Hospitality May 2023

Introducing

SOURDOUGH GARLIC BREAD LOAF

Regulars

8 // IN FOCUS

Single O celebrates 20 years.

12 // NEWS

The latest openings, books, events and more.

16 // PRODUCE

The tomatillo is one to watch this year.

18 // RECIPE

The Dolphin Hotel’s Danny Corbett shares his take on vongole.

20 // BAR CART

Thirst quenchers, slow sippers and all things beverage related.

Contents

MAY 2023

22 // DRINKS

Vermouth is a versatile tipple that’s gaining popularity on drinks menus.

26 // PROFILE

Elsa Marie on the story behind Moruya’s Chez Dominique.

48 // EQUIPMENT

The filleting knife is an essential for every chef.

51 // 5 MINUTES WITH … Nabila Kadhri of Melbourne’s Supernormal.

Features

32 // JAPANESE ASAHOGAN What makes up the first meal of the day in Japan?

36 // BURGERS

Three venues on the key components of a memorable burger.

42 // PASTRY

Meet the pastry chefs riffing classic French pastries for the better.

A note from the editor

I FIRST HEARD about Chez Dominique when Elsa Marie and Julian May cooked at Narooma’s Whale Inn for Merivale. The pair, who formerly ran a bistro in Paris, have always had a fastidious approach when it comes to the ingredients they work with, and I was thrilled to see them find a new home at The Air Raid Tavern in Moruya. Marie and May only source produce from local farmers and friends to create the French/Italian-ish dishes they have become known for, and we have been given a glimpse into the Chez Dominique experience this issue.

The May edition ventures into café territory via a look at the traditional Japanese breakfast and the immense effort

that goes into preparing the foundational meal. We also speak to two pastry chefs who are venturing beyond the classics to create pastries that are a little bit different to the originals they riff on.

Finally, we have a one-on-one with Single O Co-Founders Emma and Dion Cohen who are celebrating 20 years of roasting the industry’s go-to beans. I can confirm the Surry Hills café is never not making some of the best coffee going around Sydney.

Until next time,

Annabelle Cloros Managing Editor

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Dial up any dish with ease

Against the grind

Looking back at 20 years of Single O.

WORDS Annabelle Cloros

EMMA AND DION Cohen have always gone against the grind. When the landscape was occupied with blends, Single O championed single origins. Instead of slapping logos on every bag of coffee, they collaborated with local artists. Rather than stocking the café’s fridges with bottles of milk, they designed a system that reduced plastic waste by up to 80 per cent and made it available to the rest of the industry.

But there’s something else worth a mention — Single O’s 20th birthday. The Sydney-based roastery and café has been roasting and pouring for two decades, cementing its reputation as a disruptor, an innovator, and an inspiration along the way.

Hospitality speaks to the Cohens about the many milestones the business has achieved over the years, how the coffee sector has developed since they started out, and why the hospo industry is the heart and soul of Single O.

Single O’s name really does say it all. Emma and Dion Cohen cofounded the brand back in 2003, opening a Surry Hills café that’s still serving many of the same customers it did 20 years ago. Single Origin Roasters (before the name change) opened at a time when there wasn’t a place to talk about a new Geisha or the grower behind it. But none of that mattered to the Cohens, who just wanted to do things their way — which was differently. “We found out early on that we had a sustainability bent in our DNA, and we also wanted to put single origins front and centre,” says Emma. “It was really hard to get green beans and line up five or six to taste. Everyone was creating

blends, but it was super cool to taste them individually, experience the profiles, and understand we could talk about terroir and the producers. We were part of a movement and the third wave of coffee, and we didn’t even know about it. The fact we did it and people seemed to get it was a milestone.”

The bent Emma mentions is at the core of the brand. It’s something Single O doesn’t just talk about, but puts into practice. “I would say sustainability has been a big part of our business from day dot,” says Dion. “We put solar panels on our roastery’s roof in 2013, we offset our grounds in Melbourne and Sydney, donate

to OzHarvest, and we take all our cooking oils to biofuels.”

New products also play by the book when it comes to environmental impact. Single O launched Parachutes after spending two years perfecting the compostable drip bags. “They come from Asia, but most countries didn’t put great coffee in them, so we spearheaded the start of drip filter bags in Australia,” says Dion. “It’s good to bring a new product to the marketplace and they’re fully home compostable, too.” They’re also ultra-convenient. “You don’t need anything except hot water,” adds Emma.

The Juggler milk system and the introduction of self-serve batch taps at the café are two more examples of efficiency meets environmental consciousness. “We thought about finding a way to give coffee to people that was quick and pay as you go,” says Dion. “It led to black coffee going from 2 per cent [of sales] to about 28 per cent.”

While Single O is a carbon-neutral business, the Cohens say there’s plenty more to be done, from continuing to work with farms that shade-grow beans and manage water waste to partnering with local ceramicist Malcolm Greenwood, who made Sludgies — cups crafted from ceramic waste and porcelain offcuts. “Whether it’s big or small, we’re trying to initiate as many projects as we can,” says Emma. “While we can’t deliver in electric vans yet (we’re still waiting for that to come), we’re doing our bit in the meantime. Like everyone else, we have been banging our heads against a wall with packaging and waste, and we can reduce our footprint there. We also have an internal project called Missions Against Emissions that covers everything from our training programs to streamlining our visits, and we will be doing a solar upgrade at our roastery.”

Single O have witnessed the evolution of the coffee palate, which has gone from being largely dairy-oriented to plant-based; milk to black; and hot to cold to name a few of the current trends. “We do about 50 per cent cow’s milk products and the rest is soy and oat,” says Emma. “There was a strong

appreciation when coffee moved to a more balanced coffee to milk ratio, so we see more regular orders rather than large now.”

Coffee chains have also played a role in shaping consumer habits, with iced beverages rising in popularity. “We have a batch brew oat latte on tap called Oasis which has a bit of a cult following in Surry Hills,” says Emma. “The younger generation is definitely trending towards milky, cold drinks,” adds Dion. “We’ve also seen the infiltration of batch and American filter coffee made with quality coffee — that’s seen a large increase.”

Single O is a force of a brand in its own right, but its presence is farreaching, with the roastery supplying beans to cafés and restaurants across the country. “25 per cent of the Good Food Guide is our client base, which is a milestone knowing the customers you support are successful and that we’re a part of it,” says Dion.

The community feel prompted the launch of Supercafes, inspired by the accessibility of supermarkets, which encourages at-home coffee drinkers to buy Single O beans from a small business.

“People have started to think about bean purchases differently, and we love the idea of going to your local café if you want a nice bag of coffee,” says Emma. “It’s about helping our clients generate revenue,” adds Dion. “Our heart and soul is community cafés, so people can buy retail coffee and know it’s going to be fresh.”

Collaborations aside, a business is only as good as its people, and Single O’s non-hierarchical management structure has enabled the roastery to remain agile and progressive at its core. “We’re an authentic brand known for providing super-good service, quality coffee, and doing things a bit differently to normal coffee companies,” says Dion. “We supply some of the greatest chefs in the country with coffee, and we have always been an industry brand, not a commercial brand, which has given us a network and the stamp of approval from people who know quality and craft.”

20 years is a feat for any business, and Single O are doing it big with celebrations spanning from the Festival of Twenty Birthday Blend (Cima yeast immersion and natural process) and a 20-origin menu at Surry Hills to a staff party.

But in amongst the festivities, the wheels continue to turn. Single O will soon launch a Brisbane location that will encompass training and distribution as well as an espresso bar. The brand will also expand its presence in Tokyo with a second café set to open in the next 12 months. “When we do something, we try and do it with purpose,” says Dion. “We like to nudge things. If you do something, it has to be better than how it’s already been done. We don’t like to sit around and rest much.” ■

“We were part of a movement and the third wave of coffee, but we didn’t even know about it.”

