FSN July 2017 by YAFFA MEDIA

2017 Dish of the Year – All the winners of this year’s competition Vince Trim – Meet the head chef of Mona’s The Source Spotlight – Exploring the Macleay Valley with Straight To The Source Milking it – How chefs are experimenting with milk alternatives

A Winter favourite

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE, ORANGE & STRAWBERRY

Recipe

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July 2017

foodservicenews.com.au

PUBLISHER HELEN DAVIES

EDITOR ANITA CONNORS (02) 9213 8335 anitaconnors@yaffa.com.au CONSULTING EDITOR JILL DUPLEIX

CONTRIBUTORS Tony Eldred, Tim Grey, Anthony Huckstep, John Susman

ART DIRECTOR ANA MARIA HERAUD STUDIO MANAGER LAUREN ESDAILE DESIGNER STÉPHANIE BLANDIN DE CHALAIN

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July 2017 2017 Dish of the Year – All the winners of this year’s competition Vince Trim – Meet the head chef of Mona’s The Source

A Winter favourite

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE, ORANGE & STRAWBERRY

Recipe

Spotlight – Exploring the Macleay Valley with Straight To The Source Milking it – How chefs are experimenting with milk alternatives

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Table of Contents

FEATURES

REGULARS

MEET VINCE TRIM

26 INSIDER

SYDNEY VS MELBOURNE, IT’S TIME TO PUT THIS LONGREHASHED RIVALRY TO BED.

2017 DISH OF THE YEAR

HUCK’S RANT

DISCOVER THE MACLEAY VALLEY

THE EXECUTIVE CHEF IS SHOWCASING TASMANIAN PRODUCE AT HOBART’S MUSEUM OF OLD AND NEW ART. ALL THE WINNERS AND CHAMPION DISHES OF THIS YEAR’S COMPETITION.

P. 50

ANTHONY HUCKSTEP CAN’T HELP BUT BLAST THE WIDER AUSTRALIAN RESTAURANT WHEN COMPARED TO JAPAN’S.

STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE TOOK A TEAM OF CHEFS TO EXPLORE THE REGION AND MEET THE LOCAL PRODUCERS, FARMERS AND MAKERS.

40 MANAGEMENT

MILKING IT

42 PRODUCE

FIND OUT HOW CHEFS AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE USING MILK ALTERNATIVES.

LOOKING FOR NEW STAFF? FINE TUNE YOUR APPROACH WITH TONY ELDRED’S HELP.

P. 7 P. 12

WHY IT’S OUR PATRIOTIC DUTY TO EAT FARM-RAISED SYDNEY ROCK OYSTERS.

P. 34

PLUS N E W

A N D

N O T E D

OPENINGS JI

DO NO SPIT P. 38

WHERE I

MANA

GEMENT

TONY E LDRE D

FO O D SERVICE

AUS

ENRICO TOMELLERI P. 10

INSIDER

R E S T A U R A N T S & B A R S

STARTERS P. 8

FOOD SERVICE

WHIP INTO SHAPE P. 40

P DU

TO P

PROFILE CHEF

SYDNEY/MELBOURNE RIVALRY P. 26

THE ART OF FEEDING MONA P. 12 ERVI ODS CE FO S I N C E 2 0 0 8

TRADE TA L K

MILKING IT P. 34

TOOL T A L K C

O M P A R I S

UNDER THE CONSTANT PUMP P. 44

EDITORIAL

HELLO

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the Business of Food Forum ahead of The Australian Financial Review’s Top 100 Restaurants Awards. Hosted by Australia’s preeminent gourmandising duo, Jill Dupleix and Terry Durack, a whole range of topics were raised, including how the industry might get Aussies excited about joining the sector, and what the changes to the 457 visa might mean for venues. One panel of discussion that particularly resonated with me was that of chef Jock Zonfrillo’s and his discussion of the philosophy behind his Adelaide restaurant Orana. Scottish with Italian roots, Zonfrillo arrived in Australia 15 years ago. But it was not long

before he descovered a disconnect between Australians and the land. “Everyone starts their restaurant for a reason,” he said. “I started restaurant Orana because after more than a decade of visiting Aboriginal communities, eating delicious food, it just didn’t stack up with the reality of the remnants of bush tucker in the 80s and 90s. And so I wanted to do two things. I wanted to give back to these communities, and this culture, and the people that I’ve visited. And I wanted to find a way to share that with everybody.” Zonfrillo’s dedication to food lead him to establish the not-for-profit Orana Foundation, committed to preserving Indigenous food culture and knowledge. In turn this has lead to working with the University of Adelaide and other organisations on a large, three-pronged project. This includes the creation of a database of native wild foods that will ultimately be open-source and available to all; the founding or research and development facility Australian Food Culture Enterprise; and setting up an innovation and enterprise hub. All of this is an inspiring scheme aimed to help lift Indigenous Australians out of social and economic disadvantage, strengthen the demand and supply of native wild ingredients, and to champion our unique cultural heritage.

Anita Connors Editor

STARTERS

Just Opened

From Noosa to Sydney BETTY’S BURGERS Shop E-04, ICC Sydney 14 Darling Drive, Darling

Harbour NSW 2000 Phone: (02) 9212 7773 bettysburgers.com.au

Biodynamic, organic buzz

Gastropark rebooted

WILSON & MARKET BRASSERIE 163-185 Commercial Road Phone: (03) 9804 7530 South Yarra VIC 3141 wilsonandmarket.com.au

THE ANTIPODEAN RESTAURANT & BAR 5-9 Roslyn Street Phone: (02) 8068 1017 Potts Point NSW 2011 theantipodean.restaurant

N E W

A N D

N O T E D

OPENINGS R E S T A U R A N T S & B A R S

Kevin Bacon not included THE GROUNDS OF THE CITY 500 George Street Sydney NSW 2000

Instagram: @thegroundsofthecity thegroundscity.com.au

NEW, NOTED, INTERESTING Across the country, here are Australia’s newest restaurants.

The Long Room is long gone

Vue de burger

THE GEORGE ON COLLINS 162 Collins St Melbourne VIC 3000

BENNY BURGER 95 Swan Street Richmond VIC 3121

Phone: (03) 96637226 thegeorgeoncollins.com.au

Rum, tequila and BBQs SAINT LUCIA 78 Chapel Street Windsor VIC 3181

Phone: (03) 9530 2085 saintluciawindsor.com.au

Neighbourhood casual Phone: (03) 9691 3888 bennyburger.com.au

ROCKER 5/ 39-53 Campbell Parade North Bondi NSW 2026

Phone: (02) 8057 8086 rockerbondi.com.au

STARTERS

Brisbane cafe fined $180K for exploiting foreign worker

Restaurant awards season kicks off with Brae in prime position

The former owner of the Nundah Coffee Club cafe in Brisbane was fined over $180,000 last month after unlawfully pressuring a foreign worker to pay back $18,000 of his wages. The Federal Circuit Court found Saandeep Chokhani threatened to have the worker’s 457 skilled worker visa cancelled if he refused to hand back his pay. Judge Michael Jarrett said, “The exploitation of workers from other countries who are inspired to live and work in Australia with the hope of achieving permanent residency needs to be discouraged, in the strongest of terms whenever it is apparent that it has occurred.”

The country’s chefs and restaurateurs have chosen regional Victorian restaurant Brae as Australia’s top restaurant, bumping Melbourne’s Attica to second place in The Australian Financial Review Australia’s Top Restaurants awards. Brae’s owner Dan Hunter was also named the nation’s top chef for a second year in a row. Co-director Terry Durack says, “As a chef, Dan is an intelligent perfectionist, and as a business owner, he’s re-writing the rulebook for regional restaurants across Australia. By digging down and being part of the landscape, Brae is carving out a very special place for itself where you can have a uniquely Victorian experience.”

