Vietnamese cuisine has long been a favourite of mine.  Crisp and clean flavours often punctuated by selective use of spice, it’s food that makes you feel good when you eat it.  I certainly felt good after enjoying the signature dishes Ms Vy presented in her Melbourne Food and Wine Festival dinner at Dandelion.  Trinh Diem Vy is the poster girl for modern Vietnamese cuisine.  Hailing from the quaint and colourful town of Hoi An on the central coast of Vietnam, Ms Vy is behind the popular and iconic Cargo, Mermaid and Morning Glory restaurants, and an internationally famous cooking school.  Her passion is evident and expressed through fresh ingredients, imaginative flavours and her personal interpretation of family recipes, street foods and local specialties.    The well designed, intimate and elegantly casual surrounds of Geoff Lindsay’s contemporary Vietnamese restaurant Dandelion provided a fitting venue for Ms Vy to showcase her skills.

Diners were greeted with glasses of Huda Beer and Geppetto NV Brut from Crittenden Estate – who provided the wine matches for each course.  Then, after a short greeting from Geoff Lindsay, it was on to the food.  Later in the evening we heard from Ms Vy herself and from the winemaker at Crittenden.

Cabbage Leaf Parcels with Shrimp Mousse in Broth

2010 Los Hermanos Tributo Savignan

Such clean, delicate flavours in this dish.  I was particularly taken by the story that accompanied it, which Ms Vy shared with us:  apparently it is tradition for prospective wives to cook cabbage for their mother-in-law to be, as a sort of test.  The basic premise is that it is easy to make good dishes from seafood, meat and so on, but to make cabbage taste great requires true skill and mastery.

Beef Salad with Fragrant Herbs, Peanuts and Lime

2011 Pinocchio Rosato

Travel around the outskirts of the historic town of Hoi An (as I did last year) and you cannot miss the fields of variegated green on long well tended rows.  These herb gardens provide the wide array of fresh and fragrant herbs that are the backbone of many classic dishes such as this one.  The layers of light but pungent flavours are balanced and easy to enjoy.

Hoi An Fried Wontons with Crab Meat Topping

2010 Crittenden Pinot Gris

A Hoi An specialty,  these crisp delicate wontons are the perfect showcase for the sweet crab meat. Despite being fried they are neither oily nor heavy and were well matched by the pinot gris.

Stuffed Squid with Pork and Shrimp

2010 Crittenden Pinot Noir

This dish reminded me of the afternoon we spent with the fishermen from the small eco-village just outside Hoi An.  They made a version of this after teaching us how they fish using enormous nets and how to manouevre the basket boats “THÚNG CHAI”.   My Vy’s squid was tender, the sauce sweet and the combination of pork and shrimp is a Vietnamese classic.

Warm Shrimp and Pork Watercress Salad with Soft Boiled Duck Egg

2010 The Zumma Single Vineyard Pinot Noir

Vietnam’s ingredients reflect it’s geography and climate.  The central coast is well known for growing the best vegetables and herbs, and has an abundance of beautiful seafood.  Here, Ms Vy has brought the two elements together in this wonderfully balanced salad.  The crunch of the ever present peanuts and fried shallots provide a welcome textural contrast to the watercress.

Tapioca, Mango, Strawberry and Coconut Cream on Spoons

2011 Pinocchio Moscato

Regular readers will know that I am not a big sweet tooth, so these mouthfuls of dessert were perfect for me.

Just as the MFWF dinner at MoVida returned me to the streets of New York City, Ms Vy’s Morning Glory dinner at Dandelion took me back to our trip to Vietnam and reminded me of the diversity of the culinary delights this country has to offer, and it’s rich tradition in eating out.  One day I will get around to writing up our trip…

On Sunday October 16 last year, at around 7pm, The Beloved and I landed at JFK in New York City after nearly a full 24 hours of travelling.  We collected our bags, grabbed a cab, went to our hotel, had a much anticipated shower, donned clean clothes and went straight back out the door and made a beeline for 163 First Ave in the East Village.  The destination:  Momofuku Ko.  The much talked about 2 Michelin star, 12 seat restaurant in the David Chang stable.  Two years ago when we were last in NYC we missed out on dining here thanks to Ko’s reputation still being white hot and the online reservation system being nearly impenetrable.  This time we were luckier.

this is a reservation for momofuku ko at 163 first ave. please print this out and bring it with you. Joanne , you reserved 2 seats on 10/16/2011 at 09:30 pm  if you cancel this reservation less than 24 hours in advance of your seating time or do not attend this reservation, you will be charged $150.00 per person. to cancel click here: ko is located at 163 first ave. between 10th and 11th please note we will do our best to accommodate special needs and food allergies however because our menu changes from day to day we will sometimes be unable to significantly alter your meal. due to ko’s size and out of respect for other diners, photography and phone calls are NOT allowed at ko.

Ko is a great experience and takes the open kitchen concept to a whole new level.  Sitting at the bar you can see everything that goes on as the chefs (there were four on the night we went) prepare your dishes.  Most are happy to chat to you as they go about their work, but there is still a hint of “too cool to talk”, which was a pity because with no written menu and no phones or cameras allowed I needed all the help I could get to remember the details of the dishes we ate.  I tried to scribble them down when we returned to our hotel, but I think being full of food and wine and the onset of jetlag may have conspired against me.  Highlights include the raw flounder with black bean puree, chilli and coriander cress, an oxtail consommé with daikon tortellini and oxtail meat, hand cut pasta with snail and chicken sausage, chicken skin and pecorino and a smoked egg with caviar and sous vide onion covered in a cloud of microplaned fois gras.  Just as interesting as the food was the beverage match for each course which ranged from a plum gin sourced  from upstate New York, to a rare sake to a particularly herbaceous local beer, to champagne.  In all, an excellent way to kick off our food adventures in this diverse city.