– Emma Cohen

Entrée

The latest openings, books, events and more.

EDITED BY Amy Northcott

Essential reading

Belinda Jeffery

Simon & Schuster ; $49.99

Celebrated food writer, chef, presenter, and teacher Belinda Jeffery invites you into her home with her new book In Belinda’s Kitchen: Essential Recipes . The pages are filled with Jeffery’s much-loved recipes and an assortment of new dishes that are accompanied by her signature warm commentary and easy-to-follow methods. Jeffery also relays the inspiration behind each creation and has included plenty of tips and tricks to nail them every time.

New Mediterranean eatery opens in Southbank

Located on the ground floor of the Hickory Market Lane building, Chessell & Clarke is a new 50-seat restaurant by Serge Thomann (i Carusi ii) and Murat Ovaz (Yagiz). The duo are joined by Head Chef Frank Beradi (The Melbourne Club) who has designed a menu influenced by the flavours and cuisines of Italy and Turkey. Open for breakfast and lunch, launch dishes cover Turkish eggs with brown butter, prosecco-battered stuffed zucchini flowers, potato gnocchi with honey-roasted parsnip, and guanciale-wrapped swordfish. The restaurant will also commence evening services this month. chessellandclarke.com.au

Photography by Hugh Davison

Re- thinking waste

Re- in Sydney’s South Eveleigh is pushing sustainability in bars a step further with a new drinks menu that gives food waste a second life. “For this menu, we’ve turned each of the world’s mostwasted food items into 100 pantry staples,” says Matt Whiley. “We will create recipes with these ingredients, offering an everevolving list of cocktails and drinks.” Some of the cocktails include a tipple using wattleseed, cacao husk, bread milk, and pumpkin seed espuma along with the Tomatoboshi, which is made with Tanqueray gin and koji-cured banana skin vermouth. wearere.com.au

St Kilda welcomes Saint Hotel

Fitzroy Street’s historic Saint building has been a bank, a pub, and a nightclub, but now it’s started a new chapter as the Saint Hotel. Home to five food and beverage concepts, the building has been transformed by architects Telha Clarke. Fine-dining experience

Saint Dining is led by Executive Chef Gary Lai (exAmber Hong Kong and Intercontinental Osaka) and is located on the ground floor, as is Saint Bar, which has a 200-plus wine list. A trip upstairs takes guests to Bar 54, a nod to the venue’s address and a space inspired by New York’s Studio 54. The Vault wine cellar and cocktail bar Stellas round out the offering, and will open to the public soon. sainthotel.com.au

Photography

by

Sharyn Cairns

Save the date

If you’ve ever missed out on a seat for Sokyo’s omakase at The Star Sydney, we have good news. The restaurant has introduced a monthly ballot system which gives diners a chance to go into the running to secure two seats for the following month. Held Monday to Thursday, the 20-course offering is only available for six patrons to attend each evening. The ever-changing menu is a team effort from Executive Chef Daniel Kwak, Head Chef Sanghyeop Kim and Founder Chase Kojima and sees diners enjoy a series of sashimi, nigiri, hot dishes, and dessert. sokyodining.com.au

Photography by Samantha Rose

Supersized

Andrew McConnell

Hardie Grant Books; $45

Andrew McConnell takes readers behind the pass of his famed Melbourne venue in Supernormal: Recipes Inspired by Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul and Hong Kong . Originally published in 2015, the refreshed edition has been printed with a new cover and includes the recipe for the restaurant’s much-loved lobster roll. The book features more than 88 dishes documented by Earl Carter who has captured shots from inside the kitchen along with moments from Japan and beyond.

New Plate It Forward venue arrives in Sydney

Coyoacán Social has opened in the South Eveleigh precinct in Sydney, and is the latest venue from social enterprise Plate it Forward. The eatery is donating meals to a centre in Mexico City every time guests dine, and is the same place Head Chef Roman Cortes attended during his recovery from addiction. Cortes’ menu showcases a range of street food and traditional Mexican dishes that are heavily influenced by his mother Maru Navarro and her birthplace of Coyoacán. Look out for the venue’s signature birria tacos, chicken tinga, and cochinita pibil. coyoacansocial.com

Photography by Rhiannon Hopley

Hospitality Leaders Summit returns to Melbourne

The Hospitality Leaders Summit is a must-attend event for all those operating or managing restaurants, cafes, and foodservice businesses within Australia.

Returning to Melbourne in July 2023, the summit brings together leading operators, chefs, suppliers, and industry experts to provide practical business advice, introduce new commercial ideas and offer plenty of inspiration.

Attendees can expect a stellar line-up of speakers sharing their expertise on everything from improving the profitability of venues to what’s trending in the kitchen.

First release tickets are on sale now. Register at www.hospleaders.com.au

Tomatillo

a sharp, tart flavour profile

THE TOMATILLO (Physalis ixocarpa) is an indigenous ingredient used widely in Mexican cuisine. It’s now beginning to appear in the Australian market and its arrival is a welcome sight. The ingredient is much-loved in other parts of the world, but has remained relatively unknown in Australia until now. Domesticated by the Aztecs in the eighth century, tomatillos are a small green fruit encased in a papery husk. It looks like a green tomato and is picked when it has grown to the point of filling its casing, with the fruit remaining firm and green. Tomatillos are most notable as the star ingredient in an authentic Mexican salsa verde and provide the green sauce with its classic tart taste.

Origins

Tomatillos, also called Mexican husk tomato, are native to Mexico and Central America

and remain a staple food for much of the population. A relative of the tomato and cape gooseberry, tomatillos — like tomatoes — are a fruit largely used as a vegetable. It is rich in nutrients and generally available year-round, though at its best in summer and autumn.

Provenance and traceability

Several farmers across Australia are now cultivating commercial quantities of the tomatillo crop. Their commitment to growing tomatillos provides chefs and restaurants with an opportunity to create innovative new dishes using an exotic and lesserknown ingredient.

Flavour profile

Tomatillos have a fresh and herbaceous flavour with minor notes of citrus. It is more acidic and much less sweet than ripe or

unripe tomatoes, particularly when used raw. The texture of raw tomatillos is denser, crunchier, and less watery than tomatoes.

Preparation and culinary applications

Used both fresh and cooked, tomatillos are a versatile ingredient that add complexity and depth of flavour to a variety of dishes. To prepare, remove the papery husk and rinse as there’s a slightly sticky substance around the base. The most common way to prepare tomatillos is to cover them with cold water and simmer until soft. You can also grill, steam, or roast until tender and then blend into green sauces and salsas including salsa verde or add to stews, soups, and casseroles. When cooked, the flavour begins to mellow out and the strong tart taste gives way to a slightly softer and sweeter profile. ■

The Mexican husk tomato has made its arrival.

WORDS Tawnya Bahr and Lucy Allon

Commonly used to make salsa verde in Mexico

Domesticated by the Aztecs in the eighth century

Encased in a paper husk Related to the tomato

Known as the Mexican husk tomato

Apple green in colour

Has

The Dolphin’s vongole

The Point Group’s take on the classic pasta dish for two.

WORDS Danny Corbett

Ingredients

200g vongole or Little Neck clams, purged and cleaned

220g fresh egg linguini

1tbs confit garlic

80ml white wine

1 large eschallot

1/2 red chilli, finely chopped and deseeded

1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 lemon

Extra-virgin olive oil

Flaked sea salt

Method

1. Put a pot of salted water on to a simmer.

2. Warm a pan up with olive oil and sweat off the eshallot. Once a little soft, add confit garlic, chilli, and clams.

3. Turn up the heat and shuffle the clams around in the pan, coating them in the olive oil and shallot mix. Deglaze the pan with white wine and cover with a lid.