Ex-Rockpool head chef heads to the Mornington Peninsula

Georgie Bass chef to represent Australia at Bocuse d’Or

Mornington Peninsula’s Pt Leo Estate has revealed ex-Rockpool chef Phil Wood is set to take the reigns of the restaurant as their first culinary director. Opening in late spring of this year, Pt Leo is a family-owned estate overlooking western Port Bay, and includes a restaurant, cellar door and sculpture park. Wood is thrilled with his new role. He says, “This is a truly exciting opportunity for me. The Mornington Peninsula is such a stunning part of the world and being involved in a project that encompasses food, wine and art couldn’t be more perfect. “An opportunity like this only comes once in a lifetime.”

Head chef of Georgie Bass Café and Cooking School, Michael Cole, has been revealed as Australia’s representative at the Asia-Pacific Bocuse d’Or contest next year. In a grand final held in front of a live audience at trade show Foodservice Australia in Melbourne, Cole together with his commis Laura Skvor battled it out against three other teams over five and a half hours. The pair produced a fish entrée using barramundi and scallops, and a meat main course using Angus beef oyster blade and rump cap. Each course needed to be 50 per cent vegetables or herbs, and the main was required to have three edible garnishes.

STARTERS

Stay in touch with foodservice anytime

PHOTOGRAPHY: JASON LOUCAS

Congratulations to Dan Hunter, Brae and the other winners of the #afrtoprestaurants awards.

Eleven Bridge rebrands as Jade Temple The Rockpool Dining Group portfolio expands.

Jade Temple has opened on the former Eleven Bridge and Rockpool 1989 site in Sydney’s CBD. Infusing Rockpool Dining Group with Cantonese charm and flair, the sister restaurant to Spice Temple offers diners traditional dishes albeit with a modern twist. Rockpool Dining Group culinary and brand director Neil Perry is excited with the new direction for the venue. He says, “Cantonese food is very produce driven and at Jade Temple we will present some wonderful classic dishes, some that may even seem a cliché such as sweet and sour pork, lemon chicken, and honey prawns, but are classic for a reason. When cooked well, with beautiful produce, they sing.”

Julian Blackhurst talking #seedsaving at @LakeHouseDF’s Regional Producers Market.

Also on the menu is a 300-strong wine list from France, Austria, Germany and Australia. The cocktails are all infused with Cantonese flavours and named after mythical characters from Chinese folk lore. The Jade Temple interior was designed by Grant Cheyne who drew inspiration from the heritage Burns Philp & Co. building the restaurant inhabits, together with Asia’s colonial past. JADE TEMPLE 11 Bridge Street Sydney NSW 2000

Oozy goodness this Queen’s Birthday, long weekend at @stillwater_tas.

WHERE I EAT WHERE I

F O O D S E RV I C E

AUS

ENRICO TOMELLERI, THE ITALIAN-BORN HEAD CHEF OF 10 WILLIAM ST, REVEALS HIS FAVOURITE VENUES IN AND AROUND SYDNEY.

BREAKFAST

FAMILY

My favourite cafe is Room 10 in Potts Point. Their sandwiches are pretty grub and honestly, it’s always a good time for a sandwich.

A family meal out usually means pizza to me. My two favourites are Vinnie’s Pizza at the Coogee Pavilion and Al Taglio in Surry Hills.

LONG LUNCH

CHEAP EAT

I’ve been a few times to Bistro Officina in Bowral for a Sunday lunch and I’ve always enjoyed a lot. Perfect if you go with friends to share extra dishes. Every dish is well-designed but it also keeps its rustic soul.

Chat Thai in Thai Town. Especially after a busy service in the kitchen, Thai food is all we want to eat. Fresh, spicy and tasty. Never forget to order the fermented pork sausages.

COFFEE Triple Pick Coffee in Bondi Junction. They roast their own coffee from some family plantations. Plus, the owner must be the happiest man on earth, always smiling and very kind.

UNIQUELY SYDNEY The best way to show off Sydney is to catch the ferry to Manly. The journey always ends at the Hotel Steyne for a few drinks. After many years it is still one of my favourite beer spots in Sydney.

PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRIS COLLS

ON THE MENU

On the Menu WHAT IS CURRENTLY ON THE WINTER TASTING MENU IN THE HUNTER VALLEY. MARGAN RESTAURANT 1238 Milbrodale Road, Broke, NSW

Five courses $100 per person: • Salt baked beetroot with goats curd, hazelnuts and radicchio • Margan hens egg with Jerusalem artichoke, celeriac, and parmesan • Pork belly with apple, fennel and crackling • Jack’s Creek Angus rump cap with leek, potato, and onion • Margan citrus curd with granita, vanilla and meringue MUSE RESTAURANT Hungerford Hill Winery, 2450 Broke Road, Pokolbin, NSW

Four courses $105 per person, highlights include: • Woodfired Morpeth cauliflower with Branxton pecans, jersey yoghurt, yuzu, and raisins • Koshihikari and whey risotto with autumn mushroom and nasturtium • Armidale lamb with cavolo nero, goats curd and black garlic togarashi • Roasted white chocolate parfait with banana ferment, blueberry, wild rice and hazelnut EXP. RESTAURANT 1596 Broke Road, Pokolbin, NSW

Eight courses for $110 per person: • Snacks • Jersey Milk haloumi with pumpkin and warrigal greens • Daintree barramundi with brassica and beach plants • Fraser Isle spanner crab with carrot, grapefruit and marigold • Little Hill Farm Chicken, eggplant, capers and wild rice • Pinnacle Meats wagyu with native rice, black garlic, mushroom, daikon and wasabi • Finger lime and brown butter with miso caramel and sesame • Hay and wattle seed custard, chocolate, puffed grains and macadamia

EXP. Restaurant, Pokolbin.

PROFILE

THE ART OF FEEDING MONA HIS BOSS IS A VEGETARIAN MILLIONAIRE, HE GOES TO WORK AT THE COOLEST ART MUSEUM IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, AND HE’S BEEN KNOWN TO COOK FOR 9,000 PEOPLE OVER THREE DAYS ON A HEAVY-METAL KITCHEN ON WHEELS KNOWN AS DIESEL THE MEAT ORGAN. NO WONDER VINCE TRIM, HEAD CHEF AT MONA IN HOBART, SAYS HE HAS A VERY INTERESTING JOB, REPORTS JILL DUPLEIX.

ince Trim got his dream job at Mona just by hanging around. After 25 years of working in Sydney, running pubs such as The Forresters with John McInerney, he turned up at the doorstep of the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Hobart, before it even had a doorstep. “Nobody really knew what it was going to turn into at that stage,” says the New Zealand-born chef. “Then The Source opened as a fine dining restaurant with Philippe Leban, so CEO Mark Wilsdon asked me to hang around and help out. My wife Jen and I had two young kids and wanted to get out of Sydney, so I did”.

TO P

PROFILE CHEF

“We don’t rigidly set out to be Tasmanian but of course we are,” he laughs. “The wallabies are shot for us by a bloke at Bagdad, half an hour away, and we always have abalone, southern crayfish, mussels, oysters and stripey trumpeter.”

The Source Museum of Old and New Art 655 Main Road Berriedale TAS 2011 mona.net.au

Six years later, and The Source has moved away from fine dining, Philippe Leban is running A Tiny Place in Battery Point, and Trim is sending out rabbit terrine with Moorilla wine-poached cherries, and wallaby rump with smoked eggplant and chermoula. “We don’t rigidly set out to be Tasmanian but of course we are,” he laughs. “The wallabies are shot for us by a bloke at Bagdad, half an hour away, and we always have abalone, southern crayfish, mussels, oysters and stripey trumpeter.”