The following night, after an enjoyable but not strenuous day walking around the city, our destination was another small eatery:  Torrisi Italian Specialties.  Deli by day and unashamedly Italian-American restaurant by night, this little gem takes no bookings and offers only a seven course prix fixe menu.  At a mere $50 when we went, it was a bargain.  The menu changes daily and follows the Italian tradition of antipasti, then pasta, followed by a protein of some sort and finishing with something sweet.  It is not simple fare though, the technical skill and creativity is unmistakeable.  I still clearly remember what we started with: warm, just made mozzarella sprinkled with salt and drizzled with olive oil that we happily smeared on the rich garlic toast that accompanied it.

These were easily two of the best eating experiences we had in New York, so it is easy to understand that I was rather excited to see that David Chang and the boys from Torrisi (Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi) were joining forces for a dinner at MoVida as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.  The chefs, when they weren’t actually in the kitchen, were generous with their time talking to the lucky diners who came to enjoy the seven courses with matched wines.  They spoke of how exciting it was to have access to ingredients they had never before cooked with – seafood in particular with eel and marron given as examples.  The menu for the dinner wasn’t finalised until that day after the chefs, with Frank Camorra accompanying them, visited the markets.  During the brief chat I had with Mario and Rich they were blown away that there was someone present at the dinner who had eaten at their restaurant.  They had seen themselves as “David’s support act”.

Here is what we ate.  I would happily eat the entire menu again.  I thought it was a little obvious for Chang to include his steamed pork buns, which he readily acknowledged.  Adding that they are so well known that it is a damned if you do damned if you don’t situation.

clockwise from bottom left:   Smoked Eel     Eggplant Parm    Mochi Balls    Scallop Tabasco

08 Telmo Rodriguez “El Transistor” Verdejo

The eel was turned into a mousse, piped into beautifully crisp brik pastry and dusted with freeze dried apple – amazing.

Mackeral Giardina

Cauliflower, Almond, Paprika

10 Muller Catoir “Trocken” Riesling

This dish was all about texture

Steam Bun

Pork Belly, Hoisin, Cucumber

09 Dveri Pax Pinot Gris

Yes, they are good!

Hand Torn Pasta

Goats Cheese, Thai Basil, Mint

10 Maranones ‘Picarana’ Albillo

Possibly my favourite of the night – I want to work out how to make this at home.

Sea Shell di Mare

Cuttlefish, Marron, Tasmanian Clams

11 Mas Donis Garnacha Rosat

Apart from the unmistakeable Australian ingredients I could have been in Mulberry St New York eating this

Short Ribs

Onions, Chilli, Italian Eggplant

09 Plageoles Duras

All ribs should be as good as these

Pistachio Sorbet and Blackcurrant

10 Saracco Moscato d’Asti

I would not have thought much of pairing pistachio and blackcurrant together – until now

It was a good day for Melbourne when these guys came to town.   I love Melbourne’s food and restaurants and believe we easily hold our own on the world stage, but we can only grow when we get exposure to talent like this through events such as the  Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

If you are lucky enough to get to New York – visit their restaurants.  Chang has many (Ko, Ssam, Noodle Bar, Milk Bar) and Carbone and Torrisi have opened their second venture Parm.  It is essentially an extended version of what they used to do at Torrisi Italian Specialties at lunch – taking lunch standards and making them heroes.  I will be back for the meatball parmigiana hero – from what I hear its not to be missed.  The original site on Mulberry St now focuses solely on Prix Fixe menus.  Joining the home style menu that we enjoyed is a 20 course, reservations only “chefs’ tasting menu”.  At $125 that sounds like a tasting menu I need to try.

It wasn’t my first choice.  It wasn’t even my second or third.  It was booked on my fourth attempt to find a Melbourne Food and Wine Festival dinner to go to with friends.  Juggling availabilities, location and my late foray into finding something, I knew it was a big ask to get a booking for something I was truly excited about, but I still held out hope for good food and a pleasant evening.  And so it was that the Anglo French 100 Year War Dinner at Fenix was secured as the first festival event I would attend this year.  Taking its cue from the series of wars waged from 1337 to 1453 between the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet that changed “not just Europe but the way we eat and drink”, the premise of the evening was, led by Gary Mehigan and Manu Feildel, to explore the similarities between the two cuisines that “have adapted over time and have profoundly influenced Australian culture”.

The idea sounded interesting: head to head dishes highlighting the best of English and French cuisine and the chance to learn a bit more about history.  Or so I thought.  My warning bells failed to go off.  I gave nary a thought to the type of person who might be attracted to such an dinner, or to how it might be staged (and staged it was).  And we paid for it.  One of our party remarked that it felt like paying to go a wedding at which we knew no-one.  Fenix is a lovely venue in a beautiful setting, but that could not make up for what I found a very disappointing evening.

We started in the foyer with Australian sparkling wine and canapés.  From the English corner; a mini chicken and leek pie, from the French; a crouton topped with what they claimed was steak tartar but appeared more like a mystery mix with crumbled boiled egg on top.  Neither hit the mark.  Roaming amongst the gathering guests was a guy in shorts and a VB singlet with a tray of obviously plastic hors d’oeurves.  I am not sure what the point of his presence was, but I ended up wondering if his offering was the one I should have gone for.

It as as we were ushered into the main dining room and I took in the reception like setting that it slowly dawned on me what we were in for: a staged event designed to flout not the food but the personalities involved.  I could appreciate the large French and English flags above the microphone’s podium, and the effect of the alternating flags as place cards on the table setting, but when the MC formally commenced proceedings in an English accent reminiscent of a cast member of the British sitcom On the Buses I had a flicker of  worry.  Then Gary entered the room dressed as Nelson, and Manu followed in his best impersonation of Napoleon Bonaparte and the flicker grew.  We were treated not to a discourse on the origins of food but to a pantomime like act full of cringe worthy quips on what each country had given to the world.  In short we learnt that England gave us Spotted Dick and we can thank France for the bikini.  Amongst all of this frivolity, dinner was served.

First course hailed from England.  Confit trout with horseradish cream, pickled cucumber, crisp bacon, radish and watercress.  The matched wine was a very enjoyable 2010 Domaine Joseph Cattin Pinot Blanc from Alsace, France.  The trout was beautifully cooked   although I found the portion was a bit large for a six course dinner.  Missing from the plate was the crisp bacon, which would have added a nice textural element, but I liked the finely sliced radish.

