crashing halt. The workers were sacked and an entire generation of experienced staff found themselves unable to ply their trade. Instead, owners simply drafted in casual staff - many who were Kiwis
on their OE - and the trade of bartender became something much less impressive. He said the decline in the bar trade started then and has simply gathered pace ever since. I’m not sure if I entirely agree with him, but I can see where he is coming from. What struck me most, though, was when he asked how badly things were going here in NZ. I was forced to tell him that it wasn’t as bad as Ireland - yet. I don’t think it will get that bad, either. After all, the recession hit far worse there than here and at least this country is still - just about - solvent and hasn’t had to go begging to the Germans for the metaphorical rent money.
But I did think about what it would mean for the trade here if things did worsen economically. We’ve already got a huge problem with people drinking at home and retaining quality staff is an ongoing issue. Sure, we’re not having to remain closed until almost dark, but really we can see a few clouds on the horizon if the economic situation doesn’t start looking up a bit. It’s time for the trade to stick to what it is good at and try to ride out the tough times. After all, we know that down here things will get better eventually. I just hope there are enough bars left open in Ireland to celebrate the day when things finally start looking up there too.
Dear Editor, I’m writing regarding What is your sugar IQ? published in the September issue of Thirst. I find it hard to see how this article tests one’s “Sugar IQ”, when it mainly provides unsubstantiated statements on sugar and attacks a rival syrup company. While sugar addiction is a popular talking point, there is no evidence that moderate consumption of sugar is ‘addictive’ or increases risk of disease. Our preference for sweet tastes is actually with us from birth. Sugars are essential nutrients and (in various forms) provide the only fuel for our brains, kidneys and red blood cells, as well as the preferred fuel for our muscles, though they are readily available in almost all foods and they must be consumed responsibly. In New Zealand, unlike in the USA, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is not used as an ingredient. Cane sugar is more commonly used by food manufacturers. However, HFCS and cane sugar and many other foods with naturally occurring sugars such as fruit, contain the sugars glucose and fructose. The source does not determine how our body uses them - what’s far more important is
the amount we consume, and the context within our overall diet. The World Health Organization recommends a maximum of 10% of dietary energy should come from added sugars. In New Zealand, our median intake of sucrose (a marker for added sugars, but includes all added and natural sources) was just 48g according to the latest adult nutrition survey, which meets this guideline. It is true refined sugars don’t retain the nutrients of the sugar cane plant from which they are derived, though consuming raw sugar cane is not a viable option. The best way for people to get the nutrients they need, is to consume a good variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, while maintaining moderate intakes of low fat protein foods such as lean meat and low fat dairy products and keeping intakes of refined sugars in line with WHO recommendations. I urge you to reconsider publishing part 2 of this article in your next issue, without some context, substantiation and useful recommendations for people. Factual information regarding sugar can be found on the Sugar Research Advisory website: www.sras.org.nz.
Yours sincerely, Donnell Alexander NZ Registered Dietitian and SRAS Secretariat As is usual with print media, the views expressed by our columnists are not necessarily the views of the magazine or publishers. However we are happy to offer the chance to respond to any of our columnists.
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 51
Beam top eight go for the big one Beam has announced the finalists in the biggest bartender competition in New Zealand history - the Beam Bar Legend. From the record 370 bartenders who entered, eight talented contestants have made it through to the final, which will take place over two days on October 7-8 in Auckland. In no particular order, the finalists are: Adam Neal – Agent’s & Merchants/ Racket (Auckland) Jack Sotiriou – 1885 (Auckland) Michael Meharg – Nineteen Eighty One (Auckland) Nicola Heal – Diva’s (Havelock North) Jonny Mackenzie – Cuckoo Cocktail Emporium (Wellington) Chase Bickerton – The Naughty Penguin (Queenstown) Genevieve Dunne – The Cadillac Club (Queenstown) Jamie Hughes – Toast (Dunedin).
Beam (NZ) marketing director, Rene Bros, is looking forward to the grand final event after a busy few weeks of judging in Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown. “It has been an exceptionally difficult task selecting only eight grand finalists from 30 of the country’s best bartenders,” he said. “In the end, we selected those that stood out as having the total package – great drinks making ability, personality and charisma all of which could make them worthy of claiming the inaugural Beam Bar Legend title,” he added. To claim their grand f inals spot, ba r tenders pa r ticipated in f i lmed interviews with Beam Brand Ambassador, Calem Chadwick. Each bartender was asked a number of questions that aimed
52 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
to give Beam (NZ) a full insight into their experience, portfolio knowledge and personality. In addition, the 30 semi-finalists were challenged to create their interpretation of the ultimate Jim Beam and Cola using one of the Jim Beam branded bourbons. The top eight will participate in the grand final where they will complete a series of tasks in their bid to be crowned New Zealand ’s inaugural Beam Bar Legend. The winner will walk away with a prize pack valued at more than $25,000. This includes an all expenses paid trip to a Beam distillery of their choice (Kentucky, Canada, the Caribbean, France, Scotland), an expense card valued at up to $10,000 and a $5000 party for their bar.
What’s new.
Jagermeister is finally launching a RTD version of its famous brand, with two variants on the market. Arriving in 330ml cans with a RRP of $19.99 a fourpack, Jagermeister Raw (with guarana) and Ginger Lime are 6.5%abv versions of the world’s eighth-biggest selling spirit.
