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Cut Showcase

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Lamb
Forequarter

 

There is just so much to love about the lamb forequarter with something for every chef and venue type. As a whole piece, it is exceptional for slow roasting for a group – bringing a little ‘wow’ factor to the centre of the table. Feeling something a little daintier? Sharpen up your knife skills and sub-primal out delicate individual muscles like the lamb oyster. Maybe in your ‘neck’ of the woods it’s more about unctuous braises – well we’ve got you covered there too. On a budget but still want to get fancy? Try a shoulder rack on for size. I’m going to stop now and let the lamb do the talking.

Cut Showcase

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Frustrated by a lack of availability of cuts?
Hamstrung by pricing?
Looking for a little creativity in the kitchen?
 
Maybe it’s time to think about going natural.
Ok, keep your pants on – we’re talking about Natural Fall.

Natural Fall beef laid out at the Grand Hyatt Singapore.

So what exactly is Natural Fall and what could it mean for your business? Meat & Livestock Australia’s Manager Supply Chain Technical Services David Carew says it’s a question he gets asked often.
 
“People ask me quite often what Natural Fall means and the easiest way I can explain it is – Natural Fall means everything that comes off the body. That’s opposed to a Full Set operation which is select cuts off the body and then the third variation where customers are choosing individual cuts.”
 
David, a former chef, works in MLA’s Singapore office servicing the South East Asian market. His father was also a chef and from an early age instilled in him a passion for food and where it comes from. Working now within an industry that has moved, for many reasons, to a mostly fragmented supply chain – David is facilitating closer supply chain collaboration to realise opportunities for both the red meat and foodservice industries.
 
“Natural Fall is about celebrating these really unique, beautifully bred, beautifully well looked after Australian animals that have got such a brilliant story to tell. We have the sustainability credentials; we have the food safety credentials – but what we don’t really have is a procurement sustainability model.”
 
Working closely with the Grand Hyatt Singapore, David and the culinary team have developed and implemented a whole carcase program that disrupts the supply chain with a sustainable procurement model and sets an inspiring benchmark for any foodservice business seeking an alternative procurement solution.

The Grand Hyatt Singapore serves between 3,000 and 5,000 meals every day.

“What we’re doing is not to disrupt the whole industry, it’s just to say you know, we’ve been doing things one way for a long time – but is it the right way? Part of the future is understanding where things are moving to and being across that.”
 
“Natural Fall is one style, it’s one solution and it’s not going to fit everybody. The Natural Fall program for the Grand Hyatt was firstly about answering their needs – a passionate group of executive chefs who were very keen to work within sustainability boundaries.”
 
The Natural Fall program was an exciting experiment for MLA and the Grand Hyatt team – to work collaboratively and look at how they could make a whole carcase program work – studying every part of the hotel and its operations to determine how they could fit every part of the animal into the hotel.
 
“We developed a diagnostic about where we could use the simple cuts first, the ones that they were familiar with, the next stage was to turn everything else into a meaningful value added product. Then after that, working systematically with the Grand Hyatt every couple of months to do a new workshop where we take one of the cuts that they hadn’t previously used and demonstrate a range of three of four different options that it’s ideally used for.”
 
Director of Culinary for Hyatt South East Asia Lucas Glanville overseas 24 hotels across the South East Asia region including the Grand Hyatt Singapore. Driven by sustainability, Lucas launched a sustainability program in 2010 with a range of initiatives implemented across the hotel.

Value adding products play a key role in the Natural Fall program – beef salami and dry aged beef heart at the Grand Hyatt Singapore.

“Sustainability is a big word that has many different meanings to many different people and we feel it should always be very independent, it shouldn’t be our version of the truth. It’s really important that we are using the right products and that they are ethical and sustainable, that we have a relationship with our supply chain and utilise the right resources to serve our guests.”
 
“The Natural Fall program started mid 2018 though our collaboration with MLA and a conversation about how we can create change in the hotel by doing things a little bit differently – through that disruptor mentality – and this program has enormous advantages.”
 
“We’re looking at a different business model that rewards the farmer for the work they’ve done and sharing that with our customer. We pay one price per kilo – the same price from the head to the tail and everything else in between. That gives us great opportunity to offer guests the best value for money using the best product possible.”
 
So what does actually using a whole carcase – or in the case of the Grand Hyatt – nine whole carcases every three weeks – look like?
 
The Grand Hyatt Singapore has five main restaurants – one serving Singaporean and local Malay and Indian cuisines, a signature steak house, a poolside barbeque, an outlet serving Western and Asian cuisines across nine different dining experiences and an Italian restaurant. There’s also a room service menu servicing 677 guestrooms and suites and an events business that covers 5,000 sqm over three floors serving up to 2,500 guests on a weekend.
 

Australian beef neck on the menu at the Grand Hyatt is proving to be extremely popular.

Executive Chef Gregor Streun oversees the feeding of around one million guests per year – serving between 3,000 and 5,000 meals every day and up to 6,000 meals a day on the weekend. It’s no small feat and it takes some meat to meet the needs – 260 tonnes annually to be precise – of which 70-80% is beef and lamb.
 
Gregor says the Natural Fall program has provided a wealth of benefits to the hotel – with price advantages, menu opportunities and chef engagement serving a superior product with an authentic sustainability story and increasing guest satisfaction.
 
“We started the Natural Fall beef program as a trial run with two bodies then gradually went up to the nine bodies at a time which we figured out works best for us. We have now started with a Natural Fall program for Australian lamb as well.”
 
“The whole point of the program was to be more sustainable so we had to confront ourselves with what we would do with all the cuts as well as all the offal, the fat, the bones – everything.”
 
“We started cooking the bones for stocks for all the venues and the some of the primal cuts we started dry ageing in house to further value add to the product and the slow cooking cuts are mainly used in our Malay and Indian cooking for the stews and curries. Then you have our events business where I’d say we use almost every cut because there is so much variety with really helps us make this program so successful.”
 

Australian beef dry ageing in its own fat at the Grand Hyatt Singapore.

“We first struggled a bit about what to do with the beef heart but now we season it, dry cure it and air dry it and it is part of a charcuterie plate. We do our own salamis, our own pastrami and we turn the liver into a beef pate. This is a big benefit for us because we can go back to doing product in house and convey the whole story to our guests – we made this pastrami, we know exactly where the beef comes from and we know exactly what goes in it – it’s just this level of trust to give to the guests and it’s something unique which not many hotels do anymore.”
 
Gregor says that the price advantage means they can now serve beef where they couldn’t before and they can also serve beef of a higher value than before.
 
“Our guests come back and say ‘wow we had this amazing beef at Hyatt and it doesn’t cost us a bomb’ which is rare in Singapore. We can offer a 220g beef burger for $9 which is probably the best value for money burger in town. We couldn’t do that before because the costs were too great for us.”

Grand Hyatt Singapore’s beef charcuterie plate including dry-aged beef heart, beef liver pate, beef pastrami, beef bacon and beef salami.

For Gregor, one of the biggest value adds of the program has been within the kitchen team and their increased interest in and engagement with the product.
 
“Prior to the Natural Fall program, most chefs’ connection to beef was the tenderloin that’s vacuum packed, the OP rib and maybe portioned cuts. Now we get the entire animal and we did some masterclasses with David from MLA where we got the whole team in the room, laid out the entire carcase on a table and went through and named every cut, what you can do with it and what you can’t.”
 
“The Natural Fall program is great because young chefs are drawn to us at Grand Hyatt because they know this program is in place. There is nowhere else in Singapore that would enable them learning that comes with the whole carcase butchery and just working with all the different cuts. We get interest from younger chefs because they know that here we can really learn about beef, how the animal is constructed and what to do with different cuts.”
 
But it’s not just the kitchen that is reaping the rewards – the entire hotel has benefited from the introduction of the program.
 
“Our marketing department now has a great and unique story to tell, the finance department is very happy because the food costs are lower, our materials department is very engaged because they know it’s a great product and where it comes from and obviously senior management is happy because it’s just an amazing product which we can serve to our guests.”
 
“Most importantly our guests really enjoy the product. We have quite substantially increased our red meat offerings on the menu through the entire hotel and have very unique dishes and certain cuts which before we simply could not get because they weren’t available on the market.”

David and Gregor did whole carcase masterclasses with the entire kitchen team.

Gregor’s Natural Fall Program Advice

 
 
— Don’t start with 10 bodies, start small and see if you can turn one body at a time and then slowly work your way up.
 
— Maybe get some products frozen and some products fresh – each venue knows their operation the best so just see how you could slowly apply it.
 
— Look to dry age certain primals and turn some products into pates, sausages, cold cuts which have a longer shelf life and just slowly build it up from there.
 
— Yes, at the beginning it might be a little bit overwhelming but if you sit down and see what’s happening, I’m sure it’s doable for other venues.
 
— Or maybe other venues can team up – if you have three or four restaurants in the same proximity maybe they can start with one carcase and share it.

Cut Showcase: Natural Fall

Homegrown
Heroes

James Viles at Bertha – his barbecue venue adjoining Biota.

Some Aussie chefs and restaurateurs are already thinking a little more creatively about sourcing, storing and utilising beef in their venues – driven by sustainability, provenance and price to do things differently.

 
 
With some disruptive thinking, an open mind to collaborate and a willingness to look a little deeper into the supply chain and their own businesses – chefs and restaurateurs can find solutions to their struggles with limited cut supply and associated price trauma.
 
Chef James Viles is approaching 10 years of his much-celebrated two-hatted restaurant Biota in the NSW Southern Highlands. Add to that his relatively new adjoining barbeque venue Bertha’s Meats and exquisite event venue Barn by Biota – and you’ve got the perfect opportunity for carcase usage.

Whole beef forequarter at Barn by Biota.

James purchases whole primals – primarily forequarters and hindquarters – from local farms and is moving towards purchasing whole beef quarters in the future.
 
“Having the three venues means that I can use the same thing in different ways across the three menus. At Biota we can demonstrate a more refined way of preparing and serving a specific cut, while at Bertha we are more inclined to serve whole cuts – and at Barn we have the capacity to use the whole primal to feed a group.”
 
At Bertha, James and the team cook cuts in a way that maintains their integrity. Except for the brisket, they always cook cuts on the bone which imparts more flavour into the beef but also acts as an internal cooking mechanism – cooking cuts gently from the inside out while maintaining gelatin and keeping the beef juicy.

“Working with whole primals and aiming towards working with whole carcases is what we should all be aiming to achieve. Chefs are afraid of whole carcases for obvious reasons – they may not have the space to store it, the knowledge to utilise it or the time to consider it. But that’s not a reason to dismiss the concept. Find someone else to work with – another local venue or two that you can collaborate with and maybe start with doing an animal a month and working out the cuts between you.”
 
“By doing some research and working with local farmers – you may find that things are actually more achievable than you realise. It’s about getting out there and talking to other chefs, producers and suppliers and finding a solution that suits your business.”
 
Here are some ways that James is using a range of beef cuts across his venues.

BIOTA

 
Approaching a decade of service, Biota was one of the original trailblazers of regional fine dining. As its name intends – Viles’ two-hatted venue is focused on the animal and plant life of the Southern Highlands region and connecting the diner to it through elevated cooking that allows the produce to shine.

Aged Ox Heart

 
Beef heart is cured for a week, smoked on a low heat on and off for 2-3 days and then hung for a month. James uses the finished product like a bonito to flavour stocks – curing and smoking the heart reduces the strong mineral flavour of the heart while bringing out its beefy characteristics. He has also grated the heart onto a dish of waffles and chestnut cream.

Beef & Chilli Salami

 
James makes a salami using all the fatty beef trim from each of the three venues – seasoned simply with salt and native pepper and cured for 8 weeks.

Bone Marrow Broth

 
Beef bones are roasted overnight to make a broth which is then served with roasted bone marrow, radish, house-made buckwheat noodles and wattle seed oil.

BERTHA’S MEATS

 
In addition to the regular menu of chopped brisket sangas, platters of smoked brisket and beef cheek and grilled scotch fillet and rump steaks – James also runs regular beef specials using up various parts of the carcase.
 

Hot Smoked Oxtail

 
Using the butt end of the oxtail, this gorgeous glossy dish is designed to share between a couple. Hot smoked low and slow for about 13 hours it is then grilled over the fire, glazed with a malt glaze and served whole with rosemary flowers and Bertha’s hot sauce.

Smoked Trim Sausage

 
This juicy sausage uses up all the trim from the beef and pork dishes across the venue. Everything is minced together, folded through with lard, smoked chilli and salt then hot-smoked for 40 minutes. The skin has that smoked sausage crispy crack about it while the inside is juicy and bursting with flavour. Served with a vinegar-based Carolina hot sauce and house-pickled chillies.

Whole Glazed Beef Shin

 
The same cut as the ever-popular lamb shank, this versatile cut is often sliced across the bone for Osso Bucco. Prepared whole it makes quite a statement for a table to share – the tender unctuous meat falling from the bone. This one is smoked on the bone slowly overnight then glazed and served whole in its paper. Shred the beef from the bone, scoop out the marrow and load it onto some buns for the ultimate DIY dinner.
 
 

BARN BY BIOTA

 
The breathtakingly beautiful Barn is James’ event venue – a repurposed and beautifully renovated stables complex set on a 100-acre farm where Angus cattle are dotted across rolling green hills.
 
With a stunning shared central table and private dining areas set up within the individual stables – and a guest house upstairs – it’s the perfect place for a special event. The team also host a series of monthly dinners with menus based on ingredients best that day, week and month.
 
We were lucky enough to visit Barn as part of the produce tour for finalists in the 2019 Appetite For Excellence program for a very special long lunch – including a very impressive whole beef forequarter.

The communal dining table at Barn.

James tends to the beef forequarter.

Smoked Whole Beef Forequarter

 
If you’ve got the space and the time – is there anything better than a chunk of beef, simply prepared the natural way, to feed a large group of guests? This whole preparation, and the set-up of the Barn venue – allows for guests to interact and see the dish in its final stages of cooking and preparation. A whole beef forequarter hanging over coals certainly brings some theatre to the table and is an impressive sight to see.
 
This 45kg beauty was smoked overnight at Bertha then finished over Red Gum for about 5 – 6 hours. Sliced and served on platters to share with red wine jus, grilled mustard leaves with chestnut miso and mushrooms with Yarrawa raw milk cheese.

Terry in the kitchen at Soi 38 in Adelaide.

SOI 38

 
Meanwhile, in Adelaide – Appetite for Excellence Young Restauranteur Finalist Daisy Miller and her chef partner Terry Intararakhamhaeng have found a sustainable way to share locally sourced whole carcases with another local restaurant.
 
Terry has cooked all over the world through including Thailand, UK and Germany before coming to Australia where he opted for a career change and studied Environmental Science. Based in Adelaide, he was missing the comfort of good authentic Thai food and so he and Daisy opened Soi 38 in October 2014.
 
Passionate about sustainability and minimising waste, the concept of using whole carcases was something that the duo had been trying to implement from the early stages of opening the restaurant. Through collaboration and planning with local producer Tom Bradbury from Nomad Farm and chef Tom Tilbury at Coriole Winery – they found a solution to work for all.
 
Working on a carcase every three weeks – Soi 38 takes pretty much everything but the prime cuts which go to Gather at Coriole. Having a direct relationship with the farmer ensures nothing goes to waste and allows the team to value add products and use them as required. Currently Soi 38 is going through about 50kg of beef a week across a variety of menu items – and utilising various cuts for the same dishes to ensure the whole carcase is championed.
 
In a concerted effort to connect their customers with produce and to hero wherever possible the local produce they use – Soi 38 customers are told the story of the beef, where it is sourced and how it’s produced.

Charcoal Beef Salad

 

This dish stems from North Eastern Thailand where traditionally beef is hung over a fire pit in the house and serves a dual purpose – the smoke keeps insects away while also preserving the meat. At Soi 38, Terry uses dry-aged beef rump which is dry-aged on the farm allowing the kitchen to utilise it as they need – and serves with lemongrass and pickled garlic.

Minced Beef Stir Fry

 

Originating from Central Thailand this dish is adapted from Chinese cuisine and allows the restaurant to effectively utilise the carcase through mincing. Using offcuts along with trimmings from other dishes, the beef is hand minced with 60/40 beef to fat ratio. No additional oils are used in this dish with the fat rendering off quickly from the heat of the wok. The coarsely ground mince maintains its integrity and its full beef flavour is punctuated by long eggplant and kaffir lime.

Beef Massaman

 

At Soi 38, this traditional Thai favourite uses a variety of cuts including the cheek, chuck, rump and brisket. Terry tends to cook a lot of his meat dishes in their own fat without the need for additional oils. For this dish, two-inch dices of the various cuts are cooked out overnight allowing the fats to naturally release and render out slowly resulting in decadently tender beef.

Roadies

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It really ups the Roadies ante when your guest chef editor is an Audi ambassador and they loan you a brand new Q8 for the trip. Cruising in style, we went on a mission to devour delicious lamb dishes from Broadbeach to Bellingen stopping off along the way in Byron, Bangalow, Brunswick Heads and Woolgoolga.

