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Editor’s Letter

Editor’s
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Welcome to Issue 19 where we explore comfort food and its incredible ability to stir up feelings of sentimentality, warmth and happiness. Often associated with emotional stress, comfort food bounced back in a big way during the pandemic where we saw chefs cooking food inspired by their own notions of comfort and designing menus that appealed to their comfort seeking customers.

As we emerge from Covid’s clutches, the good news is, it seems comfort food is here to stay. Be it specific to an individual or a cultural classic; a childhood favourite (hello crumbed lamb cutlets) or a ‘treat yourself’ craving – the transformative power of nostalgia is informing menus across the country.

Pat Nourse catches up with chef Ben Russell at Rothewell’s Bar & Grill – Brisbane’s hottest new destination; an ode to the timelessness of the great bistros of the world and the comforting familiarity of menu classics. Here, it is the revival of the Beef Wellington that has taken diners by the hand and the heart – where the combination of time honoured technique is coupled with quality produce and meticulous preparation. The result is comfort at the highest level.

Mark Best reminisces on the warm feelings evoked on the coldest mornings when his mother served savoury mince on hot buttered toast. Around the world, mince has played a similar role in vastly different settings with dishes that transcend time and place, have a hold in history and are lovingly passed down, reinvented, and given new life. Mark explores memories of mince and the comfort dishes it conjures up for Palisa Anderson, Paul Farag, O’Tama Carey and Enrico Tomelleri.

I spend some cherished time at Baba’s Place where nostalgia drips down the walls and weaves its way into every part of the experience – where a menagerie of memories of growing up in Western Sydney are interpreted and elevated in every bite. Here, Jean-Paul El Tom, along with his mates Alex Kelly and James Bellos, are inviting you to experience their memories of food – while reminiscing on your own cherished experiences of food and family. Baba’s Place radiates warmth and familiarity – where you come to get fed and leave feeling part of something much bigger.

Myffy Rigby experiences the ultimate in Winter comfort with a trip to the balmy 32 degree days on offer in the Top End. What’s Good in Darwin uncovers a burgeoning food scene driven by a melting pot of cultures and hyper local produce. Underpinned by institutions like Jimmy Shu’s Hanuman and accelerated by the palette and passion of former Masterchef contestant Minoli de Silva at her first restaurant Ella – Darwin might just surprise you. If the sun setting into the Timor Sea while you indulge in an array of snacks from the Mindil Beach Sunset Market doesn’t fill you with a sense of happiness – I don’t know what will.

When you take dry aged mince, expertly prepared by Marcus Papadopoulo from Whole Beast Butchery, and put it into the hands of Barzaari’s Darryl Martin and Federico Zanelatto of LuMi, Leo, Ele and Lode – you know you’re going to be rewarded with some mince magic. The boys definitely passed the vibe check on the comfort brief and Cut Two Ways comes alive with Federico’s famed beef pithivier and Darryl’s take on kousa – stuffed Lebanese zucchini.

Finally – is there anyone more deserving of comfort than our loved ones in aged care homes around the country? Estia Health is shaking off the shackles of what we think generally constitutes aged care food with freshly prepared, culturally curated menus that provide residents with comfort and familiarity. Discover an uncompromising level of care for older Australians in this issue’s Big Business section.

Mary-Jane Morse

Meat & Livestock Australia
[email protected]
@_raremedium

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Welcome to Issue 18 where we explore a little slice of luxury – and what a journey it has taken us on.

It has been wonderful to be back on the road and in the sky, crossing state lines and visiting restaurants around the country. Some venues are reporting that diners seem to be making up for lost time with average check size up – they are opting for more premium wines, choosing supplementary options and splashing out on luxury steaks. In fact, Australians spent a record $4.465 billion in cafes, restaurants and takeaway shops for the month of February, an increase of 9.7 per cent on January and up more than $500 million on February 2020, just before the pandemic.

As Pat Nourse puts it – ‘rare is the delicacy that gets the mouth watering in quite the same way as a really good steak’ and I couldn’t agree more. In this issue Pat talks to some of the greats of the steak game – Lennox Hastie, Andrew McConnell, Ross Lusted and Corey Costelloe about what makes a great steak. From the producer to the preparation, the cut to the cooking, the salt to the service – it’s not a one size fits all scenario and we are more than happy to try them all on.

Mark Best pays a visit to the pioneer of luxury beef in Australia David Blackmore who, with his son Ben, produces premium Wagyu for some of the finest restaurants in Australia and around the world. David maintains that his customer is and always has been the person choosing to dine out once a year for a special occasion – a celebration where they forget the diet and forget the budget. It’s all about quality over quantity for the Blackmore family and we learn about their new venture into Rubia Gallega, the Northern Spanish cattle David Blackmore believes will be the best grass-fed beef in the world.

Myffy Rigby makes a run for the Nation’s Capital to discover what’s good – and there’s plenty to be excited about. Established favourites sit firm amongst vibrant newcomers – from fun fine dining and everything over fire; to the simple pleasures of pizzas and jaffles – there’s certainly something for everyone.

I take a trip to Adelaide where the buzz is all around young chef Jake Kellie’s first restaurant Arkhe – and it more than lives up to the hype. Kellie’s resume reads like every young chef’s dream career run and in a leafy suburb in Adelaide he’s making his boldest move yet. Arkhe is Kellie’s dream restaurant come to life – where produce is the winner and playing with fire is the game.

It’s wagyu with a view as we shoot Cut Two Ways from the lofty 55th floor setting of Vue de monde in Melbourne. Executive chef Hugh Allen and Donovan Cooke of Ryne give us their versions of luxury dishes using wagyu brisket.

With flights back in the air, we thought we’d pay a visit to dnata catering – Australia’s largest in flight caterer creating a mind blowing 64 million meals to be served on 250,000 flights a year. Now that is Big Business.

I hope you enjoy the luxury of Australian beef and lamb.

Mary-Jane Morse

Meat & Livestock Australia
[email protected]
@_raremedium

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Editor’s
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Happy New Year – welcome to 2022 and Issue 17!

In this issue, we focus on the wonder that is Australian lamb as the nation patiently awaits the release of the annual Summer Lamb ad. More than just an ad, the Summer Lamb campaign is an integrative marketing campaign that drives consumption of Australian lamb from shopping trolleys to restaurant plates and celebrates Australia’s love of lamb.

Pat Nourse profiles chef Trevor Perkins of the aptly named Hogget Kitchen – hogget being a young adult sheep aged around 15-16 months between lamb and mutton. At Hogget, Trevor takes a nose to tail approach sourcing from a range of Gippsland lamb producers and takes diners on a journey of Gippsland’s finest.

Myffy Rigby heads for the hills for What’s Good in the Hood – the Blue Mountains edition. Just a stone’s throw from Sydney, the Blue Mountains is an incredible destination rich in history and spectacular scenery. It’s also sporting what Myffy thinks is one of NSW’s best new fine dining restaurants and a host of other epic places to eat.

Mark Best looks into the recent CSIRO study that labels Australian lamb as only one of two foods produced in Australia that is climate neutral – a good news story worth telling. He also delves into the world first Australian Sheep Sustainability Framework launched in 2021 and profiles one of Australia’s first organically certified farms – Cherry Tree Downs.

Cut Two Ways takes two chefs from the Seagrass stable, 6HEAD head chef Scott Greve and Meat & Wine Co-head chef Thomas Godfrey, and matches them with a dry-aged chump on lamb leg expertly prepared by Tony Mandaliti of Global Meats.

I profile talented young butcher Lachy Kerr who is progressing forwards by looking backwards and embracing the butchery of yesteryear. Kerr makes the effort to personally visit the farms of each of his suppliers, sourcing from independently owned NSW farms that align with his ethos. Whole carcase butchery that connects the customer with the origin of their purchases – Wollongong is in good hands.

Finally, our Big Business section looks at two hospitality groups leveraging the power of a nationwide summer lamb campaign with lamb menu specials for January.

I hope you enjoy the issue and share the love of Australian lamb on your menus this summer.

Mary-Jane Morse

Meat & Livestock Australia
[email protected]
@_raremedium

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Producing this entire issue from my living room was definitely not what I had in mind when planning our special PUB issue, but here we are!

The Aussie pub is a national pastime, a rite of passage, a place where the community congregates to share good food, good booze and good times. As the country slowly emerges from multiple lockdowns, it is set to be a red hot season of celebration and the local pub is primed to once again be the central meeting place for almost any occasion.

Pat Nourse takes it to Tassie to profile Tom Westcott from Tom McHugo’s in Hobart. This little corner pub punches well above its weight in all classes – the food, the booze and the people. It’s definitely one of my favourite pubs and I can’t wait to jump on a plane and visit Whitney, Tom and the team as soon as possible. In the meantime, sit back, relax and let Pat’s words wash over you as you imagine tucking into the haggis bao or hot house-made pastrami roll.