Crystal Head vodka was designed by actor Dan Aykroyd and is inspired by legend. Like Aykroyd, it’s Canadian in origin and presented in incredibly cool bottles designed by American artist John Alexander. It’s made in Newfoundland, as far from a major city as possible (1200 miles) and distilled four times. And it’s not just pretty, winning double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition last year.
Hancocks has announced two new lines to hit the shelves this month, with a brand new look at an old favourite and a cool new vodka from a Hollywood legend.
The Good get going Southern-based Good Group is selling off two bars from its Queenstown stable and expanding into the Auckland market as part of a new focus on premium bar precincts. By Sue Fea Skybar sold last month to an Invercargill investor while Harry’s Pool Bar is still on the market. That leaves the central Queenstown precinct of Bardeaux, Mini Bar and Barmuda. Good Group chief executive and director Russell Gray says the company is moving out of the pool bar type concept to concentrate on its premium precincts, including an
expansion into the Auckland market. “We’re now focusing on premium level bars and neither of those two Queenstown bars fit that strategy anymore.” Good Group sister company Safari Hospitality opened the company’s third Botswana Butchery Restaurant on The Quay in Auckland in March, which is managed by Kieran Turnbull. It has now bought
54 . Hospitality/Thirst . October 2012
well-known Auckland eatery Harbourside Seafood Restaurant, which is upstairs, and takes over ownership of that from October 1. Both Auckland properties – each about 400 to 500 square metres in size – are significantly restaurant focused but also have premium bars. “Harbourside was on the market, became available and it fitted with our strategy of having precincts,” says Gray.
“We’re keen to grow our presence bigger in the Auckland market so two large-scale businesses so close together seemed to make sense.” Long-time Harbourside owner Tony Adcock has agreed to stay on for a year as general manager to assist in the transition. Botswana and Harbourside will be internally connected via a staircase so customers can drink or dine in either restaurant or bar. The Botswana Butchery brand was launched in Wanaka in 2006 and the company opened the Queenstown Botswana on the Marine Parade waterfront in 2008. Good Group hopes to expand the Botswana brand even further in the future once the company feels it’s gained the necessary traction in the Auckland market and Gray believes they’re already doing that well.
Queenstown-based Gray will also move to Auckland this month [October] to manage the company’s operations there. “We felt with two substantial businesses and in excess of 100 staff we needed one director up there.” He will help oversee a full $1 million to $2 million refurbishment of Harbourside in June and July next year. “It will be a big refit. We’ll be completely gutting it. We’ll keep the name and it will stay a premium seafood restaurant.” Selling Harry’s and Skybar would free up the capital to reinvest and expand the company’s new Auckland operations. “Our experience is in those premium type products, not in discounting, cheaper type products. Ours is premium high end,” says Gray. Queenstown had been “flooded” with the
discounted backpacker bar, type concept. “There’s been a global financial crisis and there’s been a lot of focus on price, but that’s a short-term strategy and we are more interested in a long-term focus.” Good Group was founded by Queenstown businessman Al Spary with just one bar and has grown into more than 20 businesses with more than 200 staff employed nationally – 40 percent of them in the Queenstown Lakes District and 60 percent in either Christchurch or Auckland. It also owns Bingbong bar in Queenstown Airport and the adjacent Airport Cafe. In addition to its remaining three premium Queenstown bars and Botswana Butchery Restaurant, Good Group owns Botswana Butchery in Wanaka, Woody’s and Barluger. It also now owns a prime Merivale precinct of Aikman’s and Bardello in Christchurch.
October 2012 . Hospitality/Thirst . 55
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As the World’s Number 1 Bourbon, tasting any better would be difficult. So all our clever people sat round and decided to try and make it look as good as it tastes. With a fresh new market leading design, the Jim Beam white range will still be instantly recognisable with its clean white packaging, but will now be even more irresistible. Hmm.....but really, as good as it tastes?! FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT YOUR LOCAL BEAM GLOBAL REPRESENTATIVE ON 0508 BEAM GLOBAL (0508 232 6456) WWW.JIMBEAM.CO.NZ
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the panel. Cider.
The in-cider track to success Cider is still booming and it’s a growing sector with a buoyant present and a great future. It’s been a while coming, but cider continues to push itself forward as not just a quality drink, but as a sector in its own right, rather than simply an adjunct to the beer sector. In the past decade, cider has emerged from the depths it found itself in – unloved, unwanted and often undrinkable – and recreated itself with the spirit and joie de vivre of someone coming out of a lousy relationship. No longer staid, dull and uninteresting, it’s now sexy, sharp and a smart choice for the discerning drinker. It’s fitting, too, that we have a cider tasting in October’s issue. After all, in the northern cider world this is the harvest time, when the cider apples get plucked from their trees and turned into the golden liquid so many know and love. Autumn is a reminder of just how long people have been making cider
in England. Indeed, West Country cider makers have a fair claim to have invented the Champagne method of making drinks bubbly, many centuries before French monk Dom Perignon stole the limelight. Here in New Zealand it isn’t autumn and it’s nowhere near harvest time either, but it’s still a significant time for cider. Once the psychological mark of Labour Weekend is reached, it is essentially summer, even if the weather and the weathermen don’t often agree. And summer is increasingly cider time. With its sharp tang, crisp fizz and appealing flavours, cider – whether made from apples, pears, both or a mixture of apples and berries – is the perfect summer drink; cold, fresh and thirst-quenching. It’s also being asked for more often, as the cider boom picks up pace. With more people buying it and more
Bulmers oriGinal ciDer 330ml (4 pacK) 500ml (12 pacK) Copper colour with a firm fruit nose that smells like cider, not apples. Nice touch of yeastiness and a firm, tight palate the finishes mild and dry. Treasury Wine Estates New Zealand Phone: 0800 367 837 NZorders@treasurywineestates.com www.tweglobal.com
58 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
people drinking it, it’s no surprise to learn that more people are making it too. In New Zealand there are more small cider makers bringing drinks to the market, while the bigger producers continue to commit to the category’s future with more styles and more promotional muscle being employed. The only real question is which one to stock and the only simple answer to that is simply to stock the one that will sell to your customers. Listen to them and find out what they want to drink. Or try some yourself and then try them out on your customers,which is what our tasting is all about this month, with a wide selection of ciders involved. Whichever way you decide to go, don’t overlook this lively and lucrative sector of the drinks market. After all, we all need to take more fruit.
