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What’s Good in the Hood

BLUE MOUNTAINS

A couple of hours drive from Sydney and a world away in environs, the Blue Mountains has always held a certain allure.

And not just for the lush, fern-filled gullies, sweeping plateaus, craggy cliff faces and low-hanging, occasionally blinding mist that makes you feel like you’re standing by on a Nordic noir film. Or the naturalist, free-form hippy energy it attracts.

It’s also, thanks to some exciting new restaurant additions and the proud maintenance of a few much-loved stalwarts, a pretty wonderful place to eat. On the precipice of a bit of a boom, the upper mountains are starting to enjoy the kind of attention they’ve always deserved.

Pack your hiking sandals, your waterproof ponchos, and a healthy attitude to multiple lunches. Here’s what’s Good in the Blue Mountains Hood.

Myffy and the Three Sisters.

LEURA GARAGE

The French dip sambo has made its way up the mountains and found a home in this old garage-cum-casual diner, set at the top of Leura village. Flattened spanners, wrenches and other fix-it paraphernalia are set into the polished concrete floors, local honey and apple juice are on display at the front of the restaurant, and on the plate is a sandwich of epic, drippy proportions, available at lunchtime only.

Lunch at Leura Garage? Check.

We’re talking about a chewy hoagie roll lined with melted cheese, stuffed with shavings of roast beef with a side of horseradish cream and a little bowl of beef broth for dipping. It’s a two napkin job, and possibly even a two-person job with a side order of crunchy polenta chips.

The mountainous French Dip sandwich.

ATES

Say it with us: Artesshhhh. The pronunciation of this hearth restaurant might be hard to wrap your mouth around (try pretending you have a mouth full of live bees when you say it), but the cooking certainly isn’t. The old woodfired bakery oven is reignited at this much-loved restaurant property, once home to chef Philip Searle’s legendary fine diner Vulcans. It’s still run on the same principles of spare presentation belying smart technique, only with slightly different flavour profiles thanks to chefs Will Cowan-Lunn (ex Rockpool and Rockpool Bar & Grill) and Max Forbes-Mackinnon (ex-Porteno).

Chef Will Cowper-Lunn at Ates.

Here you’ll find a tasting menu that might range from anchovies on buttered toast to potato chips with radish halves and wood-fired focaccia with house-made jersey milk ricotta. Blushing slices of Jack’s Creek sirloin slow roasted in the woodfire and finished on the hibachi are served with harissa, salsa verde, creamed spinach and a squeeze of lemon. Word on the street is Blackheath natural winemakers Frankly This Wine Is Made By Bob are opening a bar across the street in the new year, too.

Jack’s Creek Sirloin – part of the Ates tasting menu.

MOUNTAIN CULTURE

The best craft beer in the country (or at least NSW) can be found in an old Video Ezy shop in Katoomba. Yes, it’s true. The brainchild of American-born craft brewer DJ McCready and his Aussie journalist wife Harriet, this is some of the softest, purest tasting beer around. It’s also the Blue Mountains’ very first brew pub, with excellent American-style burgers (there’s a weekly special but our money, and mouths, are on the OG – beef patty, tomato, lettuce, cheese, onion and house-made pickles on a super-soft bun).

An OG Burger and a beer. It’s a yes from us.

Can’t decide what to drink? We’d suggest a bit of everything. Get a tasting paddle and settle out on the deck to observe that infamous four-seasons-in-one-day Katoomba weather.

Myffy getting cultured with Mountain Culture’s DJ McCready.

BOOTLEGGER

Cocktails and BBQ? Absolutely.

There is no shortage of pubs in these here mountains, but craft cocktail bars? Few and far between. In fact, this might be the only one. Here’s Bootlegger – a Katoomba newbie, not just bringing the noise with their mezcal negronis and extra-smoky penicillin cocktails but also with their American style barbecue.

Check that soft, yielding Rangers Valley black onyx beef cheek and heavily rubbed brisket, both served with coleslaw, pickles and corn and a range of house-made sauces. It’ll have to be a return trip for the brisket burger and a whisky flight up on their brand new rooftop/courtyard, just in time for summer.

BBQ brisket and beef cheek with all the trimmings.

YELLOW DELI

True, it’s a cafe owned and run by Twelve Tribes – a fundamentalist religious sect started in the US in the 1970s – but the sandwich work at this Katoomba Street mainstay is exceptional. There’s the classic reuben on rye bread with corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, mayo and mustard. And then there’s the ‘deli lamb’ – a lamb sandwich (when we asked what cut of lamb it was, our richly-bearded server flatly told us ‘deli lamb’ – we didn’t push it) on a wholemeal roll with onions, lettuce, tomato and cucumber dressed with honey garlic sauce. Cult-status sandwiches? Undoubtedly.

The infamous Yellow Deli – cult sandwiches. Literally.

The Deli Lamb.

CEDAR KEBAB

Speak to anyone worth their salt in hospitality up in the mountains and they’ll point you to Josh Ireland’s kebab shop. Not too long ago, the former private chef of the Rolling Stones and U2 packed in road life in search of something quieter, moving his young family to the Blue Mountains. On the outside, it’s nothing flash, just an old kebab shop (he even kept the same name) halfway down Katoomba Street.

But back of house, there’s something pretty exceptional going on from the crunchy house-made falafels to a dizzying list of sauces and pickles to go on a beef kebab worth hopping the country train for. Ireland refuses to open on weekends or at night and there’s a queue a mile long at lunch. Worth it.

Beef kebab – turns out you can get satisfaction.

When the Rolling Stone’s personal chef rolls into town and opens a kebab shop. Winning.

HOMINY

A mainstay of Katoomba street since 1998 (and before that, Blackheath), Hominy is the bakery that brought sourdough to the Blue Mountains, and it’s still a must for their baked goods. It’s all about patience when it comes to the process of baking here – at the ripe age of 18 years, their sourdough starter is old enough to vote. It takes days to create the fine layers of puff pastry used for their chunky beef pie, made to Vulcans chef Philip Searle’s original recipe, the tomato-rich gravy perfumed with star anise.

Road trip pies are always a good idea.

Many of the ingredients in the cakes, pies and pasties are grown locally, made with time and care. Highlights include the flourless orange cake, individual bread and butter puddings and, of course, that sourdough with its bittersweet tang.

Good things come to those who bake.

What’s Good in the Hood

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NEWCASTLE

Words: Myffy Rigby. Photography: Jason Loucas

Freedom of experimentation is the order of the day. Whether it’s young blood escaping the clutches and purse strings of Sydney, or establishment breaking away from fine dining, there’s a certain vibration in Newcastle that’s hard to ignore.

No longer just ‘that place Silverchair comes from’ (though it is also that), Newie is developing a freestyle all of its own. New bars, rewazzed pubs, tacos, burgers, cold beers and natural wines borne of a population explosion over the past few years mean there’s no shortage of edible adventures, and Steel City is dishing it up.

Here’s What’s Good in the Newcastle Hood.

Admiring the magical Merewether Beach.

RASCAL

Taking cues from Sydney’s reigning kings of burgers and vibe, Mary’s, and America’s fast casual phenomenon Shake Shack, Rascal is the brainchild of chefs Tim Montgomery and Tom Robinson who decided to put down the tweezers and pick up the spatulas. The pair, who both cooked at the now-closed Bacchus, deliver the sort of burgers that require two steady hands and a lot of commitment to finish. Go large with double patties (their mix is brisket, chuck and Jack’s Creek wagyu trim), double cheese and all the trimmings. You can even add beetroot, if you swing that way.

Rascal has all your burger needs covered.

The Rascal Burger – enough said.

CHIEFLY EAST

Sure, any sandwich monger worth their salt, vinegar and sugar makes their pickles in-house. But how many also house-cure their own pastrami and bake their own rye for their reubens? Not many, if any. Certainly not in Newy, anyway. This rare-breed sando-shack, owned and run by Ali and Gem Downer, does it all, in sweet raw brick surrounds. They’re big on an American deli sandwich here, whether it’s that reuben, stacked high and finished with a pickled jalapeno, or the Big Beefy on Brooklyn Bridge – rare roast beef slices, sauerkraut, pickles, blue cheese and American mustard. Hot damn.

House made pastrami, house made pickles, house made rye. Good times.

The Big Beefy on Brooklyn Bridge. Banging.

MEET

Want big, brassy South American barbecue energy with a minimum of three types of barbecuing styles? Meet have you covered, from rotisserie and parija to a hefty smokebox where the likes of rich coffee and chilli marinated beef short rib are cooked low and slow till they’re fall-off-the-bone tender, served with creamy cassava puree. The open kitchen rocks all the Brazilian barbecue classics (hello, meat party) as well as churros with dulce de leche for dessert. Wander out the back of this brassy churrascaria and discover a massive bar replete with regular live music and free-flowing cachaca cocktails.

Rotisserie, parija or smoke box? Meet has you covered.

Coffee and chilli short rib. Absolute cracker.

THE EDWARDS

This might be about the time you’ll be asking yourself “so just how long does it take to meet a member of 1994 teen breakout sensation, Silverchair if I’m hanging out in downtown Newcastle?” Longer than you might think. There is, however, a silver lining if Chris Johanu is the member you’re hoping to spot – in the form of dining in his cafe. Extra fun fact: the Edwards was once a laundromat owned by his family and much of the design is upcycled washing equipment. While there are no guarantees of a Johanu-sighting, there are guarantees of deliciousness in the form of pho gau for breakfast: grass-fed Gippsland brisket, a rich, anis-heavy broth, plenty of herbs and a tangle of rice noodles. Great coffee, too.

The Edwards – excellent for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Breakfast brisket pho. More of this please.

MEREWETHER SURF HOUSE

Call it Newcastle’s answer to Icebergs, only with more dolphins and less Sneaky Sound System. Comprising several levels – cafe, takeaway and functions with finer dining Italian on the top level – there’s something pretty magical about sitting above Merewether beach drinking a spritz and eating a bowl of pappardelle enriched with slow cooked lamb. Down below, local surfies glide through green glass tubes, competing with bottlenose dolphins for the best waves, and groups of ocean swimmers jump off the rocks. Peak Australia.

Beautifully bathed in blue.

Ragu with a view.

FLOTILLA

It’s fine dining, coastal style. That means breezy service headed up by restaurateur Eduardo Molina, gentle decor down to the blush-pink walls, buttery caramel leather banquettes and hand-thrown ceramics and a menu by chef Shayne Mansfield (ex-restaurant Botanica) that moves in the soft zone between bistro, bodega and izakaya. Check that wagyu tri-tip marinated in rock sugar and fish sauce, cooked over flames in the open kitchen and served with a kind of Japanese hollandaise, and thumb-sized beef fat dumplings. The cocktail and wine game is particularly strong here, so if you didn’t come in relaxed, you’ll certainly leave that way.

Fired by flames.

Wagyu tri-tip with beef fat dumplings. Yes, you read that right.

ANTOJITOS

What do you get when you mix a Californian women’s volleyball coach, an Aussie women’s basketball coach, brisket tacos, Mexican sodas and an old warehouse on Steel Street? You get this popular taqueria run by husband and wife team Eric and Kristy Flores, serving up Baja style cantina food. Inspired by the Californian-Mexican street scene, it’s all about colourful lo-fi surrounds and hi fi flavour here. Tortillas are made on-site, tacos and burritos are the order of the day and they move upwards of 75,000 of both each year. Bare feet and lowriders welcome.

Colour-me happy.

Let’s taco-bout tacos.

