MasterChef duo get a taste of Canberra
Masterchef 2010 winner Adam Liaw and runner-up Callum Hann got an appetising taste of Canberra yesterday when they delighted fans with a seven- hour visit. The pair met hundreds of local admirers at the Canberra Centre in Civic from midday, signing autographs and sharing photos to help promote the refurbishment of the Civic Myer store. Liaw said the pair had received a great reaction from Canberrans during their brief visit. Neither of the celebrity chefs had much chance to experience Canberra's restaurant scene during their whirlwind stopover, but Liaw referred longingly to a much-talked-about pork bun recipe. When asked how the territory could improve its food culture, Liaw responded that the development of top-class restaurants was in the hands of the consumer. "If people just start getting out there and eating more ... you know, restaurants don't start up because they want to start up, they start up because people demand that those kind of restaurants are around," Liaw said. Canberra Times, 14 November

An up-and-coming District to savour
Like TV executives, chefs love spin-offs. Gordon Ramsay has 10 (flailing) restaurants worldwide. Neil Perry has a stack in Australia (all thriving). None is expected to be as good as the original, although sometimes expectation is exceeded. The latest Sydney chef to open a spin-off is Assiette's Warren Turnbull, whose impressive new offering is District Dining. District Dining is to Assiette what Etch is to Justin North's Becasse - that is, a more accessible, less-formal establishment in which it's hoped you'll spend just as much as you would at the higher-cost venue. The credo at District - oddly located across the road from Central station above the dullish Central Hotel - is that it's a "high-energy modern bistro that delivers style, quality and good value". To continue: "Turnbull will be dishing up a global tasting menu that can be either individually savoured or shared." Translation: This isn't a menu with a conventional "entree, mains and desserts" layout, and there's no particular cuisine. Rather, there are smaller plates and larger plates and the palate range includes French, Chinese, Moroccan and more. You'll see the continental influence in a dish like smoked eel pate, while the Arabian flavours are strong in offerings like seared scallops with cauliflower, raisin and dukkah. It's hard, though, to go past a classic pan-Pacific dish of king crab and sweetcorn fritters ($14). These fluffy fried puff balls are a winning start to a grazing meal, not overly lush with crab but not overtaken by corn as are many of their kind, and ably enhanced by an avocado mousse for dipping. The dining space itself is lovely: all wooden, glistening and cool. Sunday Telegraph, November 14

Pretentious, overpriced ... is this NSW in a bottle?
You know, of course, what is the state flower of NSW. It's the waratah. But I'd be willing to bet that you have no idea what constitutes the state sauce. I spent some minutes pondering this question last weekend, while queueing at the takeaway shop beneath the surf club at Killcare Beach, on the NSW central coast. The cafe's menu, displayed on a giant whiteboard, includes the usual array of fishy items accompanied by tartare sauce and meaty items accompanied by BBQ sauce or tomato sauce. But my friends and I were stumped by this line: "Kiddie burger: meat pattie and cheese (state sauce)." Clearly the chef assumed a knowledge we did not have, and we began to speculate on the ingredients that might symbolise the qualities of this great state. The notion that a place would lend its name to a sauce is not unusual - the Italian city of Bologna contributed the main component of Australia's favourite dish, spag bol. The French region of Bordeaux gave us sauce bordelaise, made with red wine. But what could possibly be the signature sauce that expresses the uniqueness of NSW? And what, then, would be the sauce of Queensland (state bird the brolga), WA (state animal the numbat) and Victoria (state flower the pink heath)? My friends were turning the discussion in a political direction, suggesting that any ingredients for a NSW sauce would be rotting, undercooked and overpriced, when I looked further down the menu and found the answer. Just above delights called Mex-dog and Dog'o'lot was this entry: "Scallop roll - state sauce preference." Sun Herald, November 14