 
This beautiful part of the world takes food seriously with provenance playing a big part of the story and feeding into that, a concerted effort to utilise a range of cuts.
 
With a fantastic range of techniques, styles and cuisines on offer from mouth-wateringly good Mexican by the Fleet team in Brunswick Heads, to tasty, technique-driven Japanese in a small country town, an epic house smoked lamb leg sandwich and a pie made using the entire lamb carcase – it certainly was a Roadies adventure to remember.

Menu

 

Spit Roasted Lamb Forequarter

The Lamb Shop, Broadbeach QLD

 

4.20 Whole Lamb Pot Pie

The Roadhouse, Byron Bay NSW

 

Smoked Lamb Leg Focaccia

Butcher Baker Bangalow, Bangalow NSW

 

Lamb Shoulder Roulade Burger

Anchor Kitchen & Bar, Woolgoolga, NSW

 

Miso Glazed Lamb Ribs

Qudo Café & Sake, Bellingen, NSW

 

Lamb Neck Barbacoa Tacos

La Casita, Brunswick Heads NSW

 

Guest Chef Profile

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An insight into Embla and the team
that makes it fire.

Australia is one of the fastest changing food markets in the world – a hive of independent outlets with a unique capacity to offer a range of culinary experiences. But the industry is fiercely competitive, the bar teeters on high and the pressure is almost tangible. With a high turnover of venues, the culinary world is small, fast moving and transient; trends come and go overnight and remaining relevant in a sea of comings and goings is just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg.

So is there a secret to success? We delved into the hearts and minds behind one of Melbourne’s most popular venues – that of our co-chef-editor Dave Verheul – to see what makes it tick.

You could measure Embla’s success by the accolades and achievements it has attained in its two-year tenure, or you could simply look to the fact that it is full to the brim and bubbling over every night of the week.

It’s the kind of place that makes you want to stay that little bit longer. Taste another dish, sip another wine and just worry about your worries tomorrow. It’s somewhere you can leave real life at the door, pull up a seat (if you can get one) and escape over what Dave affectionately calls ‘modern rustic wood fired chic’.

It’s actually a pretty apt description of what consistently rolls out of the well-oiled Embla kitchen. Produce driven and seasonally focused, Embla effortlessly encapsulates the primal simplicity of food and fire – with an underlying ethos of thoughtfulness. It’s a holistic ideology that resonates through the entire process.

“We treat food as thoughtfully as possible, having respect for where it’s come from and how it’s been given to us and making sure everything we do with it while it’s with us only makes it better. Sharp knives, clean boards, hot fires – the whole way through, every process must be perfect,” says head chef Peter Cooksley.

“We try to cook the most delicious food, quite simply, using the best produce around. There’s a push for perfection and a constant push for the evolution of the food. Some of our best dishes are now off the menu, not because they got boring but because we feel we can do more, we can change, we can keep cooking better and better and better,” Pete continues.

At Embla, the team cook almost exclusively with fire. The custom built blue steel wood fired oven and grill are prominent features of the venue and a key part of the atmosphere and experience. Sitting along the bar of the open kitchen watching the chefs as they pitch food against fire is as therapeutic as it is theatrical – there’s just something about the flicker of flames.

“Using fire is a more direct way of cooking, it’s a bit more fun, the flavour that you get and how you can use that in different ways is exciting. The hard smoke and the slow coal grill through to the really hard burn of things is just an extra element that you don’t get using modern methods,” Pete says.

This very primal approach to cooking certainly plays well with red meat and though we’re all taught from a very early age not to play with fire, at Embla it’s all about playing with fire.

“Red meat plays an important role on the Embla menu – having the wood fired oven and the wood grill, every piece of meat is cooked differently in, on or around the fires depending on the cut and the animal. We tend to use more secondary cuts – at the moment we have a lamb breast which is cooked slower and then finished really hot so it’s crispy but still quite rich and deliciously juicy.”

Embla chef/owner Dave Verheul

The custom built blue steel woodfired oven and grill at Embla

“Red meat plays an important role on the Embla menu – having the wood fired oven and the wood grill, every piece of meat is cooked differently in, on or around the fires depending on the cut and the animal.”

Sous chef Charley Snadden Wilson slices lamb rump for service

And while the food is impeccable in the way it marries flavour and finesse with acute authenticity, what really smoulders at Embla is the team of talented chefs behind it. In the kitchen, there is an air of careful consideration and an ongoing quest for betterment – not only in the food but in each other. And, so Pete tells us, it starts at the top.

“Dave has this really honest drive to make incredibly delicious food that he’s proud of but not for any major notoriety. It’s hard to quantify – he has an undying want to get it right, to have diners excited about the things he does.”

“He’s got a very direct way of running things and an incredible eye for detail. He’s an incredibly driven chef. I love his style of food, the way he cooks and the way he thinks about things.”

Ironically, the food at Embla is actually there to support the wine – which makes sense given it’s technically a wine bar. Dave’s food has just systematically raised the wine-bar.

It’s not a venue you come to just for a meal – you come for an experience, a journey that perhaps you weren’t even planning on taking. And that is exactly what co-owner Christian McCabe had in mind all along.

“Good food and slightly-weird-but-once-you-get-to-know-it- delicious wine are probably the main things we offer – but what I think we’ve tried to do differently from the start is our hospitality style and hopefully that’s what makes us different.”

“There’s definitely a mood we try to create, a feeling of decadence – like you weren’t meaning to make it the biggest night of the week but because you’re having so much fun here, you’re going to push it. We just want it to be a nice place to come to and that’s what a good restaurant should be.”

Christian says there’s no real secrets to Embla’s success – it was just a process of putting good things together; of finding good people and just going for it.

“There’s not really any formula you could necessarily tell anyone but at its core it’s actually really obvious. You just get nice people around and give them a sense of belonging and ownership, like it’s their place and then they treat it like it’s their place, they’re invested.”

He says to run a successful business you’ve got to infect people, customers and colleagues alike, with an energy and in order to do so, for it to be the right type of energy, you have to start with yourselves.

“Dave and I both have high standards and we want to impart those on other people. You can’t just get good at something and then sit there and do nothing. We want to be at the cutting edge of what we do and to be leaders in our industry; we want to be driven by everybody else improving.”

“If you want to be a leader, you have to ensure you improve as quickly as your team, you can’t teach them everything you know and then suddenly they’re better than you. Dave and I have a mutual understanding that we’re going to grow and develop together. We put a lot of time into our staff and hopefully that’s why they like working here and when they leave, they’re better people and better at what they do,” Christian says.

"He's got a very direct way of running things and an incredible eye for detail. He's an incredibly driven chef."

In the midst of opening their third venue, a wine focused set format restaurant, the guys sometimes question what they’ve done and why.

“The stage that we’re at now when it’s getting to the final weeks before opening and we’re starting to feel the pressure and the pain of it and you just think, why did we do this to ourselves? I guess I’m at that stage where I’d say, this is the last one, we’re not going to do it again. But having said that four times already, I know that the voice will come back again soon,” Christian laughs.

Seeing the success these calmly cool kiwis have managed since gracing our shores with their presence, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone to doubt that the next one will be anything short of epic. Pete for one is excited to be a part of the process and is looking forward to the new challenges ahead.

“The next couple of years are incredibly exciting – the major focus is making it as good as it can be, applying all the things that we’ve learnt about cooking with fire to push the boat out a little bit on the food and to just keep getting better.”

As they say, where there’s smoke there’s fire, and one thing is certain, the Embla crew are burning hot.

Embla head chef Peter Cooksley

Paddock Story

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The
Quest for
Eating Quality
The
Quest for
Eating Quality

Australia’s diverse sheepmeat production system comprises of a variety of breeds raised under variable climatic conditions across this vast country. NSW takes the biggest share of the national flock with approximately 26.7 million sheep and lambs, followed by Victoria with 14.6 million, WA with 14 million, SA with 11.2 million and both Queensland and Tasmania sitting around 2.2 million.

Historically a by-product of the wool industry, the specialist sheepmeat industry in Australia was born in the 1990s when the crash in wool prices saw producers move away from wool toward sheepmeat production. As the development of the industry gathered momentum, the quality of Australian lamb became a key focus and producers began to look to specific sheepmeat breeds to enhance the largely Merino based genetics.

These developments in breed selection and genetics along with improved pasture and on farm management saw Australian sheepmeat producers begin to generate higher carcase weights and lean meat yields – and in turn, deliver a higher quality product for customers. Over the last 10 years, lamb carcase weights have increased to 22.86kg – a growth of 190g/year on average.

With a focus on delivering consistent eating quality, in 2000, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) with the support of research partners and the industry, developed the Sheepmeat Eating Quality (SMEQ) research program to define best practice through the supply chain to monitor and improve product quality.

Research is based on identifying critical control points in the supply chain and where they impact on eating quality outcomes. By minimising the impact in these areas, improvement in eating quality of sheepmeat products is achieved.

For this issue, Dave and I took a trip to Tattykeel, located near Black Springs in NSW, to experience firsthand some of the innovation in breed selection and genetic development being undertaken by the Gilmore family to address eating quality in their flock.

The Gilmores have been breeding meat sheep in the area since 1959; establishing the Tattykeel Poll Dorset stud in 1964. Focused on continually improving quality and consistency, they utilise selective breeding to enhance the positive traits, and reduce the negative traits, of their sheep. They also operate comprehensive artificial insemination and embryo transfer programs to maximise genetic gains.

Graham Gilmore is wholly passionate about his sheep, his family and leaving a legacy; and it shows. Like many sheep producers in Australia, it is in his blood and each new generation of Gilmores play an important role in the continuance of the family’s quest for quality in Australian sheepmeat.

During our visit in mid-November, Graham tells us that it’s been a pretty average season in the area with only 40% of the average yearly rainfall. The sun beats down over the rolling hills and with its high elevation we slip, slop – and spend a lot of time slapping away flies. Whilst the slapping of flies may seem trivial, it’s actually a fairly pertinent point in this story.

Through rigorous selection and breeding programs, Graham and his family have developed a breed of fleece-free meat sheep that they are calling the Australian White. A derivative of four breeds selected for their specific traits (Poll Dorset, Texel, White Dorper and Van Rooy), the Australian White’s hair is a heterotypic fibre which works like insulation and grows and sheds naturally with the seasons.

Graham says the inspiration for developing the breed came through their extensive research travels overseas seeking ideas, innovation and inspiration in sheepmeat production.

“Through our travels, particularly through South America, we saw haired sheep and decided that we would embark on trying to produce our own version of a haired sheep suited specifically to Australian production. In the industry today, we know that everyone is concerned about costs – a lot of producers don’t want to be shearing sheep or treating for flies and with a haired sheep you don’t have those costs associated with a wool sheep. It’s a much better way of just focussing on producing meat, as naturally as possible,” Graham says.

Due to the historical success of the wool industry, around 70% of Australian sheep genetics are Merino and whilst current research suggests eating quality is not greatly affected by breed specifically; it does show that an increase in the proportion of Merino genes increases the animal’s sensitivity to stress. Stress in turn is a key impactor of eating quality.

One of the most noticeable traits of the Australian Whites that we experienced was their incredibly calm and docile nature. In the paddocks, in the yards and even as Graham held a lamb to point out specific traits – their relaxed nature was paramount.

“Managing stress on farm, in transport and before slaughter are key factors when it comes to eating quality of the end product. These animals are inherently placid – in the paddocks, they don’t scatter and run from you like most sheep do, they tend to gravitate towards you.

They’re extremely low maintenance the whole way through which means less stress for them and improved profitability for producers. There is minimal intervention in running them – they don’t need shearing because they shed their own hair and they’re not affected by flies so don’t require the husbandry or chemicals to prevent or treat fly strike,” Graham tells us.

From a production sense, the Australian White ticks a lot of boxes – but how does it eat? Well it’s pretty handy travelling with a chef in tow and with an asado cross on loan from Lennox Hastie at Firedoor, Dave had all the tools he needed to do justice to Graham’s lamb.

“Asado is a traditional Argentinean style of cooking over coals and, given the inspiration for the Australian White was born through Graham’s South American travels, I thought it was a good way to complete the story. I had a few challenges, mainly when it decided to bucket down rain for the first time in months, but with a little country ingenuity we persevered and the result was pretty epic.

It was incredible how noticeable the melting point of the fat is in this animal, how it melts and softens. I found when we cooked it that all of the fine layers of fat, when they cooked out, it gave it such a fine, delicate texture. It was incredible,” Dave said.

At Embla, the team try to be as thoughtful as possible about the whole process – respecting how produce gets to them and ensuring they treat it accordingly in its preparation and service.

“I like to work with ingredients that have been produced as naturally as possible but don’t sacrifice on quality. Our customers want to eat delicious food but more and more they want to know that it has also been sustainably and ethically produced.

Seeing firsthand how Australian sheepmeat producers like the Gilmores are addressing these evolving customer needs at the source, while still producing an outstanding end product, was a really positive experience for me,” Dave concluded.

Australian White cooking Argentinean asado style over coals at Tattykeel

  • Dave and Graham keep a watchful eye on the asado

  • Sunset and asado at Tattykeel

  • Graham and Dave

  • Lamb over fire – almost ready

  • Intra Muscular Fat in the eye muscle of the Australian White

  • Graham breaking down an Australian White saddleGraham breaking down an Australian White saddle

Up Front

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Up
Front

Andrew Gale
Grossi Florentino, Melbourne

2017 Appetite for Excellence
—Young Waiter

Andrew Gale’s service philosophy is to always deliver warmth and generosity to all his guests and colleagues and it is certainly something that he seamlessly portrays in his role at Melbourne institution Grossi Florentino.

We caught up with Andrew for a front of house perspective of Australian red meat, how he deals with challenging customers and the importance of synergy with back of house. We also got him to suggest his beverage match for some of the delicious dishes within these pages.

Why do you think it’s important for FOH to understand provenance?

 

I believe it’s very important for FOH staff to understand provenance of ingredients, techniques and products because FOH are generally the most prominent voice heard by guests. It’s our role to explain and share the knowledge we have with the public. Also having an intimate knowledge of where something comes from, helps build respect for those products and the people who have put in their time and passion to allow a restaurant to create something with it and share it with others.

What kind of questions are your customers asking about red meat?

 

Customers are generally asking questions in regards to whether red meat is grass or grain fed, where it is grown, if it’s been dry aged and the location of the cut on the animal.

What lamb dishes are on the menu currently and what do you recommend as a beverage match?

 

One of the oldest dishes still served at Grossi Florentino is ‘Abbachio alla Romana’. The dish has been passed down through generations and is a family favourite. A whole lamb is broken down and wet roasted through, vegetables, white wine, parmiagino, aromats and breadcrumbs.

I would serve the 2012 Foster e Rocco Riserva Sangiovese from Hetahcote Victoria, this wine offers complexity, balance and a firm acid to compliment the rich lamb braise.

Tell us about a challenging customer or situation and how you dealt it?

 

I think each time I go to work is a challenge – unique and different challenges arise each time. The most challenging situations are generally when the dining room is full and each guest requires a lot of attention; you begin to feel the pressure due to the standards you’ve set yourself. Working well as a team and trusting your instinct is how I manage to get through those situations.

How closely do FOH work with BOH at Grossi Florentino?

 

The FOH and BOH work hand in hand at Grossi as we are all one team who rely on each other to accomplish the same common goal, which is to deliver a high level, articulate and genuine hospitality experience to our guests.

The kitchen helps to educate the FOH team about food and cooking techniques. It’s the role of the FOH staff to ask questions and take it upon themselves to tap into the wealth of knowledge of the BOH staff. Before every service, the FOH and BOH meet to discuss the plan for the upcoming day – both sides of the business rely on each other to deliver satisfaction to our guests.

On The Menu

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This special issue of On the Menu takes you from car park restaurants in dirty LA burbs to the glitz and glamour of the Miami Four Seasons, from healthy eating disguised as bone broth waffles to Texas classics like Franklin BBQ and chicken fried steak.
 
We visit beautiful people with incredible stories like South Philly Barbacoa’s Cristina Martinez and Nafeeza Ali who has been serving Caribbean classics from the back of a grocery store for more than 30 years.
 
From breakfast and brunch to burgers and bone marrow, pies and pizza to barbacoa and Chinese burritos – it’s a full on feast to get your creative juices flowing. What’s going on your menu next?

Beef Roll aka The Chinese Burrito

 

101 Noodle Express – Los Angeles

 

Served up in Northern Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants across greater Los Angeles, some food experts believe that the Beef Roll is a West Coast invention. Reminiscent of a burrito, it is said to be a merging of the Taiwanese tradition of fried savoury street foods and America’s love of snacking. The best in the business is found in a no-frills parking lot restaurant in Alhambra – and it certainly lived up to the hype.
 