Fortunately we had the foresight to shoot an extra episode of What’s Good in the Hood way back in June before lockdown hit. This time it’s Newcastle that gets a dose of Myffy magic. Newcastle is booming and the food scene is an ‘edible adventure’ that you should be adding to your list. We’ve done the hard work for you – follow our lead and enjoy the ride.

Mark Best profiles the historic Royal Richmond in Sydney’s west – a hotel serving the local community for 173 years. After a complete refurbishment, the venue continues its local focus with a menu that showcases local produce including a unique relationship with Western Sydney University to provide beef and lamb produced on its Hawkesbury campus.

Our Young Gun is Michael Watson who has taken on his first bricks and mortar venue. If you have visited the Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park for a sporting match, concert or festival – it’s more than likely you’ve had a pre or post drink at the corner pub. Previously PJ O’Gallagher’s and before that The Fox and Lion, the old haunt was in need of some young blood. The sparkling new venue Watson’s is ready to roll when restrictions lift – the EQ has been waiting on a winner and Watson’s has arrived.

It’s Veal’s turn on the chopping block for Cut Two Ways and it is in the capable hands of two chefs at the helm of some of Sydney’s most well loved pubs. From a tricked up schnitzel to a glorious veal-chetta it’s the veal-deal by all accounts.

Finally, I am excited to introduce our new section BIG BUSINESS. Ever wondered how 5000+ hungry miners are fed at an isolated mine site in the Pilbara? Or what goes into catering some of the biggest events in the country? Big Business will tell the stories you don’t often get to hear. First up for our PUB issue we chat with Australian Venue Co – operating 170 venues Australia wide and using 40 tonnes of beef a month.

Here’s to pubs across the country – may your beers be frosty, your patrons thirsty and your menu enriched by Australian red meat.

Mary-Jane Morse

Meat & Livestock Australia
[email protected]
@_raremedium

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Australian Beef – the Official Team Partner of the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams for Tokyo 2020. Hold on. Make that Tokyo 2021. Either way, Australian Beef will be feeding the greatness of our Aussie sporting heroes when they finally take on the world at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

And so in this issue, we explore the theme of greatness – from one of the all time greats of the Australian culinary scene to the emerging greatness of the 2020 Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year. Innovative producers finding ways to hero their older cattle who have provided much greatness through their lives; and the everyday extraordinary greatness of Australian beef on the menu.

Pat Nourse profiles the great Karen Martini who has recently opened a high-profile new restaurant aptly named Hero. Pat writes “It’s not a sprint, they tell you, it’s a marathon. But in professional cooking it can be both. Starting work in restaurants when she was 15 years old, Martini was quick off the blocks, putting in the hours in one of the most demanding kitchens in Victoria, and leaping into her first head chef role at just 20. But these achievements were only the beginning of a career marked by sustained performance and a willingness to forge her own path.”

In our Young Guns section, I chat with Anna Ugarte, the humble 2020 recipient of the industry’s most coveted young chef award – an award that has recognised many of the greats in the cheffing community. Anna talks candidly about the challenges of her first head chef role and her journey working with some of the country’s, and the world’s, greatest chefs.

Mark Best delves into the emerging use of mature-aged beef. An age-old tradition in Europe and particularly the Basque region of Spain, Australian producers and chefs are beginning to see the potential of teaching an old cow new tricks.

Our Cut Two Ways showcases the greatness of oyster blade in the hands of Guy Turland and Tom Walton, two chefs passionately driven by the creation of wholesome, nutritious and delicious meals. The boys show us that a healthy balanced meal doesn’t have to be boring – especially when you’ve got Australian beef to play with.

Finally, Myffy Rigby, the fabulous food finding host of What’s Good in the Hood takes on Chatswood in a whirlwind day fueled by beef breakfast noodles, bulgogi beef banh mi, robot hot pot and much much more.

I hope this issue feeds your greatness with inspiration and ideas fueled by Australian beef from paddock to plate.

Mary-Jane Morse

Meat & Livestock Australia
[email protected]
@_raremedium

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MJ with the team from Emilio’s Specialty Butcher in Rozelle.

Welcome to Issue 14 in which we explore the theme of DIY – doing it yourself.

In People Places Plates, Pat Nourse profiles self taught cook and the king of food trucks in Australia, Raph Rashid. When Raph started his food truck business in 2009 he had no experience and in fact had never even driven a manual car, let alone a truck! Now with six food trucks and two venues, Raph’s story is one of determination, drive and doing it yourself.

Mark Best explores different paddock to plate models in his Spotlight On section – where the venues are located on-farm and utilise their own beef or lamb on the menu. The ultimate in DIY, the four venues discuss the challenges and opportunities of producing their own livestock for the menu.

This issue, What’s Good in the Hood does the NSW South Coast and despite the torrential, record-breaking rainfall, Myffy Rigby uncovers some absolute gems of coastal dining. There are lots of DIY inspired stories from a half eaten pie on a fence prompting a father and son to open their own pie shop in Ulladulla; to a Merimbula girl recognising the need for a decent watering hole in her hometown. Hit the road and discover some incredible dining along the beautiful NSW coastline.

Our Cut Two Ways for this issue is Goat – and it sure does shine in the hands of two of our favourite chefs Nick Stanton and Alex Prichard with goat from The Gourmet Goat Lady. Our featured butcher is Emilio’s Speciality Butcher – two butchers who decided to do it their own way by opening a butchery committed to ethical and sustainable meat.

Finally, Young Guns features one of the hottest young chef talents in the business – Rosheen Kaul from Etta in Melbourne. We talk to Rosheen about the challenges of her first head chef role and her DIY journey of developing her style of food through cultural and family connections, historians and anthropology.

The stories, photos and videos in this issue are brimming with inspiration, ideas and incredible people who have found a way to do it their way – and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Mary-Jane Morse

Meat & Livestock Australia
[email protected]
@_raremedium

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Editor’s
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Welcome to Issue 13 of Rare Medium where I am proud to share with you the stories of just some of the wonderful women that produce, prepare and plate Australian red meat.

8 March 2021 marks International Women’s Day and I wanted to dedicate this issue to some of the Aussie women paving careers and leaving their mark across the traditionally male-dominated red meat and foodservice industries.

Until 1994, Australian women could not legally claim to be ‘farmers’ – the law defined them as domestics, helpmates and farmer’s wives. Growing up on a mixed farming enterprise and witnessing first hand the aptitude, tenacity and sheer hard work my mum put in to managing our herd of Angus cattle – this fact baffles me. At least now we are on the right path.

According to Department of Agriculture ABARES figures, women now comprise an estimated 32 percent of workers in agriculture. Looking to our future, women now represent 55 percent of university students studying agricultural science. They say the future is female – and I say the future looks bright.

In this issue we feature women through the supply chain – from the paddock, to the butchery and on to the plate.

Mark Best visits Maria Roach and her mother Betty who have single handedly run their own cattle property near Adelong NSW for most of their lives. In the January 2020 bushfires they lost a few hundred head of cattle and since then Maria has rebuilt every fence on the farm. Their story is one of resilience, dedication and determination.

We feature two young female butchers – Elke De Belder who originates from Belgium and is now finding her feet in the world of Australian butchery, and former chef Bonnie Ewan who was named the 2020 Apprentice Butcher of the Year. These talented young women are carving their own paths in a career heavily dominated by men – it’s not easy but they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Pat Nourse delves into the inspiration, application and dedication behind the impressive career of Fred’s chef Danielle Alvarez. Danielle effortlessly emanates such a feeling of warmth and kindness despite leading one of Sydney’s busiest kitchens – she is a chef that other women want to work for and it’s not hard to see why.

Finally, two tremendous talents take on the tri tip in our Cut Two Ways feature. Trisha Greentree from 10 William St and Fratelli Paradiso; and Jemma Whiteman from Cafe Paci turn out some tasty snacks perfect for summer snacking.

It is my privilege to have worked on this issue and to now share it with you.

Mary-Jane Morse

Meat & Livestock Australia
[email protected]
@_raremedium

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In this issue we put some weight behind a word frequently aired but often difficult to define – and explore what sustainability looks, and tastes like, through the red meat supply chain.

In his People Places Plates section, Pat Nourse talks all things sustainability with Josh Lewis of Fleet, La Casita and Ethel Food Store in the picturesque Brunswick Heads – a chef and restaurateur walking his own path and shaping a sustainable model that works for him.

Mark Best takes sustainability to the taste buds in his Spotlight On section, speaking with various beef brands with a claim in the sustainability space – from carbon neutral to highest animal welfare – and asking the question, what does sustainability taste like?

We head to Orange in NSW for our second episode of What’s Good in the Hood with Myffy Rigby. A hop skip and a jump from Sydney, this regional food and wine hub is brimming with good times and exceptional local produce plated up by passionate people. Do yourself a favour and add Orange to your hit list.

