ThE WoNDERfUL DIShES of oz

W IDE AN G LE // AUST R A L I A
AU S T R A L IA // W IDE A N GL E
The wonderful
dishes of Oz
When I mention to renowned celebrity
From spending time with Australian culinary masters Matt Moran, Luke Nguyen
and Andrew McConnell, to dining at a selection of Sydney and Melbourne
hotspots and hidden gems, we explore the vibrant foodie scene Down Under
WORDS Tiffany Eslick
Globally, there is an increasing interest in where food
is coming from, who’s growing, breeding or producing
it, and what is going into it
chef and restaurateur Matt Moran that I’ll be
ending a foodie quest at one of Melbourne’s
institutions, Café Di Stasio, his eyes light up.
“Good choice. Ronnie Di Stasio is like the
Godfather,” he says. “He is a real character
and one of the legends.” I can’t wait, but first I
need to eat my way there.
Australia has become one of the world’s
greatest dining hotspots, with rivals Sydney
and Melbourne vying for the moniker of
foodie capital. Both cities have an enviable
number of outstanding restaurants helmed
by passionate top-notch chefs who, inspired
by the country’s natural abundance of
produce and multiculturalism, are pushing
the boundaries. While the high-end classics
continue to impress diners, a host of casual
concept eateries in innovative locations are
popping up all over the place too. TV series
like MasterChef Australia and My Kitchen Rules
have catapulted Australia’s culinary character
into the limelight, as well as heightening locals’
gastronomic knowledge. There is just no room
for bad food, and not enough time to savour all
the goodness that’s being dished up.
Matt’s award-winning Chiswick – a relative
newcomer to the Sydney scene – lies in the
leafy and affluent Woollahra suburb and is the
first stop on my epicurean escapade Down
Under. Globally, there is an increasing interest
in where food is coming from, who’s growing,
breeding or producing it, and what is going
into it. According to Matt, this is not a trend,
but a reality, and it is here to stay.
At Chiswick, the focus is on seasonal and
local produce – much of which is picked from
the well-stocked onsite garden every morning
and exquisitely presented on earthy-toned
plates by lunchtime. While the wood-roasted
lamb from the Moran family farm sounds
delicious, I opt for a crab cake slider and fleshy
scallops with almond and new season grapes
before relishing linguini with hand-dived clams,
snow peas and chilli. Rating this trio of dishes, I
agree when Matt says Australia has amazing
seafood. What he and his chefs at Chiswick do
to it is pretty splendid too.
clockwise from FAR left: Neutral tones make
for a calming atmosphere at Chiswick; linguini
with hand-dived clams, snow peas and chilli; Matt
Moran; whimsical creations pepper the menu at
Chiswick; Red Lantern on Riley; The Apollo’s creamy
taramasalata; lightly battered chilli-salted squid at
Red Lantern on Crown; The Apollo; contemporary
Cantonese cuisine and flash interiors at Mr. Wong.
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AUS T R A L IA // W IDE A N GL E
EXPERIENCE
SYDNEY
Andrew McConnell – the man behind
GET AROUND
On arrival, pick up The Official Sydney
Guide, or download the Sydney Australian
Official Guide app to your phone or tablet in
Australia’s multicultural communities
have influenced the country’s dynamic food
scene with their strong food heritage. Chinese,
Vietnamese, Greek, Italian and Spanish
culinary traditions are present in authentic
forms in suburbs across Sydney, and modern
interpretations result in inventive fusion fare.
Flash fit-out Mr. Wong is possibly the finest
example of a contemporary take on classic
Cantonese cuisine. Since opening in late 2012 it
has earned a string of accolades, including New
Restaurant of the Year in the 2014 Australian
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Awards.
Split over two levels, its mix of raw brick
walls, hardwood floors, woodblock prints,
bamboo chairs and fans, as well as ancient
calligraphy, creates an atmosphere that
embodies the class of colonial China, infused
with a modern edge. Celebrity chef Dan
Hong has teamed up with Eric Koh to create
a spectacular spread. Sipping on my new
favourite cocktail of hibiscus and rosehipinfused sake, lychee purée and Chandon, I
watch busy chefs in the dumpling kitchen.
Steaming dim sum platters send scents
of scallop and prawn shumai and Chinese
mushroom dumplings into the air. While duck
is a popular choice here, no trip to Sydney
is complete without trying the hot pot with
Balmain bugs, mince, XO sauce and vermicelli.
