It's a funny old topsy-turvy world, this molecular gastronomy business. Food might be cooked by freezing rather than heating, a microwave oven is nothing to be ashamed of, and agar—previously known chiefly as a lab ingredient used in microbiology - plays a starring role. But it's only when the waiter at Brunswick Street's Interlude hands out earplugs before the second tasting - to stuff up our noses, naturally - that it's clear we're not in Kansas any more, Toto. There have been signs already that this Monday night culinary excursion at this local proponent of molecular gastronomy is to be more a blast into outer space than a genteel cruise around world cuisine. Take the French onion soup - a frozen lump on a puff pastry stick, with dehydrated parmesan granules. Robin Wickens could make some cosmonauts very happy with his counter-intuitive take on haute cuisine, but don't expect the young British-born chef to laugh: he has heard it all before. "We like to call people here 'gastronauts'," he says politely to the small crowd of diners before introducing his pumpkin soup - a methylcellulose- coated orange blob, naturellment. The Age (Melbourne), April 28.
Council bid to cook up ban on fats
New cafes, restaurants and take-away outlets will be banned from using harmful trans fats in their food under a plan by a Sydney council to tackle heart disease. In an Australian first, Kogarah Council, in Sydney's south, is expected to pass a motion tomorrow night to use its planning powers to ban synthetic trans fatty acids in deep-and shallow-fat frying in food outlets and council childcare centres. Conditions will be placed on all new development applications for food outlets in the local area—believed to be about a dozen a year—while an education campaign will be launched to encourage existing businesses to switch to less harmful alternatives. Restaurant and Catering NSW executive director Robert Goldman dismissed the motion as a stunt and said the council should focus on roads and playgrounds. `Councils can't do the jobs that they were given to do. What in the world are they doing with trans fats?'' Mr Goldman said. Sunday Telegraph (Sydney), April 27.
Delay on smoking ban Council to pause on outdoor dining move
A ban on smoking in outdoor dining areas of Hobart looks set to be delayed. In February Hobart City Council asked staff to report on the feasibility of banning smoking in outdoor dining areas, such as footpaths and Elizabeth Mall. But the Australian Hotels Association and Restaurant and Catering Association is worried about the impact on business, the council's environment health manager Mark Dwyer says in a report. He recommends the council have talks with the AHA and RCA, the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Tourism Council of Tasmania. Mr Dwyer said the AHA and RCA's major concerns included fewer customers. It could also cause some city businesses to relocate to neighbouring municipal areas where smoking in alfresco dining areas on council-owned land is still allowed. The AHA and RCA (which have merged), were worried there was inconsistency across greater Hobart which could confuse both the public and the hospitality industry. Mr Dwyer said outdoor smoking could still have an effect on alfresco dining through smokers congregating on public footpaths next to dining areas. Hobart Mercury, April 26.
Swiss chef creates culinary masterpieces
The Northbourne Restaurant is located within the Marque Hotel Canberra and it is fast becoming a notable hotspot in the city. Serving delicious meals at reasonable prices, it is little wonder the restaurant is growing in popularity. Swiss born and trained chef Beat Ettlin's classical training affords him the knowledge and discipline to experiment with flavours, while maintaining the integrity of produce.. He is meticulous in choosing local, seasonal produce of the finest quality, ensuring the menu provides sensory scintillation sure to delight even the most demanding gourmand. Ettlin revels in the art of food and the visual impact of the plates is breathtaking. The explosion of flavour from the enigmatic combination of ingredients has inspired several awards and accolades. Ettlin's menu has been said to rival that of great restaurants throughout Europe. "Simplicity with a modern Australian twist is what I try to achieve in my menu design," Ettlin said. "I want to give our clients a culinary experience of flavours and freshness - a wow effect." Canberra Times, April 27.
Oprah woos our chef
Oprah Winfrey’s love affair with Aussies continues. Now celebrity chef Curtis Stone has won the powerful talk-show host's seal of approval. Stone, the former host of My Restaurant Rules, filmed a segment with Winfrey earlier this month. Speaking from Taipei, Stone said appearing on Winfrey's show was “a bit of a dream.'” “She is really nice. She is really quick witted,'' Stone said. ``She has got this aura around her and you are a bit nervous to meet her. The second you have done her show it is like, `Oh, you have done Oprah' and it changes the way everyone looks and deals with you.'' Stone has become a major star in the US foodie world thanks to his cable-TV series, Take Home Chef, and his easy-going style. He looks set to become a fortnightly guest on the NBC's Today Show. Sunday Herald Sun, April 27.