Our Cut Two Ways shines a light on the lamb neck and it certainly glows in the capable hands of Rob Cockerill from Bennelong and Daniel Puskas from Sixpenny who turn this humble cut (from Grant Hilliard at Feather and Bone) into dishes that dazzle.

This issue’s Young Gun is farmer Tim Eyes. Based on the NSW central coast, Tim’s number one priority is the environment and this impressive young beef farmer is keen to connect people back to the farm and show that agriculture can mitigate climate change.

What does sustainability mean to you?

Mary-Jane Morse

Meat & Livestock Australia
[email protected]
@_raremedium

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Editor’s
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If 2020 has shown us anything it is that nothing is certain and whilst it is impossible to predict what will happen moving forward in relation to Covid-19, we can assume that the foodservice industry will continue to be impacted for the foreseeable future and beyond.

The foodservice community has demonstrated its resilience – your determination, your diligence and camaraderie are the true measures of hospitality. But if Covid-19 has taught the industry anything, it is that the model needs to adapt, offerings need to diversify and those with the ability to change will be the ones that survive.

The Australian red meat industry has itself faced a raft of challenges with foodservice shutdowns not only locally but around the world in every export market. Increased demand at a retail level somewhat softened the blow but demand for mince products led to carcase imbalances as premium cuts diverted from foodservice and into mince and sausages.

Moving back through the supply chain, livestock prices are at record highs as producers seek to restock herds and flocks after widespread rain brought some reprieve to long term drought conditions – meaning less livestock are available for processing.

The last few months have given me an opportunity to rethink what we bring you in our quarterly publication, to reconsider what matters and why. We have done some adapting of our own and this issue brings with it some exciting changes.

Firstly – I’m proud to welcome two incredible contributors to the Rare Medium family, each with their own dedicated sections. Pat Nourse, one of Australia’s most accomplished food journalists, takes on our new People | Places | Plates section – sharing the stories of chefs, venues and menus; while industry legend Mark Best brings us his Spotlight On section – an exploration of various components of the Australian red meat supply chain.

Our new What’s Good in the Hood section reflects the importance of community dining and celebrating neighbourhood favourites. First up we explore Sydney’s Inner West with the fabulous Myffy Rigby. If anyone is going to show us around town then it may as well be the editor of the Good Food Guide!

We also have a new Cut Two Ways section – featuring a different cut each time cooked by two different chefs and our Young Guns section that explores the stories of young professionals through the red meat supply chain.

The value of supply chain relationships has never been more apparent and I look forward to continuing to connect you with our wonderful Australian red meat producers, to grow and prosper together with whatever comes next.

Following your journeys over the last few months has at times been heartbreaking but more often than not it has been empowering. I hope that the stories of this issue inspire you as you have me – as together we come to terms with this strange new world.

Mary-Jane Morse

Meat & Livestock Australia
[email protected]
@_raremedium

Spotlight On

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SPOTLIGHT ON:

FLINDERS ISLAND

‘Farm to table’ is the aspirational aphorism used by many chefs to emphasise a direct relationship between a farm and their table. At its best, based on the distance between paddock and plate and the degree of commitment from chef and farmer, it can form an almost symbiotic relationship. At the same time, it remains an ideal fraught with tokenism, bureaucracy and logistical challenge.

On Flinders Island, where a roster of talented chefs take residence and for the first time in years a fully licensed on-island abattoir is operating – Jo and Tom Youl of Quoin Farm appear to have cracked the code.

Flinders Island, with a population of just 900, is the largest of the Furneaux Group amongst a cluster of about 100 islands in Bass Strait between Tasmania and Victoria. While mostly known for its rugged natural beauty, it is also growing a reputation for its grass-fed beef with Quoin Farm amongst those leading the way.

“My family has been running this farm since 1932, it’s really diverse and productive land with a lot of beach frontage. It was originally purchased by my great grandparents with Tom and I buying it from my uncle in 2014. We are the first people to live here full time, it’s a great property and we love our life here with our three young kids,” Jo said.

The original homestead block was first cleared as part of the soldier settlement program, a government scheme designed in 1916 to develop rural areas, encouraging returned servicemen to become property-owning farmers.

The first step in developing the property for beef production was to fence out native animals, whose numbers had soared to almost plague proportions in response to pasture improvement on the island.

Jo Youl on her family property Quoin Farm on Flinders Island

“When we took over the property it was running about 50,000 wallabies and thousands of wombats. We started off running 100 cows but they just couldn’t compete,” Jo said.

Tom built exclusion fencing around the entire property over the course of three years which means they can now safely invest in pasture development – realising substantial gains in productivity and allowing the family to now run upwards of 1,000 Angus cows for breeding.

While the heifers are generally kept to build the breeding herd, Quoin Farm steers are shipped to Tasmania from Lady Barron. Most make their way into the Cape Grim brand while the remainder are grain finished at the Powranna feedlot for export to Japan.

“We sell most of our steers at 450-500kg which is optimal for Cape Grim. We recently had some older steers weigh in at 600kg which is a bit heavy and a few that got left behind because they were just too big at 850kg,” Jo said.

Quoin Farm is set on 2,400 acres where Tom and Jo are working constantly to improve pastures and grow their herd of Angus cattle

One of the ironies of farming life on the island is that up until recently, if you wanted to eat Quoin Farm beef, the island’s only supermarket had to fly it in from the Tasmanian mainland. Fortunately, an on-island abattoir means that cattle weighing in outside of brand or market specifications have somewhere to go – while offering the opportunity for Quoin Farm to finally close the island supply chain loop.

The Davis Family reopened the Lackrana Meat Works 12 months ago after it had sat dormant for over two years. Managing director Charlie Davis said it took six months to bring the site up to scratch.

“It’s been a battle but the help from the locals has been phenomenal so it’s finally worked out. When you’ve got things like the abattoir processing local meats, it adds to the attraction to get people here,” Charlie said.

Jo and Tom opened their front gate as part of a virtual farm tour for the 2021 Tasmanian Red Meat Updates conference, to give an insight into life and red meat production in the Bass Strait. The virtual experience has now morphed into the Youl family’s vertically integrated luxe farm stay brand ‘On Island Time’ consisting of accommodation, restaurant, and tourism ventures; as well as on-farm accommodation for those wanting to experience life on a working cattle farm.

Island produced beef and lamb at the recently reopened Lackrana Meat Works on Flinders Island

“People really get to experience life on Quoin Farm with the cattle around the cabins and witnessing the amazing life that they have. We are also lucky that we’re so close to the beach, so people get the farm stay along with a private beach literally a kilometre away,” Jo said.

Flinders Island Wharf Restaurant is a pivotal part of the On Island Time brand and does the heavy lifting for locals and visiting tourists. Essential to the operation has been a roster of some of Australia’s best chefs in residence including David Moyle, Jo Barrett and Alanna Sapwell; with next season welcoming ex-Three Blue Ducks head chef Josh McMahon.

“The Wharf’s been running for about four years and we’re really lucky we have had some amazing chefs want to come here to experience island life and showcase our great produce,” Jo said.
Current incumbent Pip Sumbak has been running Pip’s Plate for almost 10 years. She took the long way round the fire pit via a Bachelor of Arts degree at Sydney Uni, a stint on MasterChef and then island-hopping using cooking as her ticket between France, Spain, Indonesia and Fiji. Known for her spectacular open fire catering, Pip has been treating the island to her craft for the past seven months.

Quoin Farm offers on-farm accommodation for tourists wanting the ‘farm stay’ experience

“Initially my brief was to come in and create a very simple bar menu for locals and tourists to have a drink and relax – some oysters, olives, nuts, island smoked fish dips, things like that, and only utilising island produce.”

“The biggest thing was to somehow showcase the island and create the kind of event that would pull tourists and the locals – and so we ended up creating an open fire cooking experience that we now do weekly at our Friday Night BBQ,” Pip said.

Pip’s barbecue experience is an open fire trellis in the style of Argentine chef Francis Mallmann. Local producers supply eggs, greens from their gardens, floral arrangements and edible herbs and flowers; and on the afternoon of our visit, Craig the fisherman drops off six gummy sharks. Now Pip also has the advantage of the local abattoir where she directly sources island beef, lamb and wallaby to showcase over flames.

Flinders Island Wharf Restaurant has included a roster of Australia’s best chefs including David Moyle, Jo Barrett and Alanna Sapwell

“People come here expecting a restaurant experience and what they get is this very kind of rustic trellis hung with Quoin Farm beef, seaweed, gummy sharks, and local wallaby,” Pip said.

Pip Sumbak prepares Quoin Farm beef for her Friday Night BBQ at Flinders Island Wharf

I can assure you that, having experienced Pip’s Friday Night BBQ, what ensues is a feast of epic proportions and a stunning showcase of Flinders Island produce.

“I was always drawn to experience style cooking – I like people to experience real food, to know where it came from and I love the reaction that people have watching their food get cooked on the trellis.”