But being exec chef at Mona is not like being an exec chef anywhere else. “As much effort goes into the exhibition openings and the annual MOFA (summer festival) and Dark MOFO (winter festival) as the restaurant,” he says. Hence the heavy metal kitchen, a (barely) portable Mad-Max style set-up made by local steel-makers. “For the first Dark MOFO winter feast four years ago, we built a wood-fired oven, char-grill, yakitori grill, churrasco and eight barbecues, fork-lifted it all into place, and fed 9,000 people in just three days. Nobody even questioned it; we just did it.” Then there’s The Golden Hour, built around American artist James Turrell’s light installation, the Armana pavilion, as the sun goes down. “We might have Flinders Island lamb shoulders in the smoker for fifty people at a time; it’s very relaxed. If you meditated – or you liked a few beverages - it could be quite a spiritual experience.” Right now, he’s fermenting 400 kilograms of vegetables for MOFO (June 8-21); looking forward to a new extension of the museum complete with restaurant by the end of 2017; and working on a cook book by artist Kirsha Kaechele, Mona founder David Walsh’s partner, designed to highlight invasive species. “Working with Kirsha is brilliant,” he says. “I think we’ve failed if we don’t shock a few people every now and then, and hopefully the book will do that.” As he says, it’s an interesting job.

PHOTOGRAPHY: MUSEUM OF OLD AND NEW ART

PROFILE

Vince Trim, executive chef, The Source, Museum of Old and New Art.

2017 DISH OF THE YEAR

THE WINNERS OF DISH OF THE YEAR A s the Australian foodservice sector continues to out shine itself in terms of new and exciting fare, flavours and flair, it is easy for the classic and the simple to go overlooked. But no longer! Foodservice magazine’s annual Dish of the Year competition celebrates the quiet champions of our casual dining sphere. Following the casting of votes by both the industry and the public across five different categories, our team of judges have spent the past few months eating in venues across the country. The looked high and low for dishes that bring to the proverbial table creativity, vibrancy and just damn deliciousness. And they have made their final decisions. Drum roll please. The 2017 Dish of the Year results are in... • • • • •

BEST BURGER BEST FISH & CHIPS BEST PIZZA BEST BREAKFAST ROLL BEST SALAD Who scored the top gongs for 2017?

2017 DISH OF THE YEAR

foodService

BEST

B URGE R

dService foo

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FISH &

C H I P S

Best Burger Best Fish & Chips BURGER GOT SOUL’S TASSIE TEMPTER sponsored by sponsored by

SPONSORED BY SPEEDIBAKE

DOUGH

FILLINGS

325 g bread flour ½ cup starter

1 free range egg

60 g sugar 7 g dry yeast 1 tbsp non-fat milk powder 1 tsp salt 1 egg, at room temperature and lightly whisked

1 slice American cheese 3-4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon Rising Sun Special Sauce: 1 cup Japanese mayonnaise, 1 tbsp Knorr Aromat seasoning, 2 tbsp Sriracha. In a small bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix well. Set aside. Kimslaw: 4 cups finely shredded wombok (Chinese cabbage), 2-3 tbsp kimchi, puréed (homemade or premade)

120 ml milk, at room temperature 60 g of softened, unsalted butter 1 tbsp cream Sesame seeds and nigella seeds for sprinkling

In a stand mixer bowl, add the flour, milk powder, yeast, sugar and salt and mix well. Add the starter, egg, milk, butter and cream. Using the dough hook attachment, knead on low for 5 minutes. Then increase speed to medium for a further 5 minutes. Cover with plastic warp and rest for 1 hour. Line a baking tray with greased paper. Divide the dough into equally shaped balls, roughly the size of a tennis ball and arrange on the tray. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Brush the dough with the cream and sprinkle the seeds over the top. Bake for 35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 87ºC.

M E T H O D Begin by making the Rising Sun special sauce. In a small bowl, add the Japanese mayonnaise, Knorr Aromat seasoning and Sriracha. Mix well and set aside. To make the kimslaw, purée the kimchi in a small bowl. Add the shredded wombok and combine well. Set aside. Cook the egg in an immersion circulator for 45 minutes at 64ºC. Heat a pan on low heat and melt a

small knob of butter. Cut the buns horizontally and toast in the pan. Remove from the heat and keep warm. Fry the bacon till crispy. Crack the egg into the pan and sear on one side. Carefully flip and top with a cheese slice. Sear until the cheese has melted over egg. To assemble, cover the bottom bun with kimslaw. Add the bacon, then the cheesy egg. Squirt a little extra special sauce on top and cover with the top bun.

THE FINALISTS • Scrambled egg and chorizo wrap by Cafe 70 (Sydney) • Breakfast burrito with chorizo, potato, capsicum, tomato salsa and guacamole by Four Seasons Hotel (Sydney)

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2017 DISH OF THE YEAR

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B E S T

BREAKY R O L L

2017

T SALA

2017

Best AND Breakfast Best Salad HENRY THE FOX’S Roll TOULOUSE SAUSAGE SALAD WITH CHAMPAGNE VINAIGRETTE sponsored by sponsored by HENRY AND THE FOX 525 Little Collins St Melbourne VIC 3000 henryandthefox.com.au

SPONSORED BY BIRCH & WAITE SERVES 4 VINAIGRETTE

60 ml extra virgin olive oil 30 ml champagne vinegar 10 ml walnut oil 2 cloves confit garlic Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste

SALAD

800 g Toulouse sausages 100 g goats cheese 100 g cornichons

M E T H O D Begin by making the thyme croutons. Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Thinly slice the baguettes into 16 pieces, and placed the bread on a baking tray. Over the top, brush with the butter and sprinkle all over with sea salt and the thyme leaves. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Roughly cube and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dressing and emulsify. Set aside until required. To make the salad, slice the Toulouse sausages and grill. Next in a large bowl, add the spinach leaves, goats cheese, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cornichons, croutons and once cooked, the Toulouse sausages. Toss and divide between four bowls. Drizzle over dress with the champagne vinaigrette and serve.

5 red onion, shaved into rings 18 cherry tomatoes, halved 16 thyme croutons 4 handfuls of baby spinach, washed

THYME CROUTONS

1 baguette Unsalted butter, softened Sea salt 3 sprigs of thyme

THE FINALISTS • Beetroot salad by The Gorge (Launceston) • Chinese potato salad by Lee Ho Fook (Melbourne)

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To arrange a free tasting or to place an order simply contact Birch & Waite on 02 8668 8000, email cs@birchandwaite.com.au or visit birchandwaiteprofessional.com.au

INSIDER

THE END OF THE SYDNEY/MELBOURNE RIVALRY JILL DUPLEIX IS OFFICIALLY CALLING AN END TO THE ANCIENT SYDNEY/MELBOURNE RIVALRY THAT HAS SUSTAINED US SINCE FEDERATION (WHEN COMPETITION TO BE THE NATION’S CAPITAL CITY WAS SO INTENSE, CANBERRA WAS CREATED AS A POLITICAL COMPROMISE). NOW, IT’S DEAD AND DUSTED. MOVE ON, NOTHING TO SEE.