The second course was my favourite of the evening; escargot ‘snails’ pastisse cassolete served with a 2009 Maitre Renard Chardonnay from Burgundy.  The pastry was flaky and golden.  Perfect with the escargot that had the delicate aniseed scent of the pastisse.

The third dish was “pork peas and onions” pork belly with slow roasted onions, smashed peas.  It was matched with a 2010 George Duboeuf Beaujolais-Village.  It looked okay on the plate but I found the pork a bit dry and the peas bland and under seasoned.

We travelled back across the channel to France for the fourth course; beef cheek bourguignon with carrot purée.  No need for Manu to ask “where’s the sauce” on this tasty dish.  I enjoyed the cheek but again wished that the portion was smaller.  At this point there were still two course to go and I was wondering how I was going to fit anything else in.  It was well paired with a 2009 Les Courtilles Cote du Rhône.

Back to the “infotainment” part of the night.  By now the MC had returned to his microphone, this time attempting a French accent.  However, his was not the only accent we had to endure.  No celebrity chef is without a cookbook these days.  Where better to promote it than to a captive audience such as the one assembled at our dinner and how better than with a bit of audience participation.  A roving microphone went around the room and sought out diners who were willing to put their best pompous Brit or arrogant Frenchman to the test in a bid to win a copy of either Gary or Manu’s latest book.  Giveaways over, it was time for a bit of Q & A.   Sadly I learnt nothing much about food or the impact of the 100 years war, but did chuckle along with the rest of the room when Manu answered with a resounding “yes” when asked if Thomas (from MKR) was as awful in person as the TV series portrayed.  All was not lost if you missed out on the free books as both chefs set up tables in the foyer where for a mere $40 you could get their latest book and have it signed.

Sussex Pond Pudding was our fifth course and first of two desserts.  Rich and heavy this pudding is traditionally made by covering a whole lemon with butter and sugar and encasing it in a suet pastry.  It is then steamed or boiled for several hours turning the insides into a thick sauce which flows out to form the ‘pond’ when the dessert is cut open.  No whole lemons in the small versions we were served and one of ours had to sauce at all.  I’m far from a sweet tooth so this held no appeal for me.  A nice contrast to the richness was the accompanying Delemere Sparkling Rosé from the Tamar Valley.

The final course for the evening was a perfect chocolate tart pore belle hélène.  It was a chocoholic’s delight.  With a beautiful texture and intense in flavour it could have come close to its claim of ‘perfect’, but ending a large dinner with two such heavy and rich desserts is not my preference so I only managed a mouthful or two.

The dinner was $150 per person for the six courses with matched wines.  I didn’t leave hungry, but nor did I leave satisfied.  The whimsy and commercialism of the night overtook left no room for focus on the food, and this is something I expected as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.  In this Anglo French war I think the winners were the chefs’ egos and the books’ publishers.  Disappointing, yes, but fortunately I have quite a few other Festival events to look forward to, so here’s to the next one.

Earlier this year I saw a tweet from StreetSmart calling for corporate sponsors.  I was already familiar with StreetSmart and the excellent work they do to tackle homelessness at the grassroots and had supported Dine Out to Help Out in the past, but I wanted to know if there was more I could do.  So I replied to the tweet and caught up over coffee with Adam Robinson, the Director of StreetSmart.  We chatted at length about many aspects of what he is trying to do and the success they have had thus far.  Did you know that when it first started it in Melbourne in 2003 they raised $16,574?  Last year the figure was $420,914 it came from 260 restaurants spread throughout Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT plus the online fundraising.  The best part is that 100% of it is distributed in the form of grants – last year supporting 88 grassroots projects.  As the conversation went on I mentioned that I worked in the coffee industry.  It was then that Adam mentioned this idea he had brewing – to get cafes, and coffee drinkers, involved – it was called CafeSmart.  I got excited.  Here was something I could help with!  After several more meetings, over several more cups of coffee, the idea evolved to what it is now.

What is it?

On FRIDAY AUGUST 5th CafeSmart will bring together cafes and coffee drinkers around the country to help people who are homeless.  Participating cafes will generously donate $1.00 per coffee sold to fund local projects.  We want our supporters to take a simple action and buy their coffees on the 5th at participating Cafes and consider making an extra donation online.  ”Grab a coffee and help the homeless” is something we can all do.

CafeSmart will take place during National Homeless Persons’ Week, 1-7 August 2011, and will bring together café owners, staff and their customers, to create change in local communities. StreetSmart is also teaming up with coffee roasters around Australia who will be supporting cafes through supplying discounted coffee beans on the day.

What can you do?

On the day

Locate a participating café and buy your coffee(s) there.  This is easy to do using the locator and map found here on the StreetSmart website.  Turn into into a coffee crawl and visit several cafés if you can!

Tweet your coffees or post pics to Facebook to spread the word

Before the day

Build support and community involvement through Facebook, Twitter, word of mouth and what ever else you can think of

Chat to your favourite café and see if they are involved, encourage them to sign up.  The reasons they should are many:

• they’ll be helping people who desperately need your support
• it’s local – the donations will support people in their suburb or region
• they’ll be helping to tackle homelessness and build stronger communities
• it’s a unique activity– something to talk about and connect to with customers and staff
• it brings in potential customers to familiarise themselves thereby encouraging repeat business
• their business will be promoted through partner databases, media and PR coverage
• what goes around…. comes around – feel the karma!

About homelessness

It’s hard to imagine living on the streets, where a piece of cardboard could be your pillow, your bed, your roof, your home.

Every night across Australia, more than 100,000 people are homeless, of these 14,000 sleep rough. Every day, two out of three people who look for crisis accommodation are turned away; there are ‘no vacancies’.

Many end up on the street or living in inadequate single rooms, caravans, squats, cars, refuges, or sleeping on friends’ couches. Vast numbers of our fellow Australians live in these dangerous and miserable conditions.

Each has a different journey into homelessness, and they are not who you may think. Close to half the homeless are female — many with young children — and nearly half of all homeless are under the age of 25.