“My first activity when I arrived was to get off the plane and go straight to the abattoir to meet them and understand exactly what they do. Having this direct relationship means that I can ask for specific cuts and preparations so it’s easy for me to carve on the night.”

“Living on the island has reminded me how important provenance is; we know the abattoir, we know the farmers, and that’s really special. What I take from this experience is that knowing how your meat is raised and killed is important – and that it tastes a hell of a lot better when you know where it’s from,” Pip said.

Pip’s first point of call when arriving on the island was to visit the abattoir

On their plans for the future, Jo is characteristically ambitious and upbeat.

“Medium term we would like to renovate more ground, we’re 65% improved at the moment on this block and it would be great to put in another 100 hectares of improved pasture. We’d love to buy some more land and to build the herd to 1,500 – 2,000 breeding cows – our aim is to keep improving and growing our herd.”

“Ultimately, we’d love to establish our own beef brand. That’s the dream; establishing our own brand and overseeing the entire process – working with the chefs who are cooking it and seeing our beef on the plate. We think it’s a really premium product and that’s what I’m really passionate about,” Jo said.

Quoin Farm – a story that almost writes itself and a business primed to launch its own beef brand

Best Practice

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SURF & TURF

Western Australia’s vast size, around 33% of the mainland, extensive 10,000km+ coastline, varied landscapes and diverse climate zones, enable production of a broad range of products. You may think it’s all FIFO, utes and jet skis, but Western Australia boasts 100 million hectares of fine agricultural land, running 12.5 million sheep and lambs, equating to 18% of Australia’s national flock, from 4,280 producers.

It’s a hell of a lot of land girt by sea which got me thinking about that perennial intersection, Surf & Turf. Some say, and I’m one of them, that pairing a good chunk of tender meat with some briny umami in a shell is possibly the best of both worlds.

Hard to pin down where it started but this bit of conspicuous consumption kitsch was invented to extract more coin from the nouveau riche. At its zenith in the 60s, “Surf & Turf”, “Reef & Beef” or “Ship to Shore” could do double duty as the directions for your taxi driver and a menu item. Typically, fillet mignon and lobster back in the day, the plating of strange bed fellows continues to appeal and can be quite delicious when done well.

Some of the classics like “Carpet bag steak” a tenderloin fillet incised through the belly and then stuffed with oysters is a bloody good one. I guess technically, a caviar bump isn’t too far from the concept either.

For this version I have chosen to pair the loin of a young fat lamb with a giant blue yabby indigenous to the South West called marron, some coastal sea blight, and a bit of South Indian influenced French curry. Whilst not technically “surf” (marron is a fresh water crustacean) – some wag coined the name “Smurf & Turf” which seemed apt enough to be worthy of stealing.

LAMB, MARRON & VADOUVAN

Serves 4

Roast Lamb Ingredients

1 Saddle of Lamb on the bone
Large bunch of sea blight
1 tsp Freshly ground Black Pepper
1/4 tsp ground star anise
1tsp Murray River Salt

Method

Remove the red skin from the loin. Cut along the spine on both sides of the vertebrae and follow the bone around to remove each loin. Also remove the tenderloins from the underside. Flatten out the belly flaps so that they will wrap completely around the loin.

Season the loin side with a good amount of salt, pepper and anise. Lay the tenderloin along the loin and layer in a good amount of the sea blight (removing the coarser stalks). Use kitchen string to tie the loin into a tight cylinder.

Season well and then brown well in a pan. You can cook it entirely in the pan, turning from time to time and removing the fat as it collects or place in a 170C oven and cook until the internal temperature is 55c.

Rest for 15 minutes in a warm place.

Serve slices of lamb with the marron tails, some of the cooking butter, fresh sea blight and fried curry leaves.

Vadouvan Spiced Marron Tails Ingredients

4 live marrons (250 grams each)
100g salted butter
4 teaspoons vadouvan spice mix
Salt to taste

Vadouvan Spice Mix
100g ghee
2 stems curry leaves
1 dessert spoon each: whole cumin, fenugreek, yellow mustard seeds, black peppercorns, powdered turmeric
250g brown onions, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Method

Prepare the Marrons

Using a large kitchen knife, cut through the head of each marron between the eyes. Separate head and tail, using a small knife, cut the membrane connecting the head and tail. Twist and pull to separate. Remove the large claws and devein the marron tail with tweezers. Cut down the sides of the tail with kitchen scissors to release the flesh. Blanch claws briefly in boiling water, then peel. Reserve blanched claws and marron tails.

For the Vadouvan Spice Mix

Heat the ghee to just before smoking point and briefly fry curry leaves until translucent, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Roast cumin, fenugreek, mustard seeds, and peppercorns until fragrant. Add turmeric and grind to a fine powder. Fry onions and garlic in ghee until golden then add the ground spices, salt, curry leaves, and cayenne pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. Spread the mixture on dehydrator trays lined with plastic wrap and dry at 50°C for 12 hours (or in a low oven until hard and crisp). Grind the dried mixture into a fine powder and store in an airtight container.

Cook the Marron Tails
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add 1/2 teaspoon vadouvan per tail to the foaming butter. Add marron tails, spooning over spiced butter until they just start to curl.

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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

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.

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BONDI

No other suburb encapsulates Postcard Perfect Sydney quite like this beachside village – even when filming in sideways rain and blistering wind.

The city’s best-looking suburb on and off the beach, here’s what’s Good in the Bondi Hood.

THE PROMENADE

Bondi Pavilion Shop, 4a Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach
promenadebondibeach.com

This is some serious Bondi real estate. The Promenade, the largest beachside restaurant in Australia no less, is a neutral pallet of creams and beiges against the azure of Bondi Beach. Find it inside the heritage listed Bondi Pavilion, which has been a mainstay in one form or another of the beachside community since 1911

Equally, chef Chris Benedet (ex-Cirrus) offers up a very serious beef tartare. He mixes hand-chopped Westholme wagyu with a mix of pickled enoki mushrooms, mirin-soaked capers, fine herbs and house-fermented chilli and tops it all off with an egg yolk. On the side, smashed herby potatoes and an orb of puffy bread. Perfect carb-to-meat ratio.

TOTTI’S

283 Bondi Road, Bondi
merivale.com

Owner Justin Hemmes and executive chef Mike Eggert have most definitely cracked the code when it comes to that elusive combo of ‘beach pub, but make it fancy, delicious and approachable’. Find this unicorn out the back of the Royal Hotel. It’s the mix of cream linen in the restaurant and high viz during tradie hour in the main bar that makes Totti’s so very good. That, and the tender wagyu schnitzel served with a watercress side salad and a cheek of lemon.

Elsewhere, there’s the venue top-seller of gentle lamb ragu tossed through silky, house-made pappardelle, and the heftier smoked brisket ravioli. Can’t snag a rez in Bondi? There’s also Totti’s in the CBD, and Totti’s Rozelle.

ICEBERGS DINING ROOM AND BAR

1 Notts Avenue, Bondi Beach
idrb.com

Welcome to Icebergs, restaurateur Maurice Terzini’s stunning cliffside restaurant where there are no bad views, and no bad snacks. Underneath the restaurant, there’s the Bondi Icebergs pool, famous for its swimmers who pound the lanes year-round. Indulge under executive chef Alex Prichard, with the signature salt-crusted rib eye steak and tableside mustard service. The dining room is a make-a-booking-or-be-sorely-disappointed kinda deal, and for good reason. Between that breezy Italian-leaning menu, linen-clad staff and those ocean views, it’s a hot ticket.

After a recent renovation, the bar has become a draw in-and-of itself. It’s here you’ll find a juicy cheeseburger on a potato bun, hotdog with perfect snap, a rump cap steak, and a lineup of very delicious cocktails. No need to book, just drop by from the beach for a serve of skin-on skinny fries with those same stunning view. Bliss.

THE DEPOT

132A Warners Avenue, Bondi Beach
link.com.au

Bondi has always been a strange but fabulous mix of wellnessmania and party vibes. And nowhere recognises that quite the way they do at the Depot. Guy (you might recognise the chef, surfer and free-diver from his show, Bondi Harvest) and Heather Turland (former gold medal marathon runner) run the joint.

It’s more than a cafe, it’s a hub where locals and visitors alike stop by for a green smoothie or a margarita; a 12-hour braised brisket, cheese and chilli jam toastie; or chai infused porridge. A chocolate, jam and almond croissant (so wrong it’s right) or a red rice nourish bowl. It’s that high-low mix that has people coming back. That, and a dining room that feels more like a lounge room filled with plants and cookbooks, surf mags and the smell of fresh-baked goods. Drag us away.