TALULAH

What do you want when you don’t know what you want? You want a lamb souvlaki with a festival of ferments. This nourish bar brings the noise on the small-batch front, from the coffee (the beans are from one-time garage roastery, Ona) to the pickles (all the colours of the house-made rainbow). If it’s bright, nutritious, crunchy and delicious, you’ll find it here at a mismatched table setting, against walls hung with local artists. And that souvlaki? That’s a bed of charred flatbread, holding broccoli tabouli, hummus, turmeric pickles and a garden bed’s worth of herbs. Health on a plate.

Things are just cooler at Talulah.

Lamb souvlaki dressed to impress. Hashtag health.

LOST BOYS KEBAB

A pop up out the back of infamous gig venue the Cambridge Hotel (they’ve played host to the likes of Eagles of Death Metal, You Am I, Client Liaison, The Misfits and the Buzzcocks), if this kebab stand could talk, it’d have a few stories to tell. Today, though, the main story is their harissa lamb kebab with eggplant relish, red cabbage, mint, pickles, garlic yoghurt and za’atar. Run by ex-Bodega chef Joel Humphreys (he also oversees other Newcastle venues Scotties and Little Shack), it’s probably the hardest rocking kebab in Australia. Especially if it’s chased with a deep-fried banana dripping in caramel sauce.

Do you even souvlaki bro?

That’s a wrap on Newcastle folks.

Guest Chef Profile

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With four years of the two-hatted Automata notched on the calendar and his casual diner A1 Canteen having just celebrated its first birthday – Clayton Wells has built himself somewhat of a reputation. The boy from Sydney’s western suburbs could in fact be considered the King of Kensington Street – reigning over a dining precinct near Sydney’s Central Station where many others have tried and failed.

Clayton Wells – the King of Kensington Street?

Both restaurants operate from large, open plan kitchens – turning out produce driven plates of food to customers with reputation driven expectations. Fortunately, Wells’ abilities not only as a chef but as a leader ensure that his teams are ready to deliver – and be guided by just a look from the face behind the frames.

“People come in expecting a certain experience – a level of food, a standard of service – and what we want is for them to leave with more than that. On an operational level, and with open kitchens, I need my team to understand my expectations so we can exceed those of our diners. That takes discipline and it takes training – and we’ve gotten to the point now in service where all it takes is a look from me and they know.”

Open five nights and two days for lunch, Automata seats 62 guests across two floors.

But it’s about far more than just a look. Wells has done the time to earn the respect that warrants the look. Originally he wanted to be an architect which makes perfect sense. Based on the architectural principles of durability, utility and beauty – he has built a career and two successful restaurants with precision and purpose; balanced squarely on an underlying foundation of solidity and structure.

Wells started as an apprentice in the Hawkesbury in 1999 working in hotels for five years before moving to the city to take up post as chef de partie at Quay and then junior sous chef at Tetsuya’s – catapulting himself into a world of fine dining and inspired cooking under the guidance of two world renowned leaders.

From there, he expanded his culinary horizons even more, travelling overseas for a stint in Michelin starred restaurants in the UK and Scandinavia before returning home in 2011 to open David Chang’s Momofuku Seiobo alongside head chef Ben Greeno where he stayed as sous chef for three years.

With Rodney Dunn at Agrarian Kitchen – Clayton encourages young chefs to travel and taste as much as they can.

“Whether it be something as simple as a carrot, an interesting seaweed or a different cut of beef that’s not so common – we work towards making it shine on the plate. It’s a great challenge – it’s not a hard challenge but it’s an interesting challenge and that’s what we always try and do.”

Slicing Automata’s pastrami-like beef tri tip which is dry roasted with mustard, coriander seeds and pepper then smoked.

“At Automata our diners love beef and I always try and use it – about 70 percent of the time our set menu will have a beef dish. I try and stay away from the prime cuts and use cuts that I find delicious but need a bit more attention to cooking. Skirt steaks, tri tips, rump caps and hanger – the things that don’t melt in your mouth but they’re the most delicious.”

Automata’s grain fed Angus tri tip with fermented celeriac and mustard oil.

As a noted leader in the foodservice space and with an ever evolving menu that changes every few weeks – Clayton uses his influence as an opportunity to educate the customer by using lesser known cuts of meat and serving them in a way that is refined but still approachable.

“I think it’s important for us to use different cuts so we can educate diners about what is available on the carcase. It’s not always about the sirloin or the fillet or the rib eye and I want my customers to try different things and then go out and buy it for themselves.”

With the Sydney dining scene and diner continuing to evolve and with many restaurants struggling to keep up, Clayton saw an opportunity to open a fun casual dining restaurant in the Chippendale dining precinct. In mid-2018, and just 20 metres from Automata, the 56 seat A1 Canteen was born.

“I wanted to have a more casual place that was close by Automata where we could bounce ingredients and ideas off each other and use more of the ingredients across the venues but in different ways. Also I have a weird love of cooking breakfast food, I don’t know why because most chefs hate it – but I really like it.”

“I think the dining scene is changing at the moment – there is definitely a shift towards the more casual but I still want what we do to be of great quality. I just sort of felt that there was something missing in this area – and so that’s why we conceptualised A1.”

Preparing A1’s Salted Beef Bagel using beef silverside.

“At A1 we’ve always had beef on the menu – we do things like salted beef bagels and hanger steaks and at the moment we have a tri tip tartare. Like Automata, we always try and have something interesting and delicious that educates the customer and inspires them to think differently. It is a very different offering to Automata so it keeps it interesting for us as well as the customer.”

A1’s tri tip tartare.

With a 20-year career cooking in some of the world’s best fine dining restaurants under the guidance of some of the industry’s greatest – and approaching five years leading a team of his own at one of Australia’s favourite venues – what does the future hold for Clayton Wells?

“What’s the future hold for me? I’m not sure. I love what I do. I’m going to stay here and do this for as long as I can. Just building a good strong team that are all working together on constantly moving forward. That’s all I can ask for.”

Whatever the future holds – if the past is anything to go by – it’s clear that all is well that ends Wells.

Editors’ Letters

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Editors’
Letters

Twelve months on and we are back to where it all began with our second Autumn Lamb issue and this time we welcome Alanna Sapwell into the editor’s seat. We baited and hooked the former seafood-slinging chef and with her feet firmly back on the ground embarked on an all-out Australian lamb adventure.

The concept of nose to tail is nothing new but its evolution from a buzz-word to a meaningful philosophy being embraced from paddock to plate is exciting. Chefs are not only now utilising a greater range of cuts but also exploring back-to-basic and modern techniques and preparations to improve flavour and experience. On-farm, innovations and industry research are progressing eating quality attributes across the carcase and improving the potential of products like hogget and mutton.

In the same vein, sustainability is another term that has been trotted out on trends lists for the better part of a decade but what we are seeing now is a more conscious effort to understand and embrace it through the supply chain. Sustainability is not only about conscious production, use and awareness of environmental footprint but also the sustainability of the future of our industries. Leadership, forward-thinking and instigation of meaningful change is essential in moving us forward in the paddock and on the plate.

I’ll let the issue do the talking and bring these themes to life through real people, places and processes – but as your editor, I want to say that it has been a really inspiring issue to put together. I hope that you are as encouraged as I am to see how far we have come and the effort going in on both sides of industry to be better.

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

There’s nothing more heartwarming than a trip to the country. The endless hospitality you find there is something I aspire to.

Charlie and Eleanor at Haddon Rig are genuine farmers – a role that means a constant reassessment of the way they operate and a constant push to innovate. They’ve tackled things like the stigma of hogget and mutton by trialling dry ageing methods to break down the proteins and surprisingly leave it with a cleaner, yet more distinguished taste. On their 62,000-acre property near Warren (just north of Dubbo) they’ve diversified their business to counter moving markets and give them flexibility – they grow a range of crops like cotton for additional income but also to retain the seed to feed their animals.

At the forefront of their priorities are their employees. They’ve put into place a beautiful culture, giving the staff a place by the river to take a break from what is often a seven day week and a kooky wall of fame from their collective countries. Many of them don’t want to leave and I can see why.

On the other side of Australia on our Roadies trip to Margaret River, we also got to experience various examples of how the influence of many cultures provide the WA food scene with a mix of lamb cuts and methods from tongue to bone marrow rice and everything in between.

Our mission statement was to get out and about and to eat some lamb. What I learnt in the process, through the thoughtful farmers I met and the practices they employ, reinforces what I want to achieve with the restaurant. It also encouraged and reminded me how we can support one another in the food industry.

Big shout out to the gang – MJ, Macca and Jarrod for one hell of a ride x

Alanna Sapwell
Head Chef
Arc Dining
@alannasapwell

Editors’ Letters

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Editors’
Letters

Summer – you either love it or loathe it and personally, I love it. In this issue, we tackle summer head-on with a man renowned for his sultry summer venues – Jordan Toft of Merivale Group – whose sprawling waterside dining and drinking destinations have summer written all over them.

Drought continues to be a topic of much discussion in the media with its effects felt far and wide through rural Australia. However, it’s not all doom and gloom and in our producer story, we learn how station managers mitigate and prepare for drought by understanding and managing their stock to feed ratio well in advance and make the necessary changes to ensure land and livestock do not suffer.

This issue is stuffed like a family beach bag when it comes to menu ideas and inspiration for summer – Australian beef truly is the greatest and the on-menu opportunities are literally limitless. We visit top chefs and venues doing great things with Aussie beef, take a road trip around some iconic QLD pubs and head north with Australia’s largest integrated cattle and beef producer, managing a mind-blowing 17.3 million acres of land and a cattle herd of around 500,000 head. This is big beef.

Our fourth and final issue for the year packs a punch so read, watch, learn and maybe even have a bit of a laugh. There is so much to enjoy about our incredible Australian beef industry and we’re proud to be able to share these stories with you. As always, your feedback is welcomed and encouraged.

See you in 2019!

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

As a big user of beef throughout my venues, the opportunity to be chef editor for this Summer Beef issue and to tell the story of what we do has been great. Beef is such a versatile menu item from grass to grain, primary and secondary cuts to marble scores and ageing – there are so many variables. The chance to learn more about the production side of things was pretty incredible and I started this adventure with an inquisitive mind:

Bos Indicus versus Bos Taurus, what’s the difference and why don’t we eat more of the drought-hardy/tropic loving stuff from the north?
Country Australian culture, how does food play a part?
And will this city kid be accepted if I turn up in my brand-new R.M.Williams boots?

I wanted to see the vast open spaces and the dry season in the North, experience cattle stations the size of some Asian and European countries and to see how they raise cattle in the driest continent in the world behind Antarctica.

Our first stop was Surat in QLD where a brisk morning welcomed us, along with our first of many country hospitality experiences. Driving the paddocks, we met the first of AACo’s Wagyu X cattle grazing on introduced buffel grass. I quickly learnt that these guys are grass farmers first and cattlemen second. It was dry alright, but there was no panic about the drought and they seemed to be resolute that they’d managed their land right with comments like “look at that, the buffel is ready to shoot over ya head with a shower or two”.

Off to the NT via Longreach was next. I’d never been to the Territory and with a station the size of Singapore plus 90,000 head of cattle waiting, it didn’t disappoint. Brunette Downs on the Barkly Tablelands – it was FLAT! The family homestead was surrounded by a vast level vista, from horizon to horizon and beyond. It’s here I learnt how Bos Indicus genetics play their part when mixed with the Wagyu, how the 45-strong team wrangle the land and the cattle it sustains, and how a beautiful family treats this part of Australia as their home and livelihood.

In central Queensland, amongst the dead Ironbark, I got to see more cattle grazing on buffel and not too far from that was the feedlot that ‘completed’ the circle this business works so hard at. But it’s not feed and hope, it’s an exact science and a term I heard repeated with so much vigour – ‘a rising plane of nutrition’. The feed, partly grown on site, was a rich mix of steamed grass grains, natural probiotic silage, forage and other nutrients and it was great to see this done right, whichever side of the grass or grain discussion you sit.