A recent study by SAAP showed that domestic/family violence was the biggest single contributor to homelessness. Other major contributors are poor mental health, family breakdown, debt, poverty, lease expiry, family violence and abuse, chronic gambling and substance addiction. This is a long way from the favoured media image of our homeless population. It is a national disgrace that, in some areas, four out of five of those seeking help are suffering from a mental illness, but have nowhere else to go.

I am proud of the small involvement I have had in seeing CafeSmart evolve from an idea to a reality.

I will be even prouder when as many people as possible get behind it however they can.  So please, grab a coffee and help the homeless.

She is the fourth generation of one of Spain’s premier food families and one of only three women at the helm in a Michelin three star restaurant.  She lives in a city famed for its innovative and avant garde cuisine and can transform cutting edge ideas into dishes that still impart a personal touch.  She is “…always thinking about food.  It’s always about the food.”  She is Elena Arzak.

In town for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Langham Masterclass (quite the coup for this year’s theme – Women of the Kitchen), Elena shared her thoughts, “inspirations, aspirations and restaurants” at an intimate evening at The Press Club.  Elena was not cooking, which was the only downside to what eventuated in a truly enjoyable evening.  The man who created the eight course menu and was at the pass for the night was George Calombaris.  Considerable thought and effort went into the dishes, with menu tasting happening for a full month leading up to the event according to Angie Giannakodakis (restaurant manager).  The “intimate” part of the evening referred to the conversation about food, family and being female with Elena led by Matt Preston and supplemented with input from Shannon Bennett and Phillippe Mouchel.  Elena was charming.  Her answers, thoughtful and relevant.  At times humourous and at others, humble.  I surreptitiously scribbled a few notes in the hope of remembering more than just a few words, but it was hard to tear myself away from the food.

I really enjoyed the menu, both for the individual dishes and the progression of each to other to form a well balanced degustation.  Some courses espoused the deconstruction of well known Greek dishes that has become Calombaris’ signature, but with others he took a different path and played more with influences from other cultures.  In a manner very similar to the Thorsten Schmidt dinner, we started with some snacks.  This time taramosalata potato crisps and anchovy paximathi.  The paximathi won me.  The crunch of what I would describe as the Hellenic version of grissini and the salty hit from the anchovies went beautifully with the Raventos i Blanc de Nit Cava Brut Rose.  This Catalonian wine is superb, I will be looking for it again.

The next course was my favourite for the evening.

TUNA – feta brined watermelon, white bait, wasabi

Itsas Mendi ‘Txakoli’ Hondarrabi Zuri 2009, D.O. Bizkaiko Txakolina, Gernika, Vizcaya Basque Country

I want to say it was a triumph of texture and taste, partly because I like the alliteration but mostly because it was true, but I fear it will sound altogether too pretentious, so let’s just pretend I didn’t!  The brining of the watermelon gave it a textural feel akin to that of the tuna, but it somehow retained the unmistakeable crunch of watermelon.  The two together worked brilliantly, and it a long time since I have had such perfect whitebait.  Sitting atop the watermelon was one of the more interesting flavours of icecream I have had.  Not quite as mind challenging as wood icecream, but no less fitting or flavourful.  It was wasabli and feta.  The wasabi was perfect for the tuna, and feta with watermelon has long been a favoured combination of mine.

On to one of the more playful presentations

SPAM – of pork, lettuces, white peach

Chateau Pierre-Bise ‘Roche aux Moines’ Chenin Blanc 2007, Savennieres A.O.C. Loire Valley, France

This reminded me of the SPAM fritters Heston Blumenthal made in his 1970s inspired Feast, but it looked nothing like his plate of school dinner, nor could I taste any truffles!  The little spheres of peach puree and balls of what I am fairly certainly were deep fried pork fat complemented what was essentially a type of terrine.  I am curious as to where the original contents of all the SPAM tins went…

RABBIT – dim sims, miso melizanosalata, toursi

Domaine de l’Arjolle ‘Sarabande’ Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2009, VdP Cotes de Thongue, Languedoc-Rousillon, France

These are certainly not the dim sims that the local fish and chips chop of my childhood made a living from.  Which is, quite frankly, a good thing.  Served in their own whimiscal Press Club dim sim bag and wrapped in pastry made using a recipe that George got courtesy of the Flower Drum, these moist rabbit morsels could have comprised the entire course but they didn’t and the rest was just as good.  The miso melizanosalata is the luscious looking puree at the bottom of the plate above.  Here, again, Mr Calombaris is playing with Asian flavours in traditional Greek dishes, and to stunning effect.  It was silky smooth and perfect against the pickled vege (toursi).  Accompanying this array was the loin, which I unfortunately found a little dry, and the mini crumbed bit, which was moreish.  Terrible description “crumbed bit” but schnitzel is German and cotoletta is Italian and I wasn’t sure of the Greek.

AVGOLEMONO – quail,crab, chicken and duck

Yarra Yering ‘Blanc de Noir” Pinot Noir 1996, Yarra Valley, VIC

You would be forgiven for thinking there was a lot going on in this dish.  I want to say it worked, but the jury is still out.  On the night Matt Preston sang it’s praises, but I think that some of the subtle flavours got lost amongst the fray.  Avgolemono is a traditional Greek egg and lemon soup.  This version had crab and tapioca pearls through the chicken broth and a slice of quail breast.  I barely noticed the crab and felt that the quail was out of place.   The duck was not in the actual soup.  It was presented, with appropriate theatricality, on a plate covered with a glass cloche swirling with smoke.  Cloche lifted, wafts of smoke filled the air and before us – duck crackling.  A bit like the pork crackling that is so very very bad for you.  The duck crackling was a nice textural contrast to the soup, and on the whole I didn’t dislike the dish,  but I didn’t love it.

The last of the savoury courses was

LAMB – bastouma, cherry, fennel, pollen

Domaine Mercouri ‘Antares’ Avgoustiatis Mouvedre 2006, Ilias, Peloponessos, Hellenic Republic

I have never left The Press Club Hungry and this night was certainly going to be no exception.  This “best end” lamb was deliciously tender, moist and really really filling.  Quite a rich dish, the fennel puree and cherry jam worked well together with the bastouma.  I couldn’t finish it, but that may have been because dessert was still to come.

