Bohemian city needs to break down barriers
Melbourne is the "slightly odd, batty bohemian" little sister of slicker Sydney, but in world terms, that's a good sort of city to be, say trend forecasters Chris Sanderson and Martin Raymond of London firm The Future Laboratory. "Melbourne's always blurred its retail, its culture, its food, its community life in the CBD," Mr Raymond says. "It's one of those cities that's developed in spite of planning — just enough to allow a lot of creativity to flow through." The trend forecasters say their suggestions for Melbourne would include eliminating barriers and awnings in Swanston Street, to complement lord mayor Robert Doyle's planned revamp of the street. "Get rid of pavements, awnings, barriers and Swanston Street would be given over to the people," says Mr Raymond. "A piazza, with trams not allowed to travel faster than people. Equal rights." The Age (Melbourne), February 8.
Heart and soul in cooking
Help for disadvantaged people begins with a full stomach, writes Tess Campbell. The challenge of feeding 150 people a day for nothing is one to which Tony Broughton rises. He has a Ready, Steady, Cook moment every day in his role as cook for the Newcastle West Life Church "soup kitchen", the Soul Cafe. But unlike on the Australian hit television cooking show, Mr Broughton's inspired recipes are reviewed by hundreds of people, not just a television studio audience. "Every day I have to think how I can cobble a menu together when I don't know until the day what ingredients I will have to work with or how many people I'm cooking for," Mr Broughton said. "It's a great challenge." With the help of regular suppliers across Newcastle who donate produce, including greengrocer Frank Frasca, Bibina Foods, Steggles and Top Cut meats, Soul Food Cafe offers a free meal and a warm smile to more than 850 people a week. The vision of the service was to provide a meal with dignity. Meals aren't served like a soup kitchen table service is provided. English-born Mr Broughton has trained in and managed several top restaurants across the globe. "I've worked in classy places in the world but I have more genuine fun doing this every day," he said. Newcastle Herald, February 8.
Method in her madness
Poh Ling Yeow throws culinary caution to the wind and it makes for fascinating viewing, writes Louise Schwartzkoff. A few months ago, Poh Ling Yeow lost $100,000 over a tempered-chocolate pipe and a small ball of sorbet. Despite her bizarre recipes and chaotic methods, the 37-year-old had cooked her way to the final of Ten's MasterChef Australia. She was holding her own against housewife Julie Goodwin when the judges introduced the final challenge: a devilishly complicated chocolate tasting plate. Goodwin followed the recipe like a bible but Yeow - always keen to experiment - ignored it. When told to cook her chocolate in the oven, she place it on the stove. Her chocolate pipe, to the judges' horror, went straight into the fridge. Yeow lost and Goodwin walked away with the prize money and a cookbook deal. Six months later, with the cookbook soon to be published, Goodwin is writing for Women's Weekly and spruiking supermarket products. She has received no offers for further television work. Yeow, meanwhile, has staged a major art exhibition, signed two book deals and shot her own cooking series for the ABC. In Poh's Kitchen, she bustles about a custom-built cooking space, exchanging recipes with such chefs as Neil Perry, David Thompson and Emmanuel Mollois. Her methods teeter between brilliance and disaster but, more often than not, they work. Even when they don't, they make for great television. Sydney Morning Herald, February 8.
New van puts food charity into top gear
Canberra’s enthusiastic support of OzHarvest, a service that "rescues" food from being wasted and distributes it to the disadvantaged, went up a gear this week with the donation of a second van. The Calwell and Wanniassa branches of the Bendigo Bank have donated a new $50,000 Toyota van, in the same livery as the original. OzHarvest is an activity of Canberra community organisation Communities@Work. Communities@Work chief executive Maureen Cane said the donation, which she was thrilled to receive, meant OzHarvest could expand its work. "We'll be able to be more efficient, we'll be able to look after the north and south side," she said. "We've actually got so much food to pick up that we haven't been able to do it. This van will let us pick more of it up." Canberra Times, February 7.
Bastion of delicious delights
The fried rabbit was smothered in a heavily muscled sauce redolent of red wine, garlic, onions and tomatoes, its aroma mingling with that of the bragioli being devoured at the other side of the table. The rabbit stuffat tal-fenek and my partner's bragioli, which is thin slices of beef stuffed with crumbed local bread, bacon, onion and parsley all drenched in a red wine sauce, are two of Malta's national dishes, consumed on this occasion within 50m of the severed head of John the Baptist. Malta will now forever in my mind be identified with rabbits and St John, the ``rabbit restaurants'' of this small Mediterranean island offering a stand-out and unexpected culinary experience. St John never made it to Malta and thus missed out on the rabbit, but his image can be found in the painting by Caravaggio titled The Beheading of St John, a magnificent work that hangs in St John's Cathedral opposite the San Giovanni Restaurant which, as you would expect, is in St John's Square. If you go there for the fenek and bragioli you might try the local 2007 La Torre merlot and toast Malta's history, which is one of violence, invasion and siege, its position off the southern tip of Sicily placing it in the path of the great powers that have roamed across these waters. Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne), February 7.