I got to cook Brahman and Wagyu over Gidgee wood. I got to experience a culture different to my own yet one that was inherently Australian, passionate and driven. They welcomed me, taught me, let me ride their horse and introduced me to Bundy rum. Most importantly, they didn’t even laugh at city kid in his shiny new RM’s!

Thanks to those on the land for having me and for all you do to bring quality Australian beef to our restaurants – and thanks to the team that travelled with me, it was an experience I won’t ever forget.

Jordan Toft
Executive Chef
Merivale
@jordanwtoft

Guest Chef Profile

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ALL
HAIL
KING
CARMICHAEL

Q. What do you call a restaurant based in an Australian casino; owned by a USA restaurateur and TV star; with a Caribbean tasting menu curated by a Bajan chef?

A. You call it awesome. Well, technically, you call it Seiobo.

Seiobo means goddess of west and so I am not exactly sure what that makes Paul Carmichael. As executive chef of Momofuku’s only restaurant outside North America – it could be said that he is the southern jewel in the Momofuku Empire’s crown. All hail King Carmichael.

But, really.

Paul is the ultimate expression of laid back and at the same time the very model of mad-scientist crazy. Sometimes following his train of thought is like trying to follow a map for hidden treasure. Then he laughs; a laugh from the belly that reaches his eyes; and you forget what he was trying to say and just laugh along with him.

With Paul there is no rule book. Whilst it may seem like he is just going along moment-by-moment, learning from mistakes and pushing forward – there is a method to his madness. When Paul took reign of the kitchen in 2015, General Manager Kylie Javier Ashton struggled at first with his seemingly blasé approach.

“Paul was super frustrating to work with at first because he is all over the shop and I wasn’t used to working like that. I am super organised and he just shoots from the hip – I just had to trust him. I got to know him more and soon figured out, he might be crazy but he’s not an idiot,” she laughs.

"Me and Kylie work well together – we're like yin and yang. I am crazy and lost all the time and she is focused. She takes my external crazy and brings it into focus in a way that I can’t."

“Me and Kylie work well together – we’re like yin and yang. I am crazy and lost all the time and she is focused. She takes my external crazy and brings it into focus in a way that I can’t – I find it difficult to explain a vision because I generally don’t have one,” Paul said.

Coming to Australia to head up Seiobo was no exception and Paul said he never had a grand plan for what it would become – but together he and Kylie have shaped a dining experience unlike any other in Australia.

“Seiobo is a Caribbean restaurant which is something I have always wanted to do. I didn’t come here thinking that is what it would be, but once I got a feel for Australian ingredients and culture, it just kind of made sense,” he said.

“It’s the way he likes to cook and the Caribbean influences have slowly evolved the menu more and more. It is still fine dining but it is more committed to Paul’s journey and his Caribbean roots. I love Paul – working with him, his creativity and his food – it is always a fun journey,” Kylie adds.

Paul touts quite the resume – graduating from the Culinary Institute of America then moving to New York to work at a number of renowned venues including wd-50, Asiate and Aquavit. He was then executive chef at Perla in Puerto Rico before returning to New York to start his Momofuku journey – heading up Ma Peche for four years.

But for Paul, success is not necessarily about where he has worked or the accolades he has amassed along the way – it’s about creating an environment where his team can grow, where successes are shared and failures are used as a tool to learn.

“The biggest goal professionally is to have a successful restaurant. I want my staff to be happy in an environment where they can flourish and be the best person they can be. I want my kitchen to be a place where people can contribute and be a part of the entire experience for better or worse. It’s about being all in, all the time,” he said.

It’s a sentiment that Kylie shares. For her, success is built around communication – the ability for the team to be able to talk openly and honestly, to feel safe and respected.

“We have a small team, there’s 18 in total and it’s our little family, we are open and we can talk about anything. Seiobo is home for a lot of the team, many are not from Sydney and don’t have families here – we are their family. Creating a place where everyone feels safe and a place that everyone can be proud of is really important for us,” Kylie adds.

"Seiobo is home for a lot of the team, many are not from Sydney and don’t have families here – we are their family."

For Paul, cooking has always been a part of who he is – a lifelong obsession that has taken him all over the world. But it all began at home in Barbados where food was a huge part of his childhood and cooking and eating always involved family and loved ones.

“Mum and dad always encouraged me – they put me on a stool and I made my first thing alone when I was three years old. It is just something that I have always loved to do. It wasn’t necessarily easy for me but it was never something I had to think about.”

“Some kids grow up and they’re really good at putting things together or they see a violin and they can play it. Cooking always came very, very naturally for me, I was obsessed and it was never ever secondary. I honestly feel that there are some things that people are just born to do and cooking has always been the thing for me,” he said.

So what advice does Paul have for budding young chefs or those considering a career in the foodservice industry?

“I feel like if you want to be good, then you’ve just got to work hard at it. That is a belief of mine – regardless of where I am, I work very hard, I’m a workaholic. For the craft of cooking you definitely need to devote time, effort and focus. It’s not just going to be easy all the time.”

“Keep trying to learn, keep grinding and never think that you’re too good to learn. I’ve been cooking for 23 odd years and I feel like I can learn every day,” he said.

Paddock Story

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To Tom Bull, farming is about a lot more than what happens in the paddock – the 2018 Farmer of the Year uses progressive breeding technology to advance genetic gain in his flock, improving profitability and producing a premium lamb product.

Tom, Phoebe, Hamish, Hattie & Eddy Bull with their Hampshire Downs at Kinross Station

Tom commenced breeding sheep in 1991 with the purchase of five ewes while he was still at school. Working his way through the supply chain from the abattoir boning room and a stint at Meat & Livestock Australia’s head office in Sydney, to playing a key role in the development of a set of eating quality standards for sheepmeat – Tom’s lamb industry knowledge is second to none and his dedicated commitment to advance it is truly inspirational.

His family owned and operated business LAMBPRO, based at Holbrook in Southern NSW, is the largest supplier of prime lamb genetics to the Australian lamb industry.

Producing the highest quality lambs at the lowest cost of production, the LAMBPRO breeding program is unrivalled for marbling and tenderness and its broad client base will this year collectively produce 800,000 lambs.

We took guest chef editor Peter Gunn to the newest arm of the LAMBPRO business – Kinross Station Hampshire Down – where the primary focus is on maximising the eating quality characteristics of marbling and tenderness to produce a highly marbled premium lamb product.

Kinross Station Hampshire Downs lamb at Meatsmith in Melbourne

“There is a lack of segmentation in the Australian lamb industry and whilst the beef industry has nailed branding and quality with its billion-dollar Wagyu and Angus industries – lamb is very much still just a commodity.”

71 of the top 100 rams in Australia for marbling are from Kinross Station

“Any export or domestic end user that we have dealt with that has a Wagyu product always asks ‘Where’s the lamb equivalent’ – and that’s what we are trying to develop,” Tom said.

The Hampshire Down sheep breed has consistent traits of producing highly marbled meat and currently dominates Meat and Livestock Australia’s national rankings for intramuscular fat (marbling). Leading the industry in marbling and tenderness, 71 of the top 100 rams (males) in Australia for marbling breeding traits are from Kinross Station.

“In our quest to establish the leading lamb marbling specialist program in Australia, we identified several Hampshire Down studs that had close links to known marbling genetics and a performance recording background.”

“Over a 12-month period, we purchased and combined five of Australia’s leading Hampshire Down flocks into a state of the art breeding program. We now own 50% of the Hampshire Down breed registered within Australia and are one of the few businesses that control both the maternal (female) and terminal (male) genetics which gives us a fair influence on the outcome of the end product,” Tom said.

At Kinross Station, the Hampshire Down breeding program is built on unique sire (male) lines within the Hampshire Down breed and is underpinned by stringent progeny (offspring) testing representing the largest commercial progeny testing in Australia.

“All the carcase data of the Kinross Station Hampshire Down lambs is tracked and entered into LAMBPLAN – the Australian lamb industry’s performance recording system. The breed not only now dominates marbling rankings nationally but is also unmatched in customer taste testing satisfaction.”

Five years of eating quality research at LAMBPRO has highlighted that the key control points for eating quality are maternal genetics, terminal genetics, nutrition, age and weight. Progeny testing for meat quality, DNA parentage tracking and industry benchmarked customer taste testing ensures the LAMBPRO program is underpinned with a high level of scientific accuracy.

Each year, LAMBPRO produces 8-10 lambs purely for the purpose of tracking performance and carcase traits then uses that data to inform business and flock decisions to ultimately improve the end product by understanding which breeding lines are the highest performing.

A Hampshire Down ewe with twin lambs at Kinross Station

“All growth and eye muscle data is collected on farm and recorded. Lambs are then processed at Thomas Foods in Tamworth then tracked from hoof to hook by the University of New England who extract both loins from the carcases for testing. One loin is used to measure PH, tenderness and intramuscular fat percentage and the other is used for customer taste testing.”

Lamb from Kinross Station where the focus is on maximising eating quality characteristics of marbling and tenderness

With the Hampshire Down considered a ‘rare-breed’ – there is significant opportunity for customers to relate the breed to eating experience – like Wagyu and Angus in the beef industry. Tom believes that the Hampshire Down will be that premium product in the Australian lamb industry – informed by insights and backed by research.

“Genetics can change industries and the identification of a few high marbling Angus sire lines in part changed the beef industry – the same could be said for the importation of Wagyu genetics from Japan. The marbling performance of the Hampshire Down breed has been immense and Kinross Station owns 71% of the top sires for marbling in Australia and half the registered Hampshire Down ewes in Australia.”

“With our Hampshire Down program at Kinross Station we are working towards delivering a consistent first class eating experience heavily weighted towards marbling, tenderness and loin yield. We are aiming to produce Australia’s highest quality premium lamb product that is backed by science and performance,” Tom said.

Considered a ‘rare-breed’ the Hampshire Down has breed brand recognition potential like Angus and Wagyu

Paddock Story

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Finding

Balance

Michael Craig is not your average farmer – not that one can easily surmise an average farmer – so perhaps it is better to say, Michael Craig is not average. This tongue-in-cheek character with his big smile and no holds barred chat, was born and raised a city boy; but he is country to the bone.

Hailing from Adelaide, he was the youngest of five boys. When he was five, his father purchased the original block of land on which he and his family now live; and which Paul and I have come to explore over a stunning winter weekend in June.

As we pile into the old Landcruiser paddock basher, Jacinta the dog is not going to miss out and, as she manoeuvres from lap to lap, Mick shows us around the farm, pointing out the trees he and his father planted some 30 odd years ago.

This intricate history of stewardship, the tangible care of the land and the drive to continually foster and improve it for future generations weaves through all that Mick does and is abundantly apparent in all that we see and experience.

Despite not growing up on the land, Mick tells us there was always just something about the wide-open spaces that spoke to him.

“It is this acute sense of being involved in something bigger than the sum of its parts and having ultimate responsibility for something so precious. It always seemed like an incredible privilege to me and not something to be taken for granted,” he said.

Mick studied economics and accounting before commencing a career in agri-business based in Canberra. However, the allure of the land and his high school sweetheart Jane saw him make the decision at 26 to leave the city behind and give full time farming a go.

Fast forward to now and Mick, Jane and their two boys happily call Tuloona home. Located four hours’ drive west of Melbourne, the property encompasses 11,000 acres of mixed farming enterprise not far from the South Australian border.