Bulmers pear ciDer 330ml (4 pacK) 500ml (12 pacK) Brass/gold colour is assertively bright. Mild, mellow product with fruit characters and a soft texture. Treasury Wine Estates New Zealand Phone: 0800 367 837 NZorders@treasurywineestates.com www.tweglobal.com
the panel. Cider.
Keith Stewart and David Batten.
apple & elDerFloWer ciDer 500 ml (12 pacK) Cloudiness comes from bottle conditioning which gives this drink its extra charge of individuality and character. Elderflower nose is very attractive and firm, with a nice measure of apple adding to its complex floral/lees notes. Inviting, complex with a ginger beer feel about it, good fruit flavour intensity and a complex trail of flavours at the finish. Negociants New Zealand Phone: 0800 634 624 ordersnz@negociants.com www.negociants.com
★STAR of the SHOW
isaac’s apple ciDer 330ml (6 pacK, 12 pacK)
isaac’s pear ciDer 330ml (6 pacK, 12 pacK)
Very apply, bubbly, tasty product with a crisp palate and sweet finish. Nicely textured mousse. Delightful.
Interesting nose has clear pear notes. Fresh palate with bright acidity and a clean taste delivering a juicy finish. Pleasant.
Lion Phone: 0800 10 72 72 orders@lionco.com www.macs.co.nz
Lion Phone: 0800 10 72 72 orders@lionco.com www.macs.co.nz
isaac’s Berry ciDer 330ml (6 pacK, 12 pacK)
monteitH’s crusHeD pear ciDer 330ml (24 pacK)
Looks and smells like old fashioned raspberry soft drink. Very berryish and sweet flavoured with a refreshing lilt. Simple, easy style.
Woody, pear-like nose and a simple, pleasant palate that is light and pretty.
Lion Phone: 0800 10 72 72 orders@lionco.com www.macs.co.nz
Redwood Cider Co. Phone: 0800 CIDERS (243377) orders@redwoodcider.co.nz www.redwoodcider.co.nz
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 59
the panel. Cider.
monteitH’s crusHeD summer Berries ciDer 330ml (24 pacK) Rosé coloured with a dark, fresh berry fruit aroma. Mildly fruit flavoured palate is very berryish, sweet and easy. A good drink. Redwood Cider Co. Phone: 0800 CIDERS (243377) orders@redwoodcider.co.nz www.redwoodcider.co.nz
speiGHt’s ciDer 330ml (6 pacK, 12 pacK) Hints of meal on the nose with apply character and a firm palate. Crisp, lively bubbles. Lion Phone: 0800 10 72 72 orders@lionco.com www.speights.co.nz
olD mout passionFruit & ciDer 330ml (24 pacK)
saXton apple ciDer 330ml (4-pacK)
Pale, with a cidery nose that is charged with expressive passionfruit. Soft, easy drink with heaps of passionfruit character that finishes dry and satisfying. Light, fresh and emphatically passionfruity.
Bright golden colour with a mellow but crunchy apple nose and plenty of sweet apple flavours, charming with nicely polite bubbles and attractive fruit finish.
Redwood Cider Co. Phone: 0800 CIDERS (243377) orders@redwoodcider.co.nz www.redwoodcider.co.nz
olD mout FeiJoa & ciDer 330ml (24 pacK) Fresh strong feijoa aromas on the nose. Bright and inviting with a good mousse and bags of fruit. A girlie’s delight, dry and very modern. Redwood Cider Co. Phone: 0800 CIDERS (243377) orders@redwoodcider.co.nz www.redwoodcider.co.nz
60 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
Countdown Supermarkets Phone: 0800 40 40 40 www.mccashins.co.nz
reKorDerliG premium apple & BlacKcurrant ciDer 500ml (15 pacK) Polished red colour is epic cassis, dark and mysterious. Strong fruit/ essence nose and a very smart palate that is both sophisticated and refreshing. Long blackcurrant impregnated finish is delightful. Redwood Cider Co. Phone: 0800 CIDERS (243377) orders@redwoodcider.co.nz www.redwoodcider.co.nz
the panel. Cider.
reKorDerliG premium manGo-raspBerry ciDer 500ml (15 pacK) Beautiful colour is immediately sophisticated, like a Sri Lankan ruby. Fragrant nose is strongly aromatic, fruit filled and difficult to identify precisely. Firm palate structure is excellent, balanced and constructed to carry the fruit flavours well. Consummately professional.