SANDWICH – sesame seed, tahini, liquorice

Campbells ‘Liquid Gold Classic Rutherglen Toaque’ Muscadelle NV, Rutherglen, VIC

But before dessert, “pre-dessert”.  That decadent little something that is sent out to pamper you and tease your taste buds before the main sweet treat.  Perfectly matched to the accompanying muscadelle, these just bigger than bite size sandwiches of tahini semi-freddo between sesame crisps made me realise that for someone who claims not to have a sweet tooth, I do rather like luscious morsels such as these when done well.

FRUIT – variations & expressions, peppered yoghurt

Braida Brachetto d’Aqui D>O>C>G 2009, Piedmonte, Italy

If I was sufficiently sated before the lamb, by this stage I was all but done for.  Fortunately the different expressions and variations of fruit were exactly the light and refreshing end to the meal I needed.  I cannot remember all of the different treatments given to the array of fruit but I enjoyed all of them and the peppered yoghurt.

Throughout the evening the conversation with Elena and the other chefs elicited some wonderful insights and opinions.  There was a discussion on why Spain appears to be number one for food and whether France can come back or if Scandinavia is now the stronger contender.  Both Phillippe Mouche and Shannon Bennett were (unsurprisingly) firmly in France’s corner and believe there are good places in France unknown because they do not seek the tourist dollar and focus on Cuisine du Terroir (the direct translation of which is food of the earth but should be taken to mean cuisine covering regional specialties with a focus on local produce).  Fittingly there was also some time given to the subject of women in the kitchen.  Women are everything in the Basque country that Elena calls home and Restaurant Arzak is quite the matriarchy, yet here the story is different.  Shannon has 65 chefs and only 10 of them are female.  The why wasn’t really uncovered which suggests to me it is a topic deserving of more attention.

The “intimate” conversation only seemed really staged a few times and the flow of ideas, particularly from Elena definitely added to my experience of the evening.  They talked about running restaurants in a more intelligent way and agreed that there are similar qualities that make a top restaurant, a certain je ne c’est pas.  Ultimately though, food is still food.

“If you want to be really good at what you’re doing, do it with passion and love”  Phillippe Mouchel

“Food should be humble and relate to every single person”  Elena Arzak

“You can spend hours perfecting a dish in restaurant but everything is stripped back when your three year old refused to eat and throw their food at you”  Shannon Bennett

George mingled at the end of the evening chatting happily to the table I was on.  I can’t help but wonder if the smile would still be there had he known I was a food blogger!  As a final thought I will leave you with the responses from the three chefs to the question of what was the most important thing they learnt in the kitchen:

“Respect. And loving your work”  Elena Arzak

“To be patient”  Phillippe Mouchel

“Treasure every moment”  Shannon Bennett

And their thoughts on the future of food:

“You need to know where everything comes from”  Shannon Bennett

“Will depend on your staff”  Phillippe Mouchel

“..is about the product and it evolving all the time.  Everyone will still like to eat”  Elena Arzak

The days are still sunny and warm but the nights a little cooler.  March brings with it heralds the arrival of autumn and with it some of my favourite things: the first of the new season apples, green beans, perhaps some mushrooms and the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.  One of the first events of the festival to sell out was the Thorsten Schmidt at Attica dinner.  Thanks to lots of calendar reminders which ensured I rang the moment it went on sale, I was one of the fortunate few to go to this amazing dinner.

A Nordic culinary sensation, Thorsten and his sous chef Jacob, teamed up with Ben Shewry and the eleven chefs at Attica to present dishes that were locally foraged (that morning by Ben and Thorsten), with a story to accompany each.  Speaking to us prior to the first course being served, Thorsten explained that his philosophy is to use modern and traditional techniques, experience and local produce to tell the story of the land, for it is nature and season that determines the what and when of food ready to be used.  The dinner took us on a journey through the Jutland region of his homeland.   Winter is drawing to an end in Jutland so our dining journey reflected the mood, light and terroir of this season.

SNACKS AND APPETISERS

isabella brut 2005 – macedon, victoria

The thing that immediately struck me as the snacks were served, is the way in which Thorsten uses food as a form of communication and interaction.  Every element of each dish and it’s presentation and the adornments on the table are an integral part of the overall story and experience.  The first snack was a ‘potato chip’ dusted with saltberries from the morning’s foraging and served with a sour cream.

Following that was a nest of hay with warm, slightly smoked nuts.

Guests had to do their own foraging to enjoy the offering.

Our journey through Jutland started with the next course. The assembly, executed with expert precision by the small army of chefs, took place in the atrium at Attica which meant that I got to watch each stage since I was seated directly next to it.  Conversation from me was a bit stilted at this point, as my attention kept being drawn to the activity just through window.

LIMFJORDEN

oysters, fresh cheese, horseradish and cauliflower

crawford river riesling 2010 – henty, victoria

A water pouch provided the fjord. ‘Sand’ was cleverly placed underneath the fjord and atop.  Nearly all white in colour, it did remind me of winter.  But what of the taste?  Reading through the ingredients caused a few on my table to raise their eyebrows – oysters and fresh cheese?  With horseradish?  It was an inspired and beautifully balanced dish – I loved it.  Having fully recovered their condition after spawning the Coffin Bay oysters were delicate and sweet with a crisp salty taste.  The horseradish was not overpowering, only a subtle zing to offset the creaminess of the oyster.  I now understood the use of the phrase, “multi-sensory whiz bangery” by the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Program Guide.  The airiness of the mussel foam, the granules of sand, the smoothness of the cheese, the movement of the fjord as you put your spoon in for the next mouthful.

SEABED

ocean trout, seaweed, ‘coral’ and clams

neudorf ‘moutere’ chardonnay 2008 – nelson new zealand

Thorsten and Ben went around each table to individually pour the sea over each guest’s seabed.  It was a completely unpretentious gesture that emphasised the experience.