“We still reside on the original parcel of land that my father purchased but have acquired surrounding land as our operations grew over time. We now run between 17,000 – 25,000 sheep depending on the season, 950 cattle and around 3,200 acres of mixed cropping,” Mick said.

As Paul and Mick share nuances about their individual businesses, making comparisons and learning more about each other’s end of the supply chain, Paul asks Mick why it is he wanted to start a farm in the first place.

“Paul, you being here has actually helped me to consider more succinctly what I am doing here and for me it is probably more about sustainability than anything else. It is as much about having a sustainable environment in which to bring up our kids, as it is about producing sheep or cattle – which is actually very uneconomic because the ability to actually generate the return is so far away,” he responded.

“To be a farmer you’ve got to be really long-term and that’s the advantage of succession and hopefully having our boys involved when they grow up. Being able to give something to the next generation and say, yep, I’ve done a good job – and that’s not a financial thing; it’s a pride in what you have done.”

"It is as much about having a sustainable environment in which to bring up our kids, as it is about producing sheep or cattle – which is actually very uneconomic because the ability to actually generate the return is so far away.”

For Mick everything at Tuloona is about balance – whether it’s balancing ground cover with perennial and seasonal grasses; stock numbers to reduce damage to the land; the genetics of his flock; or finding the sweet spot between sustainability and profit.

“What our business really works hard on is actually working with Mother Nature and finding equilibrium to ensure our pastures and our animal production systems are in balance. Farming is very much about observation, being observant to what animals are doing and what the system is doing and being able to adjust.”

“Unfortunately there is no play book for what the right thing to do is all the time. It’s a good lifestyle because you never actually get everything completely right in a sense – there’s always another part to the equation, so you’re always learning,” he said.

For Paul, that observation rings true and he likens Mick’s experience and business management to his own at Momofuku Seiobo.

“It’s true – we’re all just learning as we go, making mistakes and learning from them to continually improve. If we had it all right, all the time, it would be easy and that would be boring,” Paul said.

Talking of his sheep business specifically, Mick explains how it has evolved from a predominantly wool based enterprise to now producing sheep for both wool and meat – again to find that balance and mitigate risk.

“Having a spread of both wool and meat sheep gives us balance so if we get a really hard season and our ability to finish animals is restricted, we’re still getting wool production and managing risk.”

“We’re trying to find a dual-purpose sheep and so we join Merinos, renowned for their wool, to White Suffolk’s. This hybrid gives us increased weight and quicker growth but also better fertility while providing good eating quality characteristics,” he said.

One of the goals for the sheepmeat industry in Australia is to get to the point where every carcase can be objectively measured to determine and inform relevant attributes of eating quality.

“Here at Tuloona, we follow the pathways of Meat Standards Australia to underpin our product and to guarantee eating quality for our end user. We also use DNA to trace each animal’s lineage to help us understand where our genetics are going.”

“Using technology like this creates a pathway to determine better eating quality outcomes and the ability to make required changes on farm and through the supply chain to ensure consistency in our product,” Mick concluded.

Paddock Story

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Lamb producer Sally Jones on her property at Tabbita in NSW.

Farming is in Sally Jones’ blood – an inherent part of who she is and exactly who she wants to be. She comes from a long history of involvement in the sheep industry with her family moving to the agriculturally rich Riverina region of Southern NSW in 1965. Her mother was a devoted gardener which is where Sally first developed her deep interest in soil and plants – now the livelihood and focus of her 12,000-acre property west of Griffith NSW.

“I grew up on the farm, I was surrounded by plants, animals and space. For various reasons, I went off and studied and had a 20-year professional career but it was on my bucket list to be a farmer and I did not want to die wondering if it was something that I could have done. So when the opportunity came to come back and take over my share of the family partnership, I jumped at it.”

“I was working in London at the time as an agricultural economist doing analysis on the global business environment and felt at that time that sustainable agriculture was going to be the cutting edge of global development because it is so important to so many aspects of planetary health and human health. It was something that I thought was going to be very meaningful and it has been.”

Despite the tough seasonal conditions, Sally has managed her land and animals to ensure the health of both.

Sally returned to Australia to take over operations of Yambiana Australia in 2004 where her focus is on animal welfare and the care of soil and landscape to produce nutritionally dense food. She constantly seeks to work in harmony with the natural environment while striving to improve her flock through genetics, natural immune function and stress minimisation.

“I think that agriculture is an incredibly important industry and that lamb production has a vital role in contributing to a healthy environment in the future because of the capacity of the animals to recycle nutrients and to be grown within a healthy ecosystem as opposed to more interventionist type activities.”

"I can’t think of anything more meaningful to do than to produce nutritious food. It really does create a sense of achievement to produce something that is nutritious while also giving people pleasure. To also see a flourishing natural environment and the farm and animals respond in this very bad season is almost miraculous. To just be in the landscape, to be in the space is a daily pleasure."

Some of Sally’s Dorper lambs in her specially designed low stress stock handling yards.

Dorper lambs jumping for joy as they head out into the paddock.

Sally typically runs around 4,000 head of Dorper sheep across a combination of irrigation and dry land – working with nature to the greatest extent possible and employing any technology that can help the system evolve into a more productive system.

“I focus a lot on soil health and getting as wide a range of beneficial species of pasture as possible. I really try and understand the detail of the soil chemistry and the water chemistry and the interactions between them and that evolution into a more productive system with a wider range of plants.”

Sally watches on as chefs Luke Piccolo and Bianca Johnston break down two of her Doper lamb carcases.

“When we look at modern agriculture, what people often associate with productivity is high input, high output. I’m aiming for a low-input, high-output system and sheep are vital to that because they recycle the vast majority of the nutrients that they consume. So you essentially have a system that requires very low inputs but can produce extremely high outputs.”

Sally originally produced Merinos but when she heard about the Dorper breed, she thought the concept was brilliant for her situation. A resilient breed, the Dorper naturally sheds its wool and as such is far less complex to manage than a dual-purpose breed that produces both wool and meat.

“Dorpers are a much simpler operation for me and they are well suited to my environment. I think the less I have to handle the sheep and the more natural their environment and lifestyle, the more beneficial it is. I like the sheep to be not stressed and I also like to avoid stress myself.”

“To have a resilient enterprise as a farmer, the number one thing you have to have is a fast feedback loop so you know if you are going in the right direction. I asked Luke if he would try some of my lamb and give me honest feedback and through this, I have been able to dramatically improve the product.”

Carcase breakdown in progress.

Sally approached local Griffith restauranteur Luke Piccolo from Limone four years ago to trial her lamb and provide her with feedback. Since then, the pair have worked collaboratively together to consistently improve the product.

“Luke and I have quite a few things in common – we’re both focused on sustainability and our operations run along very similar lines. There is a sensibility about creating a functioning ecosystem, having nutrient-dense products come from that functioning ecosystem and then translating that into food in which the ingredient is the hero.”

For Luke, the opportunity to work with Sally was exciting because the way her production system aligned with the ethos of his restaurant model in terms on sustainability and minimalist intervention.

"I think that if you have good production methods, then your product is going to eat better and be of higher value. We were pleasantly surprised about the quality of the lamb initially, and what’s been really interesting in the journey over the past four years, is the open conversation."

Sally’s lamb on the spit at Piccolo Family Farm.

“We’ve been fortunate to have an ongoing dialogue, and what’s amazing about Sally is that she is always striving to improve her production methods and the end product, which in turn is great for us because we are continually getting a better product – everybody wins.”

“Sally’s lamb produces a really clean fat, it’s full-flavoured but not overwhelming so we can use more of it. Yield is of such high importance so the more of the lamb we can use the better. The meat has this natural, moreish sweetness that is just divine, it’s really beautiful and I think that comes from the way the lamb is raised. It’s very natural with a diverse diet which produces this really healthy, quality, tasty lamb.”

Guest Chef Profile

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Former head chef of award-winning and wholly fish-focused Saint Peter in Sydney, Alanna Sapwell has opted for a sea change with a new restaurant and a broader culinary spectrum focused on making a difference.

Alanna and Culinary Director David Finlayson.

Her new venue Arc Dining is the signature restaurant of the much-anticipated Howard Smith Wharves development in Brisbane.

The massive new precinct seats 2,200 guests across its various outlets and includes a farmers market, onsite brewery, live entertainment and more.

Howard Smith Wharves Culinary Director David Finlayson says it is more than just another dining and drinking hub – it is also an opportunity to make a change.

“The culinary focus and philosophy is about using local suppliers and farmers and really respecting their produce – using every part, not wasting anything and recycling where we can through onsite composting.”

“But what I really want to do is change the way people see being a chef – if we don’t try and make a difference, we’re going to run out of chefs and we’re not going to have an industry in five years. Here at Howard Smith Wharves, we are focusing on the sustainability of the food but also the sustainability of the industry,” he said.

Central to the philosophy, Arc Dining is not only talking the talk but also seamlessly walking the walk. The 100-seat restaurant and its 140-seat wine bar is all about the farmers and producers – sourcing the best produce and doing it simply, using everything and cooking from scratch wherever possible.

“The culinary focus and philosophy is about using local suppliers and farmers and really respecting their produce – using every part, not wasting anything and recycling where we can through onsite composting.”

Haddon Rig lamb ready for menu testing at Arc Dining.

“We’re getting in whole carcases, selecting the cuts that I want to use in the restaurant and then utilising what’s left to make small plates and charcuterie in-house for the natural wine bar. I want to demonstrate how to use everything and why it’s important – obviously, it is business smart but it is also being aware of one’s ecological footprint.”

Alanna and Jack from Jack’s Bees looking at beeswax for dry ageing lamb.

Like many Australian chefs, traditionally Alanna was trained with primal cuts and encouraged to use them on the menu. At Arc, she is taking a more rounded approach – looking at everything with fresh eyes and an experimental mind to explore not only different cuts but also ageing and preparation techniques.

“I’m pretty excited to be able to play around with cuts that I haven’t used before. What I like about lamb is it has a very definite taste – it’s not wishy-washy so as an ingredient that makes it easy to pair with other ingredients because it has such a distinguished taste.”

“We’re looking at using beeswax for dry ageing our lamb in-house and it’s exciting to see how the process breaks down the proteins and brings a better and more intense flavour to less utilised products like hogget and mutton,” Alanna said.

Arc is also about challenging people’s perceptions without being gimmicky – it is a place to eat well, drink well and experience sustainability in action.

“I want to be using things like lamb fat in my desserts to show that there aren’t such distinct differences between savoury and sweet. It’s just another way of incorporating what we use in the restaurant – substituting some of the butter for lamb fat and pushing boundaries without going over the top,” Alanna said.

As the creator of the Drinks with Chefs event – a hospitality meeting of minds and community where industry mentor and support each other – Alanna is wholeheartedly on board with the precinct’s approach to kitchen culture, training and setting up the industry for a more sustainable future.

Poached lamb leg being finished in the pan.

Arc Dining Head Chef Alanna Sapwell.

She climbed the ranks quickly as a young chef – at 21, she was a sous-chef in Italy and by 24, head chef at a restaurant in Japan – and understands firsthand the pressures the industry can put on individuals.

“All of a sudden I found myself teaching people and in languages, I could barely speak; and I thought what am I doing, I haven’t even learnt how to do everything myself yet! I then took it upon myself to really break down the kitchen and treat each section as a trade within itself – and I set out to master them all,” she said.

She then spent four years focusing on pastry in Brisbane before taking up post at Saint Peter where the focus on fish took in everything from dry ageing to using eyeballs, bladder, sperm and more.

“There should be no shortcuts in a chef’s training and for me, Arc is about coming full circle in that I actually feel like I’m ready to be a head chef now. I’m trying to take it back to the fundamentals and teach the next generation how to cook from scratch and ensure everyone gets trained on each section.”

