Issue Twenty Five BRISBANE

Editor’s Letter

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Editor’s
Letter

 
 

Issue 25 takes us to the Sunshine State, and more specifically, to the booming beauty that is Brisbane.

 
 

Australia’s third largest city has long held a reputation as a big country town – and whilst that sentiment still rings true in the friendliness of its people and its iconic weatherboard houses, when it comes to food, Brisbane is beating down the door of its southern sisters.
 
In Pat’s Picks, Pat Nourse chats with Ben Williamson – partner and executive chef of Brisbane hospitality group Anyday. Williamson is a driving force behind Brisbane’s culinary coming-of-age, with six successful venues under his watch, including the acclaimed Agnes – the 2023 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year; only the second Queensland venue to ever take the title.
 
In Best Practice, Mark Best takes the humble hamburger to new heights with his grass-fed, mature-aged wagyu brisket burger, sourced from Queensland wagyu producers and served at the Lobby Bar of the covetable Calile Hotel in Fortitude Valley. Burgers continue to be big business in the Australian foodservice market, raking in $8.2 billion in revenue last year and are predicted to continue growth in the coming years.
 
For What’s Good in the Hood, Myffy Rigby discovers the parallels of Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley – once renowned for clubbing and late-night shenanigans (and still very much so), the suburb has emerged also as a destination for some of the country’s best dining, upmarket boutique shopping, and bustling bars. It’s here Myffy finds her “steak of the year” at a brand-new venue and plenty of delicious dining to keep you fuelled for a night in the Valley.
 
Hot Plates, our spotlight on the coolest dishes around the country, shines a light on two Newfarm venues. Brand new Bosco is an all woodfired wonder and the custom-made kitchen is turning out some fabulous food including a stunning steak for our Hot Plate. Over at Allonda, it’s the artistically plated lamb rump, so colourful and eye catching that it is almost too pretty to eat, that takes out our lamb Hot Plate.
 
In Tasty Meats we head to Howard Smith Wharves for a tutorial on the crowd favourite lamb shoulder at Greca – did you even eat at Greca if you didn’t order the lamb shoulder?! We think not. Next up its Paddington where a cozy neighbourhood Italian restaurant is churning out some of the best pizza in town – to be precise, it’s actually some of the best pizza in the world. In 2023, chef Stefano Spataro attended the World Pizza Championships in Parma, Italy where he competed against 450 of the world’s best pizza makers, finishing number 97 in the world and number 1 in Australia.
 
And finally, our second iteration of Red Meat Eats is here for all your red meat inspiration needs. A visual feast giving you an insight into the hottest and coolest red meat dishes trending on menus around the country.
 
 

Mary-Jane Morse
 
Meat & Livestock Australia
[email protected]
@_raremedium

 

Copyright: this publication is published by Meat & Livestock Australia Limited ABN 39 081 678 364 (MLA).

Pat’s Picks

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Chef Ben Williamson at Agnes

Chef Ben Williamson at Agnes

Ben Williamson doesn’t mind a curve ball. That could be in the big picture or right in the details. He’s executive chef across the six venues of Anyday, the Brisbane hospitality group of which he’s also a partner, which makes him arguably the biggest name in Australia’s third-largest city.

 
 
But his path here was not exactly the usual. Bahrain was a key twist in the plot. Williamson had cooked his way out of his hometown of Perth and onto the eastern seaboard, but when he left Australia, it wasn’t for Europe or Asia or the Americas, but the Middle East. He took a job with Gulf Air and spent a few years based in Bahrain. Landing back in Australia, he worked at top-shelf Brisbane venues Enoteca 1889 and Urbane before heading a kitchen of his own.
 
Gerard’s Bistro, which opened in 2012, was an instant hit, and it was the flavours of the Middle East and North Africa, as interpreted by Williamson, that gave it its sparkle – lamb shoulder with pickled chillies and garlic yoghurt presented on a big round of crisp flatbread, for example, or poached hapuka with caramelised tahini and crunchy sea succulents. Ben Williamson made his name in Australia cooking Middle Eastern food, and then… stopped. Mostly. Sort of.

The open kitchen at Agnes gives diners a front row seat to fire cooking

The open kitchen at Agnes gives diners a front row seat to fire cooking

“After seven years cooking Middle Eastern, I needed a change of pace,” he said. Agnes was the result. While it might sound a bit like it’s part of the trend and tradition of naming restaurants for people’s mums and nannas, in this case it’s the name of the street.
 