Another textural delight.  My favourite element of this dish was the ‘coral’.  I wasn’t able to uncover exactly how it is done.  My guess is that it was bread: dried and shaped and coloured and flavoured.

In essence, the most wonderful crouton I have ever had.

FOREST

‘rendyr’ cooked over an open fire, roots, mushrooms, berries and wild herbs

paradigm hill ‘col’s block’ shiraz 2007 – mornington peninsula, victoria

Prior to each course being served each table was dressed to suit.  For the Forest we received sprays of pine tree and miniature skillets with hot stones and flaming charcoal.  The placement of each new item encouraged more discussion and communication about the dish to come and again kept adding to the story that Thorsten was telling.

We were treated to more interaction as Thorsten and Ben again came around to personally pour over the sauce for the ‘rendyr’  Ben very kindly held this pose for me so that I could take the picture.

In the photo above you will see the two chefs happily and contently picking the herbs (more bounty from the foraging) for this dish.  They were then placed on the table so that we could add our own.  I didn’t get to find out what all of them were, but one of the interesting ones I remember was dune spinach.

OAK

wood ice, bark, hazelnut and black truffles

de bortoli ‘black noble’ nv – riverina, nsw

Yes.  I ate icecream made with fresh shaved wood.  And it was good.  No – it was great.  I could have had two of these, I am rarely enjoy desserts.  Thorsten had earlier explained that oak wood is prevalent in Jutland.  It was something that he had to incorporate into his cuisine because it is such a cultural and historical part of his nature.

CHOCOLATE A LA AROS

Aros is the old Danish name for the city of Aarhus, where you will find Thorsten’s restaurant.  It is also the name of the cutting edge art and architecture museum.  I am kicking myself for not bringing a notebook to the dinner because I cannot recall why Aros is represented by the beautiful metallic nuggets of chocolate.  Each was slightly different in taste.  All were superb.  The entire dinner was.  A truly wonderful culinary experience.

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I should have mentioned this quite a few weeks ago, but there is still a little bit of time left to get involved, make an impact and help the homeless.   StreetSmart is a unique organisation that uses grants and raised money to help small local bodies that might otherwise get ignored.  Their website tells the story best…

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We established StreetSmart Australia in 2003 to support and strengthen smaller, grassroots community organisations helping the homeless, frustrated by the lack of action and support from Government. These smaller organisations are critical in helping many people in crisis. StreetSmart helps out by raising funds and delivering financial grants, raising community awareness of the issues of homelessness and assisting these organisations to connect across their communities.

We see StreetSmart as a unique bridge between those that want to help people experiencing homelessness and the grassroots agencies that are changing lives. We believe in the support of emergency aid and critical services, and development of projects and programs that encourage social inclusion, empowerment and sustainable change for people experiencing homelessness.

For the six weeks in the lead-up to Christmas, StreetSmart partners with restaurants to ask diners to make a small donation to StreetSmart on their bill.  Every table is asked to add $2 or more to their bill, not even the price of a coffee or mineral water.  It’s a simple idea that adds up to a big impact on the lives of people who are homeless.

So if you are planning on eating out this week, think about taking a simple but effective action and book at a StreetSmart participating restaurant  (you’ll find the list here).   While you are there encourage your fellow diners to dig deep and leave your donation on your bill.

Tipping:
Please remember that your donation should not replace any tip you would usually leave, we want you to consider any donation over and above your tip and support the staff and restaurants who are supporting us.

100% of your donation goes to work:
StreetSmart operational expenses are funded through sponsorship partners allowing us to guarantee to the community that 100% of your donations are distributed directly to charity recipients.

It’s nice way to give a little whilst you are enjoying yourselves this Christmas.

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WLG Pop Up Restaurant

Four of Wellington best chefs have recently come across the ditch and set up WLG – a two-week pop-up restaurant housed in the former Bayswater Brasserie in Sydney’s King’s Cross.  WLG was named after Wellington’s airline code and featured a set menu designed to showcase a taste of the best of New Zealand fine dining cuisine.  Thanks to an ex-pat Kiwi boss who knows I love my food I was fortunate to be able to check out it on a recent business trip to Sydney.

Every effort was made to transport you to Wellington; staff and baristas were brought over for the occasion, a huge print of Wellington at night sat above communal tables and everywhere there were little touches,  a wall of happy snaps featured the chefs, their dishes and everyday scenes from Wellington, tables were laden with Whittaker chocolates and cookbooks, and fresh produce was laid out in an open larder.  Speaking of larder, chef in residence on the night I am there to dine is Jacob Brown from The Larder.  Jacob, along with Rex Morgan (Boulcott Street Bistro), Tom Hutchison (Capitol) and Shaun Clouston (Logan Brown) led the kitchen in shifts across the two weeks that WLG was running.  I was keen to try Jacob’s food, as all the research I had done pointed to the The Larder being quite the foodie destination on the Miramar Peninsula.

The set menu included a shared entrée, main, dessert and a cup of Mojo coffee for $29 per person – with an option to match with wines from boutique vineyards in Wairarapa and Marlborough or artisan beers from Tuatara.

The shared tasting plate was my favourite for the evening:

• Fried goat’s cheese balls with Manuka honey and kiwi chutney
• Crispy West Coast New Zealand white bait
• Lot Eight spiced olives
• Venison rillettes with spiced pear and watercress
• Citrus-cured Regal King Salmon gravlax with New Zealand wasabi panna cotta

Stand outs on the plate were the goat’s cheese balls, rillettes and the wasabi pannacotta.  Despite being drawn to the Snapper fillet with Cloudy Bay Diamond Clams, baby peas, fennel, crayfish butter and chervil

I elected to have the Vension Wellington – venison short loin in puff pastry with portobello mushrooms, smoked bacon, sage and peppercorn sauce for my main course.

I rarely have venison and wanted to make the most of the opportunity.  Sadly, I should have gone with my instincts and chosen the fish.  I found the venison a bit boring.  The meat was cooked beautifully, but the pastry was undercooked and the wonderful earthy flavours I expected to get from the mushrooms, bacon and sage just didn’t appear.  It was a little bit like a fancy yet soggy sausage roll.  Looking around the table there were notable differences in the sizes of the portion on each plate.