“I want us to focus on understanding the primals and muscles of the carcase, how to break them down and how they respond to various preparations and techniques. I want everyone to know how to make bread and how to make butter – how to walk before you run.”

“It’s about creating an environment where people are actually passionate and excited to come to work because they have an opportunity to learn and are able to sustain working past 25,” she said.

Lamb neck cooked in fig leaf and salt pastry.

MENU TESTING

Plan For Lamb

When we visited Alanna at Howard Smith Wharves – her restaurant and kitchen were not much more than a work site. However, menu planning and testing was well underway and with a beautiful carcase of Haddon Rig lamb at the ready, she plated up four lamb dishes inspired by produce, tradition, emotion and innovation.

Poached Lamb Leg

with Beeswax Creamed Leeks

“Mum used to make this amazing dish of lamb chops crumbed in cornflakes and I wanted to trial a variation of that. I infused cornflakes into milk then slowly poached the lamb leg before frying it up for some texture. We are planning to use lamb that has been dry aged in beeswax so I wanted to incorporate that element into the dish so I did a little version of creamed leeks. The classic shallot and white wine number but grating and infusing beeswax into the cream.”

Lamb Oyster

with Sour Cherry, White Asparagus & Finger Lime

“When breaking down the lamb leg, in the oyster blade I found this little nugget a bit like the oyster on a chicken. I cut that out and roasted it up really slowly at about 80 degrees then served with white asparagus and sour cherry. I really like to use texture in my dishes and this was a nice fresh, crunchy number with a pop of the finger lime underneath.”

Lamb Fat & Lavender Caramels

“Out the back of the restaurant we’ve got some lavender growing and I wanted to incorporate that with a lamb dish. Lamb fat is one of my favourite fats, it is so delicious – so I’ve been playing around with a caramel recipe for a while using lamb fat as a substitute for some of the butter. I just thought incorporating some of the lavender would be a good move and turns out it was!”

Lamb Neck

with Ricotta, Green Almonds & Vanilla

“With the lamb neck, I wrapped it in a fig leaf and a salt pastry which allows it to kind of steam and intensify as it cooks and what you’re left with is just a really intense version of that cut – already seasoned and ready to go. I made ricotta from fig leaves which is the traditional way ricotta was made and it tied in nicely to the dish. I also wanted something fresh to finish it off so I used cucumber and its skins, sunflower and some green almonds with a little vanilla dressing.”

Roadies

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We took a trip through the Riverina, one of the heartlands of Australian lamb production, before moving through into South Eastern NSW and finally rolling into the nation’s capital to see what we could find on our seventh Roadies adventure. And we were not disappointed.

Lamb loin cooked over the Spanish Mibrasa grill and served with lamb chorizo and greens at the Sir George.

From an impeccably refurbished hotel in a town of just 150 people – that serves 400 covers on a Sunday lunch; a quaint one hatted restaurant in Yass; quite possibly the best damn lamb pie we’ve tried to date and a lamb producer connecting people to the bush through stunning eco farm tourism. There is a deep-seated passion for local produce in these areas, a sense of community and an evolution of food culture that gives the cities a good run for their money.

The Sir George in Jugiong grows its own lamb and serves up to 400 covers on a Sunday lunch.

Now more than ever it is essential that we support regional communities – the people and the places that feed our nation and many around the world – and with the level of food on offer, there’s no time like the present to hit the road and be inspired by local produce and community spirit.

Susan at Poachers Pantry prepares some smoked lamb rack for our platter.

French Dip Fight!

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The French Dip fight is one that spans more than a century and yet it has absolutely nothing to do with the French. Despite the historical mystique, the best part of this story is the territory over which they fight – a mighty sandwich to rule them all.

Cole’s the Originator and Philippe the Original.

French Dips on the pass at Cole’s.

The French Dip is LA’s signature sandwich with its origins fiercely contested by two historic LA venues – Philippe the Original and Cole’s French Dip. Both venues in Downtown LA opened in 1908 and both claim to have invented the sandwich in 1918. The truth about its creation is lost to history – but popular theories involve a complaint about stale bread, a police officer named French, a French roll accidentally falling into pan juices and a customer with no teeth.

History be damned, what is important is the legacy it leaves with iterations of this humble sandwich all over greater LA, California and the United States. Finally, the rest of the world might just be catching on.

What the two can agree on is that a French Dip consists of three key elements – roast meat (usually beef), bread and au jus. In an argument, it is important to hear both sides of the story – or in this case, to eat both sides of the story. Here is what we discovered.

Philippe the Original

Philippe’s casual diner feel appeals to people from all walks of life.

Philippe’s is an experience and the relentless lines of people at any time of the day are testament to its popularity. Served in what feels a bit like a rundown diner with sawdust on the floor, this unapologetically simple sandwich appeals to the masses.

They roast a whopping 500kg of grain fed bottom round every day – simply seasoned with salt, pepper and freshly ground garlic then slowly roasted with classic mirepoix. The jus is made in steam kettles with beef bones, onion, carrot, garlic, thyme, leek and salt before roasting pan juices are added and it is cooked down for 24 hours.

Double dipped French Dip – at Philippe’s they pre-dip the bread in the jus.

At Philippe’s your bread is dipped in large trays of jus at the counter instead of being served on the side. You can order single-dip (just the top bun), double-dip (bottom and top) or wet (top and bottom dipped twice). It is then topped with slices of roast beef and a choice of additions – apparently, it is sacrilegious to add anything but cheese so we choose provolone.

The house-made mustard hasn’t changed in 110 years and it packs a good amount of heat – it’s a closely guarded recipe but despite popular opinion does not contain horseradish. Its punch works a treat with the simplicity of the sandwich.

Well, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – and at Philippe’s it seems not much has changed in 110 odd years – and when 500kg of beef and almost 2,000 buns a day gallop out the door, you are obviously doing something right.

Simple sando satisfaction for more than 100 years.

Cole’s French Dip

Cole’s bar means you can wash down you French Dip with a French Martini. Oui oui.

A little less run-down-diner and a lot more dark-moody-bar – Cole’s gives you the opportunity to wash down your French Dip with a dirty martini and a little more decorum. 213 Hospitality Group purchased Cole’s in 2007 and reopened the iconic spot in 2008 – and in our humble opinion, their French Dip has come out fighting.

Whilst beef is the classic choice for a French Dip, at Cole’s the most popular dip, especially amongst regulars is the lamb and goat’s cheese dip – so we mix it up and go with that. Boneless lamb shoulders are rubbed with salt and green herbs then roasted for 15-20 minutes at 210C. Next, they braise for three hours in house made stock until tender and falling apart then the lamb is shredded and kept warm in its juices for service.

Constructing the popular lamb and goat’s cheese dip at Cole’s.

Economical but flavoursome roasted beef neck bones form the basis of the stock along with roasted mirepoix, tomato paste, water and red wine – then roasting juices are added for the au jus served on the side.

An overnight team prepares 300 custom baked rolls in house for the day ahead, constructed to be the perfect vessel for dipping. Spongey on the inside, they absorb the au jus while the slightly chewy crust holds the sandwich together bite by bite. No soggy sambos here.

The bread is lightly toasted then spread with goat’s cheese and piled high with the incredibly juicy, pink and tender lamb. DIY dipping allows you to choose your own sandwich adventure and adds just the right amount of novelty.

Elevated just enough to make it stand out but not so far as to make it too fancy – this was our pick of the two.

Cole’s Lamb French Dip with atomic pickle and jus on the side.

Continental CBD

Our Very Own Aussie Dip

The decadent French Dip at Continental in the Sydney CBD.

Since Continental Deli opened its CBD outpost; all anyone can talk about is the $26 French Dip sandwich. Sydney had not yet been exposed to the splendour of the French Dip – nor a $26 sandwich. Well, let us say, the hype is warranted and it is an epic introduction of the French Dip to the Aussie market. Let’s hope there are many more to come.

Continental steps it up more than a few notches, slow-roasting Rangers Valley sirloin for the perfect balance of tender pink beef and caramelised fat flavour. The beef is thinly sliced then, unlike its LA counterparts, takes a quick swim in the jus before piling on to a lightly grilled Brickfields bakery baguette.

Slices of a decadent golden wash-rind cheese from Western Australia and ribbons of sweet caramelised onion take this sandwich to new heights of French Dip heaven. The side bowl of rich roasting pan juices is big enough to dip, double dip, triple dip; hell let the sandwich take a swim in it if you like! It’s juicy, beefy brilliance on a plate and big enough to share if you dare.

Well played Continental.

Guest Chef Profile

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Jordan Toft Merivale Executive Chef

Now with more than 70 venues dotted across the Sydney landscape, Merivale and its CEO Justin Hemmes are synonymous with Sydney dining and nightlife. The opulent operation employs more than 3,000 staff across a huge range of fine and casual dining, pubs, bars, nightclubs and more.

Behind the glitz and glamour are a number of exceptionally skilled people that make that Merivale magic happen. People like executive chef Jordan Toft – our incredibly talented, tenacious and far-from-typical Summer Beef chef editor.

Jordan left school at 15 to pursue his apprenticeship, a proud Westie, he has paved out a successful 22-year career around the globe including five years in Europe and five years in California. He now oversees some of Sydney’s most popular venues including the Coogee Pavilion, The Newport, Bert’s Bar & Brasserie, The Collaroy and recently opened Bar Topa.

With multiple food offerings, a team of 200-450 chefs depending on the season and in the process of opening another venue – Jordan has a lot on his plate. Pun intended.

“There’s a difference between responsibility and accountability and as such my time has to be spent wisely so I can have maximum impact. Ultimately I am responsible for 450 staff but I work most closely with my nine head chefs because the effort that I put into those guys to succeed, to grow in their careers and develop will give me satisfaction and the success that we strive for,” Jordan said

Jordan and Bert’s head chef Sam Kane

“Ultimately I am responsible for 450 staff but I work most closely with my nine head chefs because the effort that I put into those guys to succeed, to grow in their careers and develop will give me satisfaction and the success that we strive for.”

In addition to heading up multiple venues, Jordan manages several other responsibilities within the Merivale group. Executive chef teams work together towards company goals while maintaining autonomy in their own venues; leadership and mentoring programs, as well as a masterclass series, aim to upskill and keep the next generation of chefs interested and engaged in the business.

“The restaurants are the most important thing because we are customer based and want people to have amazing experiences. However, that only comes from us going above and beyond and forging ahead in what we are trying to achieve. You’re constantly looking forward, but you can’t do anything without people and my success is driven by the success of those under and around me.”

“Each of my venues has a unique identity but what they all have in common is the ability to offer different experiences for different people. What I strive to generate across all of them regardless of their location or offering, is a sense of authenticity,” Jordan said.

Working closely alongside Hemmes from conception to execution is an important part of Jordan’s role as executive chef – and he has had a determining stake in the development of each of his venues, ensuring firsthand that his sense of authenticity is woven into the very fabric of the venue’s DNA.

Bert’s – wine, dine and step back in time!

“Each of my venues has a unique identity but what they all have in common is the ability to offer different experiences for different people. What I strive to generate across all of them regardless of their location or offering, is a sense of authenticity.”

Hanger steak over charcoal at Coogee Rooftop

“Everything has been done before so it’s about how you can reinvent it, to show respect but put your own stamp on it. It’s about collaboratively coming up with the concepts and ensuring everything from the menus through to the table settings is on brief. Whilst the food is ultimately my responsibility, creating a holistic experience where people feel like everything is connected is really important.”

“We’re just staying true and making sure that each experience is unique in its own way and feels right for the guest – ultimately it’s about creating an experience for guests so they want to come back and that approach has longevity.”