TAQIZA

The Hub at 75, Shop UG.03/79 Hall Street, Bondi Beach
taqiza.com.au

Taco party by name, taco party by nature. This mini taqueria, down the Hub precinct where you’ll also find Pasticceria Papa, Gelato Messina, and Da Orazio (more on that later), services the area with a staggering mescal and tequila selection (try the Tommy’s margarita), not to mention the birria taco. A specialty of Jalisco, that’s slow cooked beef served with a tomato-y dried chilli and coriander-heavy broth. That beef, all shredded and pull-apart tender, is combined with Oaxaca cheese, and placed on a fresh tortilla, painted in beef fat and then grilled till crisp. It’s served with that broth on the side, which is further amped up with chickpeas and egg noodles. Hot, spicy, moreish. Or check out Carbon, the group’s newly renovated Mexican steak house concept on Bondi Rd.

BONDI TRATT

34 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach
bonditrattoria.com.au

One of Bondi’s oldest running and most loved venues. Affordable, casual and all-welcoming, chef Joe Pavlovich dishes up a menu that speaks to the all-day vibe of the place. A venue that’s long been loved by Sydney hospitality and Bondi locals as a recovery spot, staff here know how to deal with tender customers.

Try the lamb kofta pizza – parmesan, provolone, cavalo nero, kalamata olives, caramelised onion and spicy lamb mince, and a drizzle of harissa spiked yoghurt combine to offer an oozy, cheesy, hot and spicy combo guaranteed to bring the most lifeless soul back from the dead. All in a room directly across the road from the beach. Take a swim, book a table, rule the day.

DA ORAZIO

The Hub, Boheme, Shop LG 09, 75/79 Hall Street, Bondi Beach
daorazio.com.au/

Plenty will know chef Orazio D’elia for his focaccia and woodfired pizza – and well they should, those puffy, blistered bases are hard to beat. But consider also the arrosticini – the Abbruzzese special sees tiny pieces of salty lamb skewered and cooked gently over charcoal, served in their own ceramic skewer jug, ready for a squeeze of lemon. There’s also the wagyu collar ragu tossed and layered with silky kerchiefs of fresh pasta served over whipped ricotta. Long lunches are the order of the day here. Start with a spritz and settle in.

BURGER PARK BY FISH SHOP

Shop 3/17 Warners Avenue, Bondi Beach
burgerpark.com.au

Chef Joel Bennetts’ brand new burger joint offers both on and off-menu fun, in a cute corner Bondi locale. If you know what to ask for, you might find yourself with a double smashburger, the patties all lacy and crisp, with a chunky tartare-esque burger sauce, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and white onion on a potato bun from Organic Bread Bar.

On-menu, there’s Bennetts’ tribute to the old school milk bar works burger with a chunky grass-fed beef pattie, thin slices of pickled pineapple, and salt baked beetroot, all on one of those locally made potato buns. A juicy, delicious, updated Aussie classic. Find yourself at Fish Shop but craving a steak? The team are adding one to the menu – expect a Ranger’s Valley sirloin served with lashings of salsa verde butter.

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ADELAIDE HILLS

You could argue South Australia is one of the most diverse states in the country when it comes to its landscape, its food production, and its incredible wine scene.

You’d be hard-pressed, however, to find anywhere quite as enchanting as the Adelaide Hills. A real natural beauty, in every sense of the word.

Here’s What’s Good in the ~~Hood~~ Hills.

Myffy in at Magill Estate – the home of Penfolds

THE SCENIC HOTEL

Old Norton Summit Rd, Norton Summit 
thescenichotel.com.au

A very special pub experience tucked away in Norton Summit. Sit on the balcony and watch the lights of Adelaide twinkle below, warm your toes in front of the open fire in the dining room, indulge in a few rounds of snooker (be warned: locals take it VERY seriously) or grab a group of mates and set up for the afternoon at one of the communal benches in the garden.

The menu is dialled in for comfort. Blushing slices of rump steak are served with local carrots, roasted until sticky. Make sure to order the lamb pie with its spectacularly short crust pastry. They’re all about utilising the whole beast here, breaking down a whole lamb, using the leg, shoulder and backstrap for roasts; whatever is left is minced for that pie. Oh, and don’t miss the juicy American-style cheeseburger with housemade ketchup.

SUMMERTOWN ARISTOLOGIST

1097 B26, Summertown 5141
thesummertownaristologist.com

A closed loop restaurant specialising in regenerative farming part-owned by renowned winemaker Anton Van Klopper, the winemaker behind Lucy Margaux wines. Hyper local, hyper seasonal, hyper delicious.

The menu changes weekly – sometimes daily. And while the restaurant has had a rotation of chefs pass through the kitchen, chef-buddies Jude Hughes and Calum Horn have settled in for the foreseeable future. The menu might include a barnsley chop, or hogget with mustard and lentils – the kitchen really is at the mercy of whatever the seasons throw at them. On our visit, that translated to a delicately made haggis (AKA Scottish incense) served with leeks, carrots and charred toast. Incredible. 

THE LANE VINEYARD

5 Ravenswood Ln, Hahndorf
thelane.com.au

Chef Tom Robinson (ex-Four in Hand under Colin Fassnidge, back in the day) works with very special produce at this winery-restaurant, located on The Lane vineyard. A beautiful, open plan setting allows the sun to filter in, making it a gorgeous setting for a long lunch. Horseradish, specially grown for Jurlique at the farm next door, is usually reserved for beauty products but today it’s shaved over gently cured furls of pastrami.

House-made sourdough is served with a very respectable amount of cultured smoked garlic butter. Elsewhere, an addictive mountain pepper brown sauce is served alongside house-made boerewors – part of a nose to tail experience showcasing Angus beef produced five minutes down the road by The Lane CEO Jared Stringer. 

DIRTY DORIS DINER

6 Strathalbyn Rd, Aldgate
dirtydoris.com.au

Generosity is the name of the game at this diner, where diner food rules. Four words for you: Breakfast Ice-Cream Sundae Negroni. Yes, it’s real, and yes, you can get it at this cute little Aldgate eatery where more is most definitely more. Whether that’s breakfast for supper (there’s a whole page devoted to pancakes, and you can order them all day) or supper for breakfast – perhaps the butcher’s cut steak special and a glass of wine?

To take away, there are tins of fancy maple syrup, local coffee beans and hot sauces, everything you need to up the umami quotient in your home kitchen. What started as chef Denny Bradden’s last-minute dinner after a busy service has now turned into a menu favourite. Yes, all hail the cheesy ragu toastie and those that order her. May it be a glorious reign. 

CRAFERS HOTEL

8 Main St, Crafers SA
crafershotel.com.au

A gorgeous sandstone-hewn boutique hotel built inside a heritage pub with one of the most impressive wine cellars in the country. There’s plenty of representation from the locals including Gentle Folk, Ochota Barrels and Lucy Margaux and if you’re really keen to push the boat out, the grand crus go as deep as your pockets will allow.

A jewel in the Hills offering boutique accommodation upstairs and fireside dining downstairs, you could really lose yourself for a few evenings here. There’s no need to leave, really. The menu spans a mix of old favourites all with a strong French accent (hello, French onion soup, crumbed chevre and steak frites) with a few choice snacks if you don’t want to leave the bar’s toasty open fire. There’s even a blackberry clafouti for afters. 

PATCH KITCHEN & GARDEN

143 Mount Barker Rd, Stirling SA
patchkitchen.com.au

Chef-owner Andrew Davies (he’s the guy behind Adelaide favourites Osteria Oggi, Press Food and Wine and Bread and Bone) is the mastermind behind this sun-drenched restaurant, set in an old sandstone architect studio. Originally the local post office and many business iterations since – it is now a haven for locals and visitors alike serving a seasonal, locally produced menu.

Dishes here are elegant in their simplicity. Goat ragu dresses house-made gnocchetti sardi with bitter greens; braised oxtail with root vegetables and creamy mash wards off the winter chill, and a rich chocolate tart punctuates proceedings nicely. The perfect setup for a long lunch.

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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.

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Will St. is the first Australian restaurant of chef and restauranteur Will Meyrick who has lived in Indonesia for 20 years and dedicated himself to understanding local food culture and stories across the Asian continent. Meyrick is the chef-owner behind several popular Balinese venues including Mama San, Billy Ho, Honey & Smoke, and Hujan Locale.

Open now for almost three years, Will St. is considered one of Perth’s best Asian restaurants – offering a sensory journey through Asia with a menu of snacks and shares underpinned by regenerative farming practices, heritage crops and the very best Western Australian produce.

Executive chef and business partner Tim Bartholomew says the concept of Will St. leans into the street food culture of Asia, leveraging its recipes as a platform to showcase the best Western Australia has to offer.

“Will St. is a collection of street recipes from across Asia, most of them served with a modern technique that elevates it to this style of setting. We use local produce and a lot of native Australian ingredients on the menu, and it all adds to giving the food our own Will St. twist,” Bartholomew said.

With capacity for 120, the bar and restaurant in Leederville is a sleek space that offers a sense of the Australian landscape as a base to explore a vast array of food stories from across the Asian region.

