Huge fine for ratty eatery

A city restaurant infested with rats and cockroaches has been fined $20,000 after a health inspection. At the Indian Home Diner on Glebe Point Rd, Glebe in February, City of Sydney inspectors found a live rat, evidence of more rats, cockroaches and an overflowing bin. It was immediately closed. On August 15 the owners pleaded guilty in Downing Centre Local Court and were fined $20,000. The restaurant has since reopened, and the council says it will monitor it. Sunday Telegraph (Sydney), August 28.

Maze's collapse leaves creditors stewing

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has left a trail of financial destruction with the sudden collapse of his Melbourne restaurants Maze and Maze Grill, which owe $4.6 million to about 100 local hospitality suppliers. With some of the debts dating back several months, Ramsay faces allegations that Maze was trading while insolvent, despite claims last week from a Crown spokesman that the venue is one of Australia's "highest-grossing and most popular restaurants". Ramsay will not be personally liable for any of the losses, as he is not a director of either of the restaurants located in Crown's Metropol Hotel. And in an announcement expected to further anger local food and beverage suppliers, a spokeswoman for Gordon Ramsay Holdings said the British-based company was the largest creditor. The irony of the situation has been noted by Ramsay's many creditors, which include the Tax Office. Sunday Age (Melbourne), August 28.

Have a waddle, eat local

Don’t ask the chef Jared Ingersoll what he will serve to diners when they sit down to enjoy a meal sourced from within a 16-kilometre radius of his Surry Hills restaurant. "I wouldn't have a clue what will be on the menu," said Ingersoll, from Cotton Duck restaurant. "But that's fine, because when you want to use local produce you have to be flexible and operate in direct response to what is available on the day." Ingersoll is a passionate advocate of buying local, sustainable produce and using in-season, fresh ingredients. As part of the Crave Sydney Food Festival, he will be holding a dinner on October 19 called the "10 Mile Waddle", in which every ingredient will be sourced from within 16 kilometres to celebrate Sydney's cultural and biodiversity. The Sun Herald (Sydney), August 28.

Meals on wheels

Blink and you'll miss them. Pop-up restaurants pick a site, fire the burners and trade for a month, a week, or even a single night. Dani Valent goes in search of Melbourne's funkiest temporary eateries. The sun goes down in Melbourne town and most of the city's laneways retreat into shadow. As the suits are sucked into trains and trams, a raggle-taggle crowd of the hungry and hip wend their way to an alley near Queen Victoria Market. Something's happening. You can sense the fun before you smell the chipotle salsa: chatterbox queues, background tunes, it's Taco Truck time. "I only heard about this at 4pm on Facebook," happy customer Simone says, biting into a fish taco with poppyseed mayo and sipping on a cup of wine poured by a youthful merchant from the Young Guns of Wine project, which has carved out a tasting depot in the art studio that's playing host. "There's food, wine and art, all things I love," Simone says. The Age, August 28.

Dude food rules in the new world order of quick cuisine

Melbourne's hottest culinary trend is a relaxed and sociable approach to eating, based on manly staples such as burgers and fried chicken. John Mangan reports. Imagine junk food for hard-core foodies, evocatively tasty snacks such as fried chicken, mini-burgers and pork buns, meticulously made with only the best ingredients. It's called "dude food", and it's Melbourne's hottest culinary trend. Dude food: the term captures its US origins and the laid-back, sociable vibe the cuisine exudes, and it's served in some of our most acclaimed restaurants, such as St Kilda's Golden Fields, Fitzroy's Huxtable, St Katherine's in Kew and Bourke Street's Earl Canteen. "It's tasty, it's cooked really well, it's comfort food with a bit of polish," says Adam D'Sylva, chef at Coda in Flinders Lane. The restaurant's Ha Noi-style rice paper rolls, prawn and tapioca betel leaves and sugar cane prawns typify the trend. "They're great for casual, relaxed eating," D'Sylva says. Sunday Age (Melbourne), August 28.

Secret to a perfect blend

A man who strives each day for a better tomorrow, not a bigger bank account, has surpassed his own expectations. Cappuccino king Phillip Di Bella reckons he became an entrepreneur as a 14-year-old, washing dishes in his older brother's pizza restaurant. ``I became the best dishwasher you've ever seen. I used to time myself on how quickly I could empty the sinks when they filled them up with dishes,'' he said. ``I was doing the dishes as quickly as I could, seeing a better way to clean a pan - holding with the left hand, right hand, scrubbing with left or right, starting inside or outside. ``Most people will think this guy's insane. But to me, an entrepreneur is all about being better or different. Looking at something and saying I can do it better or different. It's a way of life.'' Sunday Mail (Brisbane), August 28.