Jordan gives the Beef Carpaccio a once over before service

“Whilst the food is ultimately my responsibility, creating a holistic experience where people feel like everything is connected is really important.”

When it comes to beef in Jordan’s venues, he again looks for that sense of authenticity – ensuring the right cut, the right dish, in the right place – working across a range of primary and secondary cuts, grass and grain fed, fast casual through to classic long lunch dishes.

“We do everything from a steak frites to a beef meatball, from a whole hanger steak to a premium ribeye. At Coogee Pavilion, customers can come off the beach, grab a burger and a beer and spend half an hour, or at the same venue, they can settle in with a long lunch, enjoy multiple different dishes and finish up with a 270-day grain fed Fiorentina.”

“Then at Bert’s, it’s a whole other level again with different types of dry ageing, grass fed, grain fed – and we try to find the best versions of them that we can. Grass fed is fantastic for us at certain times of the year and grain fed done well is a fantastic product that gives consistency and that’s what your customers want.”

Name a more iconic duo, we’ll wait…

Steak on the grill at Bert’s

“Grass fed is fantastic for us at certain times of the year and grain fed done well is a fantastic product that gives consistency and that’s what your customers want.”

“Generally, it’s about finding best practice through the supply chain and doing things well the whole way through and I think there is a place for both grass and grain fed in my restaurants and in the industry. Having the ability to give excellent examples of both on menus and allowing the guest to choose is where I am at the moment,” Jordan said.

Currently working on a new project, which will be another addition to his already impressive portfolio of venues – Coogee middle floor is expected to open in the New Year.

“This amazing project has been in the works for the better part of four years and I think it’s going to be a pretty phenomenal concept and space – the Hemmes family don’t do things by halves and they are really going for it with this one. I’ve got a pretty large breadth of venues and places that I look after now, my career is progressing at a nice pace and I work with fantastic teams and you can’t do it without them,” Jordan concluded.

Working under the Merivale mantle certainly has its advantages for a chef but also its challenges. Is there capacity to leave your mark, to imprint individuality – to be the lead act in someone else’s drama? When it comes to Jordan and his venues; that is a resounding yes. His obsessive pursuit of authenticity and the centricity of the customer experience effortlessly moves throughout his venues – and that is the unwavering standard he sets and the legacy he leaves.

Whole Hanger at Bert’s

Roadies

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Roadies

Geelong to Sydney

With Mike Eggert

Aussies love their lamb and we also love a road trip – we kind of have to, we inhabit the largest island in the world – accounting for 5% of its total land area.

So, we thought we’d combine the two and go on an epic lamb road trip from Geelong to Sydney through some of Australia’s lamb producing heartland.

Mike was in Geelong for a pop up at The Hot C****** Project (editor note – no chicken allowed) and so our journey began there and ended three days later in Sydney.

We travelled 1,346km and sampled eleven lamb dishes at nine different venues – all decidedly different and all delectably delicious.

Winding our way across the countryside, we had the “tough job” of sampling some of the country’s finest at local restaurants, bakeries, bars, pubs and cafes along the way.

It was one epic adventure jam-packed with lamb and lots of laughs – and what road trip is complete without some cheesy tourist stops?!

We hope you enjoy the Roadies journey as much as we did.

Moroccan Lamb Sausage Roll

That Place Patisserie, Geelong VIC

Lamb Shawarma

Sam’s Cafe, Geelong VIC

Braised Lamb Shanks & Mash

The Farmers Arms Hotel, Daylesford VIC

Lamb & Shiraz Pie

Tooborac Pies, Tooborac VIC

Lamb Tasting Plate – Chipolatas, Rissoles, Cutlet & Backstrap

Kinross Woolshed, Albury NSW

Lamb & Mint Pie

Jack’s Store, Corryong VIC

Lamb & Haloumi Burger with Jalapeno Pickle

Lake Crackenback Resort, Crackenback NSW

Lamb Shoulder, Risoni & Barley Stew

Lake Crackenback Resort, Crackenback NSW

Lamb Omelette

Cooma Cafe and Turkish Kebab & Pizza, Cooma NSW

Grilled Sweet & Sour Lamb Ribs with Puffed Buckwheat

Kokomos, Canberra ACT

Wood Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Pineapple Mustard & White Soy

Kokomos, Canberra ACT

Editors’ Letters

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Editors’
Letters

Mary-Jane
Morse

Welcome to the second issue of Rare Medium’s seasonal emagazine and a very special welcome to the wonderful world of beef. I am writing this note on International Women’s Day and what a perfect opportunity to acknowledge the exceptional female talent across both the foodservice and beef industries.

Inadvertently, this issue features several extraordinary women – not because we sat down and said ‘let’s make a female focussed issue’ but because naturally, they are leaders, they are inspiring and they have fearlessly paved their way in two industries traditionally dominated by men.

This issue also highlights the importance of more intricately understanding the logistics and challenges on both sides of the supply chain. Travelling with Duncan to experience grass-fed Australian Wagyu production on a 170,000-acre cattle station and to facilitate this essential knowledge exchange between chef and producer was a pivotal moment for me.

As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, we look at Australian beef in all its glory – from the dusty droves of western Queensland Wagyu to the street food of Singapore; the burgeoning underbelly of Adelaide’s food scene and its original party palace Africola; and a whole lip-smacking, taste-tingling, rump-shaking lot more.

Enjoy the party.

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

Duncan
Welgemoed

I have always been an avid believer in knowing your produce and making a concerted effort to understand how it has been produced. To me there is no compromising on this – it’s an essential part of our ethos at Africola. Not everyone gets the chance to visit a remote outback cattle station but for me, getting out to Tumbar was an exceptional experience that was at once humbling and inspiring. Seeing the passion and dedication that producers like Fred and Sarah are putting into Australian beef production, to consistently deliver a better quality product, to be more efficient and more productive in the most natural way possible, was a real eye opener for me.

Australian beef is the best in the world and as chefs and consumers we are incredibly lucky – its versatility is unparalleled and the potential to innovate is endless. It is the centrepiece of any menu and something to be revered from paddock to plate.

As chefs we are always learning, so take the time to explore this issue; peppered throughout the pages are some incredible ideas and information to inspire and educate you.

Duncan Welgemoed
Chef Owner
Africola
@afropunkoz

Editors’ Letters

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Editor’s
Letter

Welcome to the first issue of Rare Medium’s new seasonal emagazine – Autumn Lamb 2018.

Designed to inform and inspire the foodservice industry about Australian beef and lamb from paddock to plate, each issue will focus on a specific protein and be co-edited with a different chef.

Stepping out of the kitchen and up to the plate for our debut issue we are honoured to have Dave Verheul from Embla and The Town Mouse in Melbourne.

When asked why I chose Dave as my first co-chef-editor; it is obvious to say because he is an exceptionally talented chef. His acutely measured, yet seemingly simple approach to food articulates our proteins beautifully and his wood fire cooking is a match made in culinary heaven. And that’s all perfectly pertinent. But in truth, a big part of bringing Dave on board was because of his steadfast sense of self; a unique authenticity that doesn’t waver.

Driven by a respect for produce and a keen desire to understand where that produce comes from – Dave has helped me to shape an honest, insightful and hopefully inspiring expose of Australian lamb in the pages that follow.

Really though, I just wanted him to admit Australian lamb has got it all over his NZ mates across the ditch.

As an industry, Australian red meat is continuing to innovate and evolve with a dedicated commitment to quality, integrity and ethically and environmentally sustainable production systems – we look forward to sharing these stories with you in this and future issues.

I hope you enjoy the debut issue and find something within its pages that inspires you, enlightens you or at the very least, challenges the way you think about Australian lamb.

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

Chef
Editor’s
Letter

When MJ asked me to co-edit the first issue of the new Rare Medium emagazine with her back in August, I didn’t know what I was getting myself in to – and at that point I really don’t think she did either. But now here we are and I’m quietly stoked that she asked me to be a part of it.

It’s been both an experience and a lot of fun but what I’ve enjoyed most about the whole process is getting to see a side of the industry that I most likely otherwise wouldn’t. Our trip to Black Springs was an eye opener for a lot of reasons – that don’t include MJ’s ‘questionable’ singing on a six-hour car trip. Seeing the science and innovation going in to Australian lamb and how that’s enhancing eating quality and welfare gave me an even greater respect for the intricacies of what’s happening on farm and how that affects what we put on the plate. Seeing firsthand how some farmers are addressing the sustainability and welfare concerns of myself and our customers gave me confidence that we are getting on the right track in this regard in Australia.

The chance to feature some epic lamb dishes being served up by some of my favourite chefs in the On the Menu section and also to throw the spotlight on my team to highlight the great work they do day in day out is something I really appreciate.

Hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed helping put it together.

Dave Verheul
Chef-Owner
Embla and The Town Mouse
@daveverheul

Cut Two Ways

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VEAL TWO WAYS

Words: Mary-Jane Morse. Photography: Jason Loucas

In Australia, veal is classified as a bovine with no evidence of adult front teeth. Cattle generally start to grow their adult teeth from about 12 months – so veal is usually from cattle up to 12 months of age.

The veal carcase weight starts at 70kg and must not exceed 150kg. Because it is derived from young cattle, veal is very lean and tender with less fat cover and connective tissue than beef.

Veal has a sweet and delicate flavour and is a versatile protein in the kitchen. Here, two chefs take on the Veal Two Ways challenge – the classic veal schnitzel gets a glow up and an epic veal-chetta ups the roast game.

Keeping with our pub theme – our chefs hail from two Sydney stalwarts – Totti’s at The Royal Hotel in Bondi and the newly refurbished Norfolk House & Hotel in Redfern.

CHEF ONE

Mike Eggert

Totti’s at The Royal

Veal Katsu with shiso and blood orange

Mike is no stranger to an excellent veal schnitzel. The Totti’s executive chef says it is one of their most popular menu items – which is a big deal if you’ve ever eaten at Totti’s.

“Veal is such a cool product, it’s got a really clean flavour and is super tender. The veal industry in Australia has come a long way and they’re doing a really good job.”

For this dish, Mike puts a spin on an Italian classic – taking veal schnitzel to the next level with a thick cut sirloin in a flavourful crumb and served with simple seasonal accompaniments.

Flour, egg wash, flavoured panko crumbs.

Cooking katsu in a cast iron pan for maximum caramelisation.

Rest then slice.

Acid and herbs to contrast with the rich katsu.

The sirloin is crumbed with traditional Japanese panko which give a crispier crust than standard breadcrumbs. The panko crumbs are flavoured with sesame and nigella seeds for an added depth of flavour. Mike says you can also add hard green herbs such as rosemary, thyme or oregano to give it some fragrance.

The sirloin is cooked with a little bit of oil in a heavy based skillet on a medium heat. Just like cooking a steak, it is important to ensure the breadcrumbs are nicely caramelised to maximise flavour.

To contrast the rich deliciousness of the katsu, Mike recommends an accompaniment of herb and acid based flavours. Here he serves it with blood orange and Japanese shiso.

“Shiso is basically the basil of Japan and goes perfectly with this dish while the in season blood oranges give a balanced sweet and acidic finish.”

CHEF TWO

Sam Bull

The Norfolk House & Hotel

Veal-chetta with parsnip puree and jus

Group Chef of hospitality group The People – Sam Bull knows his way around a pub kitchen or two. Popular inner suburban pub, The Norfolk, has been eagerly waiting on Covid restrictions to lift to blow the lid off its brand new refurb. With a new name, The Norfolk House & Hotel, that nods to its boutique accommodation, and a brand new $25,000 16-spit roast barbecue in the outdoor courtyard, Redfern has a brand new backyard playground just in time for summer.