INSIDER JI

P DU

Jill Dupleix is a food writer, editor, cookbook author, restaurant critic and co-Director of Australia's Top Restaurants.

s far as I can tell, the only people who poke the corpse of Melbourne/ Sydney rivalry on a regular basis are the media, not the public. Who has the best restaurants? The best coffee, the best laneways, the best chefs? The poor journos do their best to drum up some interest, but the online comments below tell the real story. “Who cares?” “Isn’t there anything better you can write about?” For the restaurant industry, the reality is that it isn’t just over, it has been replaced by a love-fest. Melburnians adore popping up to Sydney for a few days R&R, inevitably falling in love with Swillhouse Group’s Restaurant Hubert, with its Cabaret, post-war boho-style underpinned by solid Escoffierwith-umami cooking by Dan Pepperell. Sydneysiders like nothing better than hitting up Melbourne’s Tipo 00 or Café Di Stasio for that classy Melbourne/ Italian swagger, style and strozzapreti.

Besides, we’re all so interrelated these days, it’s hard to tell who’s from where. Historically, so many of Sydney’s top chefs and restaurateurs came from Melbourne: Gay Bilson, Tony Bilson, Damien Pignolet, Janni Kyritsis, Dietmar Sawyere, Luke Mangan, Bill Granger. You can’t get much Sydney-er than Neil Perry and Guillaume Brahimi, yet they have run highly successful restaurants in Melbourne (Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple, Bistro Guillaume) for a decade. That Swillhouse Group I mentioned? Mostly Melburnians, originally. And George Calombaris, after 12 years of building his mum’s recipes into a modern Greek food culture in Melbourne, is opening in Sydney any minute. Melbourne’s quintessential Thai fun palace, Chin Chin is also moving north, to the city long-famed for its take on Thai. Lucky Sydney now gets to eat Thai, Chin Chin-style, as well as Thai, David Thompson-style.

And when Martin Benn and Vicki Wild of Sydney’s threehatted restaurant Sepia recently announced they were closing at the end of 2017 and moving to Melbourne to collaborate with Chris Lucas (he of Chin Chin, Kisumé and Hawker Hall), nobody bitched and moaned (except maybe the couple’s precious cats). As Martin said, “I cannot tell you how many chefs, restaurateurs and diners have contacted us with their excitement and anticipation of us moving there. It’s kind of surreal.” Because that’s what we want when we dine in Melbourne or Sydney – not the same globally sanctioned food trends, but a real sense of where we are. The elegantly refurbished Cutler & Co is luxe, modern, crazily gorgeous – yet still quintessentially Melburnian, with its up-front kitchen and attention to detail. Nor could you build a Bennelong, Catalina, or Quay in Melbourne. It wouldn’t be right. And that’s a good thing.

SPOTLIGHT

Eungai Creek Buffalo, Macleay Valley Food Bowl.

SPOTLIGHT

EXPLORING MACLEAY VALLEY WITH STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE REGIONAL FOOD TOUR COMPANY, STRAIGHT TO THE SOURCE, HEADED TO THE MACLEAY VALLEY FOOD BOWL EARLIER THIS YEAR. ANITA CONNORS TAGGED ALONG TO FIND OUT MORE BOTH ABOUT THEIR OPERATION AND WHAT THE REGION HAS TO OFFER.

“O

ur goal with every tour is that the attendees leave feeling recharged, inspired, have widened their network of industry peers and friends, have learnt something and feel that the time away was worthwhile.” Tawnya Bahr is talking about her business, Straight To The Source. Having launched in 2012, she and her team have offered something quite unique for the Australian foodservice sector – specially curated tours for chefs and industry professionals to explore specific regions across Australia and the opportunity to meet farmers, producers and, of course, each other. Indeed, the 21-year veteran of the hospitality industry had been running foodie tours for consumers for years before she had the brainwave that foodservice professionals would benefit from a similar concept. Bahr says, “I felt there was a need in the marketplace for well thought out regional food tours designed specifically for professionals. Each tour we do has the chef and hospitality professional in mind and if they are going to spend their money and time to join one of our tours then every single one needs to be at a high standard and worthwhile.” Her very first Straight To The Source tour headed to specialist grower of salad leaves, micro-herbs and edible flowers, Darling Mills Farm, just outside of Sydney. Bahr laughs as she recalls how the tour came together. “I used my son’s tennis bus and licensed driver and tennis coach. We had 16 on the tour and we all cooked together with ingredients from the farm and also

used the opportunity to bring in unfamiliar ingredients from local producers.” It was also on this tour that she had her ‘aha’ moment. Looking around the group, Bahr realised that she was surrounded by chefs not only from Australia, but also from Japan, England, Ireland and India who were all “really embracing the day, appreciating the time out of their working environment and also learning from farmer Steven Adey. This was when I knew this was a service that was needed and I had the skills and drive to make it happen.”

“We will repeat a region but no two tours are ever identical. We’re not interested in pumping out soulless tours. The excitement and inspiration we see our guests experience both during and after our tours is extemely satisfying.” From there, the business has grown, with award-winning restaurateur Lucy Allon also coming on board. Together they now offer four public tours a year for the industry, with private tours also in operation. Bahr says, “We will repeat a region but no two tours are ever identical. We’re not interested in pumping out soulless tours. The excitement and inspiration we see our guests experience both during and after our tours is extremely satisfying.” Straight To The Source took in the Macleay Valley Food Bowl for the first time in May this year. Roughly 345 kilometres north of Sydney, the ‘Food Bowl’ was created by the Kempsey Shire Council to support and champion the agribusiness in the area. Bahr herself discovered the region when she was invited to the launch of the Food

FOOD SERVICE

SP O TLIGHT FEATURE

SPOTLIGHT

Bowl by Beth McMillan of Burrawong Gaian Poultry. Bahr recounts, “I came back inspired and shared that inspiration with Lucy. We then organised a formal reccy and after two more reccies, we delivered the tour a year later.” The Macleay Valley Food Bowl tour kicked off with a flight to Port Macquarie before a short minibus ride to Burrawong Gaian Poultry for morning tea with McMillan, husband Hayden and chef Stefano Manfredi (Bells at Killcare).

“I really hope the attendees got a much better idea of what a beautiful, pristine valley the Macleay Valley is, and how clean it is and pretty. And that there is a great diversity of produce being grown here. I hope that the chefs recognise that. I also hope that it builds awareness, and we can get more producers to come and grow good food.” McMillan and her husband were both school teachers before they decided to take over Burrawong Gaian. McMillan recalls, “When we moved up here, we just wanted to grow more ethically raised and healthy food. And before we knew it we had too many Muscovy ducks at home. That was how we founded Burrawong.”

Following sustainable and organic farming practices, Burrawong Gaian not only breed Muscovy duck, but also pasture-raised pekin duck, Cobb-Ross and Joyce’s Gold Heritage chickens, and a small number of Eden and Toulouse geese. Indeed, it was intentional that they focused on breeding and preserving rare breeds of birds. This was also in part why McMillan wanted to get involved with Straight To The Source – she saw it as a great opportunity to educate visiting chefs. “I really hope the attendees got a much better idea of what a beautiful, pristine valley the Macleay Valley is,” she says, “and how clean it is and pretty. And just that there is a great diversity of produce being grown here. I hope that the chefs recognise that. I also hope that it builds awareness, and we can get more producers to come and grow good food.” Next stop was a farm visit and lunch with Kim Massingham and her husband Ian at Eungai Creek Buffalo. As the name suggests, the operation is dedicated to all things buffalo. “We make everything onsite, the cheese and gelato and yoghurt,” says Massingham. “And basically everything we sell at the cafe is buffalo-related, and has buffalo cheese or meat in it. So it’s straight

SPOTLIGHT

Clockwise from left: Sweet Water Farm garlic; the Macleay River; buffalo meat; Wendell the buffalo from Eungai Creek Buffalo; a Cobb-Ross chicken from Burrawong Gaian; Tawnya Bahr, founder of Straight To The Source; and the overnight accommodation, glamping tents.

from the farm, from the dairy which is about 100 metres up to the cafe.” The Massinghams knew that raising buffalo would be demanding, not least of all the government regulations, but also because of the biodynamic farming practices they wanted to follow. She says, “Getting our head around the biodynamics has been challenging. As far as farming goes that’s probably our biggest hurdle. The buffalo, I guess like with any cattle, is always challenging, but they’re beautiful creatures. I love working with them.” From there Straight To The Source headed to Pipers Creek Grove. Run until recently by Jules de Boer and partner Liza Gilmour, the organic bush foods plantation specialised in lemon myrtle, aniseed myrtle, finger limes, blood limes, Davidson plums, and Illawarra plums. Of which, the former is Gilmour’s favourite. “I just love the flavour. It’s just so subtle and I cook with it a lot. I love the smell of it in the house. I love its properties, it’s anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and it’s quite a useful, nice tasting oil.” The Pipers Creek Grove also provided the aniseed myrtle canopy for a stunning, open air dinner put together by indigenous chef and host of the ABC's Wild Kitchen, Clayton Donovan.