ZeFFer apple ciDer 330ml (24 pacK) 500ml (12 pacK) Warm, cooked apple nose and plenty of lively bubbles give this plenty of enthusiasm. Crisp and fresh, a thirst quencher. Eurovintage Phone: 09 588 4262 or 0800 338 766 info@eurovintage.co.nz www.eurovintage.co.nz
Redwood Cider Co. Phone: 0800 CIDERS (243377) orders@redwoodcider.co.nz www.redwoodcider.co.nz
WeKa pear ciDer 330ml (4 pacK)
ZeFFer pear ciDer 330ml (24 pacK) 500ml (12 pacK)
Light lemon gold colour is very appealing. Mildly spicy with a lively mousse. Attractive, fruit flavours with a hint of pear and a linger fruit character that is crisp and clean.
Smells like apples, tastes like pear, light and cidery. Juicy fruit flavour throughout and ends dry and lingering with more fruit to go.
Treasury Wine Estates New Zealand Phone: 0800 367 837 NZorders@treasurywineestates.com www.tweglobal.com
Eurovintage Phone: 09 588 4262 or 0800 338 766 info@eurovintage.co.nz www.eurovintage.co.nz
WeKa apple ciDer 330ml (4 pacK)
ZeFFer slacK ma GirDle ciDer 750ml (12 pacK)
Yes, that is oak, vanilla like and sliding in with the bouquet alongside bits of apple. Fresh apple flavours through the palate, which is clean, light and simple. A pleasant drop.
Mealy lees characters on the nose with plenty of firm, crunchy apple flavours throughout. Snappy apple fruit leads to a clear, dry finish. Yum.
Treasury Wine Estates New Zealand Phone: 0800 367 837 NZorders@treasurywineestates.com www.tweglobal.com
Eurovintage Phone: 09 588 4262 or 0800 338 766 info@eurovintage.co.nz www.eurovintage.co.nz
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 61
tomas Vikario .
What is your suGar iQ? part 2 Last month we started to look at sugars in our drinks, so let’s continue to examine how different sugars affect us. By tomas ViKario, BeVeraGe innoVation manaGer; monin, perrier, taBasco, illy
Beet & Cane Sugars ('good guys')
Other sweeteners on the market
Cane sugar has been popular worldwide since the beginning of the 19th century. Sucrose is the sugar produced from both beets and sugar cane. Tropical climates produce sugar cane. When harvested, the sugar cane is cut and juice is extracted. The juice is then clarified and boiled. The resulting crystals are put in a centrifuge. The large crystals of raw sugar are then sent to refineries. At the refineries, molasses and other debris is washed off. The crystals are dissolved in water, seed crystals are added, and, when dried, refined sucrose is the result. One statistic says that the only quality cane sugar syrup in the NZ market is Monin syrup. Monin brand goes through a staggering average of 10, 23-tonne truckloads of sugar beet every week, and this is only in their French production plant (in the US and Australasia all Monin syrups are based on cane sugar).
Aspartame: after a study showed a possible link between sodium saccharin and cancer, aspartame came on the scene. Some studies claim that the body can convert it to ethanol, making it potentially dangerous in high amounts. Sucralose: better known as Splenda, a more natural alternative. Won marketplace acceptance for being ‘made from sugar’. It has its own fans and detractors. Critics claim it is no longer natural in its final form. Stevia: Stevia has seemingly everything going for it. It is natural, made from leaf, and even has roots in ancient world cultures. Stevia is a 100 percent natural sweetener that is derived from the leaves of a South American shrub. Stevia contains no additives and tastes like real sugar. Stevia is a healthier alternative to other sweeteners because it contains a zero glycemic index and contains no harmful chemicals that can interfere with the body’s digestive system.
Corn sugar (HFCS) or ‘bad guy’ controversy The astronomic rise in obesity, diabetes and heart disease in many global countries since the introduction of HFCS has led many to believe that it may be dangerous. The American Chemical Society conference in 2007 noted that alarmingly high levels of something called reactive carbonyls are in HFCS. They are known to cause tissue damage and are also found in high levels in people with diabetes.
62 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
Flavoured sugar syrups I was lucky enough to spend some time in Monin's production plants in France and Malaysia. The fi rst part of the proces of making Monin’s huge range of sugar syrups is to turn powdered sugar into liquid sugar and this is done by using a computer-controlled dissolving installation which processes
Get inspired by Herbs this spring with monin! 10 tonnes per hour. The syrup is then held at 50C and continuously stirred in the tanks, to prevent crystallisation, until needed for production. Using this solution base, Monin then adds the various flavours to make a vast range of syrups. The blending of these flavours with the hot sugar syrup is a sophisticated computer-controlled operation. The resulting syrup goes through a flash pasteruriser heat exchanger. Moulds and yeasts are killed at temperatures above 60C so this process sterilises the syrup. Ingredients and the person responsible for overseeing every aspect of the manufacture of a batch of syrup is recorded in the lot number lasered onto the the side of every bottle. Why I am saying all of this? Homemade syrups are widely popular. Every NZ bartender wants to create his own (simple) sugar syrup. Every second bar is creating their own sugar creation using the cheapest sugar crystals they can buy. Every once in a while we can find new locally crafted sugar syrups in NZ stores (the latest is a Wellington-made soda syrup claiming there is no better syrup in the country). Those bottles are without back labels and without any indicators of what type of sugar is used. What is the shelf life of those products? Creating home-made sugar syrups in who knows what conditions may show the craft but how safe are those syrups? And I'm not talking only about the syrups here, what about all the locally produced sodas that Kiwis are so proud of? I loved Michael Van De Elzen's TV show ‘Food Truck’, when he well explained the importance of good ingredients vs globally produced soda brands.