Bull’s menu takes inspiration from family backyard barbecues with quality meat, seafood and veggies all getting a lick of the flame. The Sunday Spit Roast is a key menu feature with classics like lamb leg and rump cap and specials like this rolled veal roast – a riff on porchetta and aptly named veal-chetta.

“Veal is a really nice lean, clean flavoured product that just melts in your mouth. It provides a lighter option of meat which I think a lot of people are looking for these days. One of my favourite dishes is veal liver, caramelised onion and fennel compote – it’s so simple but so good.”

Scoring the skin of the veal short loin.

Sautéing stuffing of breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, celery, sage, guanciale, currants, butter.

Stuffing spread across the inside of the veal.

The veal is rolled and tied.

Veal-chetta in all its glory.

Steamy slices.

Veal-chetta, parsnip puree and jus. That's how we do.

Sam wanted a cut that could ‘cut it’ on his Sunday Spit Roast menu and so worked with NCMC’s David Carew to create this veal-chetta masterpiece using the veal short cut loin with the belly attached.

“Pork is just too rich for me and lots of people can’t eat it for a variety of reasons. The idea for a veal-chetta stemmed from this and the fact that veal has similar characteristics of a lean, light meat that still gives you that crispy crackle.”

Sam made a stuffing of breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, celery, sage, pancetta and currants sauteed in butter then spread across the inner side of the veal. The skin was scored porchetta style then it was stuffed, rolled, tied, rubbed with lemon and salt for extra crispiness, roasted to perfection and served simply with parsnip puree and jus.

The veal-chetta passed the vibe check and will be joining the Sunday Spit Roast lineup where it will be cooked on the rotisserie over lava rocks for about two hours. Here, it was done in the oven at 140 for two hours then finished for an hour at 220 to crisp up and get the crackle effect.

What’s Good in the Hood

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Each issue we explore a new neighbourhood with Myffy Rigby for the best eats and treats in the local community.

CHATSWOOD NSW

Whilst overseas travel may currently seem like a long lost luxury – and even interstate travel can be thrown off kilter at a moment’s notice – the good news is that there are plenty of suburbs bursting with flavours from around the world right here in our own backyard.

15 minutes north of Sydney’s CBD is Chatswood – a bustling retail district built around the train station and main thoroughfare of Victoria Avenue. With multiple shopping centres – including a mammoth Westfield; commercial developments, high rise business and residential towers – the food options in Chatswood are multiple and diverse.

Myffy hits the streets of Chatswood to find What’s Good in the Hood.

A suburb greatly influenced by an influx of Chinese immigration during the 1980-1990s, the most common ancestry in Chatswood is Chinese while 73 percent of the population had both parents born overseas.

When it comes to food in the area you can expect a bountiful range of authentic options including Cantonese, Taiwanese, Northern and Western Chinese and Hong Kong alongside Korean, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian and more. And you’ll find it in all manner of executions – from high end diners to mall markets, food courts, street stalls and back alley hole in the walls.

Chatswood is brimming with an incredible array of cuisines.

We took an adventure through a maze of punchy aromas, hand pulled noodles, wok fried wonders and high end haute to sample but a handful of Chatswood’s culinary offerings.

Here’s What’s Good in the Chatswood Hood.

1919 LANZHOU BEEF NOODLE

In a tiny unassuming food court under the train station you’ll find a hole in the wall noodle shop churning out up to 800 bowls of noodles a day – and it’s no surprise with handmade noodles stretched to order and a secret soup recipe devised over 100 years ago. Excellent chewy noodles, aromatic soup, tender beef and house-made chilli oil – what’s not to love?!

Lanzhou Beef Noodle’s secret soup recipe originated in 1919.

Lanzhou noodles come in seven varieties from thinnest to prisim and are all handmade to order.

Lanzhou Signature Handmade Beef Noodle Soup.

Myffy navigating her way around a bowl of Lanzhou's Handmade Beef Noodle Soup.

BANH AND BOBA

Dedicated to creating the best modern banh mi and boba tea while maintaining a traditional touch – Banh and Boba cleverly infuses cuisines and flavours with a focus on natural ingredients and making from scratch. House baked bread is the crunchy vessel for a range of banh mi options like Bulgogi Beef – marinated in-house using grandma’s secret recipe and cooked fresh to order.

Myffy chats with Banh and Boba owner Isabella.

The Bulgogi Beef Banh Mi at Banh and Boba.

The special mix for the Bulgogi Beef Banh Mi.

HAIDILAO HOT POT

If robot servers, complimentary manicures and noodle dancers aren’t enough – fortunately Haidilao Hot Pot can back up the theatrics with a quality hot pot experience. Start by choosing up to four hot pot soup bases then go wild with an array of meats from premium marbled wagyu to tongue, tripes and marinated lamb – and don’t forget the Laopai dancing noodle live performance – at Haidilao Hot Pot it’s all about playing with your food.

An epic hot pot selection with beef tongue, wagyu, lamb breast, mixed mushrooms and greens.

Delicate curls of lamb shoulder at Haidilao Hot Pot.

Haidilao Hot Pot offers a selction of premium meats, DIY sauces and plenty of entertainment.

Premium Australian Wagyu perfect for dipping in the hot pot.

AMAH

Meaning ‘grandmother’ in Teochew and Hokkien, Amah is the latest offering from the Ho Jiak group with head chef Hun Loong and executive chef Junda Khoo bringing a sophisticated take on Malaysian cooking to Chatswood. A huge space located in the District Dining precinct above Chatswood train station, Amah is centred around an exposed central kitchen serving dishes inspired by the recipes of Loong’s late grandmother.

A firey slow braised wagyu rendang.

Junda Khoo at his new venue Amah in Chatswood.

Chargrilled wagyu satay skewers with peanut sauce.

Decadent red braised beef short ribs.

CHINA CHILLI

Just across the way from Amah, you’ll find China Chilli – a fiery journey for your tastebuds straight to the unique flavours of China’s Sichuan province. Here you’re hit with bold and spicy flavours from a liberal use of garlic, chilli and sichuan pepper – play it safe with crowd favourites like the spicy lamb ribs or push yourself and find new favourites like the beef tripe and tongue in chilli sauce.

Beef tripe and tongue in chilli sauce.

Chef prepares the spicy lamb ribs.

Myffy fishing out the honeycomb tripe.

Spicy lamb ribs - a popular dish at China Chilli.

KURO SAKURA

Just out of the hustle and bustle of the main drag you’ll find Kuro Sakura – a side street haven serving up authentic Japanese BBQ – yakiniku. With premium wagyu specifically sourced and prepared for yakiniku – at Kuro Sakura you get the real deal nose-to-tail experience from skirt steak and oyster blade to wagyu tongue and intestines and everything in between.

A selection of yakiniku beef cuts.

Carefully prepared premium Australian wagyu cuts.

Myffy getting the low down on how and when to turn the tongue.

Outside skirt prepared for yakiniku.

What’s Good in the Hood

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Each issue we explore a new neighbourhood with Myffy Rigby for the best eats and treats in the local community.

NSW SOUTH COAST

Record rainfall events and flooding across NSW couldn’t dampen our spirits as we set off to explore the best eats on the NSW South Coast.

Our adventure started in Merimbula, about six hours drive south of Sydney, and meandered back up the coast to our final destination in Wollongong with warm hospitality, welcoming people and exceptionally good food greeting us the whole way.

Myffy discovered ‘arguably one of the best hamburgers in Australia’ coming out of a cute little caravan kitchen in Merimbula, the ‘beautiful Valentina with its excellent steak and brilliant oysters’, ‘an incredible pasta pop-up’, ‘the holy grail of snails’ and much more.

Here’s what’s good on the NSW South Coast.

Myffy acting natural on a stretch of NSW’s beautiful South Coast.

DULCIE’S COTTAGE

A weatherboard watering hole with an open fire-place, cocktails, craft beers and Dan Pepperell designed burgers flying off the grill from a 1950s caravan turned tiny kitchen. The kind of place you won’t want to leave in a hurry.

The tiny caravan kitchen at Dulcie's Cottage churns out up to 600 burgers a day.

Brisket, chuck and rump make up the juicy Dulcie's Burger pattie.

Building what Myffy says is arguably one of the best hamburgers in Australia.

The Dan Pepperell designed Dulcie's Burger in all its glory.

Myffy with Dulcie's owners Diane and Kirsty.

VALENTINA

Lose yourself in the romance of draped linen, neutral tones, natural wines and exquisite dishes at the whimsical waterside wonder that is Valentina. Be seduced by the scene as you fall a little bit in love with everything – this is coastal hospitality at its absolute finest.

Valentina brings a little something special to the Merimbula dining scene.

Head chef Janina Allende on the pass at Valentina.

Flank steak with anchovy butter on the menu at Valentina.

The ultimate surf and turf.

HONORBREAD

Tim and Honor Northam’s passion project, now a purpose built space baking delicious sourdough goods for locals and tourists alike from their charming storefront – and spreading the artisan love with wholesale across the region.

Myffy with Honor Northam outside Honorbread in Bermagui.

Honor learnt to bake bread at her restaurant on Lord Howe Island.

Tim Northam in the bakery.

Delicious baked goods including the holy grail of snails.

HAYDEN’S PIES

A discarded, half-eaten pie on the fence outside the Marlin Hotel in Ulladulla was the inspiration for Hayden and his Dad to open a local pie shop. With lines down the street and around the corner, they now sell up to 3,000 pies a day – and not a half-eaten pie in sight.

Hayden's favourite pie - beef, lamb's fry and bacon.

From 50 pies a day, Hayden's now sells up to 3,000 pies a day with lines around the block.

Myffy and Hayden enjoying a pie - the quintessential road trip snack.

The menu at Hayden's is always changing with daily specials alongside crowd favourites.

PONTE BAR & DINING

Under the bridge on the Southern bank of the Shoalhaven river at Nowra, you’ll find a light, bright, waterside setting offering delicious modern Australian dining. Settle in for a long lunch or sunset drinks and dinner – you won’t be disappointed.

Head chef Thiago Menezes' Brazilian heritage shows on the menu.

Beef rump cap cooking over the Brazilian barbecue flame.

Rump cap with mushroom, polenta chips and chimichurri.

Chargrilled lamb rump with caponata and roasted vegetables.

BANGALAY DINING

Relax in coastal tranquility with technique driven plates of food focused on local and native ingredients and inspired by the coast. With the sound of the ocean washing over you, Bangalay is a feast for all your senses.

Ronnie Gorman formerly of Saint Peter now managing Bangalay Dining.

Tri tip from Martin Ridge Farm cooks over fire.

Bangalay head chef Simon Evans.

Tri Tip with Warrigal Greens and Native Pepperberry sauce.

THE BLUE SWIMMER

On a gentle sloping hillside in Gerroa you’ll find a bustling beachside venue packed with diners from daylight though dinnertime. Chef Lauren Brown turns out beautiful plates of fresh local and seasonal produce for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Harissa glazed lamb rib with cumin yoghurt and macadamia.

Chef Lauren Brown likes to showcase the abundance of local produce.

Lamb ribs are braised for 2.5 hours in masterstock then fried and tossed in harissa glaze.

A local favourite right by the water in Gerroa.

THE HILL BAR & KITCHEN

The vibes are pumping and the view is achingly stunning at this ‘something for everyone’ beauty in Gerringong. Offering lunch, dinner and bar menus featuring honest, local and sustainable food and booze, it’s everything you love about a local and a whole lot more.

Lamb backstrap with dumpling pumpkin, goats cheese and pepitas.

Myffy with The Hill owner Melissa Matters.