Gilmour says, “Clayton shows how easy it is to actually use a little bit of bush tucker. It doesn't have to be a whole dinner, but there are many different ways to use bush tucker ingredients.” The following morning, the Straight To The Source tour headed to the Macleay River Fishermen's Co-op. A collective of 38 fishers, the organisation enables the fishers to sell everything that they catch. Chairman of the board, Lawrie McEnally, is proud of what they have achieved. “Our broad philosophy is to show that fishers harvest responsibility and work with a sustainable catch base.” McEnally came to the region just over 25 years ago as a recreational fisher, but decided to stay when he realised that he could make a living from commercial fishing. The Co-op has grown since then, and their base covers most types of seafood. McEnally says, “Prawns are the biggest by volume with king prawns, tigers and school prawns all caught. Spanner crabs, mud crabs, blue swimmer crabs and lobster round out the crustaceans. Octopus, squid and cuttlefish are common. A wide variety of fin fish are landed with snapper, mulloway, tuna, bonito, and mackerel.” The Straight To The Source tour then made its way to Sweet Water Farm, a 25 acre

property oowned by Sally Ayre-Smith and Marcus Skipper who made the sea change ten years ago. With it also came a new direction for Ayre-Smith. “I had a big career in Sydney in the film industry. We decided we had to find a way to make a living. So I went to TAFE for eighteen months and did a certificate 3 course in organic farming.” This lead to Sweet Water Farm to commercially grow two varieties of garlic, Rosie’s and Russian garlic, as well as Ayre-Smith to become an advocate for certified organic farming and food. “I'm really championing this area for food growing. We're building this great big distribution centre, $2 million distribution centre. Certified organic outside of Kempsey and I could just go on and on really.” Lunch at Sweet Water Farm took in a mighty view of the Macleay River with tour attendees coming together to make the meal, with what Bahr describes as the “incredible ingredients” of the region. Its success also has Bahr already thinking about the next Straight To The Source tour. She says, “We care about the hospitality industry and the producers we showcase in each region. We would like to continue to create and deliver regional food tours for hospitality that drive connection, inspiration and education.”

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TRADE TALK

MILKING IT WITH THE EXPLOSION OF MILK ALTERNATIVES LIKE BUFFALO, ALMOND, SOY AND COCONUT, CHEFS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE EXPLORING THEIR POTENTIAL. ANITA CONNORS CHATS TO TWO TO FIND OUT HOW THEY ARE CURRENTLY USING THESE INGREDIENTS.

TRADE TA L K

ong gone are the days where the only options on the menu for milk could be full cream and skim. Indeed with an ever-increasing number of consumers dodging dairy for health, environmental and ethical reasons, it just doesn’t cut the mustard anymore. And from almond to soy, rice to coconut, the alternative crowd is thriving. Consumers are also no longer satisfied to only see non-cow’s milk alternatives as options for their morning coffees. They are looking out for meaningful choices in terms of both savoury and sweet food applications. And in this area, chefs across Australia are doing clever and exciting things. MOO JUICE Turkish-born chef and restaurateur Somer Sivrioglu of Barangaroo’s Anason and Efendy in Balmain is long

familiar with milk alternatives on his menus. “At Efendy,” he says, “we strive to serve authentic Anatolian recipes with a contemporary twist. At Anason, we serve urban Istanbul mezes inspired by the seaside.” Accordingly, to create menus that stay true to Turkish cuisine, both traditional and modern, Sivrioglu and his team use predominantly buffalo, Jersey, and coconut milk. Over at Melbourne’s Uncle restaurants, head chef Dai Duong is creating modern Vietnamese. He describes the Little Collins and St Kilda venues as “fun, relaxed with great service. Affordable food with great produce.” As such, Duong has full cream and skim milk in the fridge, as well as coconut, soy, almond and condensed milk. Duong reveals that while there has been no push from

diners to have these varieties on the menu, “we stock them because we are a Vietnamese restaurant and need these items. Condensed milk is widely used in Vietnam. The reason why we did use almond milk was a trendy thing at the time.” BUFFALOED OVER Although similar to cow milk, buffalo milk stands apart both in terms of richness and nutrition. Lower in cholesterol but higher in calcium, fat and calories, buffalo milk has a thick, creamy texture that lends itself to cheese, cream and yoghurt. Furthermore, comparing the two, buffalo is a bright white in colour, due to its high levels of vitamin A, and has a naturally milder but sweeter taste. At Efendy and Anason, Sivrioglu has been enjoying using buffalo milk sourced from Burraduc Farm in the

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TRADE TALK

Above left: Dai Duong, head chef of Uncle. Above middle: Somer Sivrioglu of Efendy and Anason. Above right: Efendy’s kunefe, made with buffalo milk. Below left: Uncle restaurant, interior.

small town of Bungwahl north of Newcastle. He finds this milk particularly useful when making cream and cheeses. Sivrioglu says, “We use our buffalo cream kaymak [Turkish clotted cream] on our kunefe at Efendy. Kunefe is a buffalo mozzarella and pistachio pastry drizzled with sweet lemon syrup.” Their buffalo milk feta is also part of the restaurant’s raki meze. “It’s Turkish tradition to drink raki [anise-flavoured liqueur] with feta and melon.” Buffalo yoghurt cream is also used in Efendy’s popular Turkish mess dessert, made with merengue, Turkish delight, berries, rose and pistachio. SWEET THING Condensed milk is a mainstay on Duong’s menu at Uncle. A remnant

of the French influence on Vietnamese cuisine, a traditional Vietnamese drink is cà phê sữa đá. Effectively, drip iced coffee made from dark roast, Vietnamesegrown beans, Uncle, of course has a version on the menu. Duong says, “We have a Vietnamese coffee dessert which uses condensed milk to substitute normal milk.” Nevertheless, he is not content with leaving things there. Constantly looking for new techniques and ideas to explore, Duong is keen to “experiment with liquid nitrogen or try free drying the condensed milk”. Similarly at Efendy and Anason, milk varieties are used in desserts and sweets. Rich, creamy coconut milk is used for Sivrioglu’s keskul (almond pudding), while Jersey milk is

reserved for his milk pudding and general cooking. BUST A NUT A point of difference for Duong at Uncle is his use of almond milk. Lactose (sugar) and cholesterol-free, almond milk is also light on protein and calcium. Almond milk has also less saturated fat than cow’s milk as it does less calories. In all, this means that almond milk is the country’s leading milk alternative, and is a suitable for those lactose, dairy or soyintolerant, as well as for those following a vegan or paleo diet. These, however, aren’t the main reasons why Duong likes to have almond milk in the kitchen. Rather, he likes to use almond milk because it provides the base of the restaurant’s most unusual