Modern consumer is looking for colour and flavour – how natural is 'natural' flavour? Typically the natural flavour is simply not flavoursome enough on its own and will need to be enhanced using what we call ‘natureidentical’ fl avourings. Unlike many of its global and NZ local competitors, Monin never uses artificial flavours. All products are GM free, approved by a British consortium and are kosher and halal. The difference between ‘nature identical’ flavourings and ‘artificial’ or ‘synthetic’ flavourings is complex but simply put; nature-identical flavourings are made using flavour molecules that exist naturally but are not sourced from the original product whose flavour is to be replicated. They are obtained by synthesis or isolated through chemical processes. Artificial flavourings come from substances not identified in a natural product fit for human consumption. It is very common in NZ for local producers to mimic the flavour of natural vanilla by vanillin, which is found in chicory and other plants, whilst ethyl is a totally artificial vanilla flavouring. The flavours are typically produced by fractional distillation and chemical manipulation of naturally sourced chemicals such as crude oil or coal tar. The vanillin molecule occurs organically in nature while the ethyl is a man made molecule so is not used by Monin. Tests conducted by the biggest global flavour company Prova, show that the syrup market is overflowing with cheap and artificial vanilla flavorings. Together with the artificial flavourings, the Prova tests found that sugar levels in almost every domestic syrup and several imported brands are way too sweet and the vanillin too dominant. I suggest limiting the intake of any form of sugar, whether glucose, fructose or sucrose. Read the labels on the back and do not trust anything ‘they’ say. Bartenders, be proud of your home made syrups, but please think twice before you use the cheapest sugar that you can find. Bar owners, make sure that your bar serves quality drinks and that each cocktail is consistent in its quality. Sometimes the only thing and the easiest way to reach perfection is to use a proven recipe and proven quality – use Monin flavorings.
Embrace the season and incorporate the flavour of fresh herbs into your cocktails. MONIN Green Mint Syrup Green Mint’s refreshing and cooling proprieties make it one of the most appreciated and used herbs in the world. Monin Green Mint Syrup has a strong peppermint smell, refreshing mint mouth feel and is complimented by a deep emerald green colour to welcome spring in style. MONIN Mojito Syrup the famous Mojito cocktail was born in the sultry bars of prerevolutionary Havana. Skilled bartenders called upon the local abundance of wild mint “yerbabuena”, cane sugar, lime and rum to create a refreshing cocktail sensation that flavoured the sensual cuban nightlife. With MONIN Mojito Mint’s refreshing taste and aroma combination of mint and lime flavours, making mojitos is now easy. Just combine with rum, sparkling mineral water and a squeeze of lime!
GREEN MINT FIZZ Ingredients • 10ml MONIN Mojito Mint syrup • 20ml MONIN Green Mint syrup • 45ml gin • 2 lemon wedges • Perrier Lemon In the bottom of the Highball glass muddle the lemon wedges with MONIN flavouring. cover with crushed ice. Add gin and stir to combine. Add more crushed ice and top with chilled Perrier Lemon. Decorate with fresh mint sprigs.
Contact your Stuart Alexander sales representative for more information or call Consumer Services, phone 0800 188 484 Discover ultimate recipes on www.monin.com
The Panel. Herbal/Fruit Distillates.
BAR EXPEDITION A journey into the wilds of bitter flavour and astringency. The Oak Room seemed to be the right place to be for such an heroic adventure as this expedition by intrepid Thirst explorers into the often shady realms of bitterness and astringency. In the domestically correct world of wine, oak is in fact the tame astringent, that carefully manicured container which delivers a frisson of forest to the most benign of wines. But bartenders are more adventurous folk, as even a passing nudge of a bottle of Fernet Branca can attest. They are prepared to go to the mysteries of bitterness and the often fractious mannerisms of astringency with
their bare hands and the tools of a mere shaker and some ice. So for our journey to the depths of the proprietary concoctions of herbs, spices and assorted exotic vegetation we took along a trio of mixer-guides whose professional taste and brinkmanship were well established. We were not disappointed, and they cosseted our tastebuds through a tingling variety of textures and aromas that often ended with a flavour subsidance of landslide proportions. Leading on the trail of quinine and its often dangerous associates was Sean Roiall,
64 . Hospitality/Thirst . October 2012
resident native tracker at the Oak Room and a man of deft skills and effortless guile. Alongside was Adam Neil from Raquet Bar a perspicuous and subtle blender of taste tales and the man from Monin, Chris Turner. Riding in some comfort in the Thirst cohort were myself, Keith Stewart, and Dave Batten, old palates with plenty of bitter miles on them and enough interest not to be scared off by mere shadows. So in we went, starting with a relatively mild selection of vermouths, those oddly spice concoctions that take their name from wormwood (wermut: German).
$$$$$ - 50 and up • $$$$ - 40-50 • $$$ - 30-40 • $$ - 20-30 •$ - 20 and under
the panel. Herbal/Fruit Distillates.
antica
cHartreuse cassis 500ml
Wonderfully complex, intriguing nose has elements of globe artichokes and barrel age characters enhanced by spice, bark and bitter/astringent complexities amongst all the flavour. Rich and multilayered with wonderful mouth feel and just enough medicinal character to retain its interest in this company. Extremely subtle with a profoundly bitter trace at the end of a long, long finish. A master-class in bitters.