New York's finest chef takes a punt on Sydney
The world's hottest young chef, David Chang, of Momofuku in New York, is opening a restaurant in Sydney. In a coup for the operators of Star City, the 33-year-old will open in the revamped casino in September next year. When Chang opened his noodle bar in a tiny space six years ago, the music was at full volume because no one came. It did not take long for his simple dishes, including pork buns and ramen, to attract a huge crowd and have commentators saying he had reinvented the casual restaurant scene in New York. Today the American-born son of South Korean migrants owns four restaurants, including one with two Michelin stars, and he pushes the culinary boundaries. He is on Time magazine's 2010 list of 100 most influential people. Chang mixes classic French training with Asian influences but said: "I just say it's American food and we try to serve something delicious because there's nothing worse in the world than leaving a restaurant and thinking you got ripped off." He was tipped to open his first venue outside New York in Los Angeles but "I've just fallen in love with Australia. I'm just fascinated by the food scene in Sydney and Melbourne. "People are excited about food in Australia. It's fresh and it's energetic. "New York will always be home but there's something in Australia that Americans have never opened up at - Australians are very serious about their food, their coffee culture and their drinks. It's a fascinating place." Sydney Morning Herald, November 14

Laneways open for business
Small bars in laneways and basements are gaining momentum as viable leasing opportunities across the Sydney central business district. For many years these areas have been overlooked, used as places to store rubbish bins or for graffiti artists to unleash their spray cans. But with a change of zoning and a thawing of restrictions by the City of Sydney, these sites are being leased and converted into usable space. The senior executive of retail at Colliers International, Alex Berentsen, said Melbourne had long held the advantage over Sydney when it came to pocket-sized, sophisticated laneway bars in the city centre - but not any more. "Sydney is quickly catching up and what was once a leasing nightmare is fast becoming hot property," Mr Berentsen said. "Ash Street Cellar at Ivy and Grasshopper, which is tucked down Temperance Lane, are prime examples." The City of Sydney paved the way for this trend when it passed new laws for small-bar licences but, due to the complexities, operators are applying for restaurant licences and liquor permits separately. "But, if new to the industry, potential operators should seek sites with an on-premise liquor licence and development consent for food and liquor uses," Mr Berentsen said. "Consequentially, we are constantly fielding inquiries from food and beverage operators looking for new opportunities in the revitalised Sydney CBD, whether it is for a small boutique offering or large-scale signature restaurant." Sydney Morning Herald, November 13

Corporate lunches slim down after GFC squeeze
Corporate lunches may be creeping back into fashion for investment bankers but they are definitely off the menu as far as Myer chief executive Bernie Brookes is concerned. "Corporate lunches? There's no such thing," Brookes says. "With retail doing it tough and all of us cutting costs it would not be right for me to be seen in a restaurant having a corporate lunch. I just can't afford the time to be out of the office. Corporate lunches are definitely off the agenda." Whenever Myer is on an overseas road show, most presentation lunches are done over a sandwich or salad, with no alcohol served. However, he admits he does take his staff and clients to dinner occasionally for a two-course meal and some wine. Terry Little, managing director of Estee Lauder, agrees that corporate lunches are not the done thing in the cosmetic industry. "Come and have a sandwich meeting at the office, but we don't have a culture for corporate lunches," Little says. Occasionally, he might entertain some clients over dinner, which is often a two-course meal with a bit of wine. Even the country's best restaurants suffered a drop in lunch business during the global financial crisis. But the corporate lunch culture is re-emerging, especially among investment bankers, as capital markets rebound. "You just have to look at the business people eating at Rockpool, Spice Temple or Azuma - it's like a canteen," says one investment banker who declined to be identified. "People are feeling more prosperous, corporate lunches are back, but not with a bang. There may be a bit of wine to go with the meal, but working lunches are not heavily into wine quaffing." Restaurant owner and chef Neil Perry says business executives have always entertained at the new Rockpool and Spice Temple restaurants since they opened last year, post-GFC. "We have a pretty good spread of companies who entertain, including lawyers, media, financial services and investment banks," he says. Weekend Australian, November 13