Portion distortion
How do you know if you're eating too much? It's a question that's bothering Australian health experts, who have found that many of us are piling over-large portions onto our plates, with restaurants serving up larger and larger meals to customers. Dr David Cameron-Smith, a researcher at Deakin University's department of food science in Melbourne, confirms that the food industry is serving up cheap food in larger and larger portions, meaning that many of us are eating more than we need. "The aim of the global food industry is to supply us with more food, but the population isn't growing anywhere near the level of food sales," he says. "The rate of food consumption is exceeding the growth of the Australian population." Dr Cameron-Smith explains that overeating is happening in all facets of society—from restaurants to burger chains and even our own kitchens. "In today's restaurant culture you expect to walk away from a meal feeling beyond-full, and supermarkets sell bite-size foods designed to be eaten on the go, so you think you're not consuming as much," he says. Sunday Herald Sun, April 27.
Gordon Ramsay's got a recipe for success you can swear by
Like the rest of the world, I have become obsessed with Gordon F****** Ramsay. Along with the sex and swearing of Underbelly, he has f****** saved the f*** out of Channel Nine's disastrous figures. As a passive aggressive male, who avoids conflict at all costs, I admire Ramsay's upfront approach to cooking and life. The recipe seems to be ``a good pinch of salt and a good f****** kick up the arse of the lazy f****** chef who's ruining the f****** business''. Passive aggressives such as myself are more inclined to pout, sulk and needle to get our way. Aggressive aggressives like Ramsay tend to punch, swear and kick the s*** out of anyone in their path. His work on Kitchen Nightmares must be part cabaret: an act that has been working beautifully for him. From the safety of our lounges and through the window of television, we all enjoy conflict. Sunday Telegraph, April 27.
Gourmet glossary
When is a raviolo not a raviolo? One of my pedantic dummy spits is over menus that misuse culinary terms to bastardise their meanings either through ignorance or in a misleading attempt to dress things up—terms like salsa sauce, confits that aren't confits and so on. Take ravioli for example. We all know that it means those small filled pockets of pasta. Then, as the description moved out of Italian eateries into the mainstream, we began seeing menus listing raviolo and learned that it meant one, usually larger, pillow while also, if you were so inclined, learning the difference between the plural and singular masculine noun endings in Italian. So if you order a raviolo of crayfish from a menu and it comes as crayfish sandwiched between two flat sheets of tomato jelly, rather than in a pasta pocket, are you disappointed? The restaurant has obviously called it raviolo because it sounds sexier than sandwich, but have you been misled? Probably. Certainly it's not what most of us would reasonably expect. Sunday Tasmanian, April 27.
$1000 a tonne Why the price of rice is sending shockwaves around the world
Adelaide consumers will pay up to a third more for rice in restaurants as a world shortage begins to hit home. As fears grow about its availability, some Adelaide consumers have begun stockpiling the staple food of billions around the world. It follows a move by Thailand, the world's major exporter, to cut shipments to Australia as it rations scarce supplies. The world price of rice reached $US1000 ($A1064) a tonne this week, fuelling growing concerns over world food security. It has soared from about $US310 ($A330) a tonne in 2006-07 due to fears of shortages, export bans by some countries, stockpiling and rising costs. The demise of the Australian rice industry from a one million-tonne crop in 2005-06 to only 18,000 tonnes this year has had a significant impact on world prices. Adelaide supermarkets and restaurants yesterday said the world shortage was causing steep price rises. At Bangkok Bites, in Chinatown, Mily Ly, niece of the owner, Sam Loi, said a bowl of steamed rice would rise next week from $1.50 to $2. The Advertiser, April 26.
From a top spot in South Yarra to the fresh culinary fields of Footscray
When Sean Donovan told colleagues he was resigning as executive chef at the Botanical to run a kitchen in a nondescript pub in Melbourne's west, they responded with support - and concern. South Yarra institution 'The Bot' had just been sold to a large hotel investment group and the new owners wanted Donovan to stay. "For me, if I'd stayed on, there would have been great opportunities . . . without the risk," he says. But Donovan had his sights set on transforming the Station Hotel, in Napier Street, Footscray, into his own gastro pub and was ready to trade in his view of one of Melbourne's most adored gardens to do so. Some friends asked him if it was the right time, the right place, the right area. "Having not seen where we were, people have this perception of Footscray as being at the end of the earth, not five kilometres from the city, which it is," he says. The move got Melbourne foodies talking. Part of the reason Donovan, 36, says he became co-owner of the pub with his brother-in-law, Greg Fee, was that he had grown too comfortable at the Botanical, a two-hat restaurant. Other reasons included timing and coincidence. The Age, April 26.