Two giant foot-long rolls arrived at the table, stuffed to the brim and sliced neatly into manageable pieces. The flaky on the outside, chewy on the inside wheat pancake is buttered with a hoisin-like bean paste then rolled with loads of fresh coriander, green onion and generous lashings of paper thin ribbons of marinated slow-braised beef. The layers of salty, flaky, savoury, beefy goodness were perfection as is but loaded with the table condiments of fresh chillies and coriander and piping hot chilli oil – this tasty roll hits delicious new heights.

Bone Broth Waffles & Broffee

 

Osso Good – Los Angeles
Meredith Cochran

 
Osso Good Co-Founder Meredith Cochran has a degree in Cellular Molecular Biology and worked in hospitals for many years before deciding to focus on preventative health. She went back to school and studied Traditional Chinese Medicine and Herbology where she learned about the healing benefits of bone broth. She soon began making and perfecting her own recipes at home and set up an online store and delivery service for her signature bone broth cleanses. As popularity for her all-organic homemade broths continued to grow, Meredith saw an opportunity to expand her offering and opened the Osso Good café in 2018.
 
The menu serves up a range of bone broth based items including paleo soups, bone broth cleanses, gluten free bone broth waffles, blendies – hot drinks made with bone broth – and collagen smoothies. Playing perfectly into the hearts, minds and waistlines of the LA lifestyle, Meredith’s concept and creative café offerings are also an excellent example of carcase utilisation and waste reduction. Whilst the Broffee, a blend of coffee and bone broth, took a little getting used to, we soon warmed up to it and the crisp-on-the-outside-fluffy-on-the-inside waffles were guilt-free decadence. Hashtag health.

Texas BBQ Plate

 

Franklin BBQ – Austin
Aaron Franklin

 
Call it a culinary rite of passage but we couldn’t go to Austin and not join the infamous Franklin queue for barbecue. Voted numerous times by various publications and outlets as the best barbecue in the world, it seemed only natural to take up place in a line that was already 25 deep at 8am on a rainy and bitterly cold winter morning. By 11am when the doors finally opened, the line was at least 100 strong – I can only imagine what it’s like in more appealing weather.
The Franklin kitchen operates 24 hours a day – the restaurant opens at 11am and is usually sold out by 2pm. They smoke 106 briskets every day – that’s an incredible 20,000kg of brisket every month – seasoned simply with salt and pepper it is smoked low and slow over a post oak wood burning fire for 12-16 hours. Aaron says that post oak gives a mellow smoky flavour but allows the flavour of the meat itself to be the hero. The pit temperature ranges from 130-160 C and generates a half inch thick pink smoke ring and a salt and pepper bark which aficionados call the ‘black gold’.
 
Aaron cares deeply about meat quality and uses only ethically raised and slaughtered, all-natural Angus beef which has been grass fed and grain finished. After three hours waiting in the cold, we loaded up our plastic tray and butchers paper with incredible slices of smoky brisket, crispy beef link sausages and a monster brisket sandwich. The Franklin sausages use trim from the briskets and other dishes and are generally made up of 60% brisket, 27% raw brisket fat, 10% pork butt and 3% beef heart for depth of meaty flavour. Worth the wait? Maybe. Worth the weight? Definitely.

Bone Marrow Pie

  

Chi Spacca – Los Angeles
Ryan DeNicola

  
Italian for ‘he who cleaves’ the newest addition to Nancy Silverton’s Mozza Restaurant Group has been described by various reviewers as one of the best restaurant openings in LA. Dedicated to all things meat, the restaurant houses its own charcuterie program and the menu includes a range of cuts including beef short ribs, lamb shoulder chops and the show stopping ‘bistecca fiorentina’ – a 1.5kg dry-aged bone-in ribeye.
 
On a cool winter night in LA, we could not go past the bone marrow pie. Based on the humble Aussie pie it attracts plenty of food-envy-eyes from around the restaurant as it comes to the table. A centrepiece designed to share, the decadent pie is filled with tender pieces of unctuous beef cheek encrusted in layers of buttery pastry. With a whole marrowbone emerging from its centre, it provides just the right amount of theatre – and as the pie cooks, the marrow slowly melts into the filling resulting in a rich gelatinous gravy.

Chicken Fried Steak

 

Hoovers – Austin

 
The chicken fried steak is a Texan classic and a merging of two of the Southern state’s favourite food pastimes – steak and fried chicken. Considered a classic Southern comfort food it is similar in style to a schnitzel and is believed to have been introduced by German and Austrian immigrants who settled in Texas in the 19th century. It was common practice during this period to use more economical cuts of meat and enhance the taste and texture with spices and breading before frying.
 
The inspiration for the somewhat confusing title comes from its preparation which is similar to frying chicken. Traditionally, round steak or a similar lean cut is coated in seasoned flour, dipped in egg wash, tossed in flour again and then cooked in the deep fryer. Served with a creamy white gravy and your choice of classic Southern sides like collard greens, turkey stuffing and biscuits, the dish is served everywhere from casual diners to five-star restaurants – and washes down easily with a Lone Star beer.

The Real Deal Hollyfield

 

Valentina’s – Austin
Miguel Vidal

 
They say everything is bigger in Texas and this breakfast beauty is bang on the big money and effortlessly brings together what Austin loves best – barbeque, Tex-Mex and food trucks. The Real Deal Holyfield was born when pitmaster Miguel Vidal was making huevos rancheros for his father. The classic eggy breakfast of Mexican farmers got an upgrade when he added crispy potatoes and bacon then wrapped it in a tortilla – before topping it off with a slice of brisket. Good morning sunshine.
 
There is sure to be a line when you reach Valentina’s food truck in South Austin but oh boy is this worth the wait. Handmade flour tortillas, made fresh daily, are cooked to order then spread with refried beans and topped with crispy fried potatoes. Next, two perfectly fried eggs and a crispy strip of bacon join the party and the whole lot is topped off with a slice of smoked brisket perfection. Finished with a drizzle of tomato serrano salsa it is most certainly the real deal, Hollyfield.

Frita Traditional

 

El Mago del las Fritas – Miami
Ortelio Cárdenas

 
Uniquely Miami this Cuban culinary staple, inspired by the American hamburger, was born when enterprising Cubans found hamburger meat too bland and so spiced up the beef patty to create their own Cuban Hamburger.
 
The best Cuban Hamburger in Miami is at El Mago de las Fritas where 80-year-old Ortelio Cárdenas has been making his version for more than 30 years. His secret recipe has long remained guarded – so much so that even his family members do not know it completely. Ground beef is seasoned like chorizo with spices including cumin, paprika and chilli then the bright red patty hits the grill with a spicy mojo sauce to keep it moist. It is then placed into a lightly toasted fluffy Cuban bun with lashings of house made creamy aioli spiced with ginger and topped with papas fritas – deep-fried sticks of julienned potatoes.
Served alongside bottles of Cuban hot sauce – this incredibly tasty treat is somehow not loaded with grease – one of the reasons that El Mago is universally considered the best in the business.

Lamb Cubano

 

Edge Steak & Bar – Miami
Aaron Brooks

 
Aussie boy Aaron Brooks made his way to sunny Florida to launch Edge Steak & Bar at the Miami Four Seasons in 2011. Immersing himself into the Miami culinary scene and its Latin culture, his focus is on preparing quality seasonal products and food relevant to the location while still reflecting his heritage. With numerous awards and recognitions under his belt, Aaron has been dubbed ‘the Meat Man’ and provides a range of premium grain fed, grass fed, dry aged and Wagyu beef including many Australian offerings.
 
It is his creative clashing of cultures and cuisines that we love like his incredible whole jerk lamb cooked slowly over coals for an Australia Day event and his take on the Miami cult dish – the Cuban Sandwich. Traditionally made with pork, Aaron gives it a down-under edge using two types of Australian lamb – slow cooked shoulder and lamb ham which is made in house as part of their incredible charcuterie program. Sandwiched between crisp Cuban bread slathered with beer mustard, oozing cheddar cheese and pickles, it is an overwhelming sell-out every time it appears on the menu.

Goat Roti Wrap aka West Indian Burrito

 

B&M Market & Roti Shop – Miami
Nafeeza Ali

 
Purchased by Sheir and Nafeeza Ali from her uncle in 1990, B&M Market is one of the first and longest running West Indian grocery stores in Miami. Located in Little Haiti and featured on the late Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, wander through the colourful exterior walls to a warm welcome and big smile from Sheir who runs the market. Meander on past the isles stacked with authentic Caribbean products to the back where you find Nafeeza hard at work in the kitchen.
 
For near on 30 years, Nafeeza has prepared and sold classic Caribbean favourites from a small kitchen at the back of the market including oxtail stew, jerk chicken, cow foot stew, goat curry and more. We opted for the immensely popular goat roti – or West Indian burrito. Sheir butchers whole goats on the premises then Nafeeza slowly cooks them until incredibly tender in a yellow curry of potatoes, onions, garlic, chilli and spices like turmeric. The curry goat is then wrapped in Nafeeza’s famous dhalpuri roti – a traditional Caribbean roti consisting of delicate layers of dough interspersed with yellow split pea that has been cooked, dried and ground with spices.

Salambi Pizza

 

Stanzione 87 – Miami
Franco Stanzione

 
In 2013, at just 23 years of age, Franco Stanzione opened his first restaurant – a Downtown pizzeria churning out the kind of black blistered dough that dreams are made of. His Neapolitan-style pizzas are cooked to wood-fired perfection in a 480C oven and were the first of their kind in Miami. The produce and technique driven restaurant sources all its ingredients from the best possible vendors to ensure an authentic experience.
 
When we visit, Franco has an Australian lamb salami pizza on the specials menu – a pizza he says is remarkably popular and a best seller whenever it hits the menu. Starting with 00 flour, Franco ferments his dough for a minimum of 72 hours then tops with San Marzano tomatoes from Mt Vesuvious, organic basil, extra virgin olive oil and homemade mozzarella to make a classic margarita pizza – then the lamb salami is thinly sliced and laid on top before hitting the piping hot oven. We were in Miami for three days and all I could think about was how I could fit in another visit to Stanzione 87 for another go at that incredible Salambi Pizza – it was just that good.

Lamb Barbacoa

 

South Philly Barbacoa – Philadelphia
Cristina Martinez

 
Cristina Martinez grew up in Capulhauc, Mexico’s barbacoa capital, and has been preparing barbacoa since she was six years old – using the same techniques passed down through her family for generations. Barbacoa uses whole lambs marinated in orange and salt – the meat, feet, stomach, entrails and head are all used. It is then cooked for eight hours in a coal pit lined with maguey leaves that infuse a bitter flavour into the lamb. It is a way of life in Mexico and a weekend tradition that Cristina yearned for but could not find in Philadelphia.
 
An undocumented immigrant, Cristina fled Mexico to the USA so she could provide money for her daughter’s education. She began cooking and selling barbacoa from her apartment out of necessity when she lost her job after requesting green card support from her employer. Word spread of her incredible whole lamb consommé and barbacoa tacos and soon she opened her own restaurant.
In 2016, Bon Appetit named South Philly Barbacoa one of the top 10 new restaurants in the USA and Cristina has not looked back since. The colourful, homely venue is a haven for all who enter its doors and the lamb barbacoa, still prepared using her family traditions, is an unforgettable experience. Served in foil at the table, it is incredibly tender with rich fats and collagens melted throughout but perfectly balanced from the bitter leaves and citrus. Served with hand pressed tortillas made from Mexican corn smuggled across the border, pickled chillies, onion, coriander and a range of salsas – alongside a whole lamb consume that could quite literally bring down walls – it is an experience we won’t soon forget.

Pomegranate Lamb Shoulder

 

Zahav – Philadelphia
Michael Solomonov

 
Named one on Eater’s essential 38 restaurants nationwide, this 80-seat Israeli restaurant from James Beard award winner Michael Solomonov is considered by many to be Philadelphia’s best. The creative menu ranges from moreish mezze, wood-fired flatbread and skewers of meat to the show-stopping pomegranate lamb shoulder – the dish that put Zahav on the map and its signature offering since opening 10 years ago. Whole lamb shoulder is brined overnight with spices like allspice, fennel and black pepper, then confit in chicken fat for 5-6 hours until tender enough to eat with a spoon. It is finished in a hot oven to crisp up the skin then glazed with pomegranate juice and molasses and finished with fresh mint. Served alongside crispy Persian-style yellow rice that is fragrant with turmeric, cumin and black pepper and topped with ground pistachios and plumped currents.
 
The restaurant goes through about 60 shoulders a week and still can’t keep up with demand – the spectacular fall apart lamb is perfectly pink and its richness contrasted by the sweet and sour punch of the pomegranate glaze. We agree it is indeed essential and should rank high on everyone’s food bucket list.

Italian Market Breakfast

 

High Street on Market – Philadelphia

 
A casual yet sophisticated trifecta of restaurant, café and bakery – High St on Market serves up inventive pastries and breakfasts then transitions into twists on classic sandwich combinations served on house-baked artisan bread for lunch and market-driven dishes for dinner. The Italian Market Breakfast leaves you wanting for nothing – two perfect sunny side up fried eggs, folds of bitter broccoli rabe and crispy fried potatoes are just the beginning of your breakfast dreams.
 
Sweet bologna is a Lancaster County staple – a region west of Philadelphia – and just one taste will have you hooked on its sweet smoky flavour. At High St Market, the grass fed Lancaster Bologna is sweet cured with brown sugar then smoked over apple wood. Sliced thicker than traditional bologna and lightly grilled it is the perfect sweet, salty, smoky breakfast plate accompaniment.

Hot Pastrami Sandwich

 

Fourth St Delicatessen – Philadelphia

 
Since 1923 this delicatessen on a local street corner has been a Philadelphia institution and photos of celebrities, presidents and sports stars line its walls. This gargantuan sandwich is what you might call big on quantity – but it sure does over index in the quality stakes as well. $30 might seem a bit rich for a sandwich but when it’s offering up 450g of delicious pastrami beef stuffed into soft rye bread, it’s really worth it.
 
The sandwich is piled so high with salubrious slices of peppery pastrami that you genuinely struggle to get your laughing-gear around it. But persevere you must. The pastrami is made in house using whole briskets that are brined then steamed for several hours allowing the fat to melt into the meat. The beef is then rolled in a secret house pastrami spice mix and smoked to finish. Sliced and served hot on house-baked rye bread, this sandwich literally glistens with goodness and you don’t need to add a single thing because the basics are done to perfection.

Goat Tacos

 

Birriera Zaragoza – Chicago
Jonathan Zaragoza

 
This unassuming family-run Mexican restaurant could quite possibly have served up our favourite dish of the trip. Here they do one thing and they do it exceptionally well – birria tatemada – which translates roughly to roasted goat. Juan Zaragoza opened the restaurant in 2007 to fulfil a fierce yearning for the food of his childhood in Jalisco Mexico. His son Jonathan now heads up the kitchen where he butchers and prepares whole goats in house. The goat is broken down, rubbed all over with salt and steamed for up to five hours, then marinated in an ancho-based red mole and roasted.
 
For service, the goat is plated and dressed with a perfectly balanced tomato-based consommé and served with a stack of hand-pressed corn tortillas made in-house and an array of condiments including coriander, onion, salsa roja, roasted chillies and lime. The exquisite combination of tender flavoursome goat meat, decadent consommé and house-made tortillas is something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. I’m already looking for cheap flights back to Chicago.

Sloppy Marrow

 

Twain – Chicago
Tim Graham

 
Twain is inspired by the famous Missourian Mark Twain and celebrates the history of Midwestern cuisine. The stunning warehouse space features a colourful mural depicting the abundance of the Mississippi river and produce of the region. Owned and operated by husband and wife team – executive chef Tim Graham and sommelier Rebekah Graham – the restaurant pays homage to Tim’s upbringing in Missouri and serves contemporary interpretations of classic comfort dishes with inspiration from an extensive collection of heritage spiral-bound women’s club cookbooks.
 
The Sloppy Marrow dish reimagines the classic cafeteria favourite of ground beef, onions, tomato sauce, Worcestershire and other seasonings on a white bun. It is believed the Sloppy Joe originated in Iowa in the 1930s and was the creation of a cook named Joe. At Twain, Tim steps up the theatre and the taste with rich umami packed beef mince loaded into a roasted marrowbone and served on a toasted slice of white bread. The dish brings together comforting familiarity with elevated flavours and a nod to tradition – and finishing the dish with a whiskey shot through the marrowbone makes for a messy good time!

Images thanks to Ally Straussner.

The Fulton Burger

 

Swift & Sons – Chicago
Chris Pandel

 
Executive Chef Chris Pandel heads up the kitchen at four Chicago venues including Swift & Sons, Cold Storage, Dutch & Doc’s and the forthcoming Cira. At Swift & Sons the menu reflects his focus on high quality, locally sourced ingredients with an elevated twist on steakhouse classics. The swoon-worthy Fulton Burger is the result of a full day taste-testing 12 different burgers from the Swift & Sons chef team. The pan seared, 280-gram peppercorn crusted patty is comprised of a blend of Wagyu riblets, chuck, short ribs and A5 Wagyu fat. Served on a brioche bun with red onion jam, Worcestershire aioli and watercress, it is a burger to brag about. Let’s not forget the cheese – an award winning semi-soft washed rind made from raw Jersey milk and aged for approximately three months. Its mild funkiness and sweet nuttiness pairs perfectly and melts like magic across the crispy charred outside of the perfectly pink patty.
 