And the family dog came, too
Millionaire cosmetic surgeon Jerry Schwartz and his partner Debbie Feyn plan to turn their newly purchased Blue Mountains hotel into one of the country's first pet-friendly luxury resorts. Last month, Schwartz purchased the Fairmont Hotel in the NSW Blue Mountains for $26m. "We are [creating] an opportunity for people to take their dogs if someone wanted to bring their dog to the Fairmont," Feyn says. There will be external accommodation for dogs on the 10ha resort, where they will have lounges and chairs to lie on. Rooms for the pets will cost $40 to $60 a night. Schwartz, a Sydney surgeon, runs the Schwartz Family Company, which owns nine hotels as well as retail and commercial property assets. Feyn says it will be the second dog-friendly hotel in the Schwartz family hotel portfolio, along with the Olims Hotel Canberra. Feyn previously worked as a real estate agent in Sydney and noticed clients whose homes were open for inspection often had nowhere to leave their pets. Schwartz says the hotel will be not just pet friendly but family friendly. A pony farm will be part of the get-away experience, a feature that has been inspired by the recent birth of the couple's son, Dane. Schwartz is targeting the conference market, given that the property has facilities for up to 800 people, while he hopes to attract the family market at the weekends. Weekend Australian, November 13

A dry argument as drinkers desert pubs for palaces
Four city drinking holes popular with office workers have fallen victim to fierce competition among bars after failing to match the glamour of larger and more modern venues such as the Ivy. St George Bank has foreclosed on The Bligh Bar and the Brooklyn Hotel on George Street, in Sydney's legal and financial district, as well as the The Pavilion Hotel on George Street and the Ice Bar at Circular Quay. The hotels are owned by the Woollahra publican John Chaina, who owes an estimated $10 million to the bank. Peter Walker, a partner at the accounting firm Ferrier Hodgson, was appointed receiver this week. The bars will be trading as usual while Mr Walker assesses the situation. He said it was too early to determine what had caused their financial problems but it was likely the hotels were affected by a decline in drinkers who had been lured to other nightspots. Once-loyal drinkers were defecting to trendy hot spots including King Street Wharf and the luxury Ivy complex on George Street, Mr Walker said. The publicans had been unable to stem the decline by upgrading their own venues with new decor. "[Mr Chaina] didn't have the cashflow to allow the Brooklyn to compete with the Establishment and the Ivy," he said. "These publicans don't have the capital to invest to adequately compete." Sydney Morning Herald, November 13

The pressure's off an old kitchen aid
Chef Maria Stewart wants people to forget the stories of pressure cookers exploding, images of food spattered on ceilings, faulty lids and scary hissing noises. She says the pressure cooker, our mothers' dinner weaponry, has changed and should no longer be pushed to the back of kitchen cupboards because people are too scared to use them. The appliance has undergone a resurgence in the past decade, according to US market research company The NPD Group. Demand in Australia is also growing because of a growing awareness of new safety features, the proliferation of the appliances in TV food shows such as Iron Chef and growing use by time-poor foodies. "They have made them a lot safer and a lot more user-friendly," Stewart says. "They have also made them much better quality in terms of conducting the heat. "They went out of fashion, but now people want cheaper cuts of meat again, the 'tough cuts', and people are realising you can have it tender in 20 minutes." As well as an eagerness to use ingredients that traditionally take a long time to cook, Stewart believes people are turning to pressure cookers to save money on food and power. In less than three hours at the Peaceful Organic Cooking School in Koonwarra, Gippsland, Stewart teaches a classroom of 10 eager students how to make beef and Guinness pie, corned beef, lentil soup, pressure "roasted" potatoes and a chicken, leek and apple pudding - all in the pressure cookers the students have brought in with them. With each dish, Stewart offers a "real" cooking time compared with the pressure cooking time. The Age, November 13