4. Once the clams have started to pop open, drop the pasta in the boiling water. Fresh pasta will take around two minutes. If you’re using dried, pre-cook beforehand as it takes longer than the clams to cook.

5. Now the clams are open, simmer the clam juice and white wine. Strain the pasta and add to the sauce with a little pasta water, tossing the pan so it’s coated. Squeeze lemon over the pasta, add chopped parsley and check the seasoning.

6. Just before you serve, toss the pasta with a good amount of olive oil, around 3 tablespoons should do it.

7. Pick up the pasta with pasta tongs and twirl around a little in each bowl first before pouring over the clams and the sauce.

WE ALWAYS MAKE sure our pastas are made fresh at The Dolphin Hotel. You can use dried pasta, but the difference between fresh and dried is night and day. The fresh pasta soaks up more of the flavour, thickens the sauce easier, and has a much better mouthfeel.

We use confit garlic in 90 per cent of our pasta dishes as it takes away the issue of burning and making the dish acrid. It also helps give the sauce a nice

consistency, but you can replace it with finely chopped garlic — just be careful of it burning.

When choosing clams, I find the smaller type to be better suited to the dish. They cling to the pasta when eating and there’s also more of them which is always a good thing. Try and make sure you get purged, clean clams from fishmongers which will take away the worry of sand in the sauce. ■

Bar cart

Thirst quenchers, slow sippers, and all things beverage related.

EDITED BY Amy Northcott

Best

out west

Howard Park have unveiled the latest vintages in the Regional range and the debut of the 2022 Swan Valley Grenache. It is the first wine from the Swan Valley to join the line up and is crafted from bush vines with an average age of 70 years. The wine is vibrant with cranberry and satsuma plum notes and sits alongside the new-release 2022 Flint Rock Chardonnay, 2022 Flint Rock Pinot Noir, 2022 Miamup Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, 2022 Miamup Chardonnay, and 2020 Miamup Cabernet Sauvignon (all $30). howardparkwines.com.au

Order up

Breville’s latest coffee machine will have you serving every plant-based milk with ease. The Barista Touch Impress features new Auto Milq hands-free technology, which calibrates heat, time, air, and steam pressure for oat, almond, soy, and dairy milks. The machine is equipped with new touchscreen technology and an assisted tamping lever to ensure consistency. There are also options for hot chocolate, tea, and a babycino for non-coffee drinkers. $2,299. breville.com

Crushing it

Filipino cultural advocacy collective

The Entree.Pinays is shining a light on the Philippine lime with the launch of Calamansi Cider Crush. Partnering with Darraweit Cider House in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges, the refreshing drink combines calamansi with estate-grown apples and pears, resulting in a sweet and tangy refresher. Available from Merkado by The Entree.Pinays and independent bottle shops. $22 for a four-pack. entreepinays.com

An international affair

Four Pillars have added to the Distiller Series range with the launch of Green Apple and Rhubarb gin. It’s the result of a collaboration with Warner’s, and features the UK distillery’s rhubarb spirit which is made using farm-grown produce as well as apple juice and an apple cider spirit that heros local Yarra Valley apples. The two components have been distilled with a range of botanicals, resulting in a gin that’s as at home in a classic gin and tonic as it is in a highball or a Fruit Cup. $88. fourpillars.com

Photography by Benito Martin

A taste of Japan

Fuji’s Single Blended 2022 Masterpiece has arrived on Australian shores and there are just 300 bottles up for grabs. Crafted from a combination of whiskies — including some aged for more than 30 years — the release is the first expression of a new style of single blended whisky from the distillery. Expect a complex yet soft dram with notes of stone fruit and sherry paired with a long finish of ripe fruits. $1,650. vanguardluxurybrands.com.au

Drop the mop

PEOPLE FIND LONG-TERM relationships hard to end — but not you. Because when you take a moment to really look at that drowsy old mop sitting in your storeroom, you’ll know deep down you can do better.

It’s not that mops are all bad, but the reality is your café, restaurant or venue has likely outgrown the benefits of a traditional mop and now needs something faster, stronger and more consistent. As your business matures, your capital tools and processes should match this growth.

The Capital Equipment Hire i-mop floor scrubber is a major innovation to replace the classic mop and bucket. What makes it so good? It adds the manoeuvrability of a traditional mop with the cleaning power of a commercial scrubbing

machine. The i-mop was designed taking what people love from a classic mop and building it into a modernised cleaning solution.

But how will it improve cleaning at hospitality venues?

Finding an effective cleaning solution that satisfies an entire venue can be tricky. A generic mop is not powerful enough to satisfy different floor environments such as greasy kitchen floors, cool rooms, dining areas, and high-traffic entrances. The i-mop has aggressive scrub pressure to clean smooth and rough floors without the risk of shredding the fibres like a generic mop.

“We used to struggle to get the oil off the kitchen floor, and since using the i-mop XL, our

kitchen floors have never been cleaner” says Director Stephen Anderson from The Lott Cafe in Cooma. “We have a large dining area that we used to mop every day, which was pretty hard work. Since buying the i-mop XL, our floors are much cleaner with half the effort.”

The i-mop XL can impressively clean up to 300 square metres in 11 minutes compared to 45 minutes with a spaghetti mop.

“When we demonstrate the i-mop in action, managers and staff are instantly won over by the results and ease of use,” says Damon Couper, director of Capital Equipment Hire in Sydney. “You can see their moods lift as they realise a solution exists that makes cleaning a productive, satisfying, and proud experience.”

The i-mop is also an option for

budget-sensitive managers.

“For businesses restricted in their capital outlay, long-term rental options are more cashefficient,” continues Couper. “You can keep the machine onsite and have all maintenance requirements handled by our field service team. Daily hire is also available for Sydney customers.”

The bottom line

Along with six-times faster cleaning, 75 per cent labour savings, dirty water recovery (the same water is never used twice) and cordless battery operation, the i-mop is a specialty cleaning solution for venues.

To learn more about the i-mop through a no-obligation demonstration with Capital Equipment Hire, call 1300 799 312. ■

Feeling bitter

Over ice or in a cocktail — vermouth is having a moment.

WORDS Amy Northcott

PHOTOGRAPHY Nikki To and Dexter Kim for Bar Salut

VERMOUTH MAY BE the supporting act to gin or vodka in a martini, but the winebased aperitif is not to be overlooked. While some guests may not be familiar with vermouth, its versatility and unique flavour profile has made it an essential bottle behind the bar.

Hospitality speaks to Love Tilly Group Operations and Beverage Manager Melissa Moore and Ben Walsh from Adelaide’s Udaberri about using vermouth across different applications and how they predict the fortified wine will track in the near future.

Vermouth, also known as vermut, is part of the aromatised wine category, and is produced by combining fortified wine with botanicals. It dates back to ancient Greece, where Hippocrates made a spirit from macerated wormwood, flowers, and wine for medicinal purposes. The spirit was consumed by Romans and appeared again in the Middle Ages where it was used in a similar medicinal manner. But it was in the Italian city of Turin in the late 18th century where the modern version of vermouth was born. Makers in Chambéry, Lyon, and Marseilles in France as well as producers in Spain went on to create versions of vermouth that were either sweet red or dry white in style.

More recently, distillers are experimenting with vermouth to create an array of options ranging from extra dry to sweet using white, red, and Rosé wines as a base. The use of botanicals has also had a profound effect on the flavour profile of vermouth, with native herbs and spices resulting in a unique drinking experience.