So on to dessert, which is never my favourite course, but fond memories of making Bomb Alaska in Home Ec many many years ago encouraged me to give the Whittaker’s chocolate and Mojo coffee praline bomb Alaska with raspberry consomme a try.

The sweet tooths on our table gobbled it all up.  I found it overwhelmingly sweet with nothing to cut through the sugar on sugar on sugar.  Perhaps if the raspberry consomme had been a bit more tart or the filling of the bomb not as rich it may have tempted me more.

Apologies for some of the photography being a lot grainier and dim than I would have liked.  The evening was enjoyable and, despite seeming a little chaotic, was well run.  It won’t make me rush to jump on a plane and head to Wellington, but I won’t give up on it either.

Welcome to another International Incident Party!  This time we head to Mexico and celebrate with with what is usually most people’s introduction to Mexican food – the taco.

But what exactly is a taco?  When a tortilla is filled and folded in two, it is a called a taco.  The corn tortilla has been around since before the conquest of Mexico. It formed an important part of the daily diet of both kings and workers in pre-hispanic Mexico.  Today wheat tortillas are nearly as common as corn ones and the taco is a well known and loved street food.

To many people, a taco is a corn tortilla bent in half to form a deep U shape, then fried crisp and stuffed to overflowing with minced beef, shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato, and grated cheese.   You’ve seen them in Tex-Mex fast food franchises like Taco Bell and in the pre-packaged kits in the supermarket.  Throughout Mexico, however the simple taco consumed by millions of people daily is a fresh, hot, often soft tortilla rolled or folded around some slow cooked shredded meat or mashed beans or seafood and liberally doused with any one of the endless variety of sauces for which Mexico is justly famed, but which are sadly misrepresented in favour of the Tex-Mex variety.  Tacos are usually eaten as a snack between meals, in the evening with a bowl of soup for supper, or as an entrée before the main meal of the day.  I have steered away from the Tex-Mex style and gone for two fillings that have a Baja California influence.

Prawn tacos with jicama slaw

Tacos

32  green medium king prawns, peeled and cleaned
1 tsp  each ground cumin, ground allspice and chilli powder
2 tbsp  vegetable oil
1  small red onion, finely chopped
2  cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2  vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1  lime, juiced
¼ cup  coarsely chopped coriander
To serve: tortillas (I used wheat but corn would be fine), avocado sliced into wedges, limes and sour cream

Jicama slaw

1 (285gm)  jicama, peeled and cut into julienne
1  baby cos, finely shredded
1  fresh green serrano or other long green chilli, seeded and thinly sliced
1/3 cup  finely chopped coriander
1  lime, juiced
¼ cup  vegetable oil
¼ tsp  chilli powder

Place prawns, cumin, allspice, ½ tsp chilli powder and 2 tbsp oil in a glass bowl, season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

For jicama slaw, place jicama, cos, green chilli and coriander in a bowl, season to taste and stir to combine. Add dressing to jicama mixture and toss gently.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan, add onion, garlic, tomatoes, lime juice and remaining chilli powder and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft, then season to taste.

Barbecue or char-grill prawns for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through, then transfer to tomato mixture, add coriander and stir to combine. Barbecue or char-grill tortillas, for 30 seconds on each side or until just warm and lightly golden, then transfer to a plate and cover with a tea towel to keep warm.

Serve warm tortillas, prawn and tomato mixture, jicama slaw, avocado, lime halves and sour cream separately for everyone to assemble their own tacos.

Shredded Beef Tacos

800 gm  beef brisket or chuck, cut into 5cm pieces
1  onion, thinly sliced
3  cloves of garlic
¼ cup  lard or vegetable oil
480 gm (about 3)  vine-ripened tomatoes, roasted, peeled and chopped
2  green onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp  chilli powder
1  long green chilli, thinly sliced

Place beef in a large saucepan, add enought water to cover, add 1 tsp sea salt and bring to the boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, skimming scum from surface. Add half the onion and half a clove of garlic to pan, partially cover and simmer for 3 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat from broth, reserving broth, and finely shred using two forks.

Finely chop remaining garlic and set aside. Heat lard over medium heat in a large heavy-based frying pan, add beef and remaining onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until onion is soft and beef browns slightly. Add garlic, tomato, green onion, chilli powder and green chilli and cook for 2 minutes or until tomato softens. Add 180ml of reserved broth and cook for 10-15 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve spooned into warm tortillas.

Wheat Tortillas

Makes 20
3 cups bread flour
120 gm  lard

Place flour in a large bowl, add lard and, using fingertips, rub until combined, then make a well in the centre.  Combine 1 tsp sea salt with 1 cup water, pour into well and mix until combined.  Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, cover with plastic wrap and stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Heat a hotplate or large heavy-based frying pan over low heat. Roll tablespoons of dough into 1mm-2mm-thick, 15cm-diameter circles and cook, in batches, for 1-2 minutes each side or until just coloured.  Cover with a tea towel to keep warm.

Don’t forget to check out what the rest of the crew has made:

Viva Espana!  They are still dancing on the streets in Madrid, celebrating the nation’s first ever World Cup victory.  Can they make it a double and win here too?  That is up to you.

The Culinary World Cup of Food Final will be contested between Spain and Japan!

To help you decide I have ditched the beers and gone instead with the more obvious drinking matches: if you choose Spain you will now be voting for Paella and Sangria and for Japan it is Sushi and Sake.  Before we get to the voting, I thought we should learn a little bit more about these famous dishes.

Paella and Sangria

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The original paella was considered a poor man’s fare, and was usually made with a little bit of whatever was on hand. Today, it has become one of Spain’s most popular and best-loved dishes.  Paella takes its name from “paella” – the Valencian word for pan, and the meal takes its name from the dish in which it is cooked.    “La Paella” is a circular and shallow pan with two round handles and a flat base traditionally made of iron.