Empire steers clear of brewing and into parking
Failed microbrewer Empire Beer Group is poised to move in a completely new direction after almost two years as a listed shell. The group yesterday announced its bid to acquire car park technology provider Meter Eye through a backdoor listing of the New Zealand-based group. Empire chairman and Computershare founder Chris Morris said the directors had been seeking a suitable company to back since the group's assets, the Royal Bar & Brasserie in East Perth and Colonial brewery in Margaret River, were sold two years ago. We've really been operating as a cash box and actually looking for opportunities, Morris said. This was a company out of New Zealand with some really smart technology that needed help to take it further. Morris said his background with Computershare made Meter an ideal acquisition. We have done our due diligence and there is huge potential there, he said. Morris said discussions had been under way with Meter for about three months before yesterday's announcement. Meter provides its technology to car park owners, operators, local councils and authorities in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK, including three local councils in Perth. The transaction, yet to be approved by shareholders, involves Empire issuing 97 million shares to Meter as well as a short-term loan of up to $500,000. The group will also change its name. Empire shares last traded at 21¢. The West Australian, November 13

Clubs escape political donation ban despite gaming, alcohol links
Registered clubs will still be able to donate to political parties in NSW despite a ban on donations from organisations with gambling and liquor interests. The ban, which passed State Parliament this week as an amendment to the government's election funding bill, with support from the Greens, prohibits for the first time political donations from hotels and their umbrella organisation, the Australian Hotels Association. The legislation also bans donations from the supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths because of their ownership of liquor retailers. Star City casino and its owner, Tabcorp, are also prohibited from making political donations, while a ban on donations from tobacco companies has also been implemented. However, under an agreement between Labor and the Greens, clubs are exempt from the ban. Clubs NSW has been a significant donor to both sides of politics. One of Labor's largest donors is the Randwick Labor Club. Clubs own a large proportion of the state's poker machines, but are exempt because the legislation specifies that it applies to corporations whose business is "mainly concerned" with liquor or gaming "but only if it is for the ultimate purpose of making a profit". Clubs and Clubs NSW are non-profit organisations. The legislation was amended early on Thursday after a marathon Legislative Council session. It imposes wide-ranging changes to the rules governing donations and election spending, including a new cap on donations from individuals and organisations to political parties of $5000 each a financial year and $2000 to candidates or elected members. Clubs remain subject to the caps despite their exemption from the donation ban. Sydney Morning Herald, November 13

Caps give winemakers better sense of closure
A decade after a group of winemakers from South Australia's Clare Valley decided they were sick of dodgy corks ruining their finely crafted rieslings, screwcaps have all but conquered the Australian wine market. Mitchell Taylor, managing director and winemaker at Clare winery Taylors, said the region's winemakers resolved jointly to adopt the screwcap seal in 2000 in response to cork taint affecting up to 10 per cent of their wines. "The beauty of the screwcap is that you have no problems, which has made our wine very attractive to our international customers, especially the UK supermarkets, who really wanted to eliminate the consistent complaints they were getting about cork taint," Taylor said. Cork taint is attributed to a molecule known as 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, which imparts an unpleasant odour. Even uncontaminated corks can affect a wine's quality, Mr Taylor said, adding woody flavours or even falling apart. While screwcaps have been used for Australian wine since at least the early 1970s, it wasn't until seven years ago that they began to be adopted in significant numbers, overtaking the traditional closure in 2007 and now accounting for about 70 per cent of bottled wine production. Among wines bottled for the domestic market the proportion is estimated at more than 90 per cent, with many cork-sealed wines intended for export markets such as the US, where screwcaps are still seen as suitable only for cheap plonk. Anna Pooley, winemaker at Heemskerk in Tasmania, is one of the new generation of winemakers who have worked primarily with screwcaps, having begun her career in 2003 as the transition from cork was getting underway. "From a technical perspective I'm 100 per cent behind screwcap -- any winemaker wants consistency and quality, and you can guarantee that with screwcap unless you . . . break the seal, which is rare," she said. Weekend Australian, November 13