It’s a low-key little stretch of Fortitude Valley that’s a mix of 19th century terraces and light industrial, and that history gives the brick warehouse its design cues. Words like “broody” and “dark” come up a lot in the reviews, an effect produced in part by the exposed brick, render and girders, steel detailing and raw concrete, all picked out with quietly careful lighting and a (very) restrained colour palette. One review referred to the “feudal firepit spirit” of the room and its Game of Thrones vibe, “albeit with less slaughter and more great wine”.

Westholme T-bones take their turn on the wood-fired grill

Westholme T-bones take their turn on the wood-fired grill

Fire brings the drama. There’s no electricity used for cooking in the Agnes kitchen, and no gas. Everything that is cooked is cooked on the grill, the hearth and in the wood-fired oven, all in full view of diners. And the diners love it. Williamson led Agnes to take out the national Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year in August 2023. No small feat when you consider the only other time a Queensland restaurant took out that particular gong was 26 years ago.
 
Making the choice to jump into working with fire was the right move, Williamson reckons. “There’s a clear style for the customer to grasp easily, concept-wise, but it doesn’t limit the ingredients you can work with or the dishes.” In practical terms, that means you might not just find XO sauce and ’nduja on the same menu, but even on the same plate. There’s mackerel soy with the yellowfin tuna, while the bread-and-butter cabbage is complemented by burnt corn oil and whipped ricotta. “Basically, if it makes sense to cook it with fire, then it’s for us, he says, “just as long as it makes sense in the context of the rest of the menu.”

Beef tartare meets beef-fat toast

Beef tartare meets beef-fat toast

One day the beef tartare is laced with the tang of soured cream and anchovy, all laid over beef-fat toast, another day that same beef and sour-cream combo might be offset by hazelnuts, sweet peppers and arabushi – shavings of smoked skipjack tuna. Wagyu from local label Westholme shows up sometimes as a T-bone, simply grilled and served with house mustard and confit garlic, or the flap plated up with sourdough hollandaise, roasted onions.
 
And though it’s not a Middle Eastern restaurant by any stretch, once those skills and flavours are things you’ve got a feeling for, why wouldn’t you put them to use? So, you’ll also find things at Agnes like smoked potato flatbread offered with ricotta, burnt onions and isot, one of the lesser-seen Turkish chilli peppers. It might not be precisely from one Middle Eastern culture or another, meanwhile, but you can see echoes of the region in the duck Williamson roasts, first coating it with a glaze of orange and honey and then serving it on a bed of prunes and smoked onions.

Lamb ribs from the Agnes smoker – a menu main stay from day one

Lamb ribs from the Agnes smoker – a menu main stay from day one

Prod Williamson for a favourite, and he’s reluctant to name just one, but some regulars come up. “We’ve been producing ribs of lamb from the smoker since day one in different iterations – originally a rib served on the bone with a take on a Vietnamese caramel-fish sauce dressing with mountain pepper and spicy herbs through to ribs off the bone with a hot vinaigrette made of the bones, sherry vinegar, olive brine, green peppercorns, dried orange skins and star anise. Whenever we take it off it’s put back on by demand.”
 
Even when it’s not explicitly mentioned on the menu, the Middle East remains a key inspiration, not least when it comes to cooking meat. “Nobody cooks lamb like Arab cooks, for me,” Williamson says. “The whole goats and lambs rendered to pull apart, juicy and pure, propped up on massive trays of saffron and almond basmati for the Iftar banquets at the end of Ramadan for Eid al-Fitr from my time in Bahrain is one of my fondest memories and I’ve tried nothing like it since. But there’s also the simplicity of a lamb cutlet, brined in onion juice and simply coal-grilled with garlic, sumac and lemon – that’s something I miss dearly.”

Lamb sweetbreads, tonnato sauce, pickled cucumbers, peppers and curry leaves

Lamb sweetbreads, tonnato sauce, pickled cucumbers, peppers and curry leaves

Then there’s the lamb sweetbreads. Shish taouk was the original inspiration here, but rather than chicken, we’re looking at lamb, and in place of fillet we’re talking the tastiest of the glands. “I like lamb sweetbreads even better than veal,” Williamson says.
 
He marinates them in onion brine spiked with fenugreek leaves and turmeric. They’re skewered, then cooked over the coals, slathered with toum and lemon juice. To serve, Williamson lays them over a tonnato sauce, then piles on salty-sharp pickled cucumbers, peppers and curry leaves. Not something you’ll see in downtown Bahrain or Beirut, but no less delicious for it. “It’s a cultural mash-up that works brilliantly for us.”

