I‘m sent a lot of stuff. In the past few weeks alone, two cookbooks, a bottle of whisky, beer x 2, prawns, wine, magazines and more. Dealing with the packaging alone is a pain as I don’t own an industrial compactor and only have a small recycling bin. But out of all the guff, I [...]
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We don’t see much innovation in cookbooks nowadays but The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adria is as you’d expect from one of the world’s most innovative chefs. What most people don’t realise is that most book publishers don’t test their recipes properly. Yes, the chefs and celebrities that write them actually cook the [...]
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What? Oysters and Sake Where? Studio of artist Adriane Strampp. Studi 18a 236/248 Brunswick St, Fitzroy When? 5pm – 7.30pm Sunday 13th November 2011 Bookings $54 a head. Book through Trybooking. Now! Tickets are now on sale for our Oysters a sake event being held in the hidden-away top floor Brunswick St studio of artist Adriane [...]
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Each table is assigned a chef from the open kitchen at Vue de Monde At $60 for the 1 hour lunch at Vue de Monde it is not the cheapest in town by far. But it adds up to so much more than two courses and a glass of wine as an experience; I defy [...]
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Wine in the groove at Cibi. Picture: Adriane Strampp Cibi is rapidly defining itself as one of the most interesting cafes (or should I say happenings) in Melbourne as I have written before. Not only does it serve a terrific Japanese breakfast at weekends, have a quirky shop of Japanese design objects but it also [...]
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These are the doors to The Aylesbury. Beautiful aren’t they, guarding the space that until it closed was the lovely pizza restaurant Barbagallo Trattoria E Pizzeria. It wasn’t any pizza restaurant but one started by Pietro Barbagallo who brought us, and sold, the much loved I Carusi in Brunswick East. It just goes to show [...]
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Consult a financial adviser before drinking from a Riedel. Dishwasher tablets erode your glasses and crockery. Use liquid instead. Decant heavier reds at least 8 hours before drinking. If you want to drink champagne (usually a blend of chardonnay pinot pinot meunier and pinot noir) rather than sip it, use a pinot noir glass. I’ve [...]
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If you were at my talk at Restaurant and Catering last week, I’ve published my ideas on social media on my Tomato Media Facebook Page here, including a short presentation that the talk was based on and some links to resources. There are also some useful links in the presentation.
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Saturday 0830 Attend Barbeque Madness at Sydney Morning Herald Grower’s Market at Pyrmont Park. Join David Tanis of the legendary Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California, and a stellar line up of 10 Sydney chefs including Kylie Kwong. Sessions are held every half an hour. We all stumble down to breakfast about 10ish before stumbling [...]
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1540: Flight DJ849 arrives into Sydney Meet your Astra Limousines driver for your transfer to the InterContinental Sydney. Delays! The storms in Melbourne means that I don’t arrive until after 5pm for a drinks party at 6pm. 1800: Meet Destination NSW in the lobby of the hotel for transfer to the Hilton Hotel for the [...]
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Three years ago I went on a boozy winery tour with a busload of artist mates. Somehow along the way I managed not only to buy two small olive trees, but also two magnificent French oak wine barrels to plant…
There’s a rumour that Melbourne hospitals lay on extra staff in the Emergency Department at this time of year. Yes, it's tomato season and given our vast migrant population, there will invariably be a few home-bottling and canning disasters. Every Italian…
Making yoghurt at home is really simple and doesn't take much science. Here we make two different styles of yoghurt using both cows' and goats' milk.
It took four hours of a Saturday afternoon to construct this gigantic pie.
The recipes available are all pretty similar, three different types of pork with herbs and spices surrounded by jelly and encased in a hot water pastry. This one…
There's a lot of meat and fat in a pork pie including the hot crust pastry which is made with lard and butter.
I bought a whole tub of dripping, which is basically like lard (pig fat) but from beef, as…
Five days later and the bacon is cured. Salty and sweet, with a hint of juniper and sage, it was worth it.
Nothing is ever easy for me. Frustrated by the poor quality of filling and pastry in local pork…
Recent journalismWe don't see much innovation in cookbooks nowadays but The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adria is as you'd expect from one of the world's most innovative chefs.
What most…
Consult a financial adviser before drinking from a Riedel.
Dishwasher tablets erode your glasses and crockery. Use liquid instead.
Decant heavier reds at least 8 hours before drinking.
If you want to drink…
Three years ago I went on a boozy winery tour with a busload of artist mates. Somehow along the way I managed not only to buy two small olive trees,…
There’s a rumour that Melbourne hospitals lay on extra staff in the Emergency Department at this time of year. Yes, it's tomato season and given our vast migrant population, there…
Making yoghurt at home is really simple and doesn't take much science. Here we make two different styles of yoghurt using both cows' and goats' milk.
One of the most exciting chefs to be in town for the Sydney International Food Festival was the witty and erudite David Thompson. If you aren't familiar with Thompson, the…
I recently had a non-brush with death while eating what turned out not to be my last meal.
It made me think of all the meals I'd wasted. A bad…
Neil Perry (left), Thomas Keller and Heston Blumenthal (bald). Courtesy of the Melbourne Wine and Food Festival.
On the SBS Food site you can see my story on meeting Thomas Keller…
Typical. Just as the world peaked Paul Levi, the man who had no small part in bringing us the slightly dubious word “Foodie”, launches the Gastrosexual, a man with more…
With thanks to the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
It's 3.50 on a Friday afternoon. I've just finished a great meal cooked by Scott Pickett at The Point in Albert Park…
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