“We use our buffalo cream kaymak on our kunefe at Efendy. Kunefe is a buffalo mozzarella and pistachio pastry drizzled with sweet lemon syrup.”

dessert - chilli chocolate ganache with almond milk granita. Duong says, “There are lots of different elements and textures to the dish. I wanted the granita to cut through the richness and heat of the chocolate chilli.” SPILL THE BEANS Also stocked in Duong’s kitchen is another plantbased milk, namely soy milk. Essentially produced by soaking and grinding soybeans in water, soy milk contains a complex mix of fatty acids, proteins, fibre, vitamins and minerals. It is also lactose-free and has zero cholesterol, and a unique ‘beany’ flavour. As soy beans are a clear mainstay of South East Asian cooking, soy milk features as

a solid element of the Uncle menu. Duong also uses soy milk in his most elaborate or unusual dish. He says, “We have a tongue and cheek dish on the menu that is wrapped in bean curd skin. The skin is made when soy milk is made and the top layer of skin is formed and dried.” For Duong, this is just part and parcel of exploring and experimenting with milk alternatives and offering diners new and exciting options, while being sensitive to intolerances. “There is a place for milk alternatives if used properly,” he says, “in this day and age, where more and more people have dietaries and allergies. It’s up to the chefs and restaurants to have alternatives to cater for all patrons.”

Macrobiotic Salt & Mountain Pepper Blend Shakers If you’d like this on your restaurant tables contact matthew.gee@olssons.com.au

www.olssons.com.au

HUCKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S RANT

HUCK’S RANT

DO NOT SPIT WHILE EATING HIS WAY ACROSS JAPAN, OUR RESIDENT EPICURE ANTHONY HUCKSTEP SLAMS SYDNEY, AND WIDER AUSTRALIA, FOR PLAYING IT SAFE WHEN IT COMES TO OUR RESTAURANT SCENE.

Anthony Huckstep is the national restaurant critic for delicious. and a food writer for The Australian, GQ Australia and QANTAS.

’m penning this spleen-squeeze in a shoebox apartment in Osaka, Japan where I’ve been sharpening my chopstick skills on a knock-out honeymoon after finally finding a star willing to go toe-to-toe with this hairy, rotund amateur clearly punching above his weight. From the hole-in-the-wall, okonomiyaki dens, to 50-year old tonkatsu joints that seat eight, to electric izakayas, oodles of udon and soba slurping, street side yakitori vendors, ramen rendezvous, standing bars that house just six people, and the style and grace of sushi and sashimi. There’s a legal system that allows holes in the wall to be viable business propositions, and in turn delivers a platform for a wonderful sense of singular focus in the cookery as well as. Something our own food scene could benefit from. For a global city, Sydney has become quite embarrassing. Closed for business before any slightly slovenly beast attempts to howl at the moon in a monolithic pub most of us would rather avoid. Blanket bans because of a few very uncouth cowboys have ruined our fair lady for the majority of us that know how to drink and be respectful.

The lockout laws are appalling mismanagement of a modern society by a government addicted to regulation, and hospitality is suffering. Well, actually Australia as a whole is suffering from a governmental, knee-jerk, nanny state syndrome. Don’t smoke. Don’t talk on the silent carriage. Don’t ride without a helmet or a bell. Don’t play ballgames. Don’t swim. Don’t drive in a bus lane. Don’t walk in a cycle lane. Don’t serve drinks without an RSA. Don’t break our curfew. Don’t J-walk. Don’t even think of touching your phone while driving. Don’t walk your dog without a lead. It would be quicker if they gave us a list of what we can do. Australia is known as the nanny state capital of the world. And we thought we were the lucky country. When you’re enveloped in this mentality of don’ts it impacts everything you do. The rules are holding us back from being natural, and as such chefs are pushing beyond their bounds into beige because they are, well, bound. It’s simply not viable to operate a venue with less than 40 seats in Australia – the red tape won’t allow it. Chefs can’t bank on a singular focus in cookery and

master it with such determination as their Japanese comrades. Instead, to ensure bums on seats they attempt to appeal to all, and there is nothing as unpalatable as a menu that appeals to all. You can't please everyone, and in trying to do so dishes drown in mediocrity. The more seats you have the larger and beiger the menu gets. It stifles creativity. The less seats the more you can focus on – it’s the hallmark of why Japanese cuisine is so specialised and so good. My eyes glaze over whenever I see a menu with more than 25 items on a menu (let alone a wine bible). I’m not there to read a book. Plus the more dishes you serve, the less chance they will be complete knock-outs. Even Japanese chefs find it impossible to open Japanese restaurants in Australia that have a singular focus – they have to be all things to make money. We have an extraordinary culinary landscape – a manifestation of a myriad of cultures all contributing to a communal table – but the red tape that threatens viability is a contributing factor preventing our food culture from evolving in the right way. Question is, what do we do about it?

PROFILE MANAGEMENT

WHIP INTO SHAPE AFTER MANY YEARS IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, TONY ELDRED MULLS OVER THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS AND SHARES HIS TIPS FOR APPROACHING RESUMES AND INTERVIEWING NEW STAFF.

MANA

GEMENT

TO NY ELDRE D FOOD S E RV IC E

Tony Eldred operates Eldred Hospitality Pty Ltd, ‘The Hospitality Specialists’. Contact him on (03) 9813 3311 or at eldtrain.com.au.

e’ve had to recruit some very senior roles for our larger clients lately. Roles like CEO and group executive chef come to mind particularly. It’s always interesting to interview the applicants for these positions because quite often the applicant is trying it on for a massive rise in salary. I have noted that the potential for a pay rise goes hand-in-hand with heavily doctored resumes and impressive acting skills. I think it has taken me about 25 years of constant recruiting to have gained the skill to effectively interview at this level. The rule is don’t trust a living soul. I never take anything at face value; everything is cross checked. It’s sad really, but I’ve learned the hard way. The first issue is to learn to control the interview and not let the applicant waffle on. Many of the people we interview have conducted job interviews themselves and they know if they can pad-out the answers, I will have less time to delve into other issues in detail. I have had to learn to interrupt and say, “I have to stop you there, I have a limited amount

of time and a lot of material to cover. I must ask you to keep you answers short and succinct.” That doesn’t usually go down well, but it is still necessary. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a resume that hasn’t had potential issues on it. People drop off jobs they only had for a short time and spread the dates of the jobs either side to hide the fact. They give themselves titles above their actual position; won’t tell you when they were fired; hide jail sentences as ‘travel’; or in extreme examples create a completely fictitious resume in the hope that you won’t reference check them. You have to have very thick skin to interview at this level. The applicants expect to walk in, have everything they say accepted without challenge, then traipse out the door with a lucrative job offer. When you confront them with their distortions or their claims of skills they don’t possess, they are not going to like you for exposing them. I’ve had several letters of complaint, accusing us of being unconscionably aggressive in interviews after we have challenged applicants on their gross distortions. The

fact that they were attempting to commit fraud at the time is completely lost on them. The question, “What level of salary are you expecting?” gets some interesting answers. They usually shoot for the moon and indicate some ridiculous figure. I follow up with, “What salary are you on in your present (or last) job? Bear in mind that we will seek confirmation of this when we talk to your last boss during reference checking.” A look of panic often ensues and they come clean. “So, you are after a $120,000 pay rise over your last position? You are dreaming.” Another difficult aspect of interviewing at this level is that most boards of directors place quite high pressure on the incumbent. To test how applicants react to pressure, we confront them with inconsistencies we discover in the interview and note carefully how they react. The best applicants hunker down and tread through it without losing their demeanor or composure. Others have been known to throw a hissy fit and storm out. Our attitude is that if you can’t handle a robust job interview, you don’t have

MANAGEMENT

I think it has taken me about 25 years of constant recruiting to have gained the skill to effectively interview at this level. The rule is donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t trust a living soul. I never take anything at face value; everything is cross checked. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sad really, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned the hard way. the strength of character to function as a senior manager. At present, there are quite a few venue managers and head chefs looking for career advancement to the next level and there are not too many suitable jobs on offer. Those

jobs that do exist on a group level invariably require welldeveloped management HR and financial skills that most aspirants to these jobs do not possess. A good interviewer will quickly discover this. Relatively few people look ahead enough to realise that if they want to get away from the tools or service eventually, they need to take on more sophisticated skills to those they have used in running a single venue or kitchen.