For a big, fat, mod-Greek feast, The Apollo
in Potts Point is the latest place to go. It’s highend rustic dining at its best and chef Jonathan
Barthelmess serves up everything from creamy
taramasalata, made the right way using grey
mullet roe, to lip-smacking, melty Saganaki
cheese dripping in honey and oregano. Roll-up
your sleeves and tuck into his generous serving
of oven-baked lamb shoulder with lemon and
yoghurt that slips straight off the bone. Soft,
syrupy loukoumades [honey doughnuts] and
ouzo-marinated pineapple with pomegranate
granita and vanilla cream will entice for dessert.
I concede to both. You’ll regret it if you don’t.
Indulging in an Indochine experience is best
at one (or both) of Australian-Vietnamese
celebrity chef, restaurateur and Etihad Guest
Ambassador Luke Nguyen’s Red Lantern
eateries. I meet up with him for starters at Red
Lantern on Crown – the place where it all began
for him, his sister Pauline and brother-in-law
Mark Jensen.
Set in a classic terrace house in Surry Hills
this charming restaurant is packed for its first
seating of the night. Vermilion walls make for a
cosy environment, and carefully chosen Oriental
antiques add a sense of nostalgia. A black and
white photo of Luke’s beautiful mother sits
below an ornate gold-framed mirror, and Luke
points out an image of his brothers on another
wall. As we chat about foodie hotspots and
hidden gems in the city over mouthfuls of muc
rang muoi [lightly battered chilli-salted squid
served with lemon and white pepper dipping
sauce] and banh bot chien [pan-fried rice cakes
with tiger prawns, shallot, peanuts and meat
floss], I realise that a culinary crush on Sydney
has seriously kicked in.
I write while he lists the award-winning
Eveleigh Market on Saturday for its bountiful
fresh produce and steamed savoury pancakes
at chef Kylie Kwong’s stall; Twig at Garden
Life on Cleveland Street for great coffee and
breakfasts; Bau Truong in Cabramatta to see
“little Vietnam”; Sokyo for Sydney meets Tokyo
and then we get to Bondi…
Touted as Sydney’s next hot dining
destination, this hangout has a lot more to
offer than its spectacular beach. There’s Matt’s
latest venture, North Bondi Fish, Neighbourhood
for good cocktails, the institutional Icebergs
and Lox Stock & Barrel for brunch, to name
just a few.
An after-starter stroll through Surry Hills to
Darlinghurst leads us to Red Lantern on Riley
for mains. Its faded floral wallpaper, patterned
tiles and dangling lights (which Luke carried
back by hand from Vietnam) add to an
evocative atmosphere reminiscent of French
colonial Vietnam. Here, wrapping bánh xèo
– a crisp rice flour crêpe filled with kaffir lime
prawns and coconut served with fresh herbs
in lettuce leaves – is an authentic experience
and to end my Sydney sojourn in style, I delight
in banh bam mang cau [sesame and rice-flour
dumplings filled with soursop].
advance. For on-the-spot advice, contact
the visitor information centre in The Rocks
or Darling Harbour. For further inspiration
visit Facebook.com/seesydney or join the
conversation on Twitter #ilovesydney.
www.sydney.com
SLEEP AND EAT SOME MORE
Situated on Circular Quay, opposite Sydney
Harbour Bridge and around the corner
from Sydney Opera House, the Pullman
Quay Grand Sydney Harbour hotel boasts
an ideal location and spacious apartmentstyle suites that provide luxurious respite.
Award-winning executive chef Daniel
Simpson heads-up Q Dining, and a multicourse feast here is a must. Indulge in the
chocolate mousse with salted caramel,
popcorn ice-cream and chocolate cookie
crumbs. It’s the definition of dessert.
www.pullmanquaygrandsydneyharbour.
com
DISCOVER
For an insider tour of some of Sydney’s
favourite foodie hubs, join the lovely Helen
and her team on a Sydney Gourmet Icons
Tour. Meet Peter and Sarina who run the
charming Ranieri Deli in Five Dock. They will
tempt your taste buds with an assortment
of amazing antipasto before you stop for
fresh seafood at the Sydney Fish markets.
Frozen delights await at Messina Gelato –
voted “best gelato in Australia” and a whizz
around Woolloomooloo allows for stops at
Sydney institution Harry’s Café d’Wheels for
a signature “Tiger Pie” and The Old Fitzroy
“We’ve grown up, gained confidence and are now
on a par with those in top international foodie cities.”