 
 

Best Practice

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Clam Bar’s $35 cheese & bacon burger

Clam Bar’s $35 cheese & bacon burger

BURGERS

 
 

In the dynamic landscape of the Australian beef industry the humble hamburger occupies a significant position both culturally and economically.
 
According to IBISWorld Research, annual burger revenue has grown to $8.9 billion, and is expected to continue expanding over the next few years.

 
 
The hamburger market in Australia encompasses all levels and categories of foodservice – from a drive through fast-food staple, to cult US burger giant Five Guys (that sold 1,000 burgers a day in their opening week), and as best sellers on some of the finest tables in our dining scene.
 
The burger at Clam Bar, which burst onto the scene in Sydney’s CBD in 2023, has already made waves in part due to its hefty 250gm grass-fed patty and the accompanying $35 price tag. Meanwhile, in 2022 McDonalds Australia purchased 38 million kilograms of Australian beef for their 100% Aussie beef burgers.

Industry stalwart Neil Perry, who established some of the best restaurant beef programs in the country, has long championed the burger as a vehicle to showcase the quality and diversity of some of Australia’s best beef producers. Perry’s ambition to “make one of the world’s best burgers” was given a hefty head start using prime dry-aged trim from the David Blackmore herd.
 
“We were going through four Blackmore carcases a month (at Rockpool Bar & Grill) through primal grill cuts, secondary braises and the dry-aged trim for the burgers. Our customers were drawn to quality, and we were selling 300-350 burgers a week,” Perry said.
 
Burger patties have primarily utilised commodity ground beef, however there is growing interest from chefs and consumers in understanding more intricately the source of what they are cooking and eating.
 
For producers, it represents an opportunity to tap into a market that values quality and provenance at an affordable price point. It’s a finely tuned balancing act to meet consumer expectations of quality, sustainability and price – and one that Australian beef producers are striving to achieve through innovation, adaption and adoption.
 
The demand for high-quality, sustainably sourced beef burgers is not just a passing trend but a reflection of changing consumer preferences and a deeper appreciation for the provenance of food.

Raph Rashid’s burger at Juanita Peaches ticks all the burger boxes

Raph Rashid’s burger at Juanita Peaches ticks all the burger boxes

In a previous issue of Rare Medium, I discussed how enterprises like Coppertree Farms, Txuleta 1882, Vintage Beef, and Camden Valley farm are tapping into the century’s old northern European tradition of utilising working animals for the table. While chefs and consumers are exploring and appreciating the deep flavour of mature aged prime cuts, the ground chuck and brisket from these animals have also found fans in the burger market.
 
It’s an opportunity being explored by Australian beef producers with the potential of receiving a premium for quality cull cows that meet a certain level of eating quality standards – it is also a respectful second act for the herd in the eyes of the consumer.
 
Paradigm Food launched its Roam brand in 2020, working closely with a group of mostly Queensland purebred and full blood wagyu producers to ‘value-add’ their breeding cows culled on age.
 
Most of the wagyu cows entering the program are at least 6-8 years of age, with some as mature as 15 years – they are extensively grass-fed in natural outdoor environments with the opportunity to mature more slowly.

“Some of the marbling we have seen direct from cows off grass is incredible – which goes to show that maturity and genetics is obviously a clear driver of marbling,” said Paradigm General Manager Nick Thompson.

Underpinning Roam’s grass-fed, mature-aged wagyu program is its grading under the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) eating quality grading system. The program follows strict MSA protocols to ensure eating quality with a focus on best practice animal welfare, handling, and transport.
 
The natural 80/20 lean/fat composition of the Roam Wagyu Brisket is my choice for the burger at The Calile’s Lobby Bar. Coarsely minced through a 12mm plate it makes the perfect, deep flavoured patty and has proved to be a customer favourite since hitting the menu – ticking all the boxes of quality, story, taste, and price point.

GRASS FED WAGYU BURGER

Serves 4

Ingredients

 
1kg Grass Fed Wagyu Brisket trimmed
4 x 12cm burger buns, seasoned with cumin and salt
200gm sliced provolone piccante
2 large beetroots
2 large brown onions
2 sprigs thyme
3tsp Murray River Salt
2tsp freshly ground black pepper
50g salted butter
50ml sherry vinegar
50ml balsamic vinegar
50ml olive oil
100gm BBQ sauce
 

Method

 
Mince the wagyu brisket using a 12mm plate then massage the mince until the protein becomes sticky and cohesive. Shape into 4 patties, 12cm in diameter. Refrigerate until set.
 