That bubbly feeling
Matt Moran
I've done an about-face. Last year, I wrote about Valentine's Day with a distinctly sceptical tone (and this scepticism dates way back before that, I must admit). But this year, I'm going to embrace it. There's a little ditty humming around in my head as I write this, and I can't get it to go away. I'm putting my change of heart down to spending a large part of last year away from my wife and family, mainly due to being in Brisbane quite a bit of the time, overseeing the opening of our restaurant there. The cliche of absence making the heart grow fonder is most certainly true, and its turned me into a Valentine's Day believer. That, and the fact I think I'm mellowing with age. However you choose to celebrate Valentine's Day, there's always room for dessert, preferably an elegant romantic one. Which got me thinking about that most romantic of drinks -- champagne -- arguably the best way to celebrate that stuff that makes the world go round. Of course, you can break out a bottle of the good stuff to toast, but why stop there? Champagne can be transformed into beautiful desserts. Sunday Telegraph (Sydney), February 7.
Takeaway and booze tempt us in tough times
Despite the global financial crisis Australians spent more last year on takeaway food, bottle-shop liquor, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. However, Australian Bureau of Statistics show consumers cut back spending on newspapers, books, sporting goods, toys and games, as well as electrical and electronic goods. The figures, analysed by CommSec economists, show we are buying less at butchers, bakers and fruit and vegetable shops. Collectively, consumers spent $237 billion last year - up 5.9 per cent on 2008. CommSec chief economist Craig James said there was evidence a "cocooning effect" took hold last year because money and job concerns. "When there are bad times around, you cocoon yourself at home and you buy takeaway and liquor rather than going out on the town," he said. He said spending at cafes and restaurants rose towards the end of the year as the threat of the global financial crisis receded and "we came out of our burrows". KPMG demographer Bernard Salt predicted the spending trends of 2009 would continue. The Sun Herald (Sydney), February 7.
From shackles to sav blanc
Quietly, Launceston and its surrounds have emerged as premier foodie destinations, writes Anthony Dennis. It is one of the foremost food and wine destinations in the country. It is, frankly, the worst room in the house. Dark and dank and located in the basement, there's a crude three-tier, timber-framed bunk occupying one corner and a fireplace that possums have a habit of choosing as their final resting place in the other. Really, it's criminal that anyone could have been expected to stay in such conditions. Fortunately, all of the other guest rooms at Quamby Estate are tip-top, chic and luxurious, even, with oversized timber-floored bathrooms, lavish pod-style white bathtubs and king-size beds. They're the kind of creature comforts denied the 19th-century convict labour once shackled and quartered in the aforementioned confines of this historic Tasmanian homestead. The Sun Herald (Sydney), February 7.
Simon's last supper with Hilton disciples
After a decade of award-winning service to South Australia, Hilton Adelaide executive chef Simon Bryant took his final bow at a packed-out The Brasserie last night. Simon is most famous for his work with Maggie Beer on TV's The Cook and the Chef and has a reputation for spearheading the uniqueness and quality of SA produce. But he said he would miss most the people interaction he had working at the Hilton. ``Some of the bands that have come in bring their own chefs and it's pretty hilarious to watch what they prepare,'' Simon said. ``One of the big hip-hop bands took out an entire floor of the hotel and had these chefs that came down to the kitchen and just deep-fried everything. They even deep-fried kangaroo.'' While Simon was staying silent on the names of the superstars he had cooked for, he did give us some tid-bits. ``One punk band came in and all of the members sat at separate tables,'' he said. ``But I've found that the more high up they are on the star factor, the less drama there is. Simon plans to take a break for a while before starting work on two new cookbooks. Sunday Mail (Adelaide), February 7.
No more messing about with ketchup's makeover
Ketchup packets have frustrated tomato sauce lovers for more than 40 years. They're messy, too small and too hard to open. Now ketchup giant H.J. Heinz Co is unveiling the first major packaging change since the 1960s for the ready-to-use, single-serve condiment. The new design has a base that's more like a cup for dipping and also a tear-off end for squeezing. It also holds three times as much tomato sauce as the traditional packet. ``The packet has long been the bane of our consumers,'' said Dave Ciesinski, vice-president of Heinz Ketchup. ``The biggest complaint is there is no way to dip and eat it on-the-go.'' Heinz has long struggled to find a design that lets diners dip or squeeze ketchup that could also be sold at a price acceptable to its restaurant customers. For this effort, it bought its design team a used minivan two years ago to test if their ideas really worked while eating on the road. Heinz sells more than 11 million cases of its ketchup packets in the US every year. The Advertiser (Adelaide), February 6.