It’s an exciting time in Melbourne and restaurateurs
are putting on a good show
four of Melbourne’s most successful
restaurants – has played an active role in
defining the city’s dining culture. So when
he describes locals as active, adventurous
and experimental, I don’t doubt him. He says
their demands (and those of international
travellers) play a vital role in feeding the city’s
vibrant restaurant scene. “We’ve got a great
audience,” he enthuses. “Chefs no longer look
to Europe for inspiration,” he adds. “We’ve
grown up, gained confidence and are now on
a par with those in top international foodie
cities.” It’s an exciting time in Melbourne, and
restaurateurs are putting on a good show.
The dining scene is, constantly evolving
with new cafés, bars and eateries popping up
in the city and its surrounding precincts on a
weekly basis. New purveyors of food and wine
are challenging what, where and how people
eat, and Melbournites are embracing change
with arms wide open.
Chatting culinary trends with Dana
Nikanpour – senior media officer at Tourism
Victoria – over deliciously spicy shakshouka
[baked eggs] at Andrew’s jam-packed
Cumulus Inc, I’m breathless just listening to
her rundown of what’s going on. Around 18
months ago, a Mexican wave hit the city but
that was then – it’s different now. From an
underground cheese cellar at Spring Street
Grocery that’s leading a cheese craze, to a
growing interest in drizzling dishes with locally
produced rooftop honey, or from Korean fried
chicken and beer hangouts to a clutch of
ramen houses (Mugen Ramen is the best),
movements are diverse and happening fast.
Holding onto its mantle of Australia’s coffee
capital, there’s no shortage of development
in this area too. A host of original roasters
are opening their doors and small standup coffee houses are the new big thing.
On Flinders Lane, next door to Cumulus Inc,
lies my recommendation, Tom Thumb. Be
prepared to queue, as it’s thriving.
Hotel for local beer tasting.
www.ultimatelysydney.com.au
FLY WITH ETIHAD
Etihad Airways operates direct daily
flights between Abu Dhabi and
Sydney. For further information,
please visit www.etihad.com or
call 800 2324
clockwise from top left: Q Dining’s
spectacular dining room; scrumptious shakshouka
at Cumulus Inc; Andrew McConnell; it’s always a
convivial atmosphere at Café Di Stasio; Red Lantern
on Crown; evocative lighting at Café Di Stasio;
Ronnie Di Stasio has been serving Melbourne with
delicious Italian fare since the late 80s.
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W IDE AN G LE // AUST R A L I A
AU S T R A L IA // W IDE A N GL E
Not quite a fine-dining eatery, and a far cry from
a bistro, Andrew McConnell has found something
in-between that has proven to be a hit
clockwise from top left:
Moon Under Water’s all-white
ethereal dining room; lantern
-lit streets in Melbourne’s
Chinatown; authentic Chinese
dumplings; savour Andrew
McConnell’s magical cuisine
at Cumulus Inc or pop upstairs
for nibbles at his new bar.
While
an
appreciation
for
haute
cuisine in Melbourne is rife, and classics
such as Ben Shewry’s Attica and Shannon
Bennett’s Vue De Monde are still drawing the
crowds, high-quality, middle-market eateries
are burgeoning.
Not quite a fine-dining eatery, and a far cry
from a bistro, Andrew McConnell has found
something in-between that has proven to be
a hit. Moon Under Water – named after the
George Orwell essay – is the name of this new
venture; an ethereal all-white, intimate dining
room, set inside the Builders Arms Hotel.
The four-course set menu changes on a
weekly basis, allowing chefs to evolve within
Like Sydney, a strong
Asian influence
prevails in Melbourne’s
cuisine and the city’s
ongoing love affair
with dumplings is
something that seems
to never end
EXPERIENCE
melbourne
GETTING AROUND
Head straight to the Melbourne Visitor
Centre at Federation Square in the heart
of the city to find out about local events,
tours, and attractions. Take an orientation
tour with the Melbourne Greeter Service or
explore on your own, asking the roving redjacketed city ambassadors your questions
as you go.
www.visitmelbourne.com
SLEEP AND EAT SOME MORE
Book into The Olsen, a boutique hotel on
Melbourne’s prestigious Chapel Street
that pays homage to Australia’s greatest
landscape artist. John Olsen’s lyrical
artworks adorn the walls in uber-trendy
suites and at Spoonbill Restaurant & Bar,
his favourite Spanish dish, paella, is a must.