Wrap the beetroots individually in baking paper and roast in a 180c oven until tender – around 60-90 minutes depending on size and time of year. Allow to cool a little then slip off the skins. Cut into 5mm slices and dress with the sherry vinegar.
 
Finely dice the onions and cook until well coloured with the thyme and butter. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. When softened and unctuous add the balsamic and reduce to a glaze. Add the BBQ sauce and mix well. Allow to cool and reserve.
 
Heat your grill well and brush the burgers on both sides with olive oil. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Grill to your liking but allow for a good, tasty char if you want it rare.
 
While on the grill add the cheese and allow to melt – cover with a cloche to facilitate the melting and a good smoke.
 
Cut the buns in half and brush with melted butter, grill until toasted. Add a good spoon of the onion sauce to the base of each and then slices of beetroot. Add the patties and the lids.
 
Serve with fries and a large Polish dilled gherkin.

What’s Good in the Hood

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FORTITUDE VALLEY

 

Club town, brunch town, dinner town, cocktail town, shopping town. Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley brings the noise.

 
 
Once upon a time, the Valley was an area best known for its large capacity club scene and accompanying 3am kebabs.
 
That legacy still holds strong, but there’s another side to the suburb that’s exploding with fantastic hospitality, both brand new and much-loved. The beauty of the place is its opposing forces. You can shop in beautiful boutiques, drink well, eat well, and dance yourself silly till the sun comes up. What a town.
 
From fancy sausage rolls and steak sandwiches to beef tendon crisps and the best steak of 2023, here’s What’s Good in the Valley Hood.

Our host Myffy Rigby, ready to take on the Valley

Our host Myffy Rigby, ready to take on the Valley

AGNES WOODFIRED BAKERY

 
85 James St, Fortitude Valley
anyday.com.au
 
From the team that brought you the dark, moody hearth restaurant that has completely intoxicated Brisbane groovers, comes the Agnes Bakery. Unlike the mothership restaurant, opened by Tyron Simon, Bianca Marchi, Ben Williamson and Frank Li, this little bakery is all bright and airy, built into an older style, heritage listed weatherboard house.
 
It’s here that you’ll try the lamb, harissa and smoked labneh sausage roll – an artwork of flaky pastry, a juicy, rich and slightly spicy lamb mince interior, garnished with swirls of whipped labneh, dotted with harissa and finished with a sprinkling of rose petals. Stunner.

ESTABLISHMENT 203

 
6 Marshall St, Fortitude Valley
establishment203.com
 
In partnership with Stanbroke, one of Australia’s largest beef producers, Establishment 203 offers farm to table/paddock to plate in the purest sense of the word. Chef Ben O’Donahue is behind the menu here. The much-loved Brissie chef only opened the doors to the venue in early December, but he’s come out swinging.
 
O’Donahue delivers the likes of a bone-in, rib fillet cotoletta (yowza), not to mention complimentary beef tendon puffs to start – perfect with a Manhattan, if you swing that way. Also, and without burying the lead here, my steak of the year. And I’ve eaten a lot of steaks. Wagyu sirloin – bone in – is perfectly charred, with a burnished salty crust and a blushing interior. On the side, crunchy skin-on fries, and a perfectly dressed butter lettuce salad. A completely delicious time from go to whoa.

sAme sAme

 
Shop AM3 Ada Lane, 46 James St, Fortitude Valley
anyday.com.au
 
One of the best – possibly the best – fine dining Thai offerings in the city, run by ex-Longrain chef Arté Assavakavinvong. Here in a low-lit poured concrete bunker surrounded by lush ferns, you’ll find the likes of a fish sauce-marinated and chargrilled short rib, served with a tangle of Thai herbs and pickled sweet potato vine, and a punchy Thai beef salad, with a sweet and sour dressing of smashed lemongrass, chilli and lime and a salad packed with herbs.
 
We’ll be back for the nahm dtok – wagyu rump cap, with tamarind dressing and roasted rice. The sort of place to order generously and sweat profusely, in the best possible way.

