Comments on: Who killed molecular cuisine?

By: John

John — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:35:57 +0000

I hope to see some serious sous-vide exponents at the Fine Food show in Mebourne this month. Check out stand U1 for the latest in Clifton Foodrange water baths.

By: Exclusive: Ferran Adria says blogs are the big food revolution | Tomato

Exclusive: Ferran Adria says blogs are the big food revolution | Tomato — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:52:11 +0000

[...] an email from local molecular chef Ray Capaldi promises that molecular gastronomy is not dead. We look forward to hearing from him on the artistry-formerly-known-as molecular gastronomy or [...]

By: Jon (Melbourne Foodie)

Jon (Melbourne Foodie) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:21:32 +0000

I must say that I was quite sad when I received an email stating that Fenix will be closing. I only ate their once late last year and it was an incredible meal and dining experience. I can appreciate MG when it is done well and the food tastes good. Fenix did this well ans was definitely underrated in the press. Having a look at various internet blogs you will be able to appreciate the magic of Fenix.

A sad loss to the Melbourne dining scene, and I believe that unless you have eaten there and have something to base your criticism on its best not to write them off as pretentious or wanky.

By: Jess

Jess — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 12:03:36 +0000

Gills is god.

By: Ed

Ed — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:56:42 +0000

Jack, I realy want to try Gills but am waiting until I’m back on wine by which time I may have slimed down enough to fit into my tweed jacket. Casual is the future.

Phil, not knocking what’s done with it in Asia but what I see on rare visits to Woolies and Coles.

By: Phil

Phil — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:14:51 +0000

Ed – Don’t knock the crabstick – the technology used to make those has been around for hundreds of years. The Japanese were making kamaboko/surimi for at least at a millenium, and I’m guessing that parts of Southern China can lay claim to the fish ball possibly earlier. The myosin that naturally occurs in the fish binds it all together rather than anything stranger (at least in the surimi version).

By: Jack

Jack — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:09:02 +0000

I definitely agree about the new style of dining.
I dined at Gills Diner on Tuesday (post to come) and loved it for all the reasons that I found Jacques hard to get my head around, and there wasn’t a tweed coat in sight, just a lots of funky arts-y crowd that like a casual but smart meal and interesting produce and wine.
Jack

By: Ed

Ed — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:30:26 +0000

Jack, luckily the man behind the Royal Mail has serious money but true I’ve often wondered about the viability.

Bob, Your memory serves you well. I think I’ve said before that I’m a tactile deviant which is partly why it offended me and I was making a point about overelaborate preparation of ingredients vs letting them shine on their quality alone as at Tempura Hajime. The quality of ingredients/cooking/experience was top notch at Fenix just that dish wasn’t my thing.

Gobbler, you’ve just reminded me to trade in a mini for a V8. Interestingly there is a totally different crowd at Interlude, they are a bit more funky. You’ve hit the nail on people who are creating experiences attracting the new generation of diners.

By: the-gobbler

the-gobbler — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:23:43 +0000

This Tweed brigade that has been spoken about intrigues me. If I were to be very general & make a big call I would have to say that the current crop of eateries that are fiscally liquid are defined by this group of eaters. They are the ones predominatly with the moola & their haunts reflect this, from the appeal of the menus to the fixtures. Yes there are some exceptions but the restaurateurs & syndicates who have latched onto this aging baby boomer choo choo are reaping the rewards. Unfortunately though its not doing much for the (our) dining future in terms of pushing the envelope. But is this a bad thing?

The molecular mob have their patrons & to them we must be grateful as it is they who bankroll these leaps but I would guess most of them are still conservative in their tastes, despite flirtations with the alluring nature of this that appears to be challenging & exciting. How many of them end the night with the Emperors new clothes syndrome though, scared to admit they didn’t get it, didn’t find the corn-husk air, tasty or hot?

People like Paul Mathis, that ‘Cookie’ bloke & Con Christopoulous have been weaving their appeal from these baby boomers into the next generation of diners & have managed to do this in a deceptively easy way. They seem to have an idea of what the next gen of diners are looking for.
I wonder though if there will come a time when their formiddable handle on the scene will in turn be seen as old hat?

I dont think that molecular cuisine was the baton change that I think will have the most profound effect on the future of cooking in restaurants. If I can make a comparison I’d say M.C.is like the worldwide automotive industry having a last ditch stab at total ostentation, ridiculous power & sheer unpractibility of their cars before the big oil runs out & they have to come to their senses. It would have been a wild ride to a dead end.

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:37:44 +0000

‘I was lucky enough to review Fenix for The Age Good Food Guide last year, a year that Ray Capaldi had hoped to make two hats. I scored it higher than the 15.5 points that it got in print’, ha thats funny i distinctly remember you having plenty to say about your meal reviewing Fenix especialy the tomato dish, so much so that it sparked a mini confrontation with Ray himself. How short your memory is!!