You can’t travel to the other side of the world to visit a steakhouse and not try the steak! At Swift & Sons locally sourced beef is grass fed for 24 months and then corn finished for 90 days. Steaks are seasoned overnight with salt and pepper to allow the salt time to penetrate beyond the exterior and provide a fuller beef flavour. We opted for a 600-gram bone in ribeye that comes with a range of classic sauce options of which we decided on the oxtail marmalade. A three-day preparation, oxtails are cleaned and cured overnight then seared in beef fat and braised for 12 hours with mirepoix and veal stock. Finally, they are picked clean and the meat combined with pureed mirepoix and a syrup made from the reduced braising liquid resulting in a sweet and savoury marmalade.

Cut Showcase

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Lamb Breast & Belly

 

HAM 5010

 

 

Lamb breast and belly is derived from the underside of the chest and accounts for around 12% of the lamb carcase.
Often ground for mince, lamb breast and belly is the brisket equivalent on a beef carcase and is actually a wonderfully versatile and economic cut. Consisting of layers of full flavoured meat and rich lamb fat, it is what is left on the carcase after the preparation of the major primals.

A well-exercised muscle with a good amount of fat, bones and sinew – it suits low slow cooking and packs a flavoursome punch. The meaty part of the cut is located between the bones and a thick layer of fat just beneath the skin – as it cooks it essentially forms its own confit resulting in tender, juicy meat every time.
 
It can be deboned, rolled and slow roasted; smoked as a whole piece and pulled; cured and spiced for lamb bacon or pancetta; or prepared into decadent individual ribs characterised by layers of fat and meat.
 
We threw the challenge out to Charley Snadden-Wilson, head chef at Etta in Melbourne, to create three tasty dishes using the lamb breast and belly.
 
Do you even belly bro?

Lamb Belly Bacon Carbonara

 
 
On a bleak day in Melbourne, this creamy umami flavour bomb was just what the doctor ordered. In fact, it has been hard to stop thinking about it ever since.
 
Charley packed lamb belly in a box and completely submerged it in salt for two days to cure then washed off the salt and hit the belly with some Applewood smoke in the Big Green Egg. Next, the belly was confit in a bag overnight at 80 degrees before cooling and dicing, reserving the delicious smoky stock from the bag for the emulsion in place of egg. A house made egg free pasta of 00 flour, water, salt and olive oil – lovingly hand rolled into cavatelli was the perfect chewy vessel to transport decadent mouthfuls of richly lamb flavoured belly bacon and silky smoky sauce.

XO Caramel Lamb Rib Set

 
 
Working on the premise that plates of share food are still a thing – Charley used the breast end as a whole rib set destined for a large sharing plate – although sharing them might be an issue.
 
Again, he turns to the Big Green Egg for a bit of smoke infusion before browning the rib set in a pan to caramelise. The ribs are then added to a caramel made from three parts vinegar, two parts sugar and salt to taste – then seasoned with chilli oil that emulsifies into the caramel. Topped with chicken stock, the ribs braise in the caramel for two hours until reduced. They are then stored overnight in the caramel allowing the flavours to infuse. For service, the ribs are warmed in the oven, glazed with the caramel and a house made ‘white boy’ XO and finished with garlic scapes.

Roast Lamb Belly, Sprouts & Macadamia

 
 
Roast lamb has always been and always will be an Australian classic – here Charley has dialled up the old school favourite and given it an Etta edge.
 
Whole lamb belly is salted and then roasted at high heat until it has some colour, then the temperature is dropped and the belly is cooked out until just tender but not falling apart. The belly is then portioned, seasoned simply with salt and rendered over a hot grill for service. Served with Brussel sprouts dressed in fermented tomato juice and a macadamia cream made from toasted macadamias blanched with water and simmered until thickened slightly before adding juices from the lamb and seasoning with salt and vinegar. Not your average roast lamb.

On The Menu

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For this special edition of On the Menu – we feature lamb dishes created for us by the finalists of the 2019 Appetite for Excellence Young Chef of the Year.

 

These incredibly talented young chefs are pushing boundaries in their creative approach to the carcase – thoughtfully utilising non-loin cuts and skillfully bringing them to their best through considered preparations and techniques.

 

With young chefs like these – the future of Australian food is looking exceptionally bright.

 
 
 

George preparing lamb skirt at Oakridge.

Lamb Skirt with Asparagus & Pea Flowers

 

George Wintle
Oakridge Wines – Coldstream VIC

 
Passionate young chef George Wintle has a demeanour and a drive that far outweighs his years. Working alongside Matt Stone and Jo Barrett at Oakridge for the past three years, George has not only honed his skills as a talented chef but considered more broadly the social aspects of the hospitality community.
 
In 2018 George launched a mental health campaign called Eat the Issue where he aims to tackle the stigmas associated with mental health by encouraging conversation and advocating for cultural change. How incredibly inspiring to know that the future of the food industry is in the hands of people like George – and fortunately the boy certainly can cook.

Lamb Skirt with Asparagus & Pea Flowers.

For his lamb dish, George takes on the lamb skirt – a cut not often seen in isolation from the lamb carcase. Similar in texture to the beef skirt, the lamb skirt is a flavoursome cut that requires some attention to bring to its best. George marinated the skirt in kangaroo garum for 48 hours which acts as a tenderiser while also bringing a punch of salty umami flavour to the lamb.
 
Thin slices of the skirt are then briefly fried in lamb fat resulting in full flavoured and tender bites of decadent lamb and served with asparagus also sauteed in lamb fat. The dish is finished with a dressing made from asparagus trim that has been charred, juiced and mixed with sherry vinegar, olive oil, meyer lemon zest, salt and pepper and fromage blanc made from jersey milk and garnished with fragrant pea flowers.

Ashley-Maree plating her lamb neck dish at Tasca.

Koji Lamb Neck Fillet with Spent Radicchio, Peas and Mints

 

Ashley-Maree Kent
Tasca – Coolangatta QLD

 
Ashley-Maree has been running the kitchen at Tasca full time for over a year having previously worked there part time while at Paper Daisy. Tasca is a 40 seat natural wine bar with a cool coastal Mediterranean vibe and champions local producers wherever possible.
 
Working alongside her partner in the kitchen, Ashley-Maree has curated an elevated menu that surpasses the usual confines of Gold Coast dining and introduces both the local and tourist diner to bountiful new ingredients, flavours and techniques.

Koji Lamb Neck Fillet with Spent Radicchio, Peas and Mints.

For her lamb dish, Ashely-Maree selected the lamb neck fillet which she then marinated in koji for 32 hours. The koji not only heightens the umami flavours of the lamb but also acts as a tenderiser thus reducing the need for braising this well utilised muscle of the lamb. The lamb is then pan fried before finishing to medium in the oven.
 
For the spent radicchio, Ashley-Maree picks the outer leaves and lightly pickles them in rice wine vinegar. The lamb is served with a mixture of Vietnamese and normal mint, fresh garden peas and snow peas and a puree of chickpeas on the base – lending a freshness to the rich, almost blue cheese flavour, of the koji marinated lamb.

 

 

Lamb Belly with Lamb Fat Vegetables

 

Serkan Tamcelik
Char – Wentworthville NSW

 
Serkan moved to Australia when he was four. His family’s obsession with all things Turkish food and culture saw him grow up with cooking over coals and fire – seeing that love of food and how it brought people together was what inspired him to get into cooking.
 
He commenced his apprenticeship at Rockpool Bar & Grill before moving on to Pier in Rose Bay where he completed it. After a break to pursue an engineering degree, his love of cooking pulled him back and he bolstered his skills and his resume with stages at Six Penny, Attica and Brae then three months at Mercado while Quay was renovated. He then joined the Quay team where he worked for three years with the great Peter Gilmore.
 

Serkan will open Char restaurant in Sydney’s West in January 2020.

Char will focus on dry aged proteins and a charcuterie program both done in house.

Following his Appetite for Excellence journey, he received a call from management at Wenty Leagues who pitched to him an idea they had for a high end restaurant in the West – to which he originally said no. But growing up in the suburb next door, he soon saw it as an opportunity to bring his refined skills back to the West and to throw himself into the challenges and learnings of opening a brand new restaurant. Raised in the area, his understanding of the local demographic and the food they like to eat has seen him curate a restaurant and a menu driven by coal and wood fire cooking with nuances of Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine. Focused on dry aged meats and seafood, Char is a new frontier for Sydney’s West – setting new standards of high end dining in the area.
 
The new restaurant will aim from 200 covers a day with a concentration of dry aged proteins and a charcuterie program both done in house and lamb cuts like lamb forequarter, belly and riblets featured on menu. Serkan will also oversee the menu of the adjacent bar with snacks like Turkish adana – lamb belly minced with capsicum juice and cayenne pepper moulded onto a skewer, cooked over coals and served on top of Turkish flat bread spread with confit garlic butter.

Lamb Belly with Lamb Fat Vegetables.

For this dish, lamb belly was seared and cooked in a steamer from around eight hours at 78 degrees in a mixture of chicken and lamb fat. The juices from the cook were then reduced with chicken stock to make a glaze. Portions of lamb belly were then cooked over the grill and served with radicchio, potato and onions that had been cooked in lamb fat and then grilled.

 

Lamb Brains with Preserved Lemon Sauce

 

Anna Ugarte-Carral
Momofuku Seiobo – Sydney NSW

 
There is nothing typical about Appetite for Excellence’s 2019 ‘one to watch’ Anna Ugarte-Carral. The energetic young chef has very much paved her own way on the path to an impressive career that is only just beginning. Anna also took home the prestigious 2020 Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year at the Good Food Guide Awards – opening up a world of bright new opportunities.
 
She has been working with the Momo family in Sydney for two years – the only restaurant she really wanted to work in after returning from a three month stint opening the new Noma restaurant in Copenhagen in early 2018. One night after service at Noma she spoke with Paul Carmichael on the phone and the pair just clicked – chatting for a couple of hours and sealing her spot at Seiobo on her return.
 

Anna was named ‘one to watch’ at the 2019 Appetite for Excellence Awards and was named 2020 Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year at the Good Food Guide Awards.

Lamb Brains with Preserved Lemon Sauce.

Hailing from a hospo family, Anna may have been born into the industry but her drive, determination and talent have seen her grow well and truly into it. Inspired by the cuisines of the Mediterranean – particularly France, Spain and Italy – and her stage at Lyle’s in London – she considers food the way it’s meant to be. Be that through availability of produce relevant to seasonality and regionality or through traditional preparations, doing things the right way even though it may not be the convenient way.
 
For this dish, Anna wanted to tie into old traditions while challenging herself with something she was not immediately familiar with. Lamb brains come as two lobes connected by the stem – she removed the stem and then soaked in water before sectioning into portions and poaching in water with aromats.
 
Next the portions are tossed in yoghurt and rolled in rice flour then shallow fried until crispy and golden. Served with a fresh, zingy sauce of preserved lemon, olive oil, chives, shallots and creme fraiche for the ultimate snack or starter.
 

Lamb brains are soaked in water before portioning and poaching in water with aromats.

 

Tom plating his two part lamb dish at Cirrus.

Lamb Shoulder & Sweetbread with White Asparagus & Turnip

 

Thomas Foster
Cirrus Dining – Barangaroo NSW

 
Tom always enjoyed cooking and started on the pans in high school when he met a chef who took him on as an apprentice. From there he just kept meeting chefs and kept on enjoying the process and creativity of cooking as well as the camaraderie and mateship of kitchens.
 
He travelled extensively looking to learn as much as he could about different food cultures before beefing up his skill set with six months under the guidance of Brett Graham at The Ledbury and then the one Michelin starred gastro pub the Harwood Arms.
 

Lamb Shoulder & Sweetbread with White Asparagus & Turnip.

With a disciplined style of cooking, Tom favours modern cooking techniques with a European influence and an interest in nose to tail and using a variety of cuts on the plate. He likes clean plates of food that show off the produce – and is a keen forager and gardener, foraging once a week for the restaurant and growing an array of vegetables at home which sometimes make it to the restaurant kitchen.
 
For this two part lamb dish, lamb shoulder was salted, braised for 10 hours and then pressed, portioned, chargrilled and brushed with a quandong glaze – while lamb sweetbreads were brined, poached and roasted. Served with white asparagus poached and chargrilled and a mix of white asparagus, quandong and baby turnips.
 
On the base – a vibrant green turnip leaf puree and turnip leaves to garnish – picked from Tom’s own garden – and finished with a sauce made from the braising liquid and red wine.

Tom has an interest in nose to tail and using a variety of cuts.

 
 
 
 

Roadies

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So, we were supposed to be in Japan to shoot a special Roadies Tokyo feature – showing the best of beef at speciality restaurants, izakayas, street stalls and everywhere in between. But COVID-19 had other plans for us and so we kept it local – finding the best versions of traditional Japanese dishes and modern Australian interpretations that we could.

 
 
Three days in sunny Queensland from Noosa through Brisbane and on to the Gold Coast wasn’t a bad alternative, exploring a range of Japanese styles and dishes using beef including houbayaki, ishiyaki, sukiyaki, tataki, yakiniku, kushiyaki and gyoza. Yaki basically translates to ‘cooked over direct heat’ but most commonly refers to grilling.

Zeb Gilbert – chef and co owner of the now sadly closed Wasabi in Noosa. We were so lucky to fit a visit in for our Japanese Roadies adventure where Zeb prepared for us a truly unforgettable dish of Jack’s Creek MS7 sirloin with bloodwood fermented honey tare, wagyu fat roasted shallot, smoked bone marrow with red miso and tempura onions.

Incredible koji marinated Angus sirloin expertly cooked over coals at Sumi Open Kitchen in Noosa. Chef/owner Giles Hohnen lived in Japan for many years and is bringing delicious Japanese dining to the Sunshine Coast.

Tetsuya’s chef Josh Raine trying his hand at sukiyaki at Sono Japanese in Brisbane. A traditional Japanese restaurant, we kicked our shoes off and sat down to a delicious meal of sukiyaki; houbayaki – beef grilled over a magnolia leaf; and ishiyaki – a dish of wagyu, mushroom and seasonal vegetables served as fresh ingredients with a hot stone plate to cook at the table.

The insanely tasty wagyu intercostal at the recently opened Yoko Dining at Howard Smith Wharves in Brisbane. Yoko Dining is the latest venture for restaurateur Jonathan Barthelmess whose other venues include Cho Cho San and The Apollo in Sydney and Greca in Brisbane.

House-made wagyu gyoza at the effortlessly trendy Etsu Izakaya on the Gold Coast. Wagyu, mushroom duxelles and scallion wrapped in silky dumpling dough, pan-fried to crisp perfection and served with chilli soy dipping sauce.

A decadent selection of premium wagyu cuts ready for the grill at Wagyu-Ya on Chevron on the Gold Coast. Wagyu-Ya are the yakiniku specialists with an extensive range of wagyu from rib cuts, loin cuts, skirt to offal. Yakiniku, or Japanese style BBQ, allows you to cook your meat selections at the table and is the preferred way to enjoy wagyu in Japan.

Roadies

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Roadies is about exploring venues and menus to bring you the best of beef.

We took some time out from big city living to sample the island life with a two day tour of Tassie – exploring the best of island beef on a quest for gastronomic greatness.

 
Driven heavily by seasonal produce, Tassie turned out some real treats and some epic beef eats from renowned producers like Cape Grim, Robbins Island and Bass Strait Pure Southern as well as smaller local producers like Broadchurch Farm and Huon Valley Beef.

Tasmanian paddocks salted with sheep and peppered with Angus cattle.

What Rueben dreams are made of.

From Hobart we headed up to Launceston – stopping off at local bakeries for beef pies along the way – it’s an important part of every Roadies adventure. In Launceston, we visited Stillwater for beef tartare, beef cheek and a cracking Rueben sandwich and Black Cow Bistro where the focus is premium Tasmanian grass-fed beef.

 

From there, we cruised down through the beautiful Tassie countryside to New Norfolk and the beautiful Agrarian Kitchen Eatery where local, seasonal produce is celebrated through a community of local growers and farmers and where meat comes into the kitchen as whole carcases or primals to be hung and prepared as required.

The Agrarian Kitchen kitchen in full swing.

A meandering drive down to the Huon Valley where we get the hot tip from Franklin head chef Analiese Gregory to try out Summer Kitchen Bakery for their Huon Valley Beef pie. Possibly the best pie on our Roadies adventures so far – and it has a pastry cow on the lid. What’s not to love?!

On a road trip one must try all the pies.

Back to Hobart to Peacock & Jones a restaurant driven by Tassie produce and tucked away in a beautiful old sandstone warehouse on Hobart’s waterfront and hospo hot spot Tom McHugo’s where everything is made from scratch in house and whole primals and carcases are used thoughtfully and thoroughly.