The goat curry, inspired by Will’s journeys to Calcutta, is one example of how these stories and ingredients come together on the plate – it’s a spicy, hearty dish with its origins firmly in tradition and now also its own Will St. story.

“The Calcutta Goat Nihari is a Pakistani and Indian curry, traditionally eaten for breakfast by Muslims in the city. We use bone in goat leg and cook it down in a rich and fragrant base of spices like cardamon, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and chilli, along with black stone flour, yoghurt and mustard oil.”

“Usually, the dish would include spinach but here we use native warragal greens. It is a comforting and spicy dish, and we serve it with mint, smoked yoghurt, fried shallots, ginger, and lime on the side allowing guests to build their own flavour preferences into it,” Bartholomew said.

Threecoins was opened in Mount Lawley when Fabio and Sabrina Trequattrini relocated from Italy to join their three children who had settled in Perth. The family-friendly neighbourhood trattoria has now been proudly serving the Perth community with classic Italian food, and warm hospitality for over a decade.

Threecoins is the English translation of the Trequattrini family name; the addition of ‘& Sons’ happened in October 2023 when the venue reopened after extensive renovations. It was a logistical decision to streamline the operation of two venues (the family also owns wine bar Testun just down the road), while bringing the best of tradition into a new era via the ‘sons’ – chefs Francesco Trequattrini and Chistopher Caravella, and sommelier Antonio di Senzo.

“Threecoins is my dad Fabio, and the sons are me, Chis, and Antonio. My dad opened Threecoins more than 10 years ago; and me, Chris and Antonio have our rebellious wine bar Testun just down the road. About a year after opening Testun, we joined dad at Threecoins where we went through a big renovation,” Francesco said.

Francesco and Chris are co-head chefs across both venues, bringing a fresh perspective to the Threecoins menu while keeping tradition at its heart. Francesco said is about bringing it into 2024 while keeping its spirit and soul.

“We wanted to do something different and move away from the Neapolitan pizza style and so we now do pinsa. We love pinsa, it’s a crunchy, crispy Roman style of pizza made from a lighter dough. From the restaurant perspective it’s better because guests can order it to start as well as a selection of pastas or mains without getting too full. It’s also fun for us because we take a really cheffy approach to the toppings,” Francesco said.

The lamb ‘scottadito’, the Italian term for burnt fingers, is another example of the venue’s evolution. On the Threecoins menu in some shape or form since day one more than a decade ago, the latest iteration brings together modern techniques with the best Western Australian produce.

“The lamb is probably the one dish with the most history here, we have always had a pistachio and lamb dish going on, I don’t even know how many versions we have done. Currently, it’s a beautiful, simple dish using a premium cut of local Amelia Park lamb, which I think is the best lamb in WA with its big eye muscle and super juiciness.”

“It’s cooked medium rare in the sous vide to give consistency, then quickly chargrilled, and crumbed with pistachio. It’s finished with a bit of Chris’ touch through the agrodolce sauce, a sort of sweet and sour lamb demi glaze,” Francesco said.

It’s a dish of simple perfection and as Francesco prepares it, you can be assured that his father Fabio, who still works in the Threecoins kitchen, has an eagle eye on the proceedings.

Take a perch at Le Rebelle on Beaufort Street in Mount Lawley, and you could almost be anywhere in the world. And that’s just how owners Liam and Sarah Atkinson want you to feel.

“Le Rebelle is a vision that Sarah and I had when we were looking for a space – it is very old-world but at the same time modern. It’s a cozy, comfortable space that you could pick up and move to another city and it would hold up. That’s how we judge our restaurants – venues that you could put down anywhere in the world,” Liam said.

Lucky for WA, “anywhere in the world” happens to be Perth. Born and raised a Perth boy, Liam has been cooking in the West for 27 years, minus a five-year stint in Europe.

“Originally, I was going to move to Sydney or Melbourne, but I decided to stay. We’re never going to have a city of substance if everyone moves away. I wanted to be in Perth doing the same standard of restaurants you find in Sydney or Melbourne.”

“The Perth restaurant scene is strong, way stronger than people understand. We’re a little bit distant but the reality is, the standard is very similar. When you come to a good restaurant in Perth, it will be on par with a great restaurant in Sydney or Melbourne – we just have a lot less of them because we are smaller,” Liam said.

At Le Rebelle that standard is a neighbourhood wine bar and bistro with a generous Euro leaning menu driven by quality produce and precise cooking. Perhaps it is Le Rebelle setting the new standard for the old-world.

Take for example its beef tartare. At Le Rebelle, it’s a modern interpretation of a French classic, inspired by a New York honeymoon dining at the late Anthony Bourdain’s restaurant Les Halles, and Atkinson’s own tartare system.

“I’ve always loved tartare, it’s a chef’s dish that everybody likes – we had Marco Pierre White here and he made everyone order the beef tartare. It’s also a dish that has good memories for me – my boss 20 years ago asked me to develop a beef tartare, so I came up with a system that turned out to be a brilliant recipe and I’ve used it ever since.”

“Our honeymoon in 2013 we ate at Les Halles in New York. They prepared the tartare tableside but served it with frites – the fries being built on top of it was just one of those moments and I knew I wouldn’t be going back to bread or croutons. That’s how to eat tartare, with French fries,” Liam said.

On the Le Rebelle menu, they always use the beef fillet – serving the centre cut as steak and using the tail and chateaubriand ends for the tartare. It means a perfectly portioned steak every time, but no waste. For the tartare, the fillet is hand chopped and finished with pickles, capers, cognac and fresh horseradish, topped with an egg yolk and served with a heaping of hot, crispy frites.

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Wagyu cooked on Binchotan with Horseradish, Bush Tomato & Emu Egg Sauce

The Gourmet Traveller 2022 Restaurant of the Year and 2023 South Australian Restaurant of the Year – Restaurant Botanic sits nestled amongst 51-hectares of the picturesque Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

A meal here will take at least four hours with over 20 flavour combinations by chef Justin James showcasing unique Australian ingredients.

Perhaps one of those combinations will include a piece of cross bred wagyu from the Rangers Valley WX series – where one great ancient breed meets another to create flavour, performance and quality.

Portions of striploin or ribeye (depending on availability) are cooked directly on Japanese binchotan charcoal until medium rare, rested, and sliced. Each slice is brushed with bush tomato brown butter and finished with a spice mix of black pepper, fennel, coriander, juniper and Davidson plum.

The wagyu is plated on a bed of juniper in a bowl, alongside Illawarra plum that has been covered in green ants. The entire bowl is smoked with juniper from the garden and covered with a lid to capture the smoke. On the side, horseradish leaves are dressed in bush tomato and a sauce made of cured emu egg, seasoned with wattle seed and bee pollen.

Chef Justin James says the dish is a balance of technique and theatrics – but essentially, it is all about the deliciousness of Australia’s best produce.

“The dish showcases multiple techniques while keeping the integrity of the wagyu; most importantly it is delicious and fun to eat. The guest lifts the lid and encounters the smoke of the juniper – it is recommended to grab a slice of beef, wrap the horseradish leaf around it and dip into the emu egg sauce. The plum is intended to enjoy at the end as a palate cleanser – something light after the rich wagyu,” Justin said.

Roasted Lamb Shank with Peas a la Francaise, Onion Gravy & Yorkies

Tucked away in the hinterland about 45 minutes from Byron Bay, the Eltham Hotel is rolling out perhaps some of the best pub food in the country.

And why wouldn’t it be with star chef Alanna Sapwell-Stone heading up the kitchen? Harnessing her love of nostalgia and putting a special Sapwell spin on things, ensures a menu heavy with highlights, and a line out the door.

Case in point, a lamb roast dish well and truly worth travelling for any day of the week. Lamb shanks are browned all over in a hot pan then slowly roasted in a low oven with mirepoix, stock, and red wine. The fork tender shanks are served on a bed of creamy mashed potato with onion gravy, peas a la Francaise, and a huge Yorkshire pudding for mopping up every last morsel.

It’s a challenging time for many and as the cost of living continues to soar, we seek the familiarity and comfort of days gone by. Eating evokes memories and dishes like this one meet perfectly at the intersection of craving comfort, budgetary caution, and rapturous reward.

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The latest venue from the team behind Bistro 916 and Pellegrino 2000 channels New York steakhouse vibes with big steaks, big booths and big booze.

But it’s not just steaks on the plates – and we do love a good steak around here – at Clam Bar the Hot Plate is a large silver slab gloriously adorned with thick slices of juicy blushing lamb.

The Barnsley Chop of Gundagai Lamb will set you back $54 but every bite will be worth it. A thick cut of lamb from the saddle including a cross section of loin, fillet and belly; at Clam Bar the Barnsley is a beast. Simply salted, oiled and cooked over flames, the produce does the talking. Sliced and served with your choice of condiment – for us it was anchovy butter for that extra dash of decadence. Don’t forget to add a selection of sides because, balance.