GERARD’S BISTRO & BAR

 
14/15 James St, Fortitude Valley
gerards.com.au
 
A mainstay of the blue-chip James Street precinct now boasting an impressive new fit out, Gerard’s restaurant is a love letter to Levantine cuisine (check out that Westholme wagyu rump cap with Tarhana sauce, black garlic biber salcasi, soft herbs and fresh peppercorns).
 
Just across the way, Gerard’s bar, offers more in the way of fun dining classics such as the wagyu cheeseburger on a soft potato roll with a Zuni pickle (named for the version on the burger at a much-loved San Franciscan restaurant, they’re cold brined zucchini slices and possibly the most delicious pickle on sliced bread). Order yours with a cold beer and relax into the evening.

ESSA

 
181 Robertson St, Fortitude Valley
essa.restaurant
 
Brought to you by Phil Marchant (one of the chefs that first blew Brisbane’s mind with experimental fun diner Gauge), Essa is just the moody, dark, fine diner the city deserves. Pity the chefs working in front of the open flame that fuels much of the menu during the warmer months, though reap the rewards as a diner on the other side of the pass. That might mean crumpets warmed over the woodfire topped with beef tartare, or an all-out baller order of kojii-marinated wagyu tri tip steak, all funky, sweet and delicious served with black garlic mustard.
 
Commit to the whole tasting menu in the main dining room or hang out next door at the Nixon Room for a cocktail. If there was ever an argument to bring back Midori, The Nixon Cool Down is it: tequila, cucumber, Midori and citrus, served tall and refreshing.

THE LOBBY BAR AT THE CALILE

 
48 James St, Fortitude Valley
lobbybar.com.au
 
Ever wanted to eat an Aussie style burger made by one of Australia’s great chefs? Now is your chance. Chef Mark Best is at the helm of the food program at the Valley’s most covetable hotel, The Calile. And the best bit? You can eat without staying here.
 
Head straight to the lobby bar, and order classics such as a minute steak frites smothered in cafe de Paris butter, and an old school Aussie brisket burger complete with generous slices of salt-baked beetroot in the middle and a whole pickle on the side. And chips. Obviously.

HONTO

 
Alden St, Fortitude Valley
anyday.com.au
 
One of Brisbane’s first flash Japanese restaurants down one of the least memorable side streets in the Valley. That, of course, is a big part of its charm. That, and the almost comically low lighting which adds to the allure. The whole offering has that whole heightened sensory thing going for it, from the ice-cold drinks in the sleek bar to the excellent food. The menu is currently being executed by chef Tom Jack, last seen working at Adelaide hotspot, Shobosho.
 
The rib cap sanga is the one to bet on here. Somewhere between a Japanese sando and an Aussie sausage sanga, that little steak snack is served on a piece of fluffy white bread accompanied by squiggles of Bulldog sauce and Kewpie mayo. Total umami bomb.

Hot Plates

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Black Angus striploin on the bone with herbs d’Provence butter & frites at Bosco

Black Angus striploin on the bone with herbs d’Provence butter & frites at Bosco

Shiny new to the Newstead restaurant scene, Bosco opened in October 2023 in a converted warehouse on Austin Street. From the team behind Bar Alto, the venue offers high ceilings, black brick walls and blackwood benches and tables – the dark interiors brought spectacularly to life by an open hearth with a custom made parrilla grill and open-fire oven.

 
 
Executive chef Sajith Vengateri has spent 30 years cooking in kitchens around the world including time in the Carribean and, more recently, a 15-year stint at Bar Alto.
 
“Bosco is loosely based on the foods of the coastal regions of France, Spain and Italy – showcasing the best local Queensland produce and cooking it simply over wood and charcoal. Our dry-aged black angus striploin on the bone is cooked over the parrilla on wood sourced from Stanthorpe,” Sajith said.
 
The blushing medium rare steak is sliced off the bone then topped with herb d’Provence butter made in house with a whack of herbs and other secret ingredients. A burning hot Bosco branding iron is pulled from the fire and used to melt the butter – smoke curls up into the rafters carrying with it the succulent scent of melted butter and herbs.
 
Served with ribbon-thin hand cut chips and a house-made veal jus, the dish is the epitome of simplicity done to perfection.

 

Lamb rump with smoked harissa yoghurt, herb oil & jus at Allonda

Lamb rump with smoked harissa yoghurt, herb oil & jus at Allonda

Open near on 18 months, Allonda is the sister-restaurant to NOTA Restaurant and Wine Bar located across the city in Paddington. Tucked away in a laneway space, the venue seats 90 and offers diners a European-inspired menu including a burrata bar.