 

Roadies Tassie was a real inspiration seeing just how seasonally driven the foodservice community is and their unwavering commitment to championing producers and showcasing Tasmanian produce, including of course beautiful island beef.

On The Menu

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Shooting coast to coast for this issue, we’ve been inspired by the range of cuts and techniques that chefs are using to prepare beautiful Australian lamb – but also by the myriad of flavour profiles and cuisines in which lamb is playing a starring role. From traditional Chinese regional cuisine to inauthentic Indian; high-end Middle Eastern in the heart of Brisbane to the cross-cultural-clashing of Southeast Asian and native Australian in Melbourne – the only limit is your imagination.

Lamb Rump with cashew nut & native curry

 

Sunda Dining – Melbourne VIC
Khanh Nguyen

 
Just when you think it’s all been done before, hot spot Sunda brings together a unique mix of Southeast Asian cuisines and native Australian ingredients quite unlike anything else. For this dish, lamb rump air-dries in the fridge for two days and is then marinated in curry paste, loads of spices, sweet soy and a special Indonesian palm sugar. Cooked slowly for about three hours, the lamb is finished over charcoal for service – the palm sugar and soy caramelising and bringing a burnt caramel flavour to the meat. Served with a smoked cashew nut puree and a native curry that combines the Western jus gras (fat sauce) and Asian rendang techniques with traditional and native ingredients like caramelised coconut milk, native pepper berry, lemon myrtle, aniseed myrtle and bush tomato. Roasted cashew nuts that have been braised in palm sugar stock, curry oil and lemon myrtle oil finish the dish with a garnish of begonia leaf bringing a sharp strong flavour to cut through the richness.

Yang Rou Pao Mo

 

Xi’an Eatery – Burwood NSW
Shen Hong

 
It is said that visitors to Xi’an province in China must do two things – see the terracotta warriors and taste the local dish Yang Rou Pao Mo – hot mutton soup. However, if a trip to north-west China isn’t on the cards, head to Burwood instead. Yang Rou Pao Mo translates roughly to ‘soaked bread with mutton’ and is a valid descriptor. At Xi’an Eatery, hot, thick and strong lamb stock forms the basis of the dish alongside glassy vermicelli noodles and delicate slices of tender lamb leg. Unleavened bread is torn into pieces at the table and added to the soup to steep – the smaller the bread is broken, the tastier the dish gets. Garnished with coriander and served with a side bowl of sweet pickled garlic and chilli, it is a tradition we could get accustomed to. For fun, we also ordered up a round of the lamb skewers – heavily spiced bite-size snacks of lightly fried marinated lamb leg.

Raw Lamb with fermented carrots & salted egg sauce

 

Mary’s Pizzeria – Chippendale NSW
Jimmy Garside

 
Tucked away in a private corner of the gritty Lansdowne Hotel you will find a striking culinary contrast that nobody saw coming. The intimate 15-seat candle-lit space is all pretty flowers, linen napkins and table service – with overtones of live music pumping from the bar next-door. In addition to the pizzas, a special blackboard menu is turning out delicate snacks and shares, like this decadent raw lamb dish. Jimmy dices lamb loin then brings it together with house-fermented carrots and Calabrian chilli – adding a punchy heat and salty, smoky undertones to complement the delicate flavour of the lamb. A rich, creamy salted egg sauce adds savoury-sweet umami while a grating of the vibrant orange yolk makes the whole dish pop.
 

Don’t Tell Aunty
Surry Hills NSW – Jesse Singh

 

Aussie Lamb Chops

 
Inauthentic Indian is the claim and if the two cracking lamb dishes that shimmy out from the tandoor are anything to go by; we are more than ok with the notion. Lamb cutlets endure a three-day process of marinating – 24-hours in yoghurt, ginger and garlic; 24-hours in ‘small spices’ like mustard seed and cumin; and 24-hours in ‘big spices’ like bay leaf and nutmeg. The 375-degree tandoor makes short work of the three-day preparation with a 4.5-minute fiery dip turning out perfectly pink centres and crispy coloured crusts – served with house-made mint chutney and raita.

Spiced Lamb Seekh Kebab

 
Next up, lamb leg – chosen for its ability to stand up to the extreme heat of the tandoor – is thrice-minced with onion, fennel, cumin, mint and coriander then moulded around long metal skewers before hitting the tandoor. Served with cumin raita and a cucumber, cherry tomato and onion salad – they are just begging to be wrapped in soft buttery naan bread and inhaled like a 3am kebab.

Lamb Doughnuts

 

Ramblr – South Yarra VIC
Nick Stanton

 
We doughnut ever want to pass up the opportunity to sample some fried dough – especially when it’s stuffed with sticky lamb goodness – al la Ramblr style. The process for these little balls of bounty begins with lamb shoulder bones that are cooked down overnight with salted black beans to make a rich lamb stock. Lamb shoulder and belly is minced then caramelised in a pan before adding sugar and cooking down to a caramel. The lamb stock is added to the mix and everything is reduced until really-sticky and then refrigerated overnight. The sticky sweet lamb is rolled into round portions, wrapped in a sourdough bread dough, dusted in semolina and deep-fried until crispy and golden. It’s the kind of fried good time we want to have on the reg.

Lamb Collar with eggplant & cavolo nero

 

Gerard’s Bistro – Fortitude Valley QLD
Ben Williamson

 
This boneless cut is derived from the forequarter located underneath the blade. At Gerard’s it is marinated in carob molasses to add a bitter sweetness then heavily charred until darkly caramelised. Next, the collar is steamed in a bag for about seven hours then the juices reduced to a glaze. To accompany the lamb, eggplant skins are blended into a ‘tasty paste’ with black garlic, oyster sauce, wakame, black cardamom and lamb fat; and cavolo nero is blanched, dragged over coals then dressed in mushroom vinegar. To finish, dehydrated fermented red cabbage is blended to a powder and peeled and smoked dates bring the dish together in a harmonic balance of sweetness, saltiness and rich umami.

Lamb Heart with brown butter sauce

 

The Unicorn – Paddington NSW
Jimmy Garside

 
Heart is not your average pub grub but The Unicorn is not your average pub. Much like its legendary namesake, this Paddington palace has your best interests at heart – quite literally. Jimmy likes to push the boundaries of pub diners – willing them to try something different and enjoy an experience they usually wouldn’t. Lamb heart is salted and cooked over ironbark and charcoal lending a strong smoky sear to the delicate meat. Once cooked and rested, the heart is sliced and served with broad beans, zucchini flowers and saltbush; and finished with a balanced sauce of brown chicken stock, brown butter and lemon and a touch of fresh salsa verde.

Crispy Lamb Brains

 

Vaquero Dining – Albion QLD
Damon Porter

 
Brissie is all about brains! On our visit, lamb brains were a regular show on menus from pubs through to fine dining. At Vaquero, they are poached in a 2% salted lamb stock that has been infused with thyme, garlic and bay. The brains are cleaned into individual segments and brought to the simmer then chilled immediately in the liquid – this process allows the outside to set but keeps the centre creamy. Next, they are tossed in spiced flour with chilli, paprika, caraway, onion and garlic – some stock is added to forms a paste that helps coat the brains and gives a rustic finish once fried. Served with a roast garlic, chilli and anchovy mayonnaise.

 

On The Menu

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With spring in the air and the seasonal peak in lamb supply approaching – now is the time to start planning a spring clean of your menu. Create your own lamb masterpiece with inspiration from some of our favourite lamb dishes around the country – from a fusion of Aussie Chinese favourites to a tasty AF lamb intercostal on a skewer – there is nothing quite like the flavour of Australian lamb.

Koji Marinated Lamb Intercostals

 

Ester – Chippendale
Mat Lindsay

For this skewered snack, lamb intercostals are marinated in koji to tenderise and amp up their rich umami flavour, then slowly cooked on a skewer over charcoal, turning constantly for about eight minutes. The cooked lamb is then glazed in a burnt honey sauce infused with desert oak – a relative of wattle seed that lends caramelised, nutty flavours to the dish. The dish is finished with a sprinkle of fennel salt and served with house made hot mustard and wood-fire smoked garlic.

Lamb Spit Roast & Sangiovese

 

Baccomatto Osteria – Surry Hills
Valerio Boncompagni

On Wednesdays, local one-hatted Italian eatery Baccomatto runs a Spit Roast + Sangiovese special with a changing selection of feature roasts each week. When we visit, whole lamb shoulders have been boned and marinated for 24 hours in yoghurt with cumin, dill, rosemary, thyme, sage and garlic. The shoulders are then slow spit roasted over coal for 5-6 hours and basted with the yoghurt mixture throughout the cooking process. Served with a choice of sides – we opt for Brussel sprouts and crispy roast potatoes – and a glass of Sangiovese of course.

Moroccan Lamb Sausage Roll

 

That Place Patisserie – Geelong
Ashlea Allen

 

At That Place, an Aussie favourite gets an upgrade and we’re not complaining – is there anything more satisfying than succulent lamb encased in homemade pastry? We think not. Head pastry chef and owner Ashlea trained in France and her technical skills are evident in the crisp buttery folds of puff pastry that take the humble sausage roll to new heights. Using locally sourced lamb shoulder mince, Ashlea mixes through quinoa for texture and tomato for moisture along with a range of Moroccan spices; then adds currants which bring a balanced sweetness to the roll. Go full Aussie and dunk it in Ashlea’s house made tomato sauce – seriously good times.

Mongolian Lamb San Choi Bao

 

Queen Chow – Enmore & Manly
Patrick Friesen

What started as a menu special has fast become one of Queen Chow’s most popular dishes and they just can’t stop selling it. A nostalgic blend of two classic Aussie Chinese dishes – the dish talks to an era of Aussies that grew up when Chinese was the only ethnic food offering and a special occasion was a night out at the local Chinese. Not a fan of the original Mongolian lamb, Pat thought he’d freshen things up and lighten the dish by serving it San Choi Bao style – and it is working a treat. Lamb leg is minced in house using a coarse grind then wok fried with a classic Mongolian lamb sauce and served with lettuce cups to stuff and smash. Share if you care, or don’t.

Crumbed Lamb’s Brains

 

Press* Food & Wine – Adelaide
Andrew Davies

 

Press* Food & Wine has always had a dedicated offal section on its menu. Executive chef Andrew Davies is committed to respecting the whole animal and utilises a range of secondary cuts and organs – from tongue to sweetbreads and everything in between. The lamb’s brains are first cleaned and then poached in an aromatic broth before dusting in flour and pan frying, basting with butter throughout. The brains are served on creme fraiche with freshly grated horseradish; confit onions adds sweetness to the dish and a garnish of pickled onion, watercress, frisee and red-veined sorrel helps to cut through the richness of the dish.

Cut Showcase

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Lamb Leg

 

HAM 4820

Derived from the hindquarter, there are two legs per animal accounting for around 30% of the whole carcase. A traditional Aussie family favourite roasted whole, deboned or butterflied – the leg can also be sub-primaled to reveal a range of smaller roasts and steaks. Consisting of three distinct muscles (round, silverside, topside) and the shank – the versatile lamb leg is tender and flavoursome and suitable for application across foodservice.

Two Aussie Stars in LA

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Wandering through Hollywood, you might be keeping your eyes peeled for a glimpse of some of our greatest Aussie exports – Chris Hemsworth, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts?! More likely is that you’ll spot a couple of other Aussie legends making it big in the city of dreams – the humble meat pie and classic steak sanga.

 

It goes to show just how popular these classic menu items are and how easily they resonate with people all around the world – and right here at home. Under the tutelage of Curtis Stone, Colombian born chef Juan Rendon gives Gwen diners the chance to bite into a little piece of Australiana – and takes the time to show us how it’s done.

Juan Rendon

Chef de Cuisine
Gwen – Hollywood

 

@juan.rendon

 

Steak Sandwich

 
Is there anything more delicious between two slices of bread than succulent slices of flavoursome steak? The steak sandwich has been a mainstay on menus for good reason – because it’s so damn delicious. You can keep it simple or tart it up and as long as you’ve got the basics right, you really can’t go wrong.
 
At Gwen, sirloin steak is grilled over coals for about 90 seconds each side imparting a delicious smokiness to the steak which is then rested and sliced. Red onions and mushrooms are cooked down really slowly to bring out their natural sweetness and earthiness. Ciabatta bread is brushed with garlic butter and grilled over the coals then spread with a herb aioli of tarragon, chives and coriander. Finished with watercress dressed in red wine vinaigrette, this steak sandwich brings together smoky umami with sweet, earthy elements, herbaceous freshness and slight acidity – all nestled together in textural Ciabatta bread.

Beef Pie

 

If there is anything that can give steak in bread a run for its money – than it might just be soft decadent chunks of beef encased in perfect pastry. Much like the steak sandwich – you can make your pie as simple or as sensational as you like – as long as you’ve got the key elements covered, the pie-in-the-sky’s the limit.
 
At Gwen they keep it fairly classic – brisket and beef cheek are slowly braised until tender with mushrooms, carrots, celery, potatoes, garlic and beef stock. A pie dough made with lard, duck fat and plain flour is chilled then pre baked with rice weights until browned. The beef filling is then added and topped with the pastry lid, brushed with egg wash and baked until golden. Served piping hot with tomato sauce – naturally.

Two Under Ten

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With ever-increasing costs of operation – everyone is looking for a little more bang-for-their-jumbuck. But budget doesn’t have to be bogus or boring – diners’ attitudes are changing, they are becoming more adventurous and willing to try new things. Test the waters with dishes that encourage a little bit of adventure without taking diners completely out of their comfort zone.

We called on a couple of Brisbane boys to show us how it’s done – and we weren’t disappointed. You never know where or when inspiration will strike – but here’s a good place to start.

1.

Lamb Sweetbreads

with Hazelnut Tarator, Celtuce & Onion Flowers

 

Ben Williamson
Gerard’s Bistro

 

@gerardsbistro

 

Ben is a bit sweet on sweetbreads – these dainty little delicacies are economical and easy to prepare with firm yet tender centres and a crispy-fried outer.

Derived from the thymus gland and pancreas, they need to be poached and peeled first to remove the tough membranes on the outside. They can then be grilled, braised or fried and they cook up quickly – saving you time and money.

Often served with an acidic accompaniment to counteract the richness and minerality of the meat they are a good ‘gateway’ offal for customers that want to get a bit adventurous.

At Gerard’s, a creamy hazelnut tarator makes a cosy bed for the buttery browned sweetbreads – dusted with celtuce leaf powder and plated with batons of celtuce stem and onion flowers – to be honest, we’re a bit sweet on them too.

Ingredients

 

Lamb Sweetbreads
Butter
Thyme
Garlic
Hazelnut tarator
Celtuce
Onion flowers

 

Total cost — $6.86

2.

Lamb Breast Cutlet with Celeriac Cream Tartare

 

Damon Porter
Vaquero Dining

 

@damon_porter

 

 At Vaquero, Damon likes to think outside the box and experiment with a range of cuts and techniques. This dish started as a staff meal but soon found its way on to the menu because it was too damn delicious not to!

Lamb breast is smoked over coals for about 30 minutes, charring and concentrating flavour into the meat. It is then bagged with juniper, bay, star anise, thyme and garlic and gently sous vide overnight. The meat is shredded from the bones then bound together into a rillettes with its own fat, juices, stock, mustard, fresh herbs and lemon. The bones are cleaned and inserted into slices of the rillettes, then formed into the shape of a cutlet.

The ‘cutlets’ are then floured, crumbed and fried in butter, thyme and garlic and served with a celeriac cream that has been fermented in whey – adding sourness to cut through the richness of the dish.

Ingredients

 

Lamb Breast
Celeriac
Whey
Capers
Golden shallot
Bread crumbs
Egg
Flour
Milk
Garlic
Pickled cucumber
Lemon
Mustard

 

Total cost — $8.40

On The Menu

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Japanese ingredients and techniques have been widely adopted and adapted in Australian kitchens from the finishing of proteins over binchotan to the essential ethos of seasonality and simplicity. To celebrate our tenth issue – we hit the streets to discover the story of 10 Japanese dishes or styles of cuisine and how they utilise Australian beef.

 
 
Umami, widely acknowledged as one of our five taste receptors – being saltiness, sweetness, sourness, bitterness and umami – is a combination of two Japanese words that translates to ‘delicious taste’. It is essentially a savoury flavour and is typically derived from things like broths, mushrooms, cooked meats and soy sauce.
 
From traditional Japanese barbecue to hot pots, charcoal grilled meat on sticks to steaming bowls of noodles – these dishes pack a umami punch while letting the produce shine. Simple and adaptable – take some inspiration from our Ten for Ten.

Yakiniku means ‘grilled meat’ and refers to bite sized slices of meat (most commonly beef) cooked on grills over charcoal or gas.

 
Yakiniku is the Japanese style of barbecue and makes the most of the carcase, providing diners with a wide selection of cuts to choose from or sets of chef selections.

Yakiniku means ‘grilled meat’ and is the Japanese version of barbecue

Highly marbled wagyu is generally favoured with cuts like skirt, chuck tail flap, short rib, tongue, chuck eye roll, intercostals and sirloin widely used.
 