Little eateries find room to move as optimism grows
It's the little things that are getting Michelle Fong excited about moving her Japanese restaurant, Ocha, to a bigger venue. An indoor toilet, for example, after 15 years of having to ask diners to use a backyard loo. Not to mention the much larger kitchen, and some space for customers to stretch their legs. "The move is a bit of a thanks to our customers," says Fong. "We'd like to offer them the same old Ocha with a bit more comfort, a bit more legroom." Fong and chef Yasu Yoshida's new Ocha ought to have opened a while back, but the pair have been held up by liquor licensing and building delays. The restaurant will share Hawthorn's old Beehive site with Barkers, the new gastro-pub from Taxi's Michael Lambie. It will seat 80 (about 50 diners more than Ocha's old East Kew home), and, if all goes well, open in a few weeks. Fong hopes the extra seating will shorten the waiting list, which is made up of loyal customers who are prepared to wait weeks, sometimes months, for a table. The expansion of this little eatery represents a wider trend in the city's evolving restaurant scene — owners are growing confident about the economy, so often places are getting bigger to keep up with overheads and expand slim profit margins. Places like MoVida have already moved in this direction. The newest venture in the Spanish empire, MoVida Aqui has 140 seats inside and 40 more outside — more than four times the amount of seats in the original restaurant which opened six years ago. The Age (Melbourne), February 6.
Keeping it real
Necia Wilden
I can't recall where i first noticed the word "housemade" on a menu, but I do know it was one of those restaurants with the automatic taps in the ladies' loo - you know, the ones you don't need to turn on, that just spurt into life the moment you put your hands under the nozzle. And then I went back to the table and ordered a plate of first-rate charcuterie - some prosciutto, bresaola, a little black pudding - that the chef had gone to the trouble of making himself, rather than just ordering the bulk commercial product from a supplier like most restaurants do. Isn't this all a bit odd? That in a plug-and-play world, where everything from our TVs and taps to our phones and cars is increasingly pre-programmed, that one of the most frequently sighted words on fashionable menus right now is the adjective "housemade"? Fact is, some of the smartest chefs are reaping the benefits of turning back the clock, of channelling their inner nonnas and making labour-intensive stuff like bread, pasta, pastry, charcuterie and chocolates from scratch, in their restaurant kitchens, and calling it all "housemade", a far better word than the usually inaccurate "homemade", now most commonly seen in third-rate cafes and on the labels of mass-produced jam. The Australian Magazine, February 6.
Knives out as lamb stakes claim on beef
Australians’ seemingly insatiable urge for juicy beef steaks has prompted a counter-offensive by lamb producers who have launched a monster cutlet. The so-called lamb tomahawk rack has eight ``pins'' or bones, and weighs up to 650g - enough to satisfy even the most ravenous meat eater. Lamb traders admit they pinched the idea from the beef barons who last year launched a whopper 1.5kg tomahawk steak with a long bone handle. Now meat lovers have keenly embraced the lamb tomahawk during a trial run at Queensland's leading restaurants, including Brett's Wharf at Hamilton, Marco Polo at Conrad Treasury Casino, Moo Moo Wine Bar and Grill at Broadbeach, Cha Cha Char in Brisbane's CBD and Siggis restaurant in Brisbane's historic Port Office. The lamb tomahawk is set for a national launch and will sell in restaurants for $30 to $35. It will also be available in butcher shops. ``A hungry bloke could easily knock one of these off by himself,'' said Glen Burke, business development manager with Meat and Livestock Australia. ``It looks like a huge cutlet, but basically it's lamb fillet still joined to the bone. ``The flavour is out of this world and has the extra visual appeal of looking like a lamb rack.'' The Courier Mail (Brisbane), February 6.
The truth about Gordon
When acclaimed chef Michel Roux caught sight of an attractive woman in a red dress standing in his Sydney hotel lobby 27 years ago, it was the start of something beautiful. Not just for the man who, with brother Albert, is credited with revolutionising British cuisine, but for many young Australian chefs who would be given the chance to learn from one of the world's culinary masters. The chance meeting between French-born Roux and young Australian Robyn Joyce led to a marriage that has lasted nearly three decades, and a lifelong alliance with Australia. It's a connection that has resulted in the likes of Luke Mangan, Jeremy Strode, Peter Evans and Donovan Cooke being offered much-coveted training opportunities at the Roux brothers' award-winning British restaurants, Le Gavroche and The Waterside Inn. The chefs have gone on to make their mark in the competitive world of food. Roux is making one of his frequent visits to Australia when he tells me over coffee about the day he first set eyes on his future wife. ``It was a blind date,'' he says, in a strong French accent despite almost a lifetime spent in Britain. On his own in Sydney for the first time, Roux explains, he had phoned a former apprentice, Leigh Stone-Herbert, asking him to recommend a good restaurant and to find him an agreeable dining companion for the evening. ``Leigh said to me, `Chef, if you don't mind, I would like to do a bit of mise en place,' '' Roux says with a grin. ``He told me he'd ring me back at around 12pm. He said he had to make a few calls.'' Weekend Australian, February 6.
