Food News

This Month's News

• School’s in
• Back to Thaitown
• Bodies vs bok choy
• Deg takeover at the top
• Holy Goat the big winner
• Three newbies
• Mudgee at Olio
• PR Watch

School’s in

It’s all over and it’s safe to turn on your television sets again. This is a self-confessed MasterChef sceptic talking. I watched it for 10 minutes (I was usually cooking when it was on) and decided: first, it was Big Brother in the Kitchen; second, it had little to do with food and a  lot to do with winning and losing and false tension (that music!); and third, what do I know because 70 billion people watched it and loved it every week? One thing I do know. [Other members of the Sydney Eats team do not necessarily think 10 minutes is a broad enough experience to cast judgement]. Cooking is a lot harder than watching people do it on television. You can see someone cook duck and then race out and buy duck — but what kind of duck: Peking Aylesbury? Grimaud? Muscovy? And how well has it been farmed? Is it fresh or frozen? Is it organic? Cooking is a life-long learning experience, and it helps to do a few lessons with people who know what they’re doing along the way. Here are three cooking schools, one you‘ll have to save you for and two you can access and afford easily.

Go Mexican. If you think your local Taco joint is Mexican food, think again. A lady called Cat Brown was recently in town and she runs a Mexican cooking school in the beautiful village of Puerto Morelos on the Rivera Maya Coast. She writes, “The secret of Mexico’s memorable cuisine lies in the subtle interplay of the earthy and the pungent mixed with simple, fresh ingredients.” She goes on to say it’s a paradox “complex yet completely unpretentious”. You’ll be taught by the likes of Claudia Garcia Ramos de Celis (pictured) whose CV is most impressive. And what a great excuse to go to Mexico! www.thelittlemexicancookingschool.com

In slightly less exotic Bondi Junction you’ll find lessons in another fascinating cuisine. Here Norma Dakhoul teaches Lebanese cooking and at the next class, Sunday August 28, you can learn to all about fatoush, baba ganouj, kafta, batata harra and baqlawa. Or Norma can come to you. www.normaslebanesefoods.com.au

And, finally, everybody’s favourite, and a lesson with a real master chef, Giovanni Pilu (pictured) of Pilu at Freshwater will be giving a class at the Barilla Cooking school in Annandale on August 17. www.barillaaus.com

Back to Thaitown

In the June column, I told you about Sukjai, one of the two new joints in Thaitown on Pitt Street. A couple of weeks ago I tried its neighbour, Thanon Kao San (413 Pitt Street, Ph 9211 1194) which, it turns out, is a funkier sister to the Thai Lemongrasses at Bondi  and Darlinghurst. This one has a tuk tuk out front and a wall display of number plates — go figure — and is named after the road of the same name in Bangkok, which is popular with artists and students. The first annoying thing to this noisy diner is a huge list of specials in Thai. When that happens, I have to try one, so the poor waitress had to translate each one for me. Serves them right. I had the pork intestines salad, which wasn’t too bad — they think we won’t eat the wriggly bits. Even better were the barbecued chicken livers on a skewer and a whole deepfried silver perch. Prices are at student level and that’s who dines there mainly, with a few farangs (foreigners) like us dotted around. Another good option in ever-growing Thaitown. For me, Sukjai was a better choice.

Bodies vs bok choy

Another dodgy move by the dodgiest government in the country, the NSW Labor Government. There are Chinese market gardeners in Bunnerong Road, La Perouse. The gardens have been there since 1859 and are heritage-listed. Some historians believe that Count La Perouse first planted there to provide food for his voyage back to France, probably in 1788. But, once again (it was last tried in 2008), there are moves afoot to resume 60 per cent of the current gardens to the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Cemetery Trust. So the deal is, out with the food and in with the bodies. The Trust has promised to relocate the farmers — a bit of an empty gesture when there is no more farmland in the metropolitan area (apart from the other market gardens at Rockdale). And, of course, there’s a good deal of moolah involved. The state government has already gone into the funeral business in Maroubra and is selling plots there for $7000+. And there’s a Labor ex-parliamentarian in the deal — Gary Punch is lobbying for the Trust. And the final nail in the coffin for the scheme we would hope is that when the Department of Lands assessed the land in 2008, they found it unsuitable for cemetery use.