Ben Walsh from Adelaide pintxos bar Udaberri has seen the availability of different vermouths grow over the years. “Vermouth’s profile is becoming more varied, dependent on style, [in terms of] how and where it is made,” he says. “But it’s usually a balancing act of sweet, dry, bitter, floral, and herbaceous characteristics.”

Herb wormwood is what sets vermouth apart from other botanical-based spirits such as gin. According to Melissa Moore of Sydney’s Love Tilly Group, which runs Spanish-style venue La Salut in

Sydney’s Redfern, wormwood is the drink’s core ingredient. “One of the defining characteristics of vermouth is its bitterness, which comes from wormwood and other botanicals used in its production,” she says. Wormwood is a bitter plant that has long been used for medicinal purposes and is also the base ingredient to flavour absinthe. It is how the aromatised wine got its name, with the German word wermut pronounced as vermouth in French.

Vermouth is less bitter than other aperitifs such as Campari, Aperol, or Lillet and is more complex due to the wider use of botanicals such as bitters, citrus, and herbs as well as spices including juniper, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, citrus peel, and cloves. The combination of the base wine along with wormwood and botanicals is what creates the wine’s complex profile. “Vermouth’s unique blend of bitterness, sweetness, and herbal complexity makes it a versatile ingredient in cocktails and a popular choice for sipping on its own,” says Moore.

Speaking of sipping, there are many different ways to enjoy vermouth. It can be served neat, on the rocks, or with a citrus twist. For a longer option, team with soda water or tonic. Vermouth is a good drink to start a meal with, and it plays a crucial role in many classic cocktails. “Vermouth works really well in aperitif-style cocktails to excite your stomach for what is to come,” says Walsh. “It also pairs well with higher-proof spirits to knock some of the edge off and adds floral, sweet, or bitter characteristics.”

At Udaberri, Walsh and the team serve a variety of vermouths that are a nod to the venue’s ties to northern Spain. Casa Mariol Vermut Negre made from 100 per cent Macabeo grapes in Spain; France’s Dolin Dry; Italy’s Cocchi Americano di Torino; Punt e Mes; and Cinzano Rosso are all currently served at the venue.

Cocktail-wise, vermouth (both dry and sweet) is a key ingredient in martinis alongside gin or vodka. Sweet red vermouth is a lead in a Negroni teamed with gin and Campari and also plays a role in a Boulevardier, an Americano and a Rob Roy.

Vermouth features the bitter herb wormwood

White, red, and Rosé can be used to create dry and sweet styles of vermouth

The martini, Manhattan, Americano, and Negroni all use vermouth

Over at La Salut, Moore and the bar team have created a range of cocktails where vermouth shines, including their take on a Cosmopolitan with vermouth and Ketel One vodka. Other house cocktails include the Marianito with vermouth, Santamanía Reserva gin, and Campari and the Palmetto with Ingenio Manacas Extra Añejo rum with Primitivo Quiles Vermouth Rojo and orange bitters. But ultimately, they like to serve vermouth on the rocks with a palillo of aceitunas (a toothpick of Spanish anchovy-stuffed olives) and some soda on the side. “We love it just how we serve it, olives and all,” says Moore.

There are 13 vermouths on pour at La Salut from Spain and Australia. Some of the styles include a txakoli-based white vermouth from Astobiza to the darker Macabeo-based vermouth Vermut Negre. Closer to home, the venue’s house La Salut Vermut has been made by Bathurst producer Sam Renzaglia and reflects an amaro style with its bitter, herbaceous notes and inclusion of 20 types of wormwood, most of which are local.

The varied styles of vermouth mean food pairing can be straightforward. Walsh opts for Mediterranean cuisine due to its salty characteristics, while Moore notes vermouth’s profile also suits rich, savoury, and spicy foods.

he says. “The first vermouth on the Australian market seemed to be dominated by native botanicals, now it’s not so much the case. It’s great to see such versatility in the category.” Moore agrees, and says vermouth is gaining ground in the drinks space. “I believe it’s an untapped market,” she says. “Like sherry and Madeira, vermouth used to be seen as a drink of another time … bottles gathering dust on your parents drink trolley.”

Walsh and Moore are pushing vermouth where they can at their venues, and the move has yielded good results so far. “We don’t see a lot of clientele drinking vermouth unless it’s in a cocktail, but it is easy to recommend and is a great gateway into all things bitter,” says Walsh. Moore agrees: “People are surprised they love vermouth so much, especially if they haven’t tried it before,” she says. “Every guest we slide a vermouth over to at La Salut loves it.”

La Salut serves vermouth on the rocks with a palillo and soda on the side

“The herbal and slightly bitter notes complement roasted meats or braised dishes,” says Moore. “The sweetness also makes it a good match for spicy or slightly acidic food.”

Both Walsh and Moore agree vermouth is being more widely offered in venues. Walsh has also seen an increase in the number of producers making a broader range of styles. “More and more wineries and distilleries are adding some form of vermouth to their offering — 10 years ago I couldn’t remember anything being offered,”

Vermouth in Australia is slated to continue to grow in popularity both as a standalone drink and as an addition to cocktails — including those that are lower-ABV. “The explosion over the last decade of vermouth-based cocktails such as the Negroni and the Americano means the drinking public has seen there is more to vermouth than Cinzano or Martini Bianco,” says Moore. The lower levels of alcohol in vermouth has also contributed to its use across the bar scene. The quality of vermouth and the variety found in the spirit is sure to play a role in consumer interest, too. “There is a much stronger emphasis on quality vermouth being both made [locally] and brought into Australia,” says Walsh. Moore agrees with the sentiment: “With excellent examples coming into the market all the time and new imports arriving, the future is looking very bright indeed.” ■

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Chez Dominique

TIMING IS EVERYTHING, and the proverb couldn’t be more accurate for Elsa Marie and Julian May. The two chefs worked in restaurants across Sydney and Paris before returning to Australia to travel along the New South Wales South Coast in a van, swapping the kitchen for working the land. It was here on the South Coast, specifically in Moruya, where Chez Dominique all started.

Mostly French and a little Italian, Chez Dominique serves the type of bistro food May and Marie like to eat themselves. The pair’s culinary experiences both here and overseas do most of the talking, but it’s what the dishes are made from that sets the concept apart. Vegetables are sourced from local growers and proteins from farms where animals spend their days grazing vast pastures. Marie and May know where everything they cook with comes from, some of which is grown in their own backyard garden, which is not something many chefs can say.

Hospitality speaks to Marie about the couple’s path to starting Chez Dominique, the ups and downs that come with staying true to an unwavering culinary ethos, and how they ended up cooking in a pub.

Julian May and Elsa Marie have spent time in some of the world’s most esteemed kitchens. It all started at Pinbone in Sydney for May before he moved to Europe to work at Brawn in London and Baest in Copenhagen, eventually returning to Sydney (via France) where he settled in at 10 William Street. Marie’s background is equally as far-reaching, learning from culinary greats including Guy Martin (Grand Vefour) and Betrand Grebaud (Septime) in Paris. But curiosity began to stir, and the chef decided to travel to Australia to learn more about farming, food, and wine via a

Elsa Marie and Julian May are taking provenance to the next level with bistro food that refuses to compromise.

WORDS Annabelle Cloros

vineyard in South Australia, different farms in New South Wales, and alongside Analiese Gregory at Bar Brosé in Sydney.

Somewhere along the way, Marie and May crossed paths, and the two later decided to move to Marie’s home country of France and open La Vierge in Paris’ 20th arrondissement. The bistro was a hit, but the couple always planned to return to Sydney. “We wanted to open a restaurant with our friend Andy who is a sommelier and worked at 10 William Street as well,” says Marie. “At the end of 2019, we were in Sydney and Julian was back working at 10 William Street and I was at Fred’s. We were looking for a venue and we found one, but then covid happened.”