Spain's star chefs sizzle for the cameras
If ever there were proof that chefs are the rock stars of the moment, it was front row at last week's Madrid Fusion food summit. An all-star Spanish line-up, including Ferran Adria, Martin Berasategui, Juan Mari Arzak and Joan Roca, had a scrum of cameramen jostling for position as they took their seats at the annual event, which showcases the best of Spanish gastronomy and invites the world's leading chefs to share techniques and recipes. Food Detective, momentarily blinded by the flashbulbs, had to check her program to make sure she hadn't accidentally strayed into Madrid Fashion Week: an alarming thought given her mismatched, thermally enhanced get-up, aimed at beating the European winter chill. It wasn't the only time Adria -- the godfather of molecular cuisine -- would divert attention from the action on stage during the three-day event. Just as Australian chef Mark Best was to take to the floor to discuss his award-winning Marque restaurant in Sydney, Adria called a press conference to announce he will close his El Bulli restaurant, regarded as the best in the world, for two years from 2012. As far as upstaging someone goes, Detective reckons this takes the biscuit. * BEST still managed to turn on the charm while the eyes of the international press corps were on Adria; ``cool, calm and collected'' was the verdict on his talk and cooking demo. It was a far cry from just a couple of days earlier, when the perturbed Sydneysider confided to Detective he was still trying to locate his equipment and ingredients; something of a setback for a cook, we imagine. Weekend Australian, February 6.
Why our weed is a delicacy in Europe
Scorned as a weed by many in Australia, the samphire plant, which grows in low-lying coastal areas, has been recognised as a European delicacy and is being put on the national food map by a small Kangaroo Island company. Samphire is being harvested by Kangaroo Island business partners Kate Brooksby and Sharon Simons and marketed fresh, for salad, and bottled to a growing range of restaurants. Ms Brooksby grew up on Kangaroo Island on her family's Hawks Nest farm where samphire grows in low-lying areas along creek beds when the water recedes. ``The women on Kangaroo Island have pickled it for many years and used it on biscuits or in sandwiches,'' Ms Brooksby said. ``But it was only when I travelled overseas and saw how people ate it in Europe that we decided to do something about it.'' Last year they started a small food company, Is. Good, to begin producing and marketing samphire and other Kangaroo Island foods. The Advertiser (Adelaide), February 5.
Pubwatch scheme worth exploring
A call to introduce a pubwatch scheme in Tasmania is a commonsense suggestion to reduce drunken violence and general anti-social behaviour and is worthy of public debate. The Pubwatch scheme emerged in Britain in the 1990s and has proved successful in reducing crime and public disorder. Parts of Victoria and Western Australia have introduced the system. The scheme, with parallels to the Neighbourhood Watch scheme, increases liaison between pubs which share information about misbehaving drunks and louts. Publicans use that information to bar would-be patrons from entry, eliminating the circumstances under which a drunk is kicked out of one pub for misbehaving, only to stagger to the next to continue drinking and, more often than not, continue to misbehave. For the past 18 months a chain of local hotels and nightclubs in Hobart has been trialling the scheme, without fanfare and with some success. Hobart Mercury, February 8.
Not enough water to turn into wine NSW overtakes SA as largest producing state
South Australia has lost its long-held position as the nation's largest wine-producing state for the first time since early last century. Drought, lack of irrigation water and the closure of several large wineries have made their mark on the industry. Production dropped from a peak of 733 million litres in 2003-04 to only 424 million litres last year, while New South Wales reached 425 million litres. A further drop in SA is possible this year, with early estimates indicating the Riverland will produce only 280,000 tonnes of grapes, compared with 397,000 tonnes last year. The plight of the SA wine sector is shown in the annual Australian Wine and Grape Industry report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The state still grew more grapes (747,592t) than NSW (534,322t) last year and remains the largest exporter, with 448 million litres worth $1.574 billion, compared with NSW with 201 million litres worth $605m. Riverland Wine Grape Growers Association executive officer Chris Byrne said the closure of three large Riverland wineries and the success of the Riverina's Yellowtail brand have had a significant impact. The Advertiser (Adelaide), February 8.