Hip bar on the market
One of the city's most sceney bars, Distill in Rundle St, is up for sale. The watering hole, a regular for Adelaide's hip set, is co-owned by local brothers Jake, Mike and Martin Greenrod, and London-based fitness guru James Duigan. “There are a few reasons for selling up,'' Jake said. “We always had a two-year plan, plus each of us wants to concentrate on different projects. Mike wants to put his energies into his filmmaking, Martin and myself will concentrate on GoodLife (restaurants) and James is working on opening more Bodyism gyms in London.'' Distill will be officially on the market on Tuesday, with the lads looking for expressions of interest. Sunday Mail, April 27.
Pilgrims keen to head bush—$5m bonus for country towns
Regional NSW will receive a $5m boost from World Youth Day, with as many as 18,000 international visitors set to descend on towns across the state in July. The State Government will today release projections for the five-day event, which will culminate in Pope Benedict's first visit to Australia. Government World Youth Day spokeswoman Kristina Keneally said that, although much of the focus would be on Sydney, the effects would be felt across NSW. The Sydney Chamber of Commerce estimates the Catholic festival will inject $231m into the state's economy, including spending on food, transport and other attractions. Ms Keneally said many international pilgrims had already indicated their intention to use the trip Down Under to see other parts of Australia as well. The Daily Telegraph, April 28.
Canberra tourism defies downturn; International, interstate visitors up
Canberra performed well above the national average for tourism in 2007, with strong growth in both international and domestic markets. Figures provided to the Sunday Canberra Times by the ACT Government show 1.97million domestic overnight and 164,675 international visitors visited the ACT during the year. ACT Tourism Minister Andrew Barr said the figures represented an increase of 6.9 per cent in international tourists and a 3 per cent increase in domestic overnight visitors over the year. “These figures show that the ACT performed above the national average in 2007 for visitation," he said. “Nationally, the number of international visitors increased by 1.9 per cent over the year and domestic overnight visitation experienced only a slight rise of 0.3per cent, so the results for the ACT are encouraging, particularly given the significant challenges in the domestic tourism market." Canberra Times, April 27.
ACT pledges $65,000 to find Floriade a permanent home
THE ACT Government will set aside $65,000 in this year's budget to find a permanent home for Canberra's flower festival, Floriade. Tourism, Sport and Recreation Minister Andrew Barr said the funds would be used to conduct a feasibility study into finding an appropriate site for the future of "ACT's premier tourist attraction". "Over 20 years, Floriade has become a major part of Canberra's tourism offering and an important part of the national events calendar," Mr Barr said. "As such, we need to ensure Floriade's future permanent home can accommodate the growing number of visitors the event attracts, that it can handle the traffic generated, as well as provide parking in ways that do not overly disrupt the rest of the city." In 2007, Floriade attracted 394,916 visits and injected more than $20million into the ACT economy. Canberra Times, April 27.
Protests fail to stop $4m Branson plan; Virgin tycoon presses on with luxury island resort
Billionaire Virgin boss Richard Branson is pressing ahead with building a luxury Australian island retreat for his Virgin airline staff despite protests from environmentalists. Plans for the $4m nine-hectare estate at Noosa, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, have already been scaled back from those first outlined by the British tycoon. Noosa Councillor Russell Green, chairman of the Environment and Planning Committee that finallypassed the project, said: "Sir Richard announced the original plans in his typical flamboyant style. “As a council we had to say that he couldn't actually create his own private Club Med on the island.I think at first there were plans for a country club and helipad and we said, 'Not going to happen.' " Last week, bulldozers and builders were working on the redevelopment on heart-shaped Makepeace Island in the middle of the Noosa River. The Sun Herald, April 27.
Rosemount gets back in vogue;
They have changed the shape of the bottle, added a sophisticated sauvignon to their mainstay cheeky chardie and are even marketing the idea that wine should be served on the rocks. But perhaps the biggest challenge facing Fosters's marketers is convincing a younger generation that Rosemount is the tipple of the trendies. New television advertising trumpeting its sponsorship of Australian Fashion Week appears on screens tonight. Rosemount is into the second of a five-year, multi-million-dollar naming rights deal, and its $8 million marketing campaign aims to go beyond the fashionistas to a wider market. The ads are the latest but perhaps most high-profile element of a campaign aimed at putting the once-mighty brand back on the map. Since Foster's acquired it from Southcorp for $3.7bn three years ago, along with a swag of other brands including Lindemans and Penfolds, Rosemount has underperformed, leaving investors impatient for a return. Sales are increasing in Australia and Britain but are flat in America as cash-strapped drinkers turn to cheaper brands and old stock stubbornly hangs around shelves. Foster's insists, though, that when Americans see and taste the relaunched lines, they like them. It is the gains that it has made in Australia that Foster's is talking up as evidence that it is working. Sales of Rosemount have grown 55 per cent in value and 37 per cent in volume in the three months to the end of March on a like-for-like basis, according to Nielsen ScanTrack Liquor data. The overall wine market grew 4.6 per cent in value and shrank 1.8 per cent in volumes in the same period.Sydney Morning Herald, April 28.