The beef is technically sliced depending on the cut – some into small chunks and others into paper thin slices – and cooked on a grill built into the table. A selection of sauces or ‘tare’ are provided for dipping and usually consist of soy sauce, bbq, miso and sesame.

Shinbashi’s Premium Wagyu Yakiniku Box

Paper thin slices of chuck eye log at Shinbashi

At Shinbashi Yakiniku in Melbourne, we sampled the Premium Wagyu Box featuring eight cuts of Australian wagyu including oyster blade, short rib, rib finger, tongue, sirloin, skirt and more – each with their own unique flavour profile, levels of tenderness and flavour. Also, the new chuck eye log option – paper thin slices of wagyu expertly prepared for us over the coals at the table and dipped into raw egg before eating
 
Yakiniku is a refined style of barbecue where diners can enjoy a range of cuts and experience the variances in textures and flavours in a celebration of the carcase. The communal dining experience also encourages conversation about cut preferences, connecting the diner and encouraging deeper awareness.

Ramen is one of Japan’s most instantly recognisable dishes – despite the fact it is actually of Chinese origin and an adaption of Chinese wheat noodles.

 
Ramen translates to ‘pulled noodles’ which are served in a meat broth most often flavoured with soy, salt or miso and topped with barbecued or braised pork known as chashu.

Shou Sumiyaki’s Wagyu Ramen

Ramen has a long and diverse history in Japan but really hit its popularity straps as a ‘trendy’ dish in the 1980s when its customer base began to evolve from workers to young urban diners. Waiting in line for hours and seeking out speciality regional varieties of ramen became a pastime for the early iteration of the modern ‘foodie’.
 
Ramen can now be found all over the world in all its various forms with hours and days put into the development of broths, lovingly crafted handmade noodles and the careful preparation of toppings – and in its instant form in a packet on the supermarket shelf.
 
At Shou Sumiyaki in Melbourne, David Blackmore fullblood wagyu scotch fillet is thinly sliced to top specially-imported Japanese ramen noodles. Piping hot soy based broth is poured into the bowl at the table then the beef is briefly torched to enhance its rich umami flavours.

Shou Sumiyaki’s wagyu beef ramen – broth is poured and the wagyu is torched at the table

Tataki has two meanings in Japanese cuisine – to pound or hammer, and fish or meat that has been seared on the outside and raw in the middle. Tataki is generally considered an option of the ‘o-tsukuri’ course in a traditional Japanese meal – a raw fish or meat dish served after hors d’oeuvres.

 
Tsukuri means to make or create and while fish or seafood are most common, there are no rules about what protein is used and beef, venison, chicken and vegetables are often substituted. Tataki-style in the o-tsukuri course refers to food which has been seared quickly and left raw on the inside.

Sokyo’s tataki of Ranger’s Valley MS5 tenderloin

At Sydney’s premier Japanese restaurant, Sokyo, Rangers Valley MS5 tenderloin is lightly seared then delicately arranged with pickled daikon and wasabi, topped with crispy leeks and served with a scallion cracker. It’s a perfectly balanced dish of sumptuously tender beef finessed with flavour from the light sear, acidity of the pickled daikon and a playful punch of wasabi – ideal for loading onto the crunchy shards of crisp scallion cracker.
 
At Chaco Bar, the focus is on waste minimisation and using a range of cuts on the menu including their tongue tataki. Angus beef tongue is dry aged for three weeks and coated in wagyu fat for the last week. It is cooked over charcoal then sliced into 5mm pieces and served with onion, shallot and brined chilli. Chef Chris Xin says the juiciness of the back part of the tongue is comparable, if not juicier, than a MS9 piece of beef.

Tongue tataki at Chaco Bar in Sydney

Commonly shortened to ‘robata’, robatayaki is a traditional style of Japanese coal grilling that originated in Hokkaido.

 
Originally cooked on a grill in a sunken hearth in Japanese houses – it served two purposes in the cold northern prefecture, to cook food and to keep warm.

Chaco Bar’s MS9 chuck tail flap, bone marrow and oxtail dashi

Robatayaki translates to ‘fireside cooking’ and the modern interpretation of the method in restaurants is typically a large coal fired grill to cook meat, vegetables and seafood at high temperatures. Many chefs have adapted to cooking robata style by finishing dishes on the hibachi grill – leveraging the unmistakable flavour of cooking over binchotan coal.
 
At Chaco Bar, MS9 chuck tail flap is dried overnight to reduce excess moisture and then coated in bone marrow fat before hitting the grill – the bone marrow fat is rendered down from marrow bones that aren’t the right shape for service.
 
The chuck tail flap is cut from the chuck primal and is essentially the ribless meat from ribs 1 through 5. Derived from a working primal, it is a full flavoured cut but beautifully tender from the large levels of intramuscular fat of the wagyu. Once cooked, it is rested, sliced and served with bone marrow, oxtail dashi, seeded house mustard and pickled shiitake mushrooms – it’s a beef trifecta robatayaki style.

At Sokyo, chef Chase Kojima has evolved the style further to suit his venue and menu. Rangers Valley MS3 wagyu tri tip is first cooked on the grill then moved to the hibachi to finish.
 
The beef and the hibachi are covered with a stainless steel pan and then flavoured oil is sprayed onto the coals to create lots of smoke to finish the cooking process and give the beef a robust smoke flavour. Served with butternut puree, pickled shallots and greens dressed in white soy and marrow vinaigrette.

Wagyu tri tip finishing over the hibachi at Sokyo

Sokyo’s wagyu tri tip cooked to perfection robatayaki style

Kushiyaki is a general cooking term relating to grilled skewers of meat, seafood and vegetables.

 
Kushiyaki encompasses the commonly known ‘yakitori’ – which refers to the skilful beak to feet cooking of chicken on skewers over coals.

Wagyu tri tip kushiyaki – the best bar snack going around

Eating grilled meat on sticks is an age old Japanese tradition with yakitori being the oldest and most common version. For much of Japan’s early history, eating meat from a four-legged animal was forbidden and consumption of beef wasn’t common in Japan until sometime after 1867 when the Buddhist prohibitive ban on eating meat was lifted.
 
Nowadays, kushiyaki is enjoyed all over Japan from specialty restaurants to izakayas, wine bars and street stalls and is generally ordered as a set or by the skewer.
 
Bite size chunks are skewered onto bamboo and expertly grilled over charcoal flame. Traditionally kushiyaki is ordered with a choice of shio (salt) or tare (sauce) – salt is sprinkled onto skewers before grilling or the skewer is dipped into the sauce after cooking.

Wagyu tri tip is threaded onto skewers and cooked over coals at Chaco Bar

Chaco Bar’s wagyu tri tip kushiyaki – to share, or not.

Nabemono – or Japanese hot pot – generally comes in two main styles – shabu shabu and sukiyaki. Shabu shabu originated in Osaka in the 1950s and comes from the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound the meat makes as it is swirled in the broth ‘swish swish’.

 
Kind of like a meaty fondue – shabu shabu ingredients are served raw at the table, usually decoratively arranged on platters.

Shabu Shabu is a Japanese style of hot pot

Like many Japanese styles of cuisine – shabu shabu is a communal dining experience – usually gathered around a central custom made hot pot built into the table.
 
The traditional shabu shabu broth is a simple dashi made from kombu and is eaten with a variety of thinly sliced meats and fresh vegetables. Paper thin slices of beef are most common and served with the broth along with tofu, cabbage, mushrooms and seasonal produce variations. Rice or udon noodles are usually mixed with beaten egg and added to the broth as a finisher.
 
At Azuma in Sydney’s Chifley Square, chef/owner Kimitaka Azuma offers diners a choice of shabu shabu or sukiyaki in a theatrical experience that is an ode to authentic Japanese dining and tradition.

Shabu Shabu with 2GR fullblood wagyu at Azuma in Sydney

A delicate dashi broth is flavoured with a little sake and seasonal vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, sanuki udon noodles and Masshigura rice – and served with intricately prepared 2GR full-blood wagyu – sliced delicately thin for swishing through the broth. Condiments include individual bowls of sesame and ponzu sauce, thinly sliced green onions and chilli rice balls for flavour customisation.

Katsu translates to ‘cutlet’ and generally refers to meat that’s been pounded thin, breaded with panko breadcrumbs and deep fried. Similar in form to a schnitzel, katsu is one of the many Western foods adopted into modern Japanese cuisine and adapted to suit local tastes.

 
There are several versions of katsu including pork, minced meat, chicken, prawn and beef – known as gyukatsu. In the last few years, gyukatsu has become extremely popular in Japan and is usually served rare on a small iron plate for guests to continue cooking to their liking.

Shou Sumiyaki’s gyu katsu is made from David Blackmore Wagyu Tenderloin

At Shou Sumiyaki in Melbourne’s Chinatown, David Blackmore fullblood wagyu tenderloin is seasoned and then coated with breadcrumbs. Portions are then deep fried for approximately one minute resulting in a golden crumb and rare beef inside. The gyukatsu is rested and then sliced into bite sized pieces and served with a special sauce and cabbage salad to cut through the richness.

Tobanyaki is another style of Japanese cooking done at the table and traditionally means ‘to roast on a ceramic plate’.

 
The toban retains heat allowing the ingredients inside to cook evenly and the meat to retain its juices and flavour inside the pot. The slow cooking process is similar to steaming and the meal is ready when steam readily billows from the lid.

Suki Beef Tobanyaki at Dohtonbori ready to hit the teppan

At Dohtonbori in Melbourne, tobanyaki is offered in three varieties – Japanese potato with butter; assorted mushroom; or suki beef. The suki beef is like a mini version or an individual serve of sukiyaki – the traditional Japanese hot pot. Served in a small cast iron pot, the suki beef tobanyaki consists of thinly sliced wagyu, a range of mushroom varieties, an egg, butter and sukiyaki sauce – a sweet salty sauce of soy, sugar and mirin. All ingredients are prepared in the cast iron pot and then cooked on the teppan – a metal grill plate in the middle of the table – for around five minutes.

Tender slices of wagyu beef dipped through sweet sukiyaki sauce and runny egg yolk – the best way to tobanyaki

Sushi is a dish of vinegared rice served with various fillings and toppings – and despite popular opinion – does not mean raw fish.

 
Originally a means of preservation, fish was wrapped in fermented rice and stored for up to a year, then the rice was discarded and the fish consumed.
 
This preservation method was believed to have originated in SouthEast Asia before moving into China and Japan. In the 16th century, using vinegared rice and consuming it with the fish was introduced and this is typically the way sushi is still enjoyed today.

Hugely popular and widely commercialised across the world – sushi is no doubt the most recognisable form of Japanese cuisine – although many adaptations of sushi are questionable at best. The skill, precision and art of a true sushi master are unparalleled and can not be easily replicated. Sushi continues to evolve with new ingredients, preparations and more and more distinctly western influences to love or loathe.
 

Aburi is a style of sushi where the protein is partially cooked

Aburi Beef Tataki Sushi Rolls at Dohtonbori in Melbourne

At Dohtonbori, you can ditch the fish and opt instead for their Aburi Beef Tataki Sushi Rolls. Aburi translates to ‘flame seared’ and is a style of sushi where the protein is partially cooked and partially raw. At Dohtonbori, thin slices of wagyu beef are lightly seared, laid atop rolls of sushi rice and finished with finely sliced scallions.

Another Japanese adoption and adaption of a widely popular Western cuisine, the hamburger – the hambagu gained popularity when Japan opened up to Western culture from 1868 during the Meji period – and quickly became a Japanese staple.

 
The hambagu is similar to a hamburger – but without the buns. Mince is mixed with breadcrumbs and finely chopped vegetables along with salt and sometimes eggs – a typical take on the burger patty – and served with sauce, rice and vegetables.

The Ume Burger at Barangaroo features a specially blended beef patty and wagyu sauce

Sydney’s premier destination for Japanese style burgers, Ume Burger, generally sticks with the buns, as is the Aussie preference when it comes to our hamburgers. Their award-winning burgers are crafted around a secret signature beef patty designed in collaboration with Vic’s Meats. Previously made in-house, the sophistication of the Vic’s Meats facility ensures the density, diameter and consistency of every Ume patty.
 
The Ume Burger consists of a secret signature beef patty, wagyu mince sauce, tomato, onion, mayo and American cheese. The wagyu mince sauce is a significant sauce for the business and has been used across the two sites on other menu items like their taco, pasta wafu and miso bolognese. Based on a bolognese recipe, it is cooked down overnight for 8-10 hours with a mix of western and Japanese ingredients.

On The Menu

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In this issue our focus is on celebrating the whole beautiful beef carcase and our On the Menu section is no different. Here we take a tasty journey from tongue to tail with a delicious showcase of dishes using non-loin cuts that demonstrate diversity, tradition, technique, innovation and ideas. Which pieces will you pick for a fresh Summer menu?

 

Kunzea Glazed Beef Tongue

 

Tom McHugos – Hobart TAS
Bianca Johnston

 
Hobart hospo hot spot Tom McHugos champions local producers with a menu driven by seasonality and waste minimisation. For this dish, beef tongue is brined for about a week, poached until soft then peeled and cut into portions. For service it is grilled and glazed with a gastrique made from kunzea – a Tasmanian shrub similar to rosemary with aromatics of citrus and eucalypt and a honey-like sweetness. Served simply with onion cream and a salad of miner’s lettuce and radicchio dressed in a pickled walnut vinegarette.

Botanical Beef Tongue

 

Africola – Adelaide SA
Duncan Welgemoed

 
A man not known to ever be tongue tied, Duncan might talk the talk but he also convincingly walks the walk – adding a little Africola magic to everything he touches and this tasty tongue dish is no exception. Driven by sustainability and influenced by African food culture – where every scrap of the carcase is revered – Duncan makes a concerted effort to utilise a range of cuts on his menu whilst innovating where possible and using by-products from other production systems.
 
Tongue is first brined overnight then braised until tender in a basic mirepoix then removed and rolled in gin must – repurposing spent botanicals leftover from gin production and lending floral notes and flavours to contrast the minerality of the tongue. It is then cold smoked for 12.5 hours, chilled and sliced.
 
For service, the tongue is grilled over the Africola fire grill and basted with fermented chilli, soy, kecap manis and fermented turnip juice. The result is delicate slabs of smoky tender tongue – sticky, hot and sour from the baste with a hint of botanicals – all balanced out on a bed of creamy garlic thoum.

Beef Cheek Saffron Risotto with Bone Marrow Vinaigrette

 

The Dolphin – Surry Hills NSW
Monty Koludrovic

 
Tender chunks of beef cheek and oozes of bone marrow top a vibrant saffron risotto for a dish of pure Dolphin decadence. Saffron stock is made in house and used to cook the rice, bringing a punch of lively colour to the risotto which is then mixed with butter, parmesan and lemon juice. Beef cheek is marinated in red wine, star anise and orange zest for 24 hours then pan fried with a classic mirepoix.
 
The pan is deglazed with the wine then beef stock is added and the cheek is cooked around 50 degrees for 2.5 – 3 hours until tender. The cheeks are then cooled in the liquid, allowing the fibres to relax and reabsorb some of the moisture. The braising liquid is then reduced to make the sauce with cherry vinegar and little pieces of bone marrow mixed though. For service, risotto is topped with bite sized chunks of tender cheek and finished with lashings of bone marrow vinaigrette and watercress.
 
 

Beef Neck Bo Ko

 

Annam – Melbourne VIC
Jerry Mai

 
This traditional Vietnamese beef stew gets an upgrade at Annam where chef Jerry Mai uses unctuous, tender chunks of Wagyu beef neck for a decadent and morish bowl of beef. The neck is marinated overnight in tomato paste, fish sauce and Vietnamese spices – fragrant with lemongrass, star anise and cinnamon. It is then seared well on all sides to caramelise and bring out the favour of the beef and braised in stock with a range of root vegetables for an hour and a half until meltingly tender. Finished with a bouquet of fresh herbs and served with crusty bread for sopping and mopping – it is a flavour bomb of beefy goodness and a perfect execution of how to bring value to an under utilised cut.
 
 

Hot Smoked Forequarter Sausage

 

Tom McHugos – Hobart TAS
Tom Westcott

 
With some forward thinking and planning, the team at Tom McHugo’s are a great example of how a whole primal can be utilised across the menu while respecting the animal, minimising waste and offering a chance for some culinary creativity.
 
A whole dry aged forequarter was sourced locally from Broadchurch Farm and utilised for a variety of elevated pub fare dishes for which the pub is known. Some was brined for corned beef that was served in a broth with chickpeas and fermented sugarloaf cabbage while the skin was braised and served with bone marrow and saffron rice – nothing going to waste.
 
This hot smoked beef sausage is based on a high acid North American style fermented sausage and is made using the trimmings of the forequarter with additional pieces of diced lard and aromats of native pepper and kunzea mixed through. The sausage is then piped, fermented for 14 hours and hot smoked. Served with cucumbers that have been fermented in eggplant brine it’s a delicious example of why doing things in-house benefits more than just the diner.
 