Intense, lush fruit aromas with a touch of fragrance. Pure fruit concentration with layers of complexity and a sustained finish. Very classy. $$ Ian McAteer & Associates Phone: 09 476 1360 michellemcateer@xtra.co.nz
$$$$ Ian McAteer & Associates Phone: 09 476 1360 michellemcateer@xtra.co.nz
aperol 700ml
cHartreuse Green 700ml
Campari light, with a fruity hint that is suggestive of rhubarb, and excellent intensity. Excellent bitter characters linger well at the finish, explaining why it is gaining in popularity as consumers look for lighter versions of the classics.
Complex bouquet is all floral lift and sustained herbals with a palate that is by clever design filled with juxtapositions of sweet floral/fruit character and intriguing details of a multitude of herbs. Finishes with a sweet/dry/ astringent counterpoint that is almost addictive.
$$$ Beam New Zealand Phone: 09 915 8444 info@beamglobal.com www.beamglobal.com
$$$$$ Ian McAteer & Associates Phone: 09 476 1360 michellemcateer@xtra.co.nz
★STAR of the SHOW
campari
cHartreuse yelloW 700ml
Fragrant, peel dominated nose with a hearty tang of bark astringency. Complex and positive, classic. Light, bitter flavours are keen and sustained, building through the finish. The ultimate mixer.
Similar to its green sister, but more gentle and sweet in manner. They say that heaven is 50% green and 50% yellow, if so this one is the melody.
$$$$ Beam New Zealand Phone: 09 915 8444 info@beamglobal.com www.beamglobal.com
$$$$ Ian McAteer & Associates Phone: 09 476 1360 michellemcateer@xtra.co.nz
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 65
the panel. Herbal/Fruit Distillates. cinZano eXtra Dry Peely aromas with a mild astringency through peel and bark flavours. Sophisticated palate, neatly dry at the finish with a good lingering bitterness. $$ Beam New Zealand Phone: 09 915 8444 info@beamglobal.com www.beamglobal.com
cinZano Bianco Brisk nose has distinct elements of orange peel and a wave of bitterness under some mellow wine characters. Excellent balance between sweetness and sustained spice/bitter astringency. $$ Beam New Zealand Phone: 09 915 8444 info@beamglobal.com www.beamglobal.com
Dolin VermoutH premium Dry Gentle in character with some nice fruity notes. Dry, subtle finish is mild and easy. $ Maison Vauron Phone: 09 529 0157 jc@mvauron.co.nz www.mvauron.co.nz
Dolin VermoutH premium Blanc More spicy than herbal on the nose, with some dry/herbal infusion flavours and an oxidative character. Mellow, understated style with a sweet finish. $ Maison Vauron Phone: 09 529 0157 jc@mvauron.co.nz www.mvauron.co.nz
cinZano rosso
Fernet Branca 700ml
Spicy/peel/bark aromatics with a sweet intensity of flavour across the palate. Mellow flavour and a good bitterness that is sustained through the finish. Nice balance
This is medicinal, powerfully bitter with a strong aroma of wintergreen and intense bark-like flavours twisted with astringency. Flavours of mint/ pine and a trail of furry, astringent texture. All assertive power and uncompromising flavour.
$$ Beam New Zealand Phone: 09 915 8444 info@beamglobal.com www.beamglobal.com
66 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
$$$$ Ian McAteer & Associates Phone: 09 476 1360 michellemcateer@xtra.co.nz
monteneGro amaro 750ml Mildly aromatic, citrus peel infused nose with a vanilla perfume. Very fragrant which marks it out from the rest in this tasting. Palate is also fragrant, soft edged and just hinting at astringency by comparison.
MAKE COCKTAILS WITH PASSION
$$ A Touch of Italy Phone: 0800 4 286 824 sales@touchofitaly.co.nz www.eatily.co.nz
monteneGro rosso antico 700ml Astringency and a delicious fragrance of pomegranate across the nose. Hints of peel flavour and bark bitterness in a tasty, well flavoured palate. Finishes with a sweet/bitter trail. $$ A Touch of Italy Phone: 0800 4 286 824 sales@touchofitaly.co.nz www.eatily.co.nz
punt e mes Concentrated, almost medicinal nose with plenty of both bitterness and astringency on the palate, balanced carefully with flavour in depth and length. Has substance and lingering bitterness. $$ Ian McAteer & Associates Phone: 09 476 1360 michellemcateer@xtra.co.nz
www.shott.co.nz facebook.com/shottbeverages
The Panel. Herbal/Fruit Distillates. CINZANO MARTINEZ 45ml Cinzano Bianco 20ml Gordon’s Gin 3 dashes orange bitters, Mix over ice and strain. Serve with lemon zest.