The party's over Mixed drinks up $1 a bottle in binge war
The cost of pre-mixed drinks will jump by about $1 a bottle from today after a dramatic move by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. The Rudd Government doubled the tax on ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages from midnight last night. Drinks targeted included Bacardi Breezers, rum and coke, Vodka Cruisers and UDLs. Some are equivalent to three standard drinks. Drinkers will pay more for the products, whether sold in supermarkets, bottle shops or pubs. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show young people are more likely to drink RTDs and teenage girls in particular are introduced to alcohol through RTDs. The Rudd Government swooped last night to avoid a rush on bottle shops. But shoppers may still be able to pick up a bargain. Some prices will stay at current levels until stocks are sold. Sunday Herald Sun, April 27.
Off the bat
Some people insist that screw-caps take the romance out of wine. Of course, that suggests their love lives have a lot in common with bad corks - too short and deteriorating with age. But, for most wine lovers, screw-caps mean we can get the top off the bottle ASAP. Making the transition from stubbie to stelvin can also be hard for converted beer drinkers. After all, the party tricks they used to pull out in the absence of a bottle opener are useless in vine society. But they might find comfort in Domaine Chandon ZD Blanc de Blancs—the first commercially available vintage sparkling released with a crown seal more commonly found on beer. Traditionally, crown seals are used by sparkling and champagne producers during bottle fermentation and maturation. Sunday Telegraph Magazine, April 27.
Hungry miles: how far has your food flown
In January last year, British supermarket giant began placing little red stickers depicting an aircraft on certain goods. According to Tesco chief executive Terry Leahy, customers had told him they were worried about their carbon footprint and climate change. Leahy reacted by labelling products to show shoppers they had been airfreighted. He also pledged to work towards using air transport for only one per cent of Tesco's products. It all sounded about as batty as Heather Mills telling people the planet was in environmental danger and we should all stop eating meat because cows fart. But within months, the Tesco branding had caught on. Suddenly, almost every retailer in Britain, from giant chains to corner shops, were at pains to flag their green credentials. Food Miles had taken off—and the only country not taken for a ride was Australia. That has since changed. As mad as it sounds, Food Miles—coined in the 1990s by a food-policy professor at London's City University to measure the distance food travels from field to plate, and the ensuing environmental impact—is changing the face of global business. The concept is woolly at best, fundamentally flawed at worst. Sunday Telegraph, April 27.
Olive crops thrive under downpours
As one of the Hunter's biggest olive groves prepares to begin its harvest in earnest, the rain is pouring down. Unlike the region's wine, this year's wet conditions in the Upper Hunter are not going to threaten the crop at Pukara Estate near Muswellbrook, owner Bruce Eglington says. "The soil is very forgiving; free draining," he said. "Moisture makes it a little difficult to press but the oil varieties tend not to bloat." It is Pukara's sixth harvest after its establishment in 1999 and rain has never been a serious issue, Mr Eglington said. "We've pretty much been in drought ever since we started," he said. "The last two years have been extremely challenging." Compared with the frenzy of the wine harvest, getting the olives off appears positively laid-back. Mr Eglington said the grove set a model yield of between seven and eight tonnes a hectare, or about 100,000 litres a year, when it started. Newcastle Herald, April 26.