If a roaring furnace and the salubrious stoking of red-hot coals gets you going, then Arkhe is the place for you.

Settle in to watch the kitchen team, led by chef Jake Kellie, artfully use the various elements of fire to bring to life exceptional South Australian produce. Case in point – this wagyu rump cap by way of Mayura Station.

At Arkhe, they use an on/off method of cooking. First the whole rump cap is seared on all sides over fire than it takes turns in and out of the wood fired oven for multiple periods of cooking and resting. The idea is to bring the meat up to temperature slowly while developing a really good crust. The result? Perfection. The thick hunk of beef is evenly cooked from top to bottom, end to end – perfectly pink and meltingly tender.

A Hot Plate to savour – the beef is sliced and served with chestnut mushrooms cooked in a basket on the coals, burnt onion and celeriac.

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MARK BEST SHARES THE LAMB

Australian lamb is renowned for its quality

My enduring memory of Sunday mornings as a kid was being woken by the crackle, pop and smell of a mutton roast in the Sunbeam frypan.

The spuds were added to the golden fat fairly early and were only distinguishable by texture and shape due to the amount of lamby goodness they had taken on board. It was a family tradition where the Sunday roast was big enough to go into heavy rotation for the remainder of the week as cold cuts and sandwiches of white bread and cauliflower pickles.

Sheep meat has always been part of the Australian appetite and if I had to choose one meat to describe our cultural diet – sheep meat would be it. According to the OECD the global average per capita consumption of sheep meat was 1.8kg, while the average Aussie’s was approximately 5.9kg and rising.

Australia has long had an affinity with sheep with the first settler’s relying on them for meat, primarily, and wool being the secondary product. John Macarthur changed that equation establishing the wool industry at Elizabeth Farm in NSW with such success that Australia ‘riding on the sheep's back’ was coined due to the degree of wealth generated by the wool clip.

Things have come full circle however with an industry shift from predominantly wool to an increased emphasis on meat production over the last three decades underpinned by lamb production and corresponding improvements in lambing rates, genetics and carcase weights.

Sheep meat’s position in consumer diets around the world varies greatly, subject to a range of cultural, economic, social and geographical factors. It is considered the preferred meat in many countries – especially those with predominantly Muslim populations. Surprisingly – at least to this chef – China has the world’s largest sheep flock with 95 percent of it being consumed locally.

In Australia, lamb enjoys strong awareness and preference from a long history of consumption. Immigration and our burgeoning multicultural mix have long been Australia’s strength and accounts for our increasing taste for sheep meat. While traditional mutton is on the decline, there is an increasing consumer demand for Australian lamb within large demographic segments where sheep meat has traditionally constituted a major part of the diet.

Australian White ewes at Tatty Keel – a purpose bred meat sheep

As consumers continue to dine out in increasing numbers, demand for sheep meat in foodservice is growing. The quality and diversity of Australian lamb means it is now often the first choice amongst a younger, cashed up dining public. A bonus is that lamb has no religious or cultural restrictions – a distinct advantage in a culturally diverse market. As a protein choice, lamb stands deliciously on its own as a simple grilling or roasting cut – or is a willing cipher for your creativity.

It is this broad ability that has me turning to lamb time and again, whether for family or function, there is nothing better than lamb for scalable deliciousness. Here are three of my favourite ways to prepare lamb – raw, roasted, and a wow-factor sub for the Christmas ham.

Sichuan-style lamb tartare with nori crisps

Serves 6

Cooking and eating in China gave me the taste for Pixian or Doubanjiang – otherwise known as Sichuan broad bean paste. Cooked until fragrant with the addition of Sichuan pepper, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and green shallots it makes the perfect, heady counterpoint to the richness of finely diced lamb leg as a Sichuan-style tartare.

Make sure to prepare and serve immediately with the nori sheets. On the rare occasion that there are leftovers – it makes an exceptional spicy burger patty.

Ingredients

600g boneless lamb leg
10ml cold pressed sesame oil
30g Sichuan broad bean paste (Pixian or Doubanjiang)
10g tomato paste
50g tomato ketchup
120g spring onions
30g chopped ginger
20g chopped garlic
10g Sichuan peppercorns
24 sheets Korean nori sheets

Method

Trim lamb of all sinew and finely dice. Heat the sesame oil and add Doubanjiang, tomato paste, garlic and ginger and cook quickly until fragrant. Add tomato ketchup. Allow to cool then add to meat. Add finely chopped spring onions (green and white parts) and add to the meat mix. Dry roast Sichuan peppercorns and grind finely then add to the meat. Mix well and adjust seasoning. Serve with nori sheets.

Lamb rack with fondue of sweet onions and medjool dates

Serves 6

For such an exceptional cut of lamb I served a fondue of small white onions finished with finely shredded mint and a compote of Aussie grown Medjool dates. It’s a dish I learned from the great Alain Passard at Arpége and cheekily used to audition for Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

Lamb Rack Ingredients

2 lamb racks
Salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Carefully remove skin from the fat cap and score fat at 1cm intervals diagonally and then repeat to achieve a fine crosshatch pattern. Don’t cut into the meat. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Roast fat side up at 170c for 40-45 minutes until 60c at the bone. Rest in a warm place for 15 minutes and carve.

Fondue Ingredients

1 bunch green onions
100g salted butter
3 sprigs mint
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground white pepper
100g Medjool dates
50ml orange juice

Method

Trim the onions and slice very thinly then add to a heavy based pan with the diced butter, salt and pepper. Cover with a cartouche and cook over a low heat until the onions are soft and emulsified with the butter. Thinly slice the mint and add to the onions. Deseed the dates and cut into quarters. Place in a small pan with the orange juice and cook slowly until soft. Serve the lamb with a spoonful of the fondue and date to the side.

Glazed Christmas lamb long leg with mint verde

Serves 6

I have long been a fan of the traditional long leg – from the H bone to the shank. Leaving the muscles attached means there is less shrinkage and the muscle fibres remain elongated, finer and more tender – just a pro hack chefs. This also presents exceptionally well.

This Christmas I will treat the long leg like a ham and score the fat in a traditional cross hatch pattern and stud with cloves. You can use your own glaze recipe or mine made by simmering homemade apricot jam [from dried apricots: if you know, you know] thinned with cider vinegar and spiced with star anise, cinnamon quills and fresh bay leaves. Brush glaze on as you roast the leg for some hours in a slow oven for a true festive delight.

Lamb Leg Ingredients

1 lamb long leg
2 tsp salt
1 sprig bay leaves
10g cloves

Method

Remove the skin from the lamb and score the fat in 2cm intervals. Preheat the oven to 160 Celsius. Stud the lamb with cloves at intervals and pin bay leaves. Place the lamb onto a baking tray and season well. Brush on the glaze and cook for 1.45 – 2 hours depending on your preferred doneness. Brush on the glaze every 15 minutes or so. Serve with roasted potatoes and the mint salsa verde.

Glaze Ingredients

100g apricot jam
6 star anise
1 tsp white peppercorns
2 cinnamon quills
50ml cider vinegar
20ml light soy
50ml water

Method

Bring all ingredients to a boil and then leave to infuse for at least an hour

Verde Ingredients

1 bunch mint
3 tbls tiny capers
1 tin anchovies
1 lemon juice and zest
100ml olive oil

Method

Pick the mint and then blend with remaining ingredients to a smooth paste.

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Nagesh Seethiah

Manzé

Nagesh Seethiah outside his restaurant Manzé in North Melbourne

“I’ve been thinking about goat,” says Nagesh Seethiah. Specifically, he’s been thinking about New Year’s Day in Mauritius, when he was growing up.

The whole family would get together with several other families at his maternal grandmother’s place in Cottage, on the northern side of the island. New Year’s is big in Mauritius, bigger than Christmas, and a big celebration called for a goat or two, with the families making a day of it, everyone pitching in to cook every part of it.

“For lunch, you’d have all the cuts that are easy to cook quickly, including the offal, and then we’d break down and set aside the cuts that need longer cooking, like the legs and the shoulders, for dinner.” Seethiah’s mum, Canta, liked to take charge of lunch, the specialty being a dish called cari endan, or ‘inside curry’. “Each piece of offal would get sliced separately, the heart, the liver, marinated in lots of ginger and garlic, chillies, salt, and some of my grandma’s masala,” says Seethiah. “It’s quite a light, bright sort of masala, with cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon really prominent in it.”

Goat leg and liver at Manzé – Nagesh recalls New Year’s Day in Mauritius as a big celebration that called for a goat or two and cooking every part of it

Let’s pause here for a moment for a word on Mauritius and its food. Mauritius is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the coast of east Africa, 1,100km east of Madagascar. The island is small – about the size of Maui, or a 30th of the size of Tasmania – and when it was first discovered by Arab sailors around the year 975, it was uninhabited. The Dutch took possession in 1598, then the French took over in 1715, before losing it to the English in 1810, and it remained a primarily plantation-based colony of the United Kingdom until independence in 1968.