Unfortunately, few people do this and they run into a career wall when they want to change to family friendly working hours, or they feel they are too old to sustain the physical rigors of the job. There is no entitlement to career progression based on seniority in the hospitality industry, if you want the big bucks and normal working hours you need to plan ahead and put effort into you own self education.

PRODUCE

SYDNEY ROCKS – NATURALLY JOHN SUSMAN TAKES A CRACK AT SYDNEY ROCK OYSTERS, URGING AUSTRALIAN RESTAURANTS AND VENUES TO KEEP THEM ON THEIR MENUS.

John Susman is the director of the seafood industry agencey Fishtales. For more views, insights and understanding of the seafood industry visit thefishtale.com.au.

n the heady confusion of the whole malarkey that is the sustainable seafood discussion, it’s our patriotic duty to eat as many farm-raised shellfish as we can. It’s the only seafood that I can genuinely recommend over-consumption of. Oysters are an absolutely perfectly maintained marine population, and they provide a very necessary and vital ecosystem function of helping to filter the waterways whilst removing carbon from the ocean. Oysters in particular are among the most efficient in sequestration, absorbing carbon as its shell grows. They are also ‘benign’ in that they don’t require feeding but absorb nutrients from their environment, whilst creating a life-forming sanctuary for other forms of marine life. Whilst the predominant oyster farmed globally is the Pacific species, our local rock oyster is not only unique but genuinely special. Growing exclusively along a 1,500 kilometre stretch of the intertidal coastline from Moreton Bay in south east Queensland to the Malacoota inlet on the New South Wales-Victorian border (and in a smaller quantity in a new oyster growing region in Albany, Western Australia); the rock oyster is as much a native ingredient as a bunya nut or lemon myrtle leaf. Like all of their cousins, rock oyster are filter feeders; they open their shells so water flows through, and they use gills to catch what’s edible. They’re crap eaters, basically. The essence of oyster farming is giving your crop maximum access to water and the crap therein, while containing them so they don’t drift away or get eaten by predators. Rare is the culture that doesn’t love oysters. They are everywhere. But they’re also decidedly somewhere: within its singular

shell; each oyster carries its provenance like a fingerprint. Knocking one back is like mainlining the water it came from. Biologists have documented some 400 species of oysters worldwide. But even within the same species no two will have the exact same flavour, depending on water temperature, salinity levels, tidal patterns, mating cycles, the plankton they eat, and the mineral content of their habitat. The variables can be infinitesimal: a Merimbula rock oyster harvested at one metre deep and a kilometer up the river from its mouth may taste wholly unlike one found at two metres and three kilometres from the mouth. The thrill of oyster eating is picking up on nuances of texture and taste from one estuary, lake, river or creek, to the next. Like wine, oysters exhibit a discernible terroir. Indeed, the term maroir (or “of the marine environment”) is totally appropriate. Similarly, the vocabulary of oyster flavours overlaps with that of wine: terms like ‘crisp’, ‘buttery’, and ‘flinty’ are common, as are comparisons to cucumber, melon, and green apple. Some particularly vivid descriptions are not only appropriate but work well in describing oysters, noting a ‘buttered popcorn’ finish in the Pambula rocks from the Clyde River, traces of ‘mushroom’ in the Greenwell Point, ‘raw sweet pea’ in Wallis Lake’s, even ‘hints of Brie’ in the nearby Karuah’s. The concept of ‘freshly shucked’ has, thank God, become de rigueur at any restaurant aspiring to serve a premium oyster. Excuses that the chefs are too busy making powders, foams and froths, no longer wash – especially when dealing with a luxury food such as an oyster. Oysters shucked far in advance develop a flat, almost muddy sensation and poorly reflect the maroir or quality of the oyster.

PRODUCE

Rare is the culture that doesn’t love oysters. They are everywhere. But they’re also decidedly somewhere within its singular shell; each oyster carries its provenance like a fingerprint. Knocking one back is like mainlining the water it came from. It is care in selection, storage and opening that matters most in presenting a perfect oyster. As the restaurant market moves from serving the ubiquitous dozen Kilpatrick or Mornay, to offering oysters by the each, often with a selection from different water ways, consumers are responding with a level of interest which is unprecedented, loving the opportunity to compare the nuances of microregions and grower husbandry. Concurrent to this uplift in appreciation in restaurants, there has been a revolution among the oyster farming community, with a new generation of young, professional farmers taking on the old leases, improving the technology and husbandry techniques, and producing arguably some of the best oysters in the world. Businesses like Australia’s Oyster Coast, a collaborative of some 40 growers with a single quality assurance programme run by oyster

maestro Mark Allsopp, are setting a new agenda. “To us, the opportunity is to create a definable quality standard that guarantees the consumer a consistent level of excellence. In France they refer to this process as an Appellation,” says Allsopp of the programme they have developed. “In many regards, we are like the French wine négociant, working closely with both the grower and the market to ensure the right oysters go to the right consumer.” The Royal Agricultural Society’s Aquaculture competition must also take some claim to assisting in raising the quality bar in rock oyster production with their annual programme regarded by the rock oyster farmers, the trade and the market as the high water mark of excellence. Indeed, oyster whisperer Gary Rodley of Nelsons Lagoon has become a legend in agribusiness on the back of his multiple awards at the Sydney Royal Show. Rock oysters are having a renaissance of appreciation, or perhaps it is an awakening of awareness, of just how special and unique they are. For this is a shellfish that reflects the regional, seasonal and grower differences and can be found nowhere else in the world.

TOOL TALK

ERVI ODS CE FO S I N C E 2 0 0 8

TOOL T A L K C

O M P A R I S

UNDER THE CONSTANT PUMP THE HUMBLE DISHWASHER, A VITAL BUT EASILY OVERLOOKED ELEMENT IN THE OVERALL OPERATION OF THE COMMERCIAL KITCHEN. ANITA CONNORS CONSIDERS WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR.

TOOL TALK

ashing up, perhaps not the most enjoyable part of cooking, it is however a simple and necessary fact of life. Critical is it to ensure clean, hygienic cookware and servingware, happy customers, and the ability to meet council approval, all reasons enough to have the right warewashing equipment in your kitchen. Indeed, a quality commercial dishwasher should make your life easier, but where to begin? The choices are immense. To help take away the stress of selecting a new unit, we’ve compiled a brief guide to choosing and maintaining an appliance.

WASH-N-WARE Shane Smith, national warewashing manager at Stoddart, knows a thing or two about the importance of having a good dishwashing equipment in the commercial kitchen. He says that it is key to start with having “a sufficient drop off and sorting area, and a sufficient area to clean product, unload, manage and store. This is the first requirement for any machine. Too often we see machines put into an application with no prior thought of this.” From here it is then possible to consider the right appliance, or appliances, for your business. And in this regard, the next questions to ask yourself might include

TOOL TALK

“Make sure that the unit used is correct for its intended application. An enormous amount of money can be saved year in and out by this simple decision. Use the right product for the right job. Don’t base the decision on up front costs.”