Vittoria, mio core
Les Schirato, the CEO of Cantarella Bros, says it was not easy to introduce strong coffee to Australia. Initially, Schirato was laughed at when he tried to persuade supermarket owners to distribute Cantarella's products. At that time, it seemed impossible to make Australians drink strong coffee. Schirato persevered and his persistence paid off. Cantarella now controls 43 per cent of the domestic pure coffee market. Schirato, who has been at the helm of the company since 1993, is proud of his achievements. The Australian Financial Review, May 2008
Money on tap
In the shadow of Stansted Airport in England, Elsenham is a small village whose amenities run to a convenience shop, a pub and an Indian takeaway. Leave the railway station, cross the M11, negotiate a landfill site and eventually you come to Elsenham Estate, home to an industrial sealant manufacturer, factories and—in a shiny building only a couple of years old—a goldmine. It's Elsenham Water, one of the world's most expensive waters, ``bottled at source'' from a ``pure confined aquifer''. Unlikely, you may think. Nevertheless, one 750ml bottle of Elsenham water can cost as much as $68— and that's assuming you know where to shop for it. You won't find it in supermarkets. Elsenham is sold at Collette, Paris's fanciest fashion boutique, served at El Bulli, the multi-Michelin-starred restaurant in Spain (regarded as the world's finest), and swigged by the clientele of Private C, a charter-yacht company that caters for discerning millionaires. Next time you're staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, ask the maitre d' for a bottle. Bottled water is the food phenomenon of our times and an anomaly to previous generations who somehow managed to hydrate themselves from the tap. Global sales increased 1000-fold between 1984 and 2005. Today the market is worth $57 billion, making bottled water the fastest-growing beverage in the world.
Herald Sun, April 26.
Sanitarium returns to shopfront
Sanitarium has chosen the Brisbane central business district as the location for its pilot Australian health food store. The company has opened a shop in 145 Eagle St after buying the Aztec Coffee business and taking over its lease. While it has operated health food stores all around Australia from about 1904, in the mid-1980s Sanitarium shut up shop due to the push out of strip shopping into malls. But—in a bid to reinvigorate its brand—the 110-year-old company has decided that it will open its first health food store in more than 20 years. Deborah Peralta of Sanitarium said the idea was to return the company to its original roots and bring healthy food direct to people through caring and considerate service. She said she had searched Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for nearly two years to find the right spot for the shop. ``I walked the streets of Brisbane looking for a site,'' she said. ``I was looking for a premises that was in a corporate business area that would afford me some outdoor space, as well as create something beautiful inside.'' The Eagle Street shop has 87sq m of internal space plus an outdoor dining area. Ms Peralta said the company had already carried out some refurbishments, particularly the outdoor area—which was repaved, fitted with retractable awnings and decorated with lemon trees and fresh rosemary. The Courier Mail (Brisbane), April 25.
Alcopops Kapow!; Teenage drinking
John Rogerson was still in bed when the call came yesterday morning. The head of the Australian Drug Foundation quickly realised his Sunday sleep-in would have to wait. On the phone was Senator Jan McLucas - parliamentary secretary for health in the Rudd Government. The news she delivered caught Rogerson, and the alcohol industry, by surprise. Taxes on pre-mixed spirits or "alcopops" would be raised by 70% - effective immediately. The devastating toll of youth alcohol abuse would be curtailed by raising the price of drinks popular with teenagers. Binge drinking, and the industry accused of encouraging it, had been dealt a lethal blow. For Rogerson, the personal call from the heart of Government marked a fundamental shift in the balance of power. McLucas' predecessor, Christopher Pyne, had held monthly meetings with the alcohol industry. But Rogerson, like many in a sector predicting a binge-drinking disaster, struggled to get an appointment. Now they are being heard - and Australia's booze-soaked culture is being challenged at the highest level. Tough measures long called for by health experts are becoming policy. Kevin Rudd's latest bombshell comes just weeks after he announced a $53m strategy to tackle alcohol abuse. The message to the industry is clear—the party's over.The shock decision to raise taxes on alcopops—announced at midnight on Saturday—closes a loophole opened by the Howard government when GST was introduced in 2000. The taxation system for pre-mixed spirits was changed to attract a lower rate than more potent standard spirits. Thus, tax on a 5% strength can of bourbon and cola would mirror that on a can of beer of similar potency. It seemed a logical and just system. The Age, April 28.
Teens targeted by alcopop tax hike—But pubs and clubs warned against raising prices too soon
Pubs and clubs face audits by the Rudd Government if they profit from a new excise on pre-mixed alcoholic drinks. The Government has increased its excise on alcopops—alcoholic beverages marketed at teenagers—and other ready-to-drink products from $39 a litre of alcohol to $67 a litre. Stakeholders admit some pubs and clubs may now start increasing their prices, although the excise only applies to products that were transferred from factories at midnight yesterday, and not current stock. But hoteliers have welcomed a 100 per cent tax hike on pre-mixed alcoholic drinks, saying it will stop young people drinking them ``like cordial''. Prices are expected to increase by up to $1.30, and are now at the same excise rates as bottled spirits. Almost $2 billion is expected to be raised from the move, with some money directed at preventative health strategies. The Courier Mail, April 28.