During the centuries following the introduction of rice to Spain by the Moors, the peasants of Valencia would use the paella pan to cook rice with readily available ingredients from the countryside: tomatoes, onions and snails.   On special occasions the dish may include rabbit or duck, and the more well off Valencians might add chicken.   Little by little this “Valencian rice” became more widely known.  By the end of the nineteenth century “paella valenciana” had established itself and was well known throughout Spain.   Seafood was not originally used in paella dishes, as it was difficult to get hold of in the fields of Valencia, and snails were the cheapest meat option available at the time.  It was not until other regions began to add their own twists to the dish that fish, seafood and pork were added.

Paella is really a Sunday dish eaten when the whole family is together.  It is best cooked outside over an open wood fire and traditionally made by men.  Often cooked in large quantities, paella still tastes as good the day after cooking, and can be enjoyed cold on picnics or heated up when required. The cooking of the perfect paella can be quite a laborious task, and all Spanish households have an expert on the art of paella making, although opinions on the best ingredients to use often differ from region to region.  As a result cooking paella is quite a personal task and there are no hard and fast rules where ingredients are concerned.  The basic way to cook paella is to stirf fry the meat (if using) then the vegetables in olive oil.  Then add water, bring to the boil, and leave for half an hour or so.  After checking the flavour and seasoning if needed, the rice is added.  Calasparra (real paella) rice is never stir-fried in oil, as pilaf or risotto.  Once the rice is nearly done, the paella is removed from the heat and left to absorb the remaining water.    Traditional paella has a crispy, caramelized, toasted bottom (called socarrat in Valencian) that is considered a delicacy.   To achieve a socarrat, you only need to turn up the heat to high and listen to the bottom of the rice toast.   Once the aroma of toasted rice comes from the pan, the heat is removed once again.   The paella is ready to be served after having cooled for several minutes.  For a seafood paella, the fish needs to be cooked for a much shorter time than the meat, as it is easy to overcook white fish and squid.

There are several different varieties of paella available.  Most in addition to the main meat or fish ingredients add peppers, tomatoes, onions and green beans.

• Paella Valenciana is the original paella made with chicken, pork and/or rabbit.
• Paella Marisco is made with prawns, mussels, squid and often white fish.
• Paella Mixta is made with fish and meat.
• Paella Vegetal or Vegetariana is the most recently introduced version of this famous dish, and made only with vegetables.
• Paella Negra is an interesting version, and contains seafood cooked in squid ink, which turns the rice black.
• Paella Fideus is made with fine pasta instead of rice.

The perfect accompaniment for paella is a jug of cool, fruity sangria.  The real origins of this drink seem to be unknown, but it is undoubtedly one of Andalucia´s most popular refreshments – particularly in the summer months.   Every restaurant has its own sangria recipe, but the drink typically includes red wine, brandy and fruit, with plenty of ice in the jug – although this is open to experimentation and personal taste always comes into it.   Fruit juice or casera is often added to dilute the mix, and liqueurs such as 43 or cointreau also complement this popular drink.   A white wine version is also popular and known as sangria blanco, and a sparkling version can be made with cava.

Sushi and Sake

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The basic concept of fish preparation in Japan is suggested by a proverb that essentially says:  It is felt that the taste and texture of fish is best appreciated when it is very fresh and eaten raw.   If the fish is a little less than fresh then its best taste will be produced by sprinkling it with salt and grilling it.   Finally, if the fish is not fresh, then it is better boiled with seasonings, such as soy sauce or soybean paste (miso).

Sushi originated in the 7th century as a means of preserving fish by fermenting it in boiled rice.   Fish that are salted and placed in rice are preserved by lactic acid fermentation, which prevents proliferation of the bacteria that bring about putrefaction.    A souring of flavor occurs during the process, and the fish is eaten only after the sticky decomposed rice has been cleaned off.   This older type of sushi is still produced in the areas surrounding Lake Biwa in western Japan, and similar types are also known in Korea, southwestern China, and Southeast Asia.

A unique fifteenth-century development shortened the fermentation period of sushi to one or two weeks and made both the fish and the rice edible.   As a result, sushi became a popular snack food, combining fish with the traditional staple food, rice.   Sushi without fermentaion appeared during the Edo period (1600-1867),  and sushi was finally united with sashimi at the end of the eighteenth century, when the hand-rolled type, nigiri-sushi, was devised.    Various styles of hand-rolled sushi were developed, such as norimaki, in which vinegar-flavored rice and seasoned boiled vegetables are rolled in paper-thin layers.   The establishment of sushi restaurants that offered seasonings and different toppings according to the taste of the guest changed the dish from its original character as a preserved food to the somewhat strange dichotomy of being both a fast food and a culinary art form.  The Itamae-San (expert sushi chef) has also seen change as demand for his/her craft has grown.   Years ago, one could not practice this art form without a minimum of 10 years of training and proven skill.  Now, due to the growing need, restaurants will hire Sushi chefs with just a few years of learning experience.  But Sushi is about culinary expertise and an Itamae-San continually strives to master his/her skill while performing for the delight of the patron and serving an array of bright colors, mouthwatering tastes and tingling sensations.

In Japanese, the word sake can mean any alcoholic beverage. But in English, people generally use it to mean a specific type of rice alcohol, also known as Nihonshu.  I will stick with calling it sake.  It is a special sort of drink that is neither wine nor beer and also not really a spirit.  In ancient Japan sake was used as a sacred alcohol at religious ceremonies by select nobles.  Later consumption spread to the general public and was consumed at special Shinto occasions such as new year, weddings, festivals and funerals.  Today sake is enjoyed by anyone and can be served warm, room temperature or chilled.   Sake is usually drunk from small cups called choko and poured into the choko from ceramic flasks called tokkuri.  Toji is the job title of the sake brewer. It is a highly respected job in Japanese society with toji being regarded a little like musicians or painters.  The title of toji was historically passed on from father to son; today new toji are either veteran brewery workers or are trained at universities.  There are two basic types of sake: futsu-shu “ordinary sake” which is the equivalent of table wine and tokutei meisho-shu “special designation sake” premium sakes distinguished by the degree to which the rice is polished and the added percentage of brewer’s alcohol or the absence of such additives.

Time now to vote!  Thanks to all who have followed my little competition, it’s been a bit of fun.