The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry: Lee Tran Lam quizzes chefs, critics, bar staff and other people from the food world about their dining habits, war stories and favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney.
Mon, June 20, 2022
Kerby Craig – Ume
In memory of Kerby Craig, here's the podcast I recorded with him in 2014. I listened back to this episode after I heard about Kerby being gone and it made me re-remember all these great things from that day, so I thought I should share these stories again, in tribute to Kerby and his enthusiasm for cooking, Japanese food culture and hospitality … As a 15 year old, Kerby Craig was fascinated by the world of restaurants – seeing a chef breakdancing in the middle of service (!) confirmed for him that this was the industry that he wanted to work in. By accident, he ended up at the original Tetsuya’s as a teenage apprentice chef and, after stints in Sydney and overseas, later helped Koi earn a hat in The Good Food Guide . To mark this achievement, he actually got a chef’s hat tattooed on his neck – an act that was memorably referred to in Terry Durack’s review of Ume , the restaurant that Kerby opened after his time at Koi. (“That’s a hat you can’t take off him,” Kerby’s manager told Durack at an event. “That’s a hat I would never take off you, Kerby!” replied the Herald food critic.) Despite earning acclaim, Kerby’s experience with the industry has endured some rough lows – including the business failure of Koi – and opening Ume was “very very stressful”, he says. “I don’t know how we got a loan!” Also in this podcast, Kerby chats about his own adventures dining from Kyoto to Fukuoka – and enjoying the next-level hospitality of Japanese establishments. If you'd like to support me on Patreon, head to patreon.com/leetranlam. From $1.50 a week, you'll get access to my weekly podcast and newsletter, where I cover all the good things I’m consuming: the best food stories I’ve read, food podcasts I’ve listened to, what I’ve been eating and I also dive into what I’ve been working on. Plus a lot of enthusiasm about Japanese food culture, too – from Tokyo favourites to the birthplace of soy sauce and my favourite Kyoto food shop.
Tue, February 08, 2022
Billy Wong – Golden Century, XOPP
The best dish in the world, according to chef David Chang, could be found at Golden Century – the Sydney institution that Billy Wong's family ran in Chinatown for more than three decades. There was more to Golden Century than the XO pipis, though (despite Chang's major endorsement of the dish). The restaurant's fan base included shift workers taking advantage of the restaurant's famous 4am closing time, as well as massive stars like Rihanna and Lady Gaga, royalty from Tonga and Morocco, and even Chinese presidents who made special requests: Xi Jinping had his order sent straight to his Sydney hotel, while Hu Jintao had the signature XO pipis delivered to the Chinese Embassy in Canberra – 300km away from the restaurant itself. Chefs such as Morgan McGlone and Dan Hong have been regular diners and Analiese Gregory called it a “dream” to drop by the kitchen on Munchies Chef’s Night Out . Billy recalls how hard his parents worked to make the restaurant a success (his dad used to sleep in the car in between shifts) and also shares many amazing memories of growing up with Golden Century. Golden Century's family of restaurants also includes The Century at The Star and its newer spin-off, XOPP at Darling Square, which we briefly cover as well. I recorded this episode in late 2020 and sadly, Golden Century has since closed its Chinatown location, but its spirit lives on at sister restaurant XOPP: some of the staff, menu items, and even its trademark seafood tanks can be found there. You can also get Golden Century finish-at-home meals via Providoor and you know what, it wouldn't surprise me if one day Golden Century did open in a new location. I'm sure everyone – shift workers, world leaders and chefs alike – hopes that might happen. If you'd like to support me on Patreon, head to patreon.com/leetranlam. From $1.50 a week, you'll get access to my weekly podcast and newsletter, where I cover all the good things I’m consuming: the best food stories I’ve read, food podcasts I’ve listened to, what I’ve been eating and I also dive into what I’ve been working on.
Tue, March 30, 2021
Paul Carmichael – Momofuku Seiobo
“I literally got here and the first two weeks, everybody quit." Despite this challenging start to becoming Momofuku Seiobo's executive chef, Paul Carmichael has since scored many awards (both Gourmet Traveller and Time Out named him Chef of the Year) and he's been called one of the world's greatest chefs by his boss, David Chang. The restaurant has received two glowing reviews in The New York Times and been ranked as one of the best places to eat in the world by Besha Rodell in Food & Wine . Paul isn't about basking in the acclaim, though. "You’ve got to become comfortable with failing,” Paul says. "We’d make something, it’d be shit." Then, after a lot of work, it becomes great. At Momofuku Seiobo, he's created a one-of-a-kind menu that reflects his upbringing in Barbados. The food is also a way to represent the Caribbean, which people often reduce to holiday-spot stereotypes. “I feel like the way they talk about it, they talk about it like a club,” he says. For Paul, it's his life – not a gimmicky theme – so throughout the podcast, we talk about dishes from the region