Deg takeover at the top

Doing some work on the Sydney Eats site, our Jodie McLeod has noted a curious trend, and I quote: “In the past year, Bilson’s, Marque and Rockpool have joined Tetsuya’s and Berowra Waters Inn to offer multi-course and degustation menus only at dinner time, and as of October, Quay will also abandon its à la carte menu on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights — offering its tasting menu alone. I thought it would be interesting to find out why these chefs are making the move to choice-less dining — is the demand for ‘experience dining’ increasing, or do chefs just enjoy the power trip of being totally in control? Could it be said that set menus make things less challenging in the kitchen and possibly less impressive from the diner’s point of view? Or are set menus and matching wines the closest meals can come to perfection?”

These are damn good questions and next month I’ll try to get some answers to them. Anyone else got an idea why we’re reverting to the no-choice 18th century eating house system. Next thing you know we’ll be told when we can come. Hang on — that’s already started…

Holy Goat the big winner

If you’ve tried Holy Goat’s La Luna goat cheese, you won’t be surprised that it won the RAS President’s Award for 2010. This is a best of the best comp and Holy Goat was pitted against Bulla Dairy’s Light Sour Cream; 2008 Yalumba Hand Picked Shiraz Viognier; 2006 Peter Lehmann Wigan Eden Valley Riesling; Huon Aquaculture’s Banquet Slice Tasmanian Smoked Salmon; and T&R Pastoral’s Murraylands Premium Lamb.

I was fortunate enough to attend the nose-bagger’s dinner where the prize was announced and we tried all these fine products, perhaps most especially, at least in my case, the Yalumba Shiraz Viognier. What a tough judging gig, picking a winner across such a diverse range. I reckon any of them deserved it, but maybe Carla Meurs and Ann-Marie Monda’s sensational cheese deserved it most of all. And for all the doubters out there, remember that it’s made from pasteurised milk.

Three newbies

An interesting bunch this month: first up, a “ya boo sucks” for a local chef (for me, anyway) who’s moved to Neutral Bay. Neutral Bay Bar & Dining (132 Military Road, Ph 9953 5853) means that no longer do I have Alex Kearns’ clever and comfortable food just down the road at Glebe Point Diner (407 Glebe Point Road, Ph 9660 2646) although from all accounts, GPD is still delivering the goods. As, from all accounts (have had several gushy emails haven’t tried myself yet), is NBBD. Good on you, Alex.

Second, there’s a new place at King Street Wharf, Vessel (Ground floor, Macquarie Building, 1 Shelley Street Ph 9295 5070), the latest venture for the Vardis group that also has Kingsley’s Australian Steakhouse and Velero, both at Woolloomooloo (and, yes, I can spell it without spell check because I used to live there.) It looks pretty spiffy, but I haven’t tried it yet, either — reports, please.

And, finally, Madame Char Char (285A Crown Street Ph 9380 4411) is described as “a boutique takeaway/dine-in chicken store with a Middle Eastern touch” and run by Flat White Café owners Damien (chef) and Justine Morley. Damien, a former Kiwi, worked as sous chef at Morans in Potts Point and was head chef at the Brooklyn Hotel before going out on his own with Justine. Again, any feedback welcome.

Mudgee at Olio

This one is for September 1, but put it in the diary now. Olio Mediterranean Brasserie ( The Forum, 201 Pacific Highway, St Leonards Ph 9439 8988) is holding an “interactive food and wine event” to give us a sample of Mudgee food and wine. There’ll be a good selection of some of the most interesting wines from the area, including The Lowe Family Wine Company (David Lowe will be there), di Lusso Estate, Huntingdon, Frog Rock and others. Then there’s the food — Ormiston Free Range Pork, High Range cheese and much much more. If my experience of Mudgee is anything to go by — take a cab. Bookings at the number above.

PR Watch

Ladies and gentlemen, could I please explain briefly for you the difference between the words “simple” and “simplistic”: more and more, I get releases telling me about someone’s “simplistic” food. While it may well be true, I’m sure no one would want their food described as “over-simplified” or “a manner that simplifies a concept or issue so that its nuance and complexity are lost or important details are overlooked”. That’s dictionary definitions, but what it has come to mean is stupid, dumbed-down. What you mean, dear PR Hacks and Hackettes, is simple.

Food News By: John Newton