Growing field of research

Selling flower-shaped carrot slices to restaurants in Singapore may seem like a very specific export concept for vegetable growers. As markets change, however, such niche products are shaping up as a potential boon for scientists and farmers as they explore new ways to see traditional crops. Simply bagging huge portions of carrots, potatoes and onions may no longer cut it. The Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research at the University of Tasmania is one organisation that is aiming to transform the way farms operate, through the rollout of sophisticated new solutions. It is investigating and designing technology-based farming techniques to protect soils and open up new ways to sell bulk produce such as carrots. Such research into plant and animal production, pest control, climate change and value-chains is revolutionising the agricultural industry in the state. Colin Birch, leader of the Vegetable Centre within the institute, says the sector is more advanced than many people realise. Weekend Australian, August 27.

Wahlbergs go big on burgers

Hollywood heavyweight Mark Wahlberg and brothers Donnie and Paul are opening up a hamburger restaurant named Wahlburgers. The brothers, who already own an Italian restaurant together and are planning on opening a pizza place next year, are planning to open their new burger joint in Boston which will seat 80 inside and 40 on an outdoor patio, with older brother Paul serving as head chef. The name Wahlburger was previously trademarked by a burger chain in New York run by Tom Wahl but after much negotiation, the three were able to obtain the naming rights. The West Australian, August 29.

Woolies' pubs thrive on steak

Woolworths' hotel joint venture with Bruce Mathieson, Australian Leisure & Hospitality, has reported EBIT of $A183.7m for 2010-11, an increase of 4%. Sales rose by 4.6% to $A1.2bn. Woolworths CEO Michael Luscombe says a new pubs menu range and higher poker machine revenue contributed to the profit. Mid-tier restaurants are losing business to pubs that are promoting $A10 lunch specials to gain turnover and make money on alcoholic drinks. The Australian Financial Review, August 26.

Tourism writes its own ticket

Tourism Australia is taking a more active role in increasing tourism. It is working with Austrade to identify tourism infrastructure that is needed. CEO Andrew McEvoy said that 50,000 hotel rooms are needed in the nine years to 2020. McEvoy and chairman Geoff Dixon are seeking Chinese investors to fund the infrastructure. They feel that there is a need for top-class properties, and feel that marketing should include casinos. The Australian Financial Review, August 29.

Pub in danger

The pub credited as the birthplace of Aussie rules football will be bulldozed within months unless a last-ditch bid for heritage protection succeeds. The Heritage Council of Victoria last week met to consider whether East Melbourne's MCG Hotel -- where the game's rules were drafted in 1859 -- was worthy of inclusion on the state's heritage register. A heritage listing would protect the hotel from plans by Hilton on the Park owner Thakral Holdings to demolish it except for the facade and replace it with a residential tower. Millionaire pollster Gary Morgan, who lives behind the site and has been fighting the proposal for nearly 10 years, was driving the application for heritage listing. Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne), August 28.

Pub to give robbers a DNA spray after string of hold-ups

A pub in Melbourne's north is the first business in Victoria to trial a DNA spray to catch armed robbers. The Sylvania Hotel in Campbellfield installed the "DNA Guardian" spray device last week after terrified staff had been held up five times since January. Anyone who holds up the hotel will now be sprayed with a colourless mist containing a laboratory-made bio-synthetic DNA harmless to humans. The device can be activated by staff from a number of different areas. If an innocent bystander is tagged by the spray, it is non-toxic and invisible to the naked eye. Developed by Adelaide-based DNA Security Solutions, the DNA tracer remains on the thief's skin for up to six weeks and will glow under ultraviolet light. CCTV footage might help police identify a suspect but it is often difficult to prove they had committed the robbery. Sunday Age (Melbourne), August 28.

Roll up, the food trucks are coming

Sydney City Council wants to launch a trial of food trucks by the 2011-12 summer. Food trucks are very popular in overseas cities such as London and Los Angeles. However, Scott Leach, of the Australian Hotels Association, claims the Council's goals discriminate against existing food providers. Rafael Rashid, who operates a food truck in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, notes it is not an easy area of food provision to get into. The Australian Financial Review, August 27.

Perfect partnership of pub and past

The owner of the historic Criterion Hotel at Weston has adopted a flexible approach, inviting expressions of interest for the freehold or leasehold sale of his pub, or a bonded lease arrangement. Joel Fisher, of CBRE Hotels, said the owner did not want to be identified, but was a publican with multiple hotel assets across NSW. "The hotel only hit the market a fortnight ago and already there has been a good cross-section of inquiries," Mr Fisher said. Among the interested parties have been publicans intending to take on the hotel as a going concern. The current lessee would not be taking up their option on the property, Mr Fisher said. The hotel, at 75 Cessnock Road, was built in 1903 and occupies a large corner block. It has entitlements for 15 poker machines, and has rooms to rent. "The pub itself is a one-bar operation, which means there is one central bar which services the alcohol dispensary, the TAB and the poker machines," Mr Fisher said. The hotel was expected to fetch about $2 million for the freehold, he said. Newcastle Herald, August 27.