 

Oyster Blade with Strawberry Gum & Sunrise Lime Satay

 

Sunda Dining – Melbourne VIC
Khanh Nguyen

 
Khanh sources premium highly marbled whole oyster blades that are then prepared into flat irons by the removal of the interconnective sinew between the two muscles. The blade is then portioned and marinated with a wattleseed, native pepperberry and lemongrass curry paste and sous vide at 58c for 60 minutes – resulting in consistently tender yet textural beef.
 
For service, the beef is charred over coals to impart a subtle smoke flavour that delicately contrasts the unique berry driven notes of native strawberry gum. Served with sunrise lime satay – a classic satay heightened by the tangy fresh and floral flavours of a citrus hybrid of finger lime and calamondin – this dish is a prime example of how a non-loin cut can be elevated to an unforgettable dining experience whilst not breaking the budget.
 
 

Short Rib with Stinging Nettle & Black Pudding

 

Matilda – South Yarra VIC
Tim Young

 
The menu at Matilda is driven by quality seasonal produce cooked over coals, fire or smoke and accented by native ingredients. Tim takes short ribs to the next level and shows us that sometimes the good things take time. The ribs are brined for three days in stout then dried out and smoked over cherry wood for two hours before braising in ginger wine for about 10 hours.
 
For service, ribs are warmed in the braising liquid then glazed in a braise reduction. They are then rolled in puffed black rice and buckwheat mixed with citric acid, salt, dry shio koji and vadouvon – a French derivative of a masala with aromatics of onion, garlic, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and fenugreek. Served with daikon that has been slow cooked in oil made from burnt ginger, black pudding emulsion and stinging nettle puree – a take on gremolata with cooked nettle, garlic and lemon juice and zest. These ribs may take a long time but they sure are a good time.
 
 

Charred Intercostals with Green Chilli, Garlic Stems & Coriander

 

Chuuka – Sydney NSW
Chase Kojima & Victor Liong

 
At Sydney’s latest harbourside hotspot, fusion is far from a dirty word as two top chefs collaborate across their respective cuisines to offer a menu of Chinese dishes using Japanese ingredients and techniques. This dish uses one of Japan’s most renowned ingredients – Wagyu beef – stir fried in preparation but without the continuous tossing of traditional wok cooking.
 
Intercostals, fingers of meat derived from between the ribs, are marinated for 24 hours to take on the flavours. They are then charred in a piping hot wok – but instead of tossing, the meat is left to take on a heavy char before being tossed once and charred on the other side. Layered with garlic shoots, shallots and coriander, everything is then tossed together and served with sesame seeds.
 
The smoky charred rib meat is rich and flavoursome with the renowned tenderness of highly marbled wagyu meat but maintains its textural integrity – thus each bite brings forward more flavour than the one before.
 
 

 

Smoked Brisket

 

Atlas Dining – South Yarra VIC
Charlie Carrington

 
Menu magician Charlie Carrington takes on the challenge of not just changing his menu but the whole Atlas Dining cuisine and concept every four months – currently he’s taken on USA Soul Food. After much research and experimentation, including a trip to Texas, Charlie finally perfected his smoked brisket – and he certainly has a knack for it.
 
He uses locally sourced and highly marbled brisket seasoned simply with salt and pepper then smoked for 4.5 hours. It is then wrapped and placed in a holding oven overnight – precisely at 70 degrees. The resulting brisket is perfectly tender but still holds its structural integrity with juicy flavour ribbons of unctuous fat and accented with just the right amount of smoke. Served with red cabbage slaw, potato salad and Hoppin’ John – a Southern salad of black eye peas and rice – skip the trip to the USA and hit up South Yarra instead for brisket brilliance.
 
 


 
 

 

Veal Shin Braised in Yoghurt

 

Rumi – East Brunswick VIC
Joseph Abboud

 
This Middle Eastern Melbourne mainstay has been dishing out the goods for 15 years under the guidance of executive chef and owner Joseph Abboud. Based on a traditional Lebanese dish, Rumi’s veal shin is nothing short of perfection and demonstrates why tradition still plays a key role in preparation and service of red meat meals – as they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Boneless veal shin is poached for 2-3 hours until tender then finished in a hot yoghurt sauce and served with toasted almonds, green peas, caramelised butter and dried mint. Simple, stunning and versatile – you could substitute veal shin for beef shin to beef up the subtle flavours and keep it seasonal throughout the year by supplementing new season vegetables.
 
 

Skirt Steak Tataki

 

Kitchen By Mike – Sydney NSW
Mike McEnearney

 
Known for his produce driven ethos and commitment to sustainability, Mike uses a variety of cuts across his menus, working with suppliers to utilise a range of cuts and in the process educating his diners about the diversity of the beef carcase. This dish takes a textural twist – combining charred beef flavours with the delicateness of raw beef. Skirt steak is marinated in a yakitori glaze of balanced salt and sweetness to assist in tendersing the beef while still allowing it to maintain some texture. It is then grilled over the bincho until well charred on the outside and still raw inside, well rested, then sliced super thin against the coarse grain this cut is known for. Served with yakitori glaze, grilled mushrooms, soy beans, miso, baby herbs, szechuan peppercorns and finished with freshly grated horseradish – it is a dish alive with unexpected flavours and textures and a prime example of how secondary cuts can shine with a little love.
 
 

Hanger Steak, Ox Tongue, Bone Marrow

 

Hartsyard – Newtown NSW
Jarrod Walsh

 
This dish represents the ultimate in considered carcase usage from the talented young team at Hartsyard. Hanger steak is marinated in koji and slow cooked for two hours then grilled over the hibachi for a super charred finish. Tongue is brined for 48 hours then cooked slowly in a water bath for 18 hours – it is then peeled and shaved warm onto the top of the hanger. The sauce is a fortified beef jus derived from beef bones that have been roasted for 24 hours for stock. Beef shin is then added and cooked for another 24 hours to release all its gelatinous goodness, then reduced with red wine and peppercorns.
 
For service, the jus is warmed and mixed through with eschallots, chives and bone marrow and topped over the hanger and shaved tongue and dressed with leftover beef fat from the roasting process that has been smoked. With thoughtful young chefs like this thinking differently about cuts and how to use them – we’re well on the way to a new generation of innovative menus that hero produce, don’t skimp on process and pack a punch of flavour for diners.
 
 

Flank with King Brown Mushroom, Ginger & Burnt Hazelnut

 

Lesa – Melbourne VIC
Dave Verheul

 
Like all things Lesa, this beef dish is a thing of refined beauty that doesn’t compromise on flavour. Dave chooses locally sourced grass-fed beef from Gippsland – its robust flavour masterfully brought to the fore as it is cooked over the open fires of the Lesa kitchen. Served with king brown mushroom cooked in hazelnut vinegar, a quenelle of burnt hazelnut and a woody mushroom juice – the dish is an earthy, savoury sensation balanced harmoniously with the addition of mustard leaf dressed in ginger oil.
 
 

Rump Cap with Purple Sprouting Broccoli & XO

 

Supernormal – Melbourne VIC
Perry Schagen

 
Approaching its eighth year of service, Supernormal remains as popular as ever, serving up Asian-inspired dishes to hundreds of hungry diners every day. The success of this large scale restaurant from Andrew McConnell Group relies on it turning out consistently good food influenced by dishes, spices and flavors from across the Asian region – and the sharing style nature dining – allowing guests to journey around Asia one bite at a time.
 
This dish uses whole Wagyu rump caps heavily charred on all sides then roasted until perfectly pink – the intramuscular fat melting throughout the meat resulting in juicy, tender beef. Rested then sliced and served for sharing at the table with charred purple sprouting broccoli, house made XO and a base of Butterfly Factory yoghurt.
 
 

Vindaloo Tri Tip Tartare

 

Tonka – Melbourne VIC
Adam D’Sylva

 
Tonka is not your average Indian joint and chef Adam D’Sylva is not your average chef – mastering his own fine dining approach to Indian cuisine with nods to the time honoured techniques of classic French and Italian dishes.
 
This Vindaloo Steak Tartare is one such dish where a traditional French classic is given new life with the addition of Indian flavours. Tri tip is hard seared in a hot pan to create a caramelised crust but left raw inside – resulting in a contrast of flavour and texture. It is then left to cool in the fridge then diced small and mixed with housemade vindaloo paste.
 
Finished with delicate buds of pickled daikon and pipings of a raita made with fenugreek powder and yoghurt, fried saltbush, sweet paprika and served with crunchy mathri crisps – the dish is an intricate balance of spice, flavour and texture. Choosing tri tip for the tartare brings a bit more bite than the traditional tartare choice of fillet – but ensures less of a bite on the bottom line.
 
 

Veal Topside Schnitzel

 

Totti’s – Bondi NSW
Mike Eggert

 
A classic veal schnitzel never goes out of style, particularly when it gets the Totti’s treatment – an instant elevation to legend status. Veal topside is tenderised then breaded using crumbs from Totti’s coveted woodfired bread, parmesan and parsley then fried to pink perfection. Rested then sliced for easy sharing, the veal is thick, juicy and flavoursome – and not beaten to a thin unrecognisable strip like some schnitzels can be. Served with salty sprinkles of fried capers and punchy curls of grated parmesan – it’s the kind of schnitzel that all schnitzels should aspire to be. Balance out its decadent schnity richness with a big squeeze of zesty lemon and fresh seasonal greens for a satisfying and seasonally adaptable dish that diners will come back for time and time again.
 
 

Corned Silverside Hash

 

Brewtown Newtown – Newtown NSW
Alun Evans

 
Café food gets a facelift at this sprawling two story brick warehouse just off Newtown’s King Street –serving up original takes on classic dishes and with beef the hero it always should be. Choose from a half-pound burger, a sweet and sour brisket dish, a pastrami sandwich or one of the team’s all-time favourite dishes – the corned beef hash. Café owner manager Pete Raad says various versions of the dish have been on the menu since opening in 2013 – modernised and revamped each time to keep the dish interesting for regulars and appealing to newcomers.
 
Silverside comes prepared from the butcher and is then slow cooked for six hours with various ingredients including vinegar and bay leaf then shredded and mixed together with onion, potato and cabbage – ready for service. On order, the hash mix is warmed through in a pan then wrapped in a cabbage leaf and served with a poached egg dusted with pea powder and a parmesan crisp. Certainly not your average hash and a prime example that if you’ve got the basics right, you can simply tweak the details for a fresh take on a crowd favourite that keeps them coming back.
 
 

 

Knuckle Sandwich

 

Berthas – Bowral, NSW
James Viles

 
Bertha’s brings the beef and it’s the one time we’re more than happy to go asking for a knuckle sandwich. Far more enjoyable than a smack in the chops – this sandwich smacks you in all the right places, primarily your taste buds, which all get a good going over.
 
Whole knuckle is hot smoked on the bone overnight – as it smokes, the bone heats up and gently cooks the meat from the inside out, releasing the gelatins within the meat and keeping the whole joint juicy. The meat is then shredded from the bone and tossed in a house made vinegar sauce – pairing back the smoky richness of the beef with some acidity. The beef is then layered onto a soft white bun and finished with Betha’s Alabama white sauce – a traditional barbeque sauce made with mayonnaise, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, spices and hot sauce.

Roasted Bone Marrow & Seasonal Greens

 

The Old Fitzroy – Woolloomooloo NSW
Nick Hill

 
Things are a little different at the Old Fitz and Nick Hill’s menu takes a leap towards championing offal and secondary cuts wherever possible while keeping things grounded in the guise of Brittish pub fare.
 
The specials board changes for every service, giving Hill the chance to flex some creativity and take customers on a bit of an adventure with things like pig tails, veal sweetbreads, duck livers, chicken feet and bone marrow. You’ll find plenty of beef options from raw beef on dripping toast to steaks and Sunday roasts – and creative classics like the Yorkie – chopped leftover beef roast and dripping served on a Yorkshire pudding – and the chip butty which is occasionally adorned with bone marrow.
 
Nick takes a fresh and somewhat lighter approach to bone marrow with this dish – simply roasted bone marrow served with barbequed peas tossed in lemon and butter and garnished with broad bean leaves and snow pea sprouts.

Whiskey Washed Bone Marrow with Malted Barley Bread

 

New Sydney Hotel – Hobart TAS
Klee Clemens

 
Opened in 1835, the New Sydney Hotel claims to ‘have always done things a little differently’ and that sentiment certainly rings true when it comes to their creative food menu. The craft beer pub gets more adventurous than most with dishes from hearts and ears to goat croquettes and apple cider beignets – these are dishes that go beyond your average counter meal. And they certainly bring the beef – from a range of steaks, burgers and roasts to scorched slices of Wagyu served with bread and dripping and this bone marrow beauty.
 
Bone marrow is simply seasoned and roasted whole in the bone then served with a housemade whiskey jam and toast for a juicy, sweet good time. But what’s a pub meal without a whiskey chaser? Scoop out all the marrow, slather it on the bread then wash down any remnants with a shot of whiskey down the bone. Bottoms up.
 
 

Woodfired Brassica with Grated Tallow

 

The Agrarian Kitchen – New Norfolk TAS
Rodney Dunn

 
Savvy venues are finding creative ways to use fat trimmings, ensuring every part of the carcase is utilised while developing bold new creations for diners to explore. Chef Alanna Sapwell from Arc Dining uses lamb fat for caramels while Jock Zonfrillo’s whipped lamb fat and potato damper remains a firm favourite and mainstay on the Orana menu. The Grand Hyatt Singapore smokes beef fat for a range of dishes and also uses it as a seal for their dry ageing program and Rodney Dunn at Agrarian Kitchen uses beef tallow, a rendered form of beef fat, to grate over fire grilled seasonal greens. At the New Sydney Hotel, Wagyu fat is whipped and served with savoury doughnuts and a native pepperberry sauce – a bar snack well worth a crack.
 
 

 

Plum Glazed Oxtail With Oxtail Broth

 

Ides – Collingwood VIC
Peter Gunn

 
Our Issue 7 Spring Lamb chef editor also happens to know his way around the beef carcase with three beef dishes on his Full Ides menu including a beef cheek main, a cured tenderloin snack and this delicate oxtail delight.
 
The Ides menu is based on a traditional French degustation menu with this dish Gunn’s take on the soup course. The daisy flowers are Japanese pumpkin which has been blanched in saffron stock and topped with pumpkin seeds braised in oxtail broth and vanilla and finished with white garlic petals.
 
The broth is made from oxtails covered with water and braised for an hour and a half with fennel, carrot and onion. It is then seasoned with salt, black pepper and smoked soy sauce and passed through a filter for a clear, fine and balanced broth. The remaining oxtail is then braised in a Chinese masterstock for 1.5-2 hours until tender before the meat is picked from the bones, deep fried, glazed with a plum reduction and finished with finely sliced green chilli. Finished with sheep sorrel, garlic flowers and pumpkin flowers – it might be pretty but it’s also pretty damn delicious.
 
 

 

Where Are They Now?

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Founded by renowned Australian chef and restaurateur Luke Mangan and Lucy Allon in 2005 – the Appetite for Excellence program recognises and fosters young hospitality professionals through a process of application and judging, educational workshops, paddock to plate tours and leadership mentoring activities.

 
 
 
 
Appetite for Excellence identifies Australia’s top young talent, puts them through their paces, challenges them to develop their skills and provides them with mentoring and education to nurture their success in becoming Australia’s next generation of inspiring leaders.
 
As a proud sponsor of the program, Rare Medium caught up with some of the finalists from the last few years to see where they are now – and how they’re serving up Australian lamb. These incredible young individuals are all at the top of their game and naturally working towards improving the sustainability of their industry through considered management of people and produce.

Alanna on the pass at Arc.

Runner up of the 2017 program, Alanna has crafted an impressive career to date and we were stoked to have her on board as the guest chef editor of our Autumn Lamb 2018 issue. It’s been quite the year for Alanna since leaving her role as head chef at Saint Peter in Paddington and opening Arc Dining, the flagship restaurant of Brisbane’s massive Howard Smith Wharves food precinct.

 
 
 

Lamb rump with radicchio, currents and hazelnuts.

Arc opened to rave reviews across the food community, secured its first hat at the Good Food Guide Awards and was named number one for QLD in the Delicious Top 100. Meanwhile, Alanna herself took home Gourmet Traveller’s Best New Talent and the Unearthed Next-Gen Chef Award at the Delicious Produce Awards. It’s a stellar result for the young chef who champions producers in her innovative and inspired menu and makes a concerted effort to understand where her produce comes from and to know the producers behind it – fostering a mutual respect through the entire process.
 
“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. 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.”

Lamb fat curly wurly – Alanna encourages diners to venture outside the confines of what they think constitutes sweet and savoury.

Zack in the Bar Liberty kitchen.

A finalist from the 2018 program, Zack now heads up the kitchen at Melbourne hot spot Bar Liberty in his first head chef position. Prior Zack worked with chef Peter Gunn for six years – three years helping with the infamous Ides pop ups and then for three years as Pete’s sous chef at Ides in Collingwood. Prior to that the pair also worked side by side for two years at Ben Shewry’s Attica.