Don’t miss the tempura zucchini flowers
stuffed with goat’s cheese that come with
gorgeous guacamole either.
www.artserieshotels.com.au/olsen
FESTIVAL FUN
In its 22nd year, the Melbourne Food and
Wine festival is in full swing until Sunday 16
March. From tours and crawls to hands-on
cooking classes and progressive feasts to
vibrant markets, there are more than 200
Images: Chiswick, Cumulus Inc, Cumulus Up, Monique Bayer Moon Under Water, Mr Wong;
Q Dining, Red Lantern, Scott Needham – SNP5000.COM, The Apollo & Tiffany Eslick
Scribbling down names of neighbourhoods
to explore before brunch is up, I add
Collingwood and its bohemian Smith Street
housing a sweep of new eateries and Fitzroy’s
Gertrude Street precinct, which is dotted with
a number of top food spots as well as a
specialist bookstore, Books for Cooks.
Like Sydney, a strong Asian influence
prevails in Melbourne’s cuisine and the
city’s ongoing love affair with dumplings is
something that seems to never end. It’s easy
to find an abundance of eateries serving up
these minute balls of bliss, but I join Monique
Bayer of Walk Melbourne and a group of fellow
foodies for her evening Dumpling Discovery
Walk hoping to find a few hidden gems.
Her tour does not disappoint. Starting
with jiao zi – original thick-skinned Chinese
dumplings in the heart of the CBD’s laneways,
we move over to Chinatown for a surprise
at Dolan Uyghur Food Heaven. Many of the
Uyghur people from far Western China are
Muslim, and this Islamic influence means
when it comes to meaty dumpling fillings,
lamb is the star of the show. We savour
their succulent and fragrant parcels in a
simple setting reminiscent of eateries in the
Middle East, while sipping on cold drinking
yoghurt. At our third stop, I’m nicknamed
the “dumpling destroyer”. Unfortunately,
my feeble chopstick handling skills don’t
help when it comes to picking up delicate
xiaolongbao [steamed buns] filled with
boiling liquid from a hot bamboo basket.
I keep dropping them, letting much of the
soupy goodness escape, but they’re delicious
nonetheless. After relishing these three
champions of provincial Chinese cuisine, we
wander down lantern-lit streets to end with a
few bites of Japanese gyoza.
events on offer. Book tickets or eat your
heart out.
www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au
each season. However “set” doesn’t stop
them sending out an assortment of nibbles
that make surprise entrances throughout the
degustation. On the night I dine here, I’m
presented with an array of artistic creations,
from squid with celery, pomelo and chilli to
Spanish mackerel with carrots and sorrel,
each one tasting more wonderful than its
predecessor. The pièce de résistance is a
whimsical dessert of wild blackberries, goat’s
curd, apple and lovage sorbet.
Italian heritage is a strong influence
in Melbourne, and selecting from the city’s
all-time Italian favourites is a rather difficult
task. But multi-award winning Café Di Stasio
in St Kilda – run by the “Godfather”, Rinaldo
(Ronnie) Di Stasio, restaurateur, vigneron and
patron of architecture and the arts – has been
an institution since the late 80s and will forever
remain my number one choice.
Ending a fortnight-long foodie quest, I pull
up a seat at a marble-topped counter at the
restaurant’s neighbouring smart new bar. It’s
cocktails and gooey Bolognese arancini balls
before a food opera begins.
Starting with fresh oysters, I move onto
home-made angel hair pasta tossed with
blue swimmer crabmeat, garlic, olive oil, white
wine and chilli that, simple as it may sound,
is delicious and leaves me longing for more.
Lamb stuffed with fontina, basil and prosciutto
is next. Paired with a glass of Pinot Noir from
the Di Stasio vineyard, it’s a match made in
heaven. A white chocolate and mascarpone
tart – torta di vaniglia – is as romantic as it
sounds. And as a parting treat from Australia,
it’s the perfect end.
LUNCH WITH A VIEW
Head to Southbank’s newest haunt,
Fatto Bar & Cantina at Hammer Hall for
scrumptious Italian fare and iconic city and
Yarra River views. Order the panzanella
with burrata, mozzarella, tomato,
cucumber, crostini, basil, peppers and mint.
It’s absolutely as divine as it sounds and it
tastes like summer.
www.fatto.com.au
FLY WITH ETIHAD
Etihad Airways operates direct
flights between Abu Dhabi and
Melbourne. For further information,
please visit www.etihad.com or
call 800 2324
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