SATAN’S WHISKERS 15ml Dolin Blanc 15ml Cinzano Rosso 10ml Grand Marnier 15ml Gordon’s Gin 15ml fresh orange juice Teaspoon orange bitters Mix over ice, strain and serve.
NUMBER 52 30ml Punt e Mes 10ml Monin Pêche 30ml Tresilian Pinot Noir Mix and serve over ice, with a twist.
BOULEVARDIER 45ml Bourbon 20ml Campari 30ml Antica Formula Stir with ice. Serve.
SOUR TURKEY 50ml Wild Turkey Bourbon 10ml Monin Pêche 20ml lemon juice Egg white Shaken with ice, strained, add 10ml Fernet Branca float.
GIRLS’ BREAKFAST 50ml Chambord 30ml Amaro Montenegro 45ml pineapple juice 20ml Smirnoff Vodka Egg white Shake over ice, strain, serve.
VATICAN DAIQUIRI 40ml Zumwohl Kirsh 66 20ml Green Chartreuse 20ml Monin Elderflower 20ml fresh lime juice. Shake with ice, strain, serve.
KIR ROYALE Pour Peres Chartreuse Cassis and top with Pol Roger Brut.
LUXURY NEGRONI 30ml Gin 20ml Campari 20ml Antica Formula Mix with ice, serve.
68 . Hospitality/Thirst . October 2012
INNOVATIVE BARTENDER SERIES
a toast to New York The Apartment Bar is no ordinary bar and neither is the man who runs it, Andrew Donald. Set up like a chic New York-style loft apartment complete with its own bedroom, the bar evokes Big Apple cool. Its large selection of New York cocktails, both classic and contemporary, rival those you may find in an upscale New York bar. Even Peter Jackson has been known to party there. General manager Andrew Donald says among the bar’s most notable recent functions were two birthday parties for The Hobbit stars, Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins) and Andy Serkis (Gollum), attended by Jackson and cast members. He says people are drawn to the bar because of its classic, timeless sophisticated style and go there to experience something different from other bars. “We get a wide spectrum of clientele due to the bar’s unique atmosphere and the way we serve our beverages. Sometimes people can feel uncomfortable walking into a cocktail bar so we work hard at being approachable and making people feel at ease and special.”
Bartending style
For Andrew it’s not just about serving a drink. He loves to interact with people and match them with the perfect cocktail for their needs. “I listen to them and try and empathise with how they are feeling and what they want to get out of the occasion.”
What’s new in cocktails? He says because of its versatility as a cocktail ingredient, ZUMWOHL has bought some excitement to the bar scene, inspiring bartenders to create new and exciting cocktails.
What people are drinking there… The bar serves far more cocktails than wine. Popular choices include the OldFashioned, East Hampton and various martinis. “People want to try something different and be surprised.”
Favourite cocktail Any classic. “Th ey have a tried-andtrue recipe but everybody enjoys them a little differently.”
Andrew Donald, general manager, The Apartment Bar, 25 Allen St, Wellington www.theapartment.co.nz
WWW.ZUMWOHL.CO.NZ
Wine. Sauvignon Blanc.
sauvignon –
the shining star Say what you like about sauvignon blanc – and many people have – you can’t deny its huge popularity, which shows no sign whatsoever of weakening.
Sauvignon’s success is easy to understand – it took the world by storm back in the late 1980s and New Zealand’s wine reputation was assured when Marlborough sauvignon wowed wine critics and casual punters alike, right across the world. Before the bright, zingy New Zealand wines hit the shelves, sauvignon tended to be a bit flat, a bit non-descript and just plain boring. Kiwi sauvignon, on the other hand, was bright, packed with flavour and incredibly refreshing. It was just what the world was looking for – a really good food wine that could also be enjoyed on its own without worrying too much about palate weight or oak influence. Clean, crisp and charming, sauvignon has
been a banker for wineries in New Zealand for more than 30 years now and the rate we consume it at shows little sign of slackening off. In fact, there are more sauvignon labels than ever these days and it can be the devil’s own job trying to decide what to buy. Sauvignon’s success hasn’t all been a oneway road, though. Chardonnay challenged its popularity in the 90s and pinot gris has been gnawing away at it for the past decade. But they have never managed to topple sauvignon from its pole position. Flavour-wise, the grape is all about freshness, with t y pical descriptors including gooseberry, grass, capsicum and citrus. Recently, there has been a return to the practice of oak-ageing a portion of the
David Batten and Keith Stewart.
70 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
wine to give added complexity and depth. Th ere has often been an element of this in the more expensive sauvignons, but it is spreading to the more affordable versions now, combining fi nesse with great value. Some wineries are even making fully oaked sauvignon, harking back to the glory days of fume blanc. But oaked or not, complex or simple, racy and green from Marlborough or ripe and tropical from Hawke’s Bay, sauvignon remains the people’s choice and any bar that doesn’t hold plenty of stock of it is backing the wrong horse. To that end we checked out some likely looking sauvignon this month, under the watchful eye of our proxy Panel leader Keith Stewart.
