Meat

Lamb prices are at a record high for this time of year and ewes are twice as expensive at market as they were this time last year. That’s bound to translate into higher menu prices or fewer appearances, but for now they’re serving seared lamb tenderloin at Mission with baby spinach, caramelised onion, chorizo and olive tapenade. Rump of lamb comes with beetroot relish and silverbeet at Deus ex Machina, where you can satisfy your revhead fantasies while you eat surrounded by gleaming motorbikes.

Heavy rains throughout northern NSW and Queensland have been welcomed by cattle producers following a long period of drought. Tropical Cyclone Olga brought even more rain and an optimistic outlook for the year ahead. Japanese interest in our beef is up slightly in the past month, but we like what they do with it here. At Ainoya, chefs marinate it, barely cook it, slice it thinly and serve it with a “special sauce” in their entrée of gyu tataki. Deus ex Machina has a way with it, too; the grass-fed sirloin there with porcini butter and kipfler chips is very hard to beat.

Review by Stephanie Clifford-Smith, 02 Feb 2010

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