ELECTROLUX GREEN&CLEAN Category: Rack-type dishwasher Special feature: Requires only 1 glass of water per rack of dishes Dimensions: 895 x 1830/2020/2100 mm

ELECTROLUX EHT8TIELG Category: Hood-type dishwasher Power: 9.9kW 3 phase Special feature: Requires only 2 L of water per cycle Dimensions: 667 x 755 x 2275 mm

ELECTROLUX NUC1GMS Category: Undercounter dishwasher Power: 3.65kW 15 Amp Minimum rinse temperature: 82°C Dimensions: 600 x 610 x 820 mm

ELECTROLUX NHT8LGUK Category: Hood-type dishwasher Power: 9.9kW 3 phase Special feature: Requires only 2 L of water per cycle Dimensions: 745mm x 755mm x 1550 mm

what is your budget, the warranty offered, the size of your business and kitchen, the number of dishes you will need to wash on a daily basis, whether pots and pans will need to go in the dishwasher, and whether more delicate utensils like glassware. Other things to consider are the types of warewasher, such as undercounter dishwashers, hood-pass-through dishwashers, rack conveyors and glasswasher. Smith agrees. He says in regards to whichever make and model you choose, “make sure that the unit used is correct for its intended application. An enormous amount of money can be saved year in and out by this simple decision. Use the right product for the right job. Don’t base the decision on up front costs.” TECH AHEAD Warewashing equipment has made leaps and bounds in recent years regarding technology. Research will help determine what the different brands are offering and whether particular features are needed for your business. Smith believes that it is vital to have a unit that delivers “uniform, consistent and exceptional wash results”, but there are other factors to consider, like the impact on the environment. He says, “Our most exciting development at the moment goes into production this week for launch globally at the end of the year. It is the brand new, green and clean rack-type dishwasher. It has the ability to was up to 300 baskets an hour, as little as a single 400 millilitre glass of water to clean and sanitise an entire basket of dirty dishes. This is unheard of. 63 per cent less water, 34 per cent less energy, and 62 per cent less detergent and rinse aid than competitor models, the new dishwasher is capable of delivering savings in the thousands per year.” PEAK PERFORMANCE Having chosen your new dishwasher, to ensure that the unit continues to operate at an optimum level, it is vital that it undergoes regular descaling as well as routine maintenance. Smith also suggests scheduling regular refreshment training. He says, “Don’t just assume your staff understand all dishwashing requirements.” Similarly, he advises refreshment training for the manager and owner of the establishment. CLEAN UP And what’s next in dishwashing equipment? For Smith, it is about the “continual reduction of energy used, water usage and detergent usage. There is always improvement possible and available through continued research and development.”

Green & Clean Dishwashers

GREEN Less water, energy, detergent and rinse aid consumption for lower running costs and less impact on the environment. CLEAN Best-in-class washing and rinsing performance with total detergent removal.

SILENT Best-in-class for low noise level thanks to the double skin insulated wall. SAFE Unique WASHâ&#x20AC;˘SAFE CONTROL device for a constant nominal rinsing temperature of 84Â°C.

RECIPE

main MICHAEL COLE’S GRILLED LAMB AND KIDNEYS WITH GLAZED TURNIPS, YOGHURT, TURNIP LEAF PURÉE, PEA POWDER AND JUS Serves 4

VEGETABLES 8 baby turnips 2 zucchini blossoms 2 thyme sprigs 30 g cultured butter 100 ml lamb stock 2 raddichio leaves ½ tsp salt flakes

YOGHURT 1 bunch of turnip leaves 100 g Greek yoghurt 50 ml olive oil ½ tsp salt

JUS 1 l brown lamb stock 10 g redcurrant jelly 10 g freeze dried peas

LAMB 4 lamb cutlets 2 kidneys 1 tsp salt flakes 1 tbsp grapeseed oil

RECIPE

M E T H O D French the lamb cutlets and remove any fat and membrane. Cut the kidneys in half, horizontally, and carefully remove the centre sinew with a knife. Once the meat has been cleaned and is ready for cooking, place on a tray and season with salt and oil. On a very hot char grill, place the cutlets and kidneys and allow to grill for 1.5 minutes on each side before setting aside to rest. Prepare the vegetables by giving them a good scrub and trimming the ends. Warm the butter in a large frying pan, and as it starts to foam add the hot stock and then the vegetables. Cook until the vegetables are just soft, and keep moving in the stock. Reduce the stock until it becomes thick and glossy, check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Blanch the turnip leaves in salted boiling water for 3 seconds, then strain off any excess water. Immediately add the leaves to the yoghurt and olive oil, and purée until smooth. Check seasoning and set aside for plate up. Reduce the 1 litre of lamb stock and currant jelly slowly until it becomes a thick glaze. Blitz the dried peas in a blender or crush with a mortar and pestle. This will give you a vibrant green pea powder to garnish. To plate up, place a generous amount of the yoghurt in the center of the plate then sit a grilled lamb cutlet and slices of the kidney on top. Add the glazed vegetables around the cutlet and sprinkle with pea powder. Drizzle the plate with the lamb reduction and serve hot.

Michael Cole is the head chef of the Mornington Peninsula’s Georgie Bass Café. Cole won the 2017 Chef of the Year competition at Foodservice Australia with the above recipe. He also won this year’s Bocuse d’Or Australian selection and will represent the country at the 2018 Asia Pacific competition.

RECIPE

dessert CARLOS ASTUDILLOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH STRAWBERRY PAPER AND ORANGE COMPOTE Serves 6

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE 2 avocados, ripe 200 g bitter sweet chocolate buttons (62 % cocoa) 300 ml coconut milk 120 ml maple syrup 60 g cocoa powder Pinch sea salt

STRAWBERRY PAPER 100 g fresh strawberries 100 ml water 3 tbsp caster sugar 4 tbsp cornflour paste

ORANGE COMPOTE 2 oranges 100 g caster sugar 50 ml water 80 ml orange juice

RECIPE

M E T H O D Make the strawberry paper a day ahead of time. If using the oven, preheat to 57ºC. Remove the leaves of the strawberries and cut them in half. Transfer the strawberries to a saucepan on a low heat, and add the water and sugar. Stir and slowly bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and purée until smooth. Pour through a sieve, discard any seeds and return the mixture to the pan. Add the cornflour and mix well before bringing to the boil. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper and pour the syrup over the paper. Flatten out the syrup evenly and as thin as possible. Bake in the oven overnight, or alternatively use a dehydrator. It should be crisp. To make the mousse, begin by melting the chocolate either on the stove or in the microwave. Set aside in a warm place until required. Halve the avocados and remove the seeds. Spoon the avocado into a food processor and purée till smooth. Sift in the cocoa powder and blend until combined. Add the melted

chocolate, coconut milk, maple syrup and a pinch of salt and blitz until smooth. Divide the mixture between 6 glasses and refrigerate till required. To make the orange compote, peel the skin of 1 of the oranges. Using a knife, remove any leftover pith. Then thinly slice the peel and set aside with the orange juice. Similarly, peel the remaining the orange, remove the pith and separate the fruit into segments. Heat a small saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the sugar and water to the pan, stir and bring to the boil. Cook until the sugar syrup until it turns golden in colour. Add the orange juice and sliced peel, and simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then add the segments to the syrup and refrigerate till cold. To assemble, spoon a little orange compote over the chocolate mousse. Dice some fresh strawberry and orange and sprinkle on the top. Garnish with some strawberry paper and serve immediately.

Carlos Astudillo is the chef de cuisine at Adelaide Hills’ Bird in Hand Winery.