Wine. Sauvignon Blanc. tHe neD sauViGnon Blanc 2012 Perfumed nose has abundant fruit and a leesy/yeast character that adds to its appeal. Layers of sweet fruit and lively flavour deliver a pleasing complexity, complemented by a firm, dry-ish finish. $ Lion. Phone: 0800 10 72 72 michael.taylor@lionco.com www.lionco.com
★STAR of the SHOW
yealanDs estate sinGle BlocK series BlocK s1 sauViGnon Blanc 2012 Again full colour for such a young wine. Very lively, piercing fruit/acid juxtaposition on the nose with a smudge of gun flint. Light flavour with a racy character incline it towards the elegant end of the style spectrum. Good intensity, dry finish. $$$ Yealands Wine Group Phone: 03 575 7618 info@yealands.co.nz www.yealandsestate.co.nz
sacreD Hill oranGe laBel marlBorouGH sauViGnon Blanc 2012
*Expected to be released in November.
Aromatically fruity with hints of guava and a trace of capsicum. Bright and tropical throughout with good weight. Fades away slightly at the end. Good intensity.
yealanDs estate sauViGnon Blanc 2012
$$ Sacred Hill Wine Company Phone: 0800 WINECO (946 326) sales@sacredhill.com www.sacredhillwineco.co.nz
Ripe green/straw colour is dark for such a young wine. Tangy nose supported by a firm palate that has an element of elegance about it. Tropical and citrus flavours in abundance and a slightly brisk finish that has a slight mineral tone. Stylish wine. $$$ Yealands Wine Group Phone: 03 575 7618 info@yealands.co.nz www.yealandsestate.co.nz
yealanDs estate reserVe sauViGnon Blanc 2011 Fresh nose with some unusual lager-like notes. Light and mild in both flavour and character with herbal hints and a slight mineral cast at the finish. Complex and easy going wine. $$$ Yealands Wine Group Phone: 03 575 7618 info@yealands.co.nz www.yealandsestate.co.nz $$$$$ - 30 and up • $$$$ - 20-30 • $$$ - 15-20 • $$ - 10-15 •$ - Under 10
OctOber 2012 . Hospitality/tHirst . 71
Wine. Top Glass.
alpHa Domus Barnstormer syraH 2011
Top Glass is a new feature where editor Don Kavanagh rounds up the pick of the wines he's tried in the last month and recommends the best by-the-glass options for bars and restaurants.
elepHant Hill rose 2011
WHiteHaVen rose 2012
WHiteHaVen cHarDonnay
It’s nice to see a wine live up to its name – this is a real barnstormer of a wine, with a vibrant plum and pepper nose followed up by soaring, swooping fruit flavours and a lovely finish with echoes of tobacco and cedar. A belter.
Cherry and loganberry on the nose give this wine the promise of summer and it certainly delivers. The palate is almost creamy, with broad summer fruit flavours and a nice acid spine to keep it fresh and zesty. Perfect summer drinking.
The taste of summer in a glass – bright red and redolent of strawberries on the nose, this unfolds on the palate into a nicely weighted wine, offering enough texture and weight to be interesting and enough light berry flavour to still be a fun wine for the longer evenings.
Brilliant wine, from a sadly overlooked producer, this has a glorious riot of ripe fruit on the nose, with nectarines, peach and fresh lemon all fighting it out. On the palate it has lovely weight and a touch of the savoury that really makes for an interesting and rewarding drink.
$$$
$$$ $$$
$$$
Negociants New Zealand Phone: 0800 634 624 ordersnz@negociants.com www.negociants.com
Procure Liquor Phone: 09 376 9385 or 021 866 552 jonty@procureliquor.co.nz www.procureliquor.co.nz
Whitehaven Distribution Ltd – Danny Phipps Phone: 021 738 315 danny@whitehaven.co.nz www.whitehaven.co.nz
Whitehaven Distribution Ltd – Danny Phipps Phone: 021 738 315 danny@whitehaven.co.nz www.whitehaven.co.nz
$$$$$ - 30 and up • $$$$ - 20-30 • $$$ - 15-20 • $$ - 10-15 •$ - Under 10
72 . Hospitality/tHirst . OctOber 2012
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ENTORS M T S E B E H TO T SINESS IN THE BU
If you are a passionate trainee chef and want to give your career a real kick start, you are invited to apply for the prestigious 2013 Fonterra Proud to be a Chef mentoring program, held in Melbourne from 25th – 28th February, 2013. Fonterra Proud to be a Chef is a program aimed at encouraging, rewarding and recognising future culinary leaders in the foodservice industry. It provides trainee chefs a unique opportunity outside of their normal working environment to learn, develop new skills and be mentored by some of the best chefs in Australia. Thirty two successful applicants will participate in a three day all expenses paid event in Melbourne where they will experience fine
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dining, network with industry leaders, participate in culinary Master Classes and work with a food photographer to bring an original recipe to life. One standout trainee chef shall be crowned winner of the 2013 Fonterra Proud to be a Chef event and will win an international culinary scholarship tailored to their individual aspirations as a professional chef. To get to Melbourne, you’ll need to compete in a semi final cook-off in Auckland on 21st November. Judged by four top NZ chefs, ten semi-finalists will be flown to Auckland to cook their submitted recipes and progress through a series of skill tests. Four lucky trainee chefs will then win places in the Melbourne final.
If you have the passion to learn, the passion to experience and the passion to succeed, visit www.fonterrafoodservices.co.nz or www.facebook.com/proudtobeachef for more details and to apply online. Applications close 31st October, 2012. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and enrolled in a culinary course as at 25th February 2013.
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