 
 
Chef Sam Todd started his cooking apprenticeship at 15 and has cooked around Europe and Brisbane, finding himself now heading up the kitchen at Allonda.
 
“Allonda is focused on good service and good food offering small plates, pastas and large format mains – it’s casual with a bit of flair. The meaning of the word allonda is when you achieve the perfect balance of stock, butter, and cheese in a risotto – so there is a theme of balance in all we do.”
 
Margra lamb rump comes in whole to the venue and is cut down to spec, brined in a saltwater solution overnight, and then gently sous vide. The rump portions are then finished on the chargrill for service and served like a spectacularly colourful work of art with smoked harissa yoghurt, herb oil and jus.

 
 

Tasty Meats

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BRESAOLA PIZZA

 

ELEMENTI | PADDINGTON

Three friends were sitting in a bar and decided that they were going to open a restaurant. Enter Elementi, a neighbourhood Italian restaurant in Paddington.

 
 
Open for three years, the venue is built around a beautiful wood-fired oven and designed to feel like you are at a friend’s house. With 70 percent of their customers showing up as regulars, they’re obviously getting it right.
 
“We are an Italian restaurant that serves what Italian’s eat. Our customers like the food and the familiarity that we offer – we know their names and what they like. Our menu changes every three months, but we have weekly specials – a pasta special, a pizza special, a main special – we aim to create trust with our customers and to give them something new every time.”
 
In 2023, chef Stefano Spataro attended the Pizza World Championships in Parma, Italy. He competed against 450 of the world’s best pizza makers finishing 97th – and the number one spot in Australia. Accordingly, the pizza at Elementi is exceptionally good.
 
“Everything I am doing here is based around fresh ingredients and using produce as local as possible. We try and make and process as much as possible in house. Nothing comes out of a tin. My natural sourdough starter I have been feeding for six years, and the lady who gave it to me had been feeding it for five years prior – he even has a name, Tutti Frutti.”
 
This simple and classic Italian pizza is built on a sourdough base with fresh mozzarella, fior di latte, taleggio and a sprinkle of parmesan. It hits the blistering hot oven, fueled by Queensland sourced red iron bark, then topped with paper thin slices of fresh bresaola, broadleaf rocket, toasted hazelnuts, and balsamic vinegar from Modena.
 
The base is Tipo 00 flour sourdough base, fresh mozzarella, fior di latte, taleggio cheese, sprinkle of parmesan – into the oven – then topped with fresh bresaola, broadleaf rocket, toasted hazelnut and balsamic vinegar from Modena.

OVEN BAKED LAMB SHOULDER

 

GRECA | HOWARD SMITH WHARVES

Taking pride of place on the bustling Howard Smith Wharves precinct, Greca has cemented itself as one of Brisbane’s best loved restaurants and is constantly heaving with hungry diners keen to explore its modern Greek menu.

 
 
Greca is the sister restaurant to the Apollo in Sydney, part of chef and restauranteur Jonathan Barthelmess suite of venues in the Apollo Group. Group Development Chef Oscar Solomon has eight years under his belt with the group, having started his apprenticeship at the Apollo, and now splits his time between Sydney and Brisbane.
 
For Solomon, lamb shoulder is the dish that people want to eat when they head to a Greek restaurant – and with rave reviews in both Sydney and Brisbane, the Apollo or Greca are certainly the place to experience it.
 
Square cut lamb shoulder is rubbed with a house-made spice rub then placed in a tray with tomatoes, dried spices, bay leaf, thyme and cinnamon. Chicken stock and lemon juice are added then it is covered and cooked for 12 hours on very low heat. The next day, the lamb is removed, and the liquid strained off and turned into a lamb reduction. To serve, the shoulder is re-roasted for crispy skin and served with a big dollop of greek yoghurt tzatziki, lemon juice and olive oil.
 
“This lamb shoulder dish exists in two cities, at our sister restaurant the Apollo and here at Greca. I don’t think our restaurants would exist without it – it’s pretty much the cornerstone of the whole restaurant,” Solomon said.

 
 

Red Meat Eats

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Welcome to the second instalment of Red Meat Eats – a visual showcase of what is trending at foodservice venues around the country. Produced twice a year in August and February, Red Meat Eats gives you an insight into the hottest and coolest red meat dishes, from fine dining to fast casual, and all the tasty treats in between.
 

 
 
 
 

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