Lamb backstrap being prepared by head chef Kryzsztof Swiecinski.

The stunning view from the Hill Kitchen and Bar - watching the weather roll in.

AIN’T NONNA’S

Young husband and wife team Matthew and Cassandra Bugeja are inspired by your Nonna but they ain’t trying to compete with her. This is their take on homestyle Italian cooking and it ain’t bad, in fact it’s very good! Tasty plates of antipasto and pasta washed down with natural wines and craft beers – popping up at The Throsby while they look for a place to call their own.

Chef Matthew Bugeja in the tiny kitchen at Ain't Nonna's.

Myffy with Cassandra Bugeja at the Ain't Nonna's pop up.

Red Angus beef polpette with sugo and Vanella burrata.

Here for a good time not a long time.

What’s Good in the Hood

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THE MORNINGTON PENINSULA

From an outsider’s perspective, the Mornington Peninsula is a bit of a study in extremes.

From stretches of calm ocean bay (on our visit, filled with giant migrating spider crabs!) to gum-lined roads, fields of lavender, and incredible wineries equipped with enviable kitchen gardens. A place where beach shacks and motor inns neighbour towns where properties are so huge and spectacular many aren’t even listed with a price tag when they hit the market. And yet, an honest, salty coastal vibe prevails.

Here’s What’s Good in the Mornington Hood.

Myffy takes in the view at the Portsea Hotel

AUDREY’S – THE CONTINENTAL SORRENTO

1 Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento
thecontinentalsorrento.com.au/audreys

Well-known Melbourne chef Scott Pickett named his latest restaurant after his grandmother, Audrey, who inspired him to start cooking. There’s a portrait of her hanging in the main dining room, which is all decked out in muted coastal colours, with ocean views and sea breezes to match. The menu, while focused on seafood, also features a buttery, musky 9+ David Blackmore wagyu rump cap with Bordelaise sauce and pressed Hawke’s Farm potatoes.

Blackmore Wagyu rump cap at Audrey’s

Age Young Chef of the Year winner Nicholas Deligiannis is behind the menu, where you’ll also see Mornington Peninsula squid ink noodles dressed with house-made XO sauce, Shark Bay scallops with seaweed hot sauce and, as a sweet ode to Audrey herself, a vacherin of apple, Calvados and Geraldton wax.

Young Chef of the Year Nicholas Deligiannis at Audrey’s

LE CAPUCIN

Shop 1/3770 Point Nepean Road, Portsea
lecapucin.com.au

Ever wondered what sort of crazy people are up at dawn and swimming across the bay? It’s the same people, all rugged up, eating croissants and drinking cappuccinos, seated around colourful outdoor tables at this French-style Portsea cafe. A labour of love from Loïc and Kirsty Duchet, who decided on a sea change a few years ago and never looked back, they stock everything from French olive oil to terrines, pates, and take-home meals. There’s even Orangina.

Come for the coffee, stay for the pastries

But check out the pastries, warming at the counter. Their beef bourguignon pie is made in house, with layers of flaky pastry and big hunks of red-wine gravy-soaked beef, it is perfectly seasoned, and perfectly comforting. Especially after a Portsea dawn swim.

Le Capucin breakfast of champions

MONTALTO ESTATE

33 Shoreham Road, Red Hill South
montalto.com.au

Top chef Matt Wilkinson is behind the menu here at this bucolic, art-driven winery-restaurant. Much of the fresh produce is grown onsite and whatever is not grown, is sourced locally. The majority of the menu is cooked on the kitchen’s central wood-fired grill.

Montalto chef Matt Wilkinson

Maybe that’ll be the wood-fired rump cap with artichoke and salsa verde, maybe it’ll be the slow-cooked lamb leg with house-made XO sauce, made with last season’s locally foraged pine mushrooms. Order another bottle of wine, sit at one of the rustic outdoor benches and breathe in the sweet, clean air.

Wood fired lamb leg with house made XO sauce

PORTSEA HOTEL

3746 Point Nepean Road, Portsea
portseahotel.com.au

A more Tudor-style hotel on the coast of Australia, you’re unlikely to see. The views of Port Phillip Bay out of the sun-drenched, open-plan dining room are unparalleled. Established in 1876, it’s here at this beautiful old pub that you’ll find the Portsea burger.

The Portsea Burger hits the spot

A soft bun holds a juicy Cape Grim beef patty, American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and, of course, a side of chips. There’s a whole menu of pizza, too, if that’s what blows your hair back, not to mention a very attractive-looking crab cocktail. We’ll be back for the meatballs with house-made passata.

TEDESCA

1175 Mornington-Flinders Road, Red Hill
www.tedesca.com.au/osteria-tedesca

Brigitte Hafner gives Myffy a tour of the Tedesca gardens

A labour of love from one of Victoria’s great chefs, Brigitte Hafner. Stroll through row upon row of carefully planted, sown and raised vegetables, or just take a seat next to the fire and watch Hafner and her team of chefs work the Alan Scott wood-fired oven serving up the likes of juicy, salty lamb cutlets, licked by fire and served with a polenta cake made from local corn and beans picked fresh from the garden.

Gundagai Lamb cutlets with local polenta and beans from the garden

The walls are lined with incredible art, and there’s a warmth and depth of light in the room, further adding to that sense of conviviality. The argument for staying on in one of the guesthouses is strong. Not least for the view out to the property which now includes a vineyard, and the inside-outside deck festooned with grapevines that has long, leisurely Sunday afternoon written all over it. Sink in and never leave.

Slow roasted lamb shoulders in the Alan Scott oven at Tedesca

FOXEYS HANGOUT

795 White Hill Road, Red Hill
www.foxeys-hangout.com.au

Team building at Foxeys – the morning meatball rolling

The staff at this modest winery are so close as a team, that if you arrive at the right time of day, you’ll see them rolling meatballs together at the long, communal table before service. And if you’re lucky enough to try those spicy little bites served along with a yoghurt dipping sauce, make sure to enjoy them while sitting on the deck looking out at the winery and sipping on a juicy pinot.

Spicy, juicy meatballs with yoghurt dipping sauce (and wine, of course)

JOHNNY RIPE

284 Main Creek Road, Main Ridge
johnnyripe.au

Small batch, big vibes. Johnny Ripe pies, a mainstay on the regional Victorian pastry circuit, offers a picnic bench experience where the air is sweetly perfumed thanks to the neighbouring lavender farm. The go-to? A chunky beef pie with lots of pepper finished with a generous amount of tomato relish and an apple pie for dessert. And if a multiple pie lunch isn’t enough, you can always grab a few more to take on the road.

Grab your Johnny Ripe beef pie to go and enjoy it amongst the lavender fields

MANTONS CREEK ESTATE

240 Tucks Road, Shoreham
mantonscreekestate.com.au

Chef Vincenzo Ursini (ex-Cutler & Co) combines his fine-dining chops with the best produce in the area, whether that’s leaves, tomatoes and greens from neighbour Mary Loucas’s garden or the daily handmade pasta.

Handmade lamb agnolotti – chef’s filled pasta of the week

He’s also doing his version of pepper steak, using beef short rib, cooked down to a tender rich confection. Don’t let the That’s Amore burrata with 15-year-old balsamic vinegar pass you by.

Wagyu beef short rib with pepper sauce and onion cream

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Tag Archive: Article

What’s Good in the Hood

BLUE MOUNTAINS

LEURA GARAGE

ATES

MOUNTAIN CULTURE

BOOTLEGGER

YELLOW DELI

CEDAR KEBAB

HOMINY

What’s Good in the Hood

NEWCASTLE

RASCAL

CHIEFLY EAST

MEET

THE EDWARDS

MEREWETHER SURF HOUSE

FLOTILLA

ANTOJITOS

TALULAH

LOST BOYS KEBAB

Guest Chef Profile

Editors’ Letters

Editors’ Letters

Editors’ Letters

Editors’ Letters

Guest Chef Profile

ALL HAIL KING CARMICHAEL

Q. What do you call a restaurant based in an Australian casino; owned by a USA restaurateur and TV star; with a Caribbean tasting menu curated by a Bajan chef?

A. You call it awesome. Well, technically, you call it Seiobo.

Paddock Story

To Tom Bull, farming is about a lot more than what happens in the paddock – the 2018 Farmer of the Year uses progressive breeding technology to advance genetic gain in his flock, improving profitability and producing a premium lamb product.

“There is a lack of segmentation in the Australian lamb industry and whilst the beef industry has nailed branding and quality with its billion-dollar Wagyu and Angus industries – lamb is very much still just a commodity.”

“All the carcase data of the Kinross Station Hampshire Down lambs is tracked and entered into LAMBPLAN – the Australian lamb industry’s performance recording system. The breed not only now dominates marbling rankings nationally but is also unmatched in customer taste testing satisfaction.”

Paddock Story

Finding

Balance

Michael Craig is not your average farmer – not that one can easily surmise an average farmer – so perhaps it is better to say, Michael Craig is not average. This tongue-in-cheek character with his big smile and no holds barred chat, was born and raised a city boy; but he is country to the bone.

Paddock Story

Guest Chef Profile

Former head chef of award-winning and wholly fish-focused Saint Peter in Sydney, Alanna Sapwell has opted for a sea change with a new restaurant and a broader culinary spectrum focused on making a difference.

“The culinary focus and philosophy is about using local suppliers and farmers and really respecting their produce – using every part, not wasting anything and recycling where we can through onsite composting.”

MENU TESTING

Plan For Lamb

Poached Lamb Leg

with Beeswax Creamed Leeks

Lamb Oyster

with Sour Cherry, White Asparagus & Finger Lime

Lamb Fat & Lavender Caramels

Lamb Neck

with Ricotta, Green Almonds & Vanilla

Roadies

French Dip Fight!

Philippe the Original

Cole’s French Dip

Continental CBD

Our Very Own Aussie Dip

Guest Chef Profile

Now with more than 70 venues dotted across the Sydney landscape, Merivale and its CEO Justin Hemmes are synonymous with Sydney dining and nightlife. The opulent operation employs more than 3,000 staff across a huge range of fine and casual dining, pubs, bars, nightclubs and more.

Behind the glitz and glamour are a number of exceptionally skilled people that make that Merivale magic happen. People like executive chef Jordan Toft – our incredibly talented, tenacious and far-from-typical Summer Beef chef editor.

“Ultimately I am responsible for 450 staff but I work most closely with my nine head chefs because the effort that I put into those guys to succeed, to grow in their careers and develop will give me satisfaction and the success that we strive for.”

“Each of my venues has a unique identity but what they all have in common is the ability to offer different experiences for different people. What I strive to generate across all of them regardless of their location or offering, is a sense of authenticity.”

“Whilst the food is ultimately my responsibility, creating a holistic experience where people feel like everything is connected is really important.”

“Grass fed is fantastic for us at certain times of the year and grain fed done well is a fantastic product that gives consistency and that’s what your customers want.”

Roadies

Roadies

Geelong to Sydney

Menu

Moroccan Lamb Sausage Roll

Lamb Shawarma

Braised Lamb Shanks & Mash

Lamb & Shiraz Pie

Lamb Tasting Plate – Chipolatas, Rissoles, Cutlet & Backstrap

Lamb & Mint Pie

Lamb & Haloumi Burger with Jalapeno Pickle

Lamb Shoulder, Risoni & Barley Stew

Lamb Omelette

Grilled Sweet & Sour Lamb Ribs with Puffed Buckwheat

Editors’
Letters

Editors’
Letters

ALL
HAIL
KING
CARMICHAEL

Editors’
Letters

Mary-Jane
Morse

Duncan
Welgemoed

Editor’s
Letter

Chef
Editor’s
Letter