 
 
 

Smoked lamb breast with zucchini and chamomile.

Taking over the reins from Casey Wall, Zack is working towards tightening up the produce to have a more Australian focus while ensuring a conscious and considered approach to sourcing. The regularly changing menu gives him room to flex his creative muscles with one or two dishes changing every few weeks while he is also moving towards making everything in-house starting with his own vinegars using spent fruit.
 
Zack always has both a cooked, and a raw meat dish on the menu that change with the seasons – he prefers to utilise a variety of non-loin cuts appreciating the different flavour profiles of cuts like lamb belly and beef flank.
 
For his lamb dish, Zack rubs lamb breast with Dijon and balsamic then confits for four hours at 90 degrees. He then pulls out the bones and smokes the lamb over applewood for 25-30 minutes at a low temperature. Zucchini is sliced and seasoned with chamomile salt then lightly roasted and dressed with a house-made stringy bark mead vinegar and chamomile. The acidity of the vinegar cuts through the juicy smoked lamb for a delectable and balanced dish.

 
 
 

Brad in the kitchen at Florence.

A finalist from the 2018 program, Brad now finds himself at the helm of a stunning repurposed 1930s white weatherboard cottage in a leafy suburb of Brisbane. Florence celebrates Brisbane’s love of the cafe culture while Brad elevates the food far beyond the average suburban menu. Previously at fine diner favourite Gauge for two years, Brad brings a new level of inspired cooking to Camp Hill.

 
 
 
 

Raw lamb leg with pickled quandong, bay leaf curd and pangrattato.

In his first role as head chef, Brad’s menu is inspired by a modern approach to traditions like fermentation and preserving and makes everything in-house including kefirs, kombuchas, pickles and preserves. With a mix of diners, he keeps the menu approachable while taking guests on a journey into his own innovative takes on comfort food using wholesome ingredients thoughtfully sourced from a range of local organic and sustainable producers. Open for all-day breakfast and lunch as well as a share-style long lunch on Sundays, Florence is the kind of place you wish you could just stay the whole day.
 
Preferring the textures and flavours of non-loin cuts, Brad plated up two lamb dishes for us – one raw and one cooked. For the raw dish, a whole lamb leg was deboned then chopped and mixed with pickled quandong and salt and pepper. Served with bay leaf curd, pangrattato and a piperade made from fermented capsicum juice – the dish was perfectly balanced and delicately flavoured with textural contrasts of the raw lamb, creamy bay leaf curd and crunchy pangrattato.
 
For the second dish, lamb neck was first brined then slowly braised overnight and shredded down. It was then mixed with miso eggplant made from whole eggplants cooked down in a miso mustard mix and stuffed inside a burnt barley flour crepe with black sesame cheese, fresh radish and nasturtium.
 
 
 

Lamb neck and miso eggplant crepe.

 
 

Troy in the kitchen at Quay.

2016 Appetite for Excellence runner up Troy Crisante has well and truly landed at the top of the game with almost two years in the head chef role at perhaps one of Australia’s most renowned restaurants. Troy originally worked at Quay about six years ago where he finished his apprenticeship under the guidance of industry legend Peter Gilmore. He then travelled overseas working at the Ledbury for two years before returning home for the opening of Bennelong where he worked for three years. Next it was Firedoor for a change of culinary pace – learning the intricacies of live fire cooking with the master Lennox Hastie for 18 months. At the request of Peter Gilmore, who Troy says you can’t really say no to, he returned as head chef to Quay for its reopening in July 2018.

Tasty skewers of lamb leg cooking over coals.

With almost nine years on and off with the Fink Group – one of Australia’s most ambitious restaurant groups and well and truly at the top end of dining – Troy has found exceptional mentors that have helped to shape his career and put him in good stead for the future. He’s made conscious decisions to work around the group to experience the different styles of cooking – from the intricate 10 course tasting menu only at Quay, to the more casual fine dining of Bennelong and the thrill of fire cooking at Firedoor – he’s honed not only cooking but leadership skills learning from the best in the business.
 
During Quay’s renovation, it was more than just the menu and the dining room that evolved – the welfare and wellbeing of staff was also addressed. With 40 chefs on roster and about 20 working at any one time – most chefs are working four days on and three days off and are moving towards reducing further to three full and one half day a week. Troy says that the changes mean they are getting the most out of the team when they are there and that there is a marked difference in people’s attitudes and demeanours.
 
When we visit Troy, he cooks us up his current obsession – arrosticini – a traditional cuisine from Southern Italy. Originally a shepherd’s dish from around the mountains of Abruzzo, arrosticini is essentially chunks of lamb threaded onto skewers, simply seasoned with salt and cooked over coals. Troy uses lamb leg which has just the right amount of fat and tender meat for fast, juicy cooking – the fat dripping through to the coals and flavouring the meat with smoke. Skewers of lamb are cooked and then placed into a ceramic vessel that keeps them warm. At bars in the region, you can order them by the 100 – portable, tasty and so satisfyingly simple.

Lamb arrosticini was originally a shepherd’s dish from the mountains of Abruzzo.

 
 
 

Alex in the dining room at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar.

Alex grew up in the Blue Mountains and started as a kitchen hand at the age of 14 at Lochiel House, where he says cooking always came much more naturally to him than school. He moved into Sydney at the age of 15 and started an apprenticeship at Hugo’s before joining Momofuku Seiobo with Ben Greeno and Clayton Wells where he stayed for two and a half years. It was then on to Ananas with Paul McGrath before moving in to Australia’s most iconic beachside restaurant, Icebergs Dining Room and Bar. Alex had just moved into the head chef role when he completed the Appetite for Excellence program in 2018 and now takes on even more responsibility with the recent departure of group executive chef Monty Koludrovic.

 
 
 
Alex makes a concerted effort to work closely with farmers and growers and to encourage his team to do the same – an ethos handed down from Monty that reverberates through the kitchen. Every Saturday Alex will meet with certain producers at Carriage Works, taking different chefs along each time to build their own relationships and to learn about the production process. This connection to produce means Alex has a very natural style of food – telling the stories of his suppliers through carefully considered preparations that allow the produce to be the hero.
 
When it comes to lamb, Alex likes to utilise different cuts that offer a unique profile. His approach to red meat in general is quality over quantity – allowing provenance and quality to take centre stage. For this dish, lamb neck was boned, rolled and marinated in seaweed then braised for about 12 hours and served alongside a slice of lamb loin that had been roasted over charcoal. Served with potatoes poached with seaweed in kelp butter, a sauce of fermented hibiscus and ginger, poached turnips and hibiscus leaves.

Duo of lamb with kelp potatoes and hibiscus.

Like other renowned restaurants leading the new charge of working structure, Icebergs has also changed its roster over the last 12 months to ensure that everyone gets three days off and nobody works over a 10 hour day. With the restaurant open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, the roster has also been structured so the whole team can get together and have a break together. Alex says that people are happier and providing a work and lifestyle balance is helping to retain staff.
 
One of the biggest learning processes for Alex since taking on the head chef role has been working with and learning about the wine side of the business. Head sommelier Gabrielle Webster started at the same time and the pair formed an important relationship. Alex completed WSET to understand better what she does and how the food and wine components of the business can work more seamlessly together.

Max on the pass serving up lamb ragu and goat farfalle.

Winner of the 2018 Young Chef of the Year, Max is now heading up the kitchen at the former site of The Pot which has evolved into pumping pasta bar Nido. Formerly head chef Shobosho, Max and his wife Laura felt the time was right to bring their take on Italian food to Adelaide. Both come from Italian families and grew up eating Italian food and they wanted to create a place that they felt like coming to on their day off – and it’s certainly paid off. Following a high praise review from John Lethlean, the venue has continued to be busy and the food coming from the kitchen is well and truly worthy.

Lamb ragu utilises the entire lamb carcase after the removal of the prime cuts.

Max tells us Nido is not ‘strictly Italian’ with twists on flavour combinations and a mixing up of proteins that challenges tradition whilst reflecting his and Laura’s own approach to a modern Italian menu. Lamb, veal and goat all come in as whole carcases with primary cuts showcased as specials and the rest utilised to make ragus, stocks and sauces.
 
As part of his Appetite for Excellence win, Max headed to Amass in Copenhagen for five weeks where his eyes were opened to a whole new level of conscious cooking at the certified organic and almost zero waste restaurant. Believing that this is the way of the future for restaurants, Max has started to incorporate waste management into his own operations from packaging to food scraps and sees it as a natural progression for the industry to work as mindfully as possible and to take responsibility for what they are purchasing.
 
When it comes to red meat, Max sources the best quality products he can find and primarily works with his local butcher instead of through wholesale suppliers. A relationship built over many years allows for a flexibility of providing cuts when they are needed and a trust in the sourcing of the proteins.
 
Max’s lamb ragu dish has been on the menu from the start and is made using as much of the carcase as possible after the removal of the primary cuts. The lamb is braised for about six hours with peppers and fermented chilli and served with a house made semolina pasta, fermented chilli and finished with pecorino.

 
 
 

Clare preparing her lamb dish under the trees at Hentley Farm.

Clare competed in the 2019 Appetite for Excellence program and was promoted to head chef at the beautiful Hentley Farm in October 2019 after two years in the kitchen with executive chef Lachlan Colwill. The new role sees her taking on more responsibility across the business – learning the business behind the business and the intricacies of running a restaurant.

The 150 acre vineyard and mixed farming property is the inspiration and the catalyst for a seasonally driven menu that features mostly what they can grow. Clare spends a lot of time in the garden and is always working towards being more sustainable in her operations. No food product goes into a bin – absolutely nothing is wasted and where possible waste is repurposed like using citrus peels to make their own cleaning products. All food scraps go to feed the farm animals or into the compost.
 
In the kitchen of 12, Clare encourages all the chefs to try the produce that they grow and to put forward dish ideas as a team so collectively they are able to create the best dish they can that heroes the produce. She cares passionately about the happiness of her team and works to understand their interests in the kitchen as well as the garden and other aspects of the farm – then fostering that interest to make her team more aware of and connected to their own passions.
 
Hentley Farm also grows their own proteins including lambs, pigs and chickens and practices whole carcase utilisation. Prime cuts are mostly removed and used for a main dish while the rest will be transformed into another dish or a snack and used to feed the stocks.
 
For her lamb carpaccio dish, Clare uses the topside of Black Suffolk lamb grown at Hentley Farm, slicing thinly and finishing with fresh produce from the garden including broadbeans, mint, currents and harissa.

Six-ingredient lamb carpaccio – five of which are grown at Hentley Farm including the lamb.

On The Menu

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From cafes to fine dining, raw preparations to slow cooked perfection, dry aged to deep fried – lamb is a menu staple that transcends seasons and styles and stands the test of time.

Lamb Rump + Belly with Lamb Fat Sauce

 

Subo – Newcastle NSW
Mal Meiers

 
Three is usually a crowd but when it comes to lamb – we say the more the merrier. Passionate about local produce and showcasing the best of the Hunter region, Subo plates up sophisticated and creatively inspired dishes with thoughtful respect to utilising different cuts and preparation techniques. Mal’s two-part lamb main course uses locally sourced Milly Hill lamb rump and belly as well as lamb fat in the sauce. The main plate features charcoal-roasted lamb rump – perfectly pink inside with satisfyingly crispy-blistered skin, its distinct lamb richness paired back with roasted kohlrabi plus salted and pickled purple daikon and speckled peas. To finish the charred onion sauce, lamb fat is smoked over chestnut shells then blitzed with black garlic – resulting in a harmonic balance of smoke, sweetness and savoury umami. The belly component, served alongside, is brined and then confit until its rich layers of meat and fat are fall apart tender – to cut through the unctuous richness, the belly is glazed in black vinegar gastric infused with burnt rosemary and finished with amaranth buds and rosemary flowers.
 
 

Lamb Shoulder Gnocchetti

 

Lupo – Collingwood VIC
Stuart McVeigh

 
New on the Smith St stretch in Collingwood, Lupo is chef Scott Pickett’s foray into Italian food and replaces his modern Australian restaurant Saint Crispin. Combining Michelin-starred pasta training with Pickett & Co style, the menu offers modern Italian dishes peppered with Australian ingredients. Head Chef Stuart McVeigh’s lamb pasta is just the kind of devastatingly delicious dish that would have diners coming back again and again. Lamb shoulder is first diced and then caramelised in a pan with garlic, chilli, onion, fennel, celery and red capsicum. The pan is then deglazed with sherry vinegar, tomato paste and brown sugar and everything is added to a pot of red wine and passata and braised for about three hours until tender. Spices like black peppercorns, cinnamon and cloves give the braise an elegant edge and the result is incredibly tender and flavoursome lamb – the perfect accompaniment to house made half semolina, half 00 flour pasta. Served with wilted wild greens and fresh herbs and finished with pangrattato for a textural touch and lashings of freshly grated 24 month aged parmesan.
 
 

Dry Aged Lamb Tartare

 

6 Head – The Rocks NSW
Sean Hall

 
Sydney’s brand new premium steakhouse is sourcing quality Australian beef and lamb to age through their own in-house dry ageing program. Executive chef Sean Hall was raised on a cattle farm in Johannesburg, South Africa where his passion for quality produce – from paddock to plate – was born. For his dry aged lamb tartare, Hall uses lamb loin that he hangs in the dry age room among the larger primals of beef. An ever moving, constantly changing beast, there is no specified time when it comes to dry ageing and so Hall is constantly testing for the sweet spot and picking the lamb at its premium on the day of service – he says the range is usually 7-21 days and varies based on a number of factors. The lamb, sourced from Oberon NSW, is finished on crops of oats and celery that give the fat a sweet earthy flavour combined with the distinct chocolatey nuttiness of the dry aged meat. For service, the dry aged loin is hand cut at room temperature to ensure the best flavour then mixed together with fresh capers, cornichons and a drizzle of olive oil. The tartare is then plated and finished with garlic crisps that have been soaked in milk then deep-fried, coriander crisps and topped with a turmeric cured egg yolk with a touch of fresh coriander and parsley for a sweet fresh finish. Smoked black Maldon salt is then delicately sieved on top and the dish is served with smoke of hay chips, crostini and an olive oil and black garlic aioli on the side.
 
 

Nour – Surry Hills NSW

 
At Nour, Ibby Moubadder highlights classic Middle Eastern flavours that are playfully teased into a more contemporary execution to offer comforting familiarity in new and interesting ways – with lamb naturally taking its place front and centre on the menu.
 
 

Lamb Neck Rolls

 
The Lamb Neck Rolls bring together tender neck and creamy sweetbreads in decadent fried fingers of flavour. Lamb necks are cured for six hours in a mixture of spices then slowly braised overnight before the meat is picked from the bones and reserved. Lamb sweetbreads, soaked in cultured sheep’s milk for 24 hours, are blanched, peeled and chargrilled then mixed together with the neck meat and chargrilled leeks. Stuffed with kashkaval, a semi-hard Eastern European cheese, and rolled in a kataifi crumb; portions are fried and served piping hot with a Persian feta cream, zhuk and coriander.

Lamb Shoulder + Lamb Pancetta

 
The centrepiece of any feast – Nour’s Lamb Shoulder is a thing of smoky, gelatinous goodness. First marinated for 24 hours in Middle Eastern spices, it then enjoys a low, slow evening in the wood oven where the wood is burned down to embers and the lamb slowly transforms overnight. For service, the shoulder is glazed with jus and finished with a traditional family spice mix and served with smoked labne and hickory-smoked butter beans topped with house made lamb pancetta made from lamb bellies cured with salt and spice then air dried for six months.

 

Lamb Shoulder Chop with Pea Shoots & Macadamia

 

Higher Ground – Melbourne VIC
Dan Sawansak

 
With a busy kitchen offering all day dining and events, Dan wanted an economical lamb dish that could be mostly prepared pre service. Working with their supplier, whole lamb shoulders are sliced into rib like chops that are brined overnight in seaweed, salt and sugar then braised for around three hours in a lamb stock until tender. For service, the chops are finished on the binchotan and glazed with a house made barbeque sauce. Served with white wine braised pea shoots, macadamia puree, mint salsa verde and finished with mint oil and fresh peas – this dish ticks all the right boxes offering affordability without compromising on quality or flavour. The dish, and seasonal variations, proves to be the number one bestseller when on menu and remains on the events menu throughout the year.
 
 

Lamb Backstrap

 

Little Andorra – Carlton North VIC
Florian Ribul

 
Cosy local neighbourhood wine bar Little Andorra is serving up a range of tasty snacks from a compact kitchen with chef Florian Ribul at the helm. For his lamb dish, Flo pan frys lamb backstrap until caramelised on the outside and beautifully rare in the middle. The lamb is then rested, portioned and dusted with leek ash giving it an inky black finish in stunning contrast to the pink hued lamb. Served with grilled leeks dressed in vinaigrette, a classic lamb sauce lifted and lightened with the addition of seaweed and crispy tendrils of fried saltbush – it’s the ideal accompaniment to a glass, or a bottle, of whatever takes your fancy.