Under French rule the population was made up largely of enslaved peoples from Mozambique, Madagascar and Zanzibar, brought over to work the plantations, while British owners of sugarcane estates brought in indentured workers and soldiers from India. Today Mauritius is a developed democracy with a culturally diverse population. It’s the only country in Africa where Hinduism is the majority religion; school is taught in French and English, and most people speak Mauritian Creole at home.

In the kitchen, the influences of Indian, Creole, French and Hakka Chinese traditions come together. Rice and bread are staples, and daubes, patisserie, dim sum and spring rolls share space in the national cuisine with biryanis, curries, and other Indian and Tamil dishes. That daube has evolved in the centuries since French occupation to feature plenty of ginger and green chilli along with the thyme and tomatoes, and will more likely be made with lamb or chicken instead of the beef you’d see in Provence.

At Manzé, the restaurant and wine bar Seethiah opened in North Melbourne in 2021, the set menu might open with poutou, a fluffy steamed rice and coconut cake descended from southern India’s puttu, served here topped with a coconut chutney and pickled beetroot, alongside gram boulli, “boiled chickpeas” with chilli, and a golden fritter of sprouting broccoli with hot sauce.

“It’s about framing what’s available to us with Mauritian flavours,” says Seethiah. Filling a samosa with cauliflower, for example, rather than the traditional potato and pea curry, puréeing the stalks so it’s got that starchy base, and then putting raw romanesco through it.

“My food is really just pulling on those threads of flavour from our childhood and adapting them to the ingredients we have here.”

Seethiah makes a superb broth, coaxing worlds of flavour from the likes of Malabar spinach and ginger, or okra, choko and tomato – often using ingredients grown for Manzé. This might be followed by a daube of wild venison or a grilled fish. Lamb is a regular feature of his menus; blackened rump fragrant with masala, perhaps, showered with ribbons of sorrel.

“We’ve also grilled saddle of goat at Manzé, marinating it on the bone, treating it like lamb, and that was really good,” he says. A sear on the fire and then a slow smoke, and taking it to the same pinkness of lamb: delicious. “We’ve served goat cutlets at our pop-ups, too, with lots of pepper, and they taste very similar to lamb. Tastier, even.”

At Manzé, Nagesh frames local and seasonal produce with Mauritian flavours

The thing that perhaps keeps more people from cooking goat is its gaminess, Seethiah reckons, and that little bit of extra chew. “But I think for our application, where we can lean on strong marinades and spices, it works really well. I don’t find goat that far a step from lamb, really.”

Back on the island on New Year’s Day, meanwhile, the goat offal has been marinating in spices and aromats, and it’s time to cook. Nagesh’s mum stir-fries the offal over a wok burner in the outside kitchen. It’s a dry, quite spice-heavy stir-fry, south-Indian style, with plenty of onion.

“Everyone sits down to eat this lunch of quite spicy offal, and then we go pretty much straight into it from lunch, setting up again, breaking down the rest of the goat and setting things up for a longer cook – a braise, really saucy curries, and that’s where the neck and the shoulder and leg come into play.”

Goat at Manzé is prepared with strong marinades and spices – here goat leg is rubbed in Masala spices and cooked over coals

There’s a salad of cucumber and chilli on the table with some green mango through it, and the day is peppered with little fried things and other snacks. “Chilli bites, which are almost like a falafel mix made of split peas, with fried chilli and spring onion through it. Someone will have gone fishing and there’ll be vindaye, which is something like fish pickled in turmeric and mustard.

Seethiah ran a play on the New Year celebration for one of the pop-ups he did at Rockwell and Sons in Collingwood, braising the leg and shoulder of a goat overnight, and then grilling the liver and the heart before folding them through the shredded meat and the sauce, all over a base of shallots, ginger, garlic, lots of little Thai chillies and curry leaves. “We cooked off the base fresh for each plate,” he says.

“That was probably one of the most intense nights of cooking I’ve ever had – so hot and spicy every time you’re facing the stove, but so delicious.”

This was quite a while ago – three or four years, perhaps – and it’s useful to understand that Manzé existed as an idea and a series of pop-ups long before it settled into a bricks-and-mortar site. Seethiah is only 29 – young, perhaps, to be a restaurant owner – yet his path to being a restaurateur and heading a kitchen of his own hasn’t been perfectly linear, and cooking food from Mauritius was by no means always part of the plan.

Goat offal is marinated in spices and aromats then cooked hot and fast

Nagesh Seethiah was born in northern Mauritius. His parents, Ram and Canta, moved the family to New Zealand when he was eight, to a hobby farm in Coatesville, just outside Auckland. They ran a few sheep and cows on the property and lots of chickens, grew their own vegetables and did a home-kill of a beast once or twice a year.

Seethiah didn’t know what he wanted to do when he finished high school, other than take his BMX and do a tour of the South Island, but he had a cousin studying at the ANU, so, with his parents’ encouragement, he moved to Canberra to study law and art history.

Australia gave Seethiah his first taste of hospitality life. He worked at Lonsdale Street Roasters in Braddon and at Stand by Me in Lyons, where he made the move from front-of-house to the kitchen. At Bar Rochford he worked under Ian Poy, a Noma alumnus, and then with Louis Couttoupes, a former public servant fresh from a stint at Au Passage in Paris, studying all the while. “I went to my graduation that year, had lunch with my parents and my partner, Sabrina, and then went straight back to do service at Bar Rochford.”

At the time, by his own estimation, he had no idea what he was doing. “I shouldn’t have been put in charge of a kitchen in my second ever cooking job, but Nick, the owner, was very trusting,” he says “I’ve come to learn, running my own venue, that a lot of the time you’re making this stuff up as you go along.”

The next year Sabrina landed a great job in Melbourne, and she and Seethiah made the move to Victoria. “We moved here on a Friday and I was working on the floor at Belles Hot Chicken in Fitzroy on the Monday.” The two years he spent working the floor at Anchovy, Thi Le and Jia-Yen Lee’s restaurant in Richmond, was a key inspiration. “I learned a lot there,” he says. “About making things from scratch. About Thi’s approach to cooking the food of her heritage. The way she gives that food the same or more attention, care and detail that we’re expected to put into other cuisines.”

Smoked goat leg and Manzé house masala

Let’s pull focus here for a moment: what is it about the food of Mauritius, say, or Vietnam, that could make it seem less deserving of attention than Italian, for example, or French food? “In our cultures we treat food as sustenance, it’s something that’s done at home,” Seethiah says.

“We acknowledge that our mothers are good cooks, but we don’t place a lot of value on learning to cook that food, or on food having cultural value. It’s about spending time in our careers caring so much about other people’s food, and then flipping the script and treating our own food that way. Seeing that our food deserves as much attention and detail, with ingredients and a price-point to match.”

There’s challenges here. Even Seethiah’s parents aren’t entirely used to the idea of the food of Mauritius as restaurant cuisine. “They support it, but they don’t quite see the point.” Then there’s the Mauritian people who come into Manzé and tell him that what he’s cooking is too expensive and isn’t really Mauritian food. There’s also the guy on the internet who likes to say that what Seethiah is doing is inauthentic, a joke, and that he shouldn’t be doing what he’s doing – a curious charge to lay against a chef born and bred on the island.

Memories of Mauritius – goat gets the Nagesh touch at Manzé

But there’s also the Mauritians who visit Manzé and delight in seeing the flavours they grew up with presented in a new light. “We had a couple come in a few weeks ago, maybe a bit older than I am, and they said, ‘we don’t know you, but we’re so proud of you, thank you for doing this’. That made me think, well, some people might not like it, but there is value in this.”

This is food Seethiah learned to cook from his mum and his dad, and from his grandmother. It’s a conversation in progress. “I’ll be on the phone to Mum on a Monday, saying, hey, I’m thinking of doing this. Mum will say, ‘that won’t work’, and then I’ll do it anyway, and then she’ll come in a few weeks later, try it, and say, ‘oh wow, that’s good’.

Stir fried goat liver with cumin and curry leaf at Manzé

For Nagesh Seethiah, the feeling that he’s on the right track comes most powerfully when he’s at the stove and suddenly feels transported from the restaurant kitchen in North Melbourne back to being eight years old again in Mauritius.

“I feel a really intense wave of nostalgia, and I suddenly feel really proud. I think, this is it: this is what we’re chasing. Scaling that up, and feeding 150 people a week with that feeling – that’s when it feels right.”

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Spotlight On

MARK BEST SHARES THE LAMB

Sichuan-style lamb tartare with nori crisps

Serves 6

Ingredients

Method

Lamb rack with fondue of sweet onions and medjool dates

Serves 6

Lamb Rack Ingredients

Method

Fondue Ingredients

Method

Glazed Christmas lamb long leg with mint verde

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