The pandemic led to a complete swerve in direction — the restaurant idea was scrapped and a van was purchased instead. “We decided to go and work on farms,” says Marie. “We have always loved growing and we wanted to learn more, so we went on a six-month trip along the coast to work on different farms. We ended up in Moruya and some good friends were just starting their farm. We thought it would be nice to settle somewhere and we really fell in love with the area.”

At the end of 2020, May and Marie decided to get back into cooking via private dinners under the name Chez Dominique. “I was missing cooking and we thought we would bring food to people,” says Marie. That’s how Chez Dominique all started — word of mouth. People knew us from being at the markets. There was no business plan — it was just, ‘Let’s try it’, and it worked really well.”

Home dining led to pop-ups and a residency at a nearby B&B, but a private dinner for Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes resulted in something much bigger. “We knew he was purchasing venues and he asked if we were interested in working in Narooma,” says Marie. “We thought we would like to do it shortterm because our concept is too small scale to fit in with Merivale in the long run. We are very extreme with the produce we use, and we knew it couldn’t last as it is such a big venue.”

The short but sweet stint at The Whale Inn was a positive experience for the pair, who were able to get back into the swing of cooking for a wider group of diners again. “It was an amazing opportunity for us to have that exposure and we were given the freedom to do our food … Merivale trusted us, which was really nice,” says Marie. “We were busy all the time and cooking food that people weren’t quite used to. We love to play around with classics because of my background and Julian’s obsession with

French food. People could have hated a pig’s head terrine, but they were digging it and it was good.”

The Air Raid Tavern is somewhat of a hub for Moruya locals — including May and Marie, who instantly clicked with the venue when they visited. “We came to the pub when we first moved here and fell in love with the place,” says Marie. “It has art and books everywhere and a tiled bar — it doesn’t look like anything else you’ve seen in Australia.”

Marie struck up a conversation with the owners after realising the pub wasn’t serving food. “I asked them if we could do it and they said they didn’t really want to,” she says. “We asked a couple of times, and they didn’t know us yet, so we just focused on private dinners.” A call came around a year later with the suggestion of a popup. “Two months turned into six and we just kept doing it. We are really happy to be able to cook for everyone now.”

“People could have hated a pig’s head terrine, but they were digging it and it was good.”

– Elsa Marie

Part of the pub’s appeal is its eccentric nature, which extends beyond the fit-out to its three-day week. The Air Raid takes care of all the drinks as per usual, and Chez Dominique the food on Thursdays and Fridays for those looking for a snack or something more substantial. Marie and May spend each Wednesday prepping for the coming services, which sees the chefs feed up to 80 people on a busy night.

The menu is constantly changing and is shaped around what’s abundant or available at the time, which often entails a few protein-centric dishes, plenty of veg, and one foundational element:

“Everything is designed to be eaten with bread, which Julian makes,” says Marie. “There’s sauces, dressings, vinaigrettes, and lots of seasonings that want bread. French and Italian is where I’m most comfortable because it’s my training and I also love Middle Eastern flavours; I travelled a lot to Morocco and Turkey when I was younger. We like to take people on a little trip without losing them with too many flavours and influences.”

Marie and May work closely with Borrowed Ground, Old Mill Road, Stepping Stone, and Little Frogs Farm who provide the bulk of Chez Dominique’s veg. The rest comes from their own garden and the backyards of friends, with borlotti beans, tomatoes, and tarragon all grown on home soil.

A sharp eye is cast over meat suppliers, with Marie and May sourcing from producers who prefer to give their animals a higher quality of life compared to those who focus on quantity.

“I can’t just order random meat from a supplier and have no idea where it comes from,” says Marie. “It’s the norm for restaurants and it’s the easy way, but we don’t do that. We ask what’s available and go from there. It’s pricey, and sometimes there’s not much meat on the menu, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”

Chez Dominique only uses beef and pork from Martins Ridge Farm in Conjola, which is run by Ian, Tina, and Rhys Martin. “It’s an amazing farm,” says Marie, “the animals are grass-fed and spend their days in paddocks. Sometimes we can only get small portions because it’s small scale, so we just work with them and build the menu from there. We also work with Branch & Burrow in Braidwood for chicken and lamb, and we use quail from Maremma.”

It’s not a business model that’s easy to stick to, but Chez Dominque have no plans to stray from the path it’s chosen. “Some might say the way we do it isn’t smart because we don’t buy cheap stuff, we buy more expensive produce even down to the sugar and the olive oil we use,” says Marie. “Some people might say, ‘You’re silly! No one will notice if you use this’, and I know because I’ve worked in a million restaurants, but I can’t do it.”

As the kitchen moves with the seasons, dishes switch in and out each week, which is a serious perk for local diners. Vitello tonnato has been reworked with tomatoes in place of veal, with Marie using local tuna for the sauce. “I confit the tuna myself and then blitzed it with preserved tuna into a sauce like a mayonnaise and served with tomatoes from the garden,” says the chef. The classic gribiche has also made an appearance served alongside slow-cooked pork neck sliced like carpaccio. “We also ran a pistou soup with summer vegetables including green beans from the garden, zucchini, carrot, and

celery in a chicken broth. You make a pistou, which is light on cheese and not nutty — it’s mostly garlic, basil, and olive oil — and spoon it onto the broth.”

A Maremma quail dish is emblematic of the change in weather, and was teamed with a sauce made from white wine, eschallots, and cream. “You reduce it until it’s really thick and then add Dijon mustard and some greens from the garden,” says Marie.

The Air Raid has provided a launchpad for Marie and May to once again make their food accessible to a wider audience, but the pair still have hopes to open their own restaurant. “I’m dreaming of a smaller venue, I’ll tell you that,” says Marie. When the space is secured, May will step out of the kitchen and onto the floor to run the drinks offering, while Marie will remain in the kitchen. But it’s a work in progress, given the current landscape. “We have been looking around here for a while but there isn’t much available and the market is a bit crazy,” says the chef. “We would love to find a 20–30-seat restaurant with a space to grow attached to it.”

The opening has become somewhat of a pipedream at times, with the pair facing some setbacks along the way. “We had two venues fall through last year and that was a bit hard,” admits Marie. “It sets you back and you think maybe it’s a sign to stop looking. But we are still hoping to find that little venue in the countryside, maybe a little farm … we will just keep going. Whatever happens, happens.” ■

“We like to take people on a little trip without losing them with too many flavours and influences.”

– Elsa Marie

Good morning

A balance of flavour and nutrients make up the first meal of the day in Japan — otherwise known as breakfast.

WORDS Amy Northcott

BREAKFAST HAS LONG held the title of being the most important meal of the day. It takes many different forms across the globe from the traditional English with eggs, bacon, and toast to Japanese, where the meal consists of a compilation of small dishes. Referred to as asagohan in Japanese (morning meal or rice), there are many ingredients and flavours that intertwine to ensure a balanced and nutritious start to the day.

To find out more, Hospitality speaks with Meg Tanaka from Cibi in Melbourne and Fuminori ‘Bun’ Fukada from Café Monaka in Sydney about their own personal experiences with asagohan, the importance of balance and seasonality, and sharing a piece of their heritage with local diners.

Cibi’s asagohan mirrors what Owner Meg Tanaka enjoyed during her time in Okayama, Japan. “Since we opened Cibi in 2008, we have been serving a traditional breakfast,” she says. “It is based on my grandmother’s home cooking which I grew up with and it starts the day for our community. It’s like home, and simply sharing what we love.”

Titled as the Cibi Japanese breakfast plate on the menu, the dish includes grilled sliced salmon; tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette); seasonal cooked vegetables; house-made potato salad; mixedgrain rice; and Meg’s grandma’s miso soup with vegetables. There’s also a vegetarian variation minus the salmon, and the option to add on natto (fermented soybeans), umeboshi (sour plum), nori (seaweed), and pickled vegetables.

Similarly, Fuminori ‘Bun’ Fukada and his wife Eriko ‘Ellie’ Fukada are replicating their own culinary experiences at Café Monaka on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. “It’s something I grew up on, and I’m really proud of it,” says Fukada. “The food we have back home is what I wanted to highlight … we have brought the elements of the food we grew up with to the Aussie table.”

Café Monaka’s asagohan comprises steamed rice with furikake seasoning; miso soup; grilled salmon with shio koji (fermented rice) marinade; edamame; tamagoyaki; kobachi (seasoned vegetables); tsukemono (pickles); and other seasonal sides. All the elements are made in-house and reflect what Fukada grew up eating in a rural fishing town in Japan.

Washoku focuses on the balance of flavours and nutrition

Tea is commonly consumed with the meal

Rice and soup are staples for asagohan

Cibi’s asagohan is based on Meg’s grandma’s

The format of asagohan comes from the traditional Japanese meal set-up ichiju sansai that directly translates to ‘one soup, three dishes’. “The idea is that you get a well-balanced intake of three nutrients your body needs,” says Fukada.

Rice, soup, and protein are the three constant elements of the offering, with other side dishes switched in according to seasonality and produce availability. At Café Monaka, miso soup, rice, and grilled salmon is accompanied by nimono (vegetables in a soy-based broth), potato salad, and goma-ae (green beans in sesame sauce). Similarly, Cibi’s asagohan follows the same formula. “Rice and soup are always part of a traditional Japanese breakfast and are a great source of energy,” says Tanaka. In Japan, side dishes vary according to where people live and the ingredients they have access to. “Our cousins always brought fresh fish when they visited from the seaside,” says Tanaka. “Seasonal changes delivered new vegetables for grandma’s miso soup and regional produce such as ume plums made their way onto the plate.”

Ultimately, balance is what ties the meal together in line with the Japanese food approach known as washoku. “There are various ingredients based on Japanese food culture washoku [which is] focused on fresh ingredients, nutritional value, and balance,” says Tanaka. Fukada echos the sentiment. “The side dishes change based on availability and seasonality, but the balance is always carefully looked at,” he says. “Everything has to go with the other when it comes to flavour, nutritional balance, and even the way it looks on the tray.”

“Everything has to go with the other when it comes to flavour, nutritional balance, and even the way it looks on the tray.”

– Fuminori ‘Bun’ Fukada

On the drinks front, tea is usually paired with asagohan and plays a large role during all meals in Japan. “People drink tea with their meals or at the end … it is good for your health, too,” says Tanaka. “There was always tea during meals at home, water was not served in my family.” While the type of tea varies according to each household, Tanaka notes the main types are all green teas: sencha, genmaicha, and hojicha.

Cibi sources three types of tea from an organic farm in Kyushu and Monaka Café serves a range of teas from Norm Tea House in Japan including sencha, hojicha, oolong, and black. It also has bespoke original pours under the Tea by Monaka brand, which encompass two types of sencha, hojicha, and a matcha and hojicha powder selected by Fukada.

The principles of washoku also carry over to preparation, with great importance placed on the time it takes for a traditional asagohan to be made. “All the elements are prepared in the morning and not the night before,” says Tanaka. “I like to say, ‘Miso soup woke me up’, as my grandma would prepare breakfast for the whole family at sunrise.”

A focus on preparation and freshness is also important for Fukada and the Café Monaka team, with rice and miso soup made each morning along with the proteins and side dishes. Enjoying the meal goes with the territory, and Tanaka believes the breakfast “asks” diners for their time as it’s not a meal that can easily be taken with you. “Breakfast gathered our multi-generational family every day,” she says.

In a world that’s always on a time crunch, asagohan prompts one to slow down in terms of preparation and enjoyment. The deeply ingrained philosophy of washoku determines each component, which is plated to create a harmonious balance of flavour, texture, and nutrition. It’s not just about the ingredients and the flavours, but the feeling and experience surrounding it.

“A shared experience at the beginning of the day brings warmth to your heart,” says Tanaka, “and delicious flavours, too.” ■

“I like to say, ‘Miso soup woke me up’,” – Meg Tanaka

Behind every great menu

Comcater is Australia’s most trusted commercial kitchens expert. We live and love food service, cooking up the kitchens of tomorrow for more than 40 years. comcater.com.au

Two hands

Three venues on the modern-day burger offering.

WORDS Amy Northcott

BURGERS ARE A loved, go-to meal for many of us. Whether it’s a fried chicken number with fresh slaw or a cheeseburger with mustard and pickles — everyone has a favourite. But with time, palates have evolved and consequently so has the burger landscape.

Hospitality speaks with Nik Rollison from Slim’s Quality Burger, Joel Stephens from Bread & Bone, and Jarrod Moore from The Beast about what goes into creating the modern burger offering. A less-is-more approach, honing in on the classics, and focusing on consistency and quality all play a part in what consumers are looking for today.

Slim’s Quality Burger is a Sydney-based brand that has become known for its quick, made-to-order burgers and has outlets in Westfield Sydney, Mount Druitt, and Marrickville. Director Nik Rollison says that while consumers are looking for choice when it comes to burgers, it doesn’t mean venues need to have a menu listing completely different products. “Today’s consumer has a broader palate, so we have three main offerings of beef, chicken, and plant-based,” he says. “We have to cater

to a broader spectrum of customers, but we want to remain focused on the core product at the end of the day.”

The menu does seem large at first glance, but as Rollison explains, it lists base burgers that come in various sizes with minor changes. “It’s actually the same product served in different ways,” says Rollison. The menu features base burgers Slim’s Original and the Bacon Works, which come in the standard size with one patty, along with double and triple versions. There’s also a double deluxe cheeseburger; veggie; crispy chicken; crispy chicken club; grilled chicken club; and crispy chicken on the menu which have similar proteins but alternate fillings. Slim’s Quality Burger focuses on freshness across its range, using local Queensland and Tasmanian potatoes for its chips which are delivered fresh along with 100-per-cent New South Wales Angus beef for its patties.

For Rollison and the team, the concept of a base menu came about after they noticed consumers were more interested in classic options rather than extravagant, experimental burger concepts. “If you think back three years ago, a lot of burger

“I think a small, unique twist on a classic is still pretty sought after these days, but it has to be done well.”

– Joel Stephens

operators were featuring behemoth burgers covered in all kinds of different sauces, dripping in cheeses, and with added fried chicken … almost like a Frankenstein burger if you will,” he says. “I think the general consensus is it’s not a lasting style, and people are circling back to the classics. Simple is best.”

Joel Stephens of Adelaide venue Bread & Bone has also noticed consumers are leaning into the classics. “Two out of 10 people from the crowds we get in will venture into different types of burgers,” he says. The venue’s B&B burger is one of the popular items at the eatery and features beef, smoked bacon, cheese, tomato, lettuce, caramelised onions, pickles, and pink sauce. Along with the B&B burger, the cheeseburger, buttermilk fried chicken burger, and the 300 are the most ordered burgers. While Stephens admits classics sell well over the more unique items on the menu, he thinks a little creativity is a good thing. “I think a small,

unique twist is still pretty sought after these days, but it has to be done well — that’s a high priority,” he says. An example is the Wagyu and roasted bone marrow burger which sees a 200g Wagyu patty teamed with Comte cheese, black garlic mayo, pickled shallots, and porcini salt on a charcoal bun.

Consistency is vital for a burger venue, and Stephens has noticed consumers often revisit their favourites when they return to the store.

“When people find something they like, they stick to it,” he says. “For some, it’s like, ‘I haven’t been to Bread & Bone in a while … I miss my B&B burger’.”

Quality stems from making the time to make patties and fillings in-house and taking additional steps such as hand-slicing buns.

“Things such as having a decent sauce rather than just a standard ketchup, toasting your buns properly, and using caramelised onions rather than just putting onion on all adds up,” says Stephens. “If you’re not doing it, people notice in the end.”

It’s also about remaining flexible and providing options for patrons to customise burgers to their taste. “Pleasing your customer base is always a good start, and we always try to say yes to most things if we can make changes to make someone happy,” he says. “I would say every second docket says, ‘Add this and change that’. Everyone is particular about what they like.”

Bread & Bone offers a Wagyu and roasted bone marrow burger

Executive Chef Jarrod Moore from The Beast in Melbourne is of the belief a burger menu should focus on quality rather than quantity. He says the approach comes from consumers knowing what they like and being increasingly aware of provenance when it comes to ingredients. “People are much more schooled in what makes a good or great burger these days,” says the chef. “Everyone in Melbourne is a foodie these days, so if you start cutting corners and swapping out ingredients for lower-quality mass produce, your customers will know.”

The Beast’s menu features 11 burgers including those made with Wagyu beef sourced from McGregor’s Artisan Butchery in Templestowe along with Southern fried chicken and chicken katsu fillet. There’s also plant-based sweet potato and lentil patties plus a mock Southern fried chicken take. The burgers are all filled with house ingredients, with the team making their own roast chicken gravy, sauces, and other seasonings in the kitchen. “We want to have something for everyone using flavours that are all our own,” says Moore.

Like Stephens, Moore also believes offering additional fillings for customisation is important to keep patrons happy. “Giving customers options and making sure anyone can come in and feel like they’ve been considered makes them keep coming back,” says Moore. “Lots of people come in and ask if we can throw some pineapple or an egg in their burger … and we’ll absolutely do it if we can.” The Beast’s menu has a range of plant-based options, too. “We make sure the same love and attention goes into them as everything else.” It’s a move that’s paid off, with Moore noting a rise in popularity of plant-based burgers over the last few years, with the options now making up more than one-third of the venue’s sales.

For today’s burger venues, it all comes down to turning first-time visitors into return customers, something that can be tricky in a saturated market. “Having a good-quality product all the time is what brings people back,” says Stephens. “There’s so many other burger places to try if someone doesn’t like one … they don’t have to go too far.” But standing out from the crowd can be done by setting the bar high in relation to purchasing premium ingredients and being open to making small changes that result in happy customers. “The quality of produce and a good amount of love is important,” says Moore. “If a venue has a big range but everything is just ok, people probably won’t be returning.”

Rollison agrees, and believes sticking to an achievable number of menu options relevant to a venue’s style is important. “I think a lot of restaurants these days have lost their way and they try to do too much,” he says. “In doing so, they put forward a wide variety of average products versus a focused selection of excellent products.” ■

“Giving customers options and making sure anyone can come in and feel like they’ve been considered makes people keep coming back.”

– Jarrod Moore

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New school meets old school

Today’s pastry chefs are breaking the rules in the best way.

WORDS Annabelle Cloros

VENUES IN AUSTRALIA have a reputation for doing it all. And while all-in-one concepts certainly have their place, there’s plenty of room for those that take a different approach — one that’s more singular in focus. There’s no better place to look than the pastry realm for examples of the idea; spaces where technique trumps scale and small is sweeter.

Hospitality speaks to Yeongjin Park from Tenacious Croissant in Sydney and April Yoonhee Bae from The Flour Melbourne about their approaches to pastry, the development process of new products, and riffing the classics.

Yeongjin Park started his career in dough — bread, to be exact. Park spent 10 years baking in Korea before he decided to move to Australia to develop his culinary knowledge, working in the kitchens of Russo & Russo, Lumi and Picco Leo in Sydney. It was here at Picco Leo where Park learned from Federico Zanellato (Leo; Lode; Lumi; Ele) and Karl Firla (Leo; Ele), mastering various croissants, doughnuts, and tarts alongside the chefs.

Skip ahead to 2022 and Park decided to open Tenacious Croissant on Oxford Street, culminating his culinary experiences to create a range of pastries the city had never seen before. “I feel lucky to have worked with chefs who motivated me to strive to make new creations,” he says. “Together, the Tenacious team continuously researches different food and drinks, and we always think about extracting and mixing elements from various cultures around the world. Whenever I have spare time, I like to go and try different food and then I think about why it tastes good and try to combine the elements with my professional skills.”

It’s a mindset that’s evident across the Tenacious offering, which charts everything from a kimchi sausage and cheddar cheesestuffed croissant to grape or mango tarts, the ‘Jinius’ (croissant with raisins, caramelised white chocolate, and almond marzipan) and a riff on a classic, which has gone on to become one of Park’s most in-demand pastries. “Portuguese tarts are shaped like small coins with filling and are enjoyed by many people, so that’s where my thought process started,” he says. “What if the filling wasn’t as sweet? What if the shape was square? What if the top was shinier? After several tests, I finally created a satisfying result.” While Tenacious has a core range, Park and his team are constantly experimenting with different flavours, but they all have one thing in common

— they sit in a league of their own. “I invest a lot of time into studying, and thankfully customers show a lot of interest in unfamiliar dishes and they seem curious to learn more about them,” says Park. Such openminded-ness has led to the development of more savoury products including the Spanish sub with sobrassada teamed with pickled shallots and sour cream sauce on flaky pastry and a takoyaki croissant filled with octopus salad and showered in katsuobushi. There’s also another addition to the brand en route in the form of Tenacious Madeleine, which is a project that’s currently in the works. “Our team is composed of people from different cultures, and we are striving to create a cultural exchange hub through delicious bread and coffee,” says Park. “We started with croissants and now we are doing madeleines as the beginning of this vision, as they are the perfect balance between cakes and cookies.”

Before The Flour arrived in West Melbourne earlier this year, Founder April Yoonhee Bae operated the brand as an online-only business. The former Rockpool pastry chef had been

Bae is focusing on expanding her cookie range

Park will soon open a Madeleine business

Tenacious launched a takoyaki croissant

The Flour originally sold caneles

making caneles for years and supplying cafés with the rum-flavoured French pastry before she and husband Harry Hyun-suk Go decided to open the venue together. “He’s a barista and worked for a green bean company before we came up with the pastry café,” says Bae. “We wanted to be close to the CBD and I really liked the location and the atmosphere of the area and the building, which is quite old.”

Bae has long specialised in caneles, experimenting with flavours such as chocolate while The Flour was an online business, but decided to focus on the classic iteration at the café. “Rum and vanilla is the best, so I removed the flavoured ones,” says the chef. “I believe simple is best.” The caneles are baked twice a

day so customers can enjoy them at their peak during a visit to the café, which is a light, open room filled with Korean décor including a moon jar crafted by Minhi Park and soban tables that are found throughout the venue. It’s also a place to enjoy coffee from Go, an award-winning barista who has become known for his signature coffee sour. “It’s a carbonated filter coffee mixed with lime juice and blackcurrant,” says Bae. “We normally have around seven types of beans he selects and roasts.”

But there’s much more than just caneles at The Flour, where Bae bakes different cakes, financiers and dacquoise as well as weekly additions that change according to what she is inspired to create at the time. The chef says the caneles and the dacquoise are the most popular items, with the two French pastries both specialty products that require a deft touch. “I was inspired by a dried strawberry and mascarpone dacquoise at Rockpool, but I made it into a different shape,” says Bae. The oval-shaped dacquoise are filled with a range

of fillings from strawberries and cream to hazelnut; passionfruit, mango, pineapple and lemongrass; and Uji matcha.

While much of The Flour’s desserts are inspired by old-world French recipes, Bae equally looks to her home country of Korea and to Japan for both equipment and ideas, with the chef highlighting ingredients such as ssal-jocheong (rice syrup) and tea. “They are very good at remaking things in Korea, and I can easily get new moulds for financiers,” she says. “In the future, I want to introduce some more Korean-inspired desserts and I’m going to make kimchi scones soon.” Using native Australian produce including Rosella flower and strawberry gum is also of interest to Bae, who is incorporating many different culinary influences into her desserts.

The Flour is mostly a one-woman show, and while Bae has a part-time pastry chef, baking everything fresh each day is no mean feat. “90 per cent of the time, it’s me doing it by myself, but we still want to expand our range of baked goods and do more French desserts.”

Tinned cookies have long been a passion project for Bae, who hopes to dedicate more time to them in the future. Galettes Bretonnes are sweet but salty butter biscuits from Brittany, France, and are the foundation for Bae’s cookies that cover classic (rosella whole wheat flour) and pecan (organic brown rice) to chocolate hazelnut (triticale flour [rye and wheat], Valrhona chocolate). “Tinned cookies are my dream, and I want to change the flavours seasonally,” says Bae. “We will do different shapes and use local butter, flour, and nuts. The flavour is very nutty and they go well with brown rice flour and rosella flower jam.”

There’s no shortage of choice for high-quality baked goods, and chefs continue to innovate and launch new products that combine multiple culinary inspiration points and result in some pretty unforgettable creations. ■

“In the future, I want to introduce some more Koreaninspired desserts.”

– April Yoonhee Bae

Protect your business

GIVEN THE NATURE of the industry and the potential cost barriers to entry, there is undoubtedly a case for hospitality business owners to reduce their risk with business insurance.

Your hospitality business interacts with people daily, creating the potential for accidents to occur. Business insurance is an investment in your hospitality business because it helps to lessen the financial impact an insured event can have on your business.

With business insurance in place, recovering from challenging business events can be easier because you will be actively protecting your business from the financial and reputational damage an insurance claim may cause.

As the following two examples demonstrate, things don’t always go to plan in business. So when they don’t, it’s critically important to have protective measures in place — such as hospitality insurance — to help your business keep its doors open.

Pizza capers

The owner of a pizza shop chain had one

of her pizza stores broken into. $2,500 was stolen including $1,500 from a locked money box and another $1,000 from the register for the daily float, covering in-store purchases and a float provision for delivery drivers.

Luckily, the business owner held a business insurance pack and had taken out the optional cover for money. It provided her with cover if her business money is stolen, lost, or damaged from the business premises in transit or if it is temporarily stored in a private residence. Because the business owner held this cover within her business insurance pack, she was able to recoup most of the money that was stolen.

Fishy behaviour

The owner of a popular sushi shop sustained damage to the premises when a vehicle crashed into it, damaging the kitchen, storeroom, and dining area. The business owner was forced to close his business until the damage was repaired.

Like the pizza shop, the sushi shop had a savvy owner who covered his shop with a business insurance pack and had included

property (contents) and business insurance. It meant he was able to claim a total of $20,420, including $18,837 under the property (contents) section, and $1,583 under the business interruption section.

Business can get quite dramatic. Luckily with BizCover, business insurance doesn’t have to be. Visit bizcover.com.au to compare competitive business insurance quotes and get covered today. ■

*This information is general only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It should not be relied upon as advice. As with any insurance, cover will be subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions contained in the policy wording. **The provision of the claims examples are for illustrative purposes only and should not be seen as an indication as to how any potential claim will be assessed or accepted. Coverage for claims on the policy will be determined by the insurer, not BizCover.

Filleting knife

An essential in any chef’s kit.

Some models come with a lifetime guarantee

Blade has scalloped indentations, ensuring control during filleting

Can be used for other ingredients besides proteins such as bread, fruit, and vegetables

Designed for precision slicing

Removes skin, bones, and cartilage

Hand wash to ensure longevity

Flexible blade allows chefs to easily move around fish and cut through scales and bones

Woodson o ers a complete countertop kitchen equiptment range, including; Conveyor ovens, toaster grillers, salamanders, countertop fryers, bain maries, hot and cold food displays.

Culinaire is the Contractor choice due to its customisable & flexible range. This includes; Bain marie, banquet carts, warming draws, food displays, refrigerators, glass chillers, ice cream freezers, glass washers, dish washing & and conveyor systems.

The Power Soak Integrated Continuous Motion Pot

Washing System does the hard work for you, through the natural scouring properties of high turbulence heated water combined with appropriate cleaning chemicals.

Stoddart is proud to be a 100% Australian owned family company with 60 years of experience in the Australian manufacturing industry.

Nabila Kadhri

I GREW UP in India and the Middle East. My dad is Indian and my mum is Arabic (she was born in Yemen). I went to high school in Dubai and I had my sights set on two possible careers — aeronautical engineering or cooking. My dad’s work is involved in the supply of dry goods to restaurants, and I used to sit in the back of a truck and go around to the restaurants with him. Through my dad, I was given insights into the back-of-house operations of restaurants. Even then, I could see all the hard work that went into them. Also growing up in a Muslim environment, celebrations were centred around food, and it was normal for us to put a huge amount of effort into the food for every gathering and celebration.

To become an aeronautical engineer, I would have had to join the Indian army which my mum was quite against. So, I came to Australia to do my apprenticeship and had a number of different cooking roles, eventually working under Teage Ezard as sous chef at Gingerboy. I moved to Chin Chin and worked more broadly for

Lucas Restaurants at Kong, Kisumé as head chef, and at Hawker Hall as executive chef. During this time, I also spent two years in France.

I am fortunate to have worked with three extraordinary chefs who supported my growth and ambitions. Jonathan Alston at Baby showed me how to be disciplined, respectful, and to treat everyone equally. Joshua Bedell’s [Kisumé] calm leadership taught me how to be a rounded chef who could cook and run a business. Ben Pollard, who I currently work with, encourages and rewards me and allows me to be the version of myself I want to be.

Balancing career with family life is important. When my daughter was born in early 2021, most of the people around me said I couldn’t continue my path as a chef. Determined once again to prove them wrong, my current role as kitchen manager at Supernormal proves that with the right support — both at work and at home — it is absolutely possible.

As kitchen manager, I work alongside our head chef and the group executive

chef and focus on the administrative side of the kitchen. In a typical day, I work across rosters and recruitment, financial management, training, menu development, and kitchen maintenance, to name a few duties. I am also hands-on in running the daily kitchen operation for lunch and early dinner service. I am lucky to have access to the finest seasonal produce and I love working with fish — whether it is raw, dried, cooked, or curried — and vegetables. The older I get, the more I respect the soil and how important it is in creating quality produce.

What’s next for me? In the short term, it’s not to stop. I haven’t peaked yet — I have a lot to learn and a lot to give. I know I need to keep pushing forward. I’m keen to showcase more of my culinary skills in the future and to really start defining my own cooking style. Longer term, I don’t think owning my own restaurant is necessarily the right path for me … it feels too defining and restrictive for now. A cookbook feels like a more natural expression, so I’d love to write one in the future. ■

The Supernormal kitchen manager on her childhood food experiences in Dubai and how the best is yet to come.

PHOTOGRAPHY Ben Moynihan and Jo McGann

Nabila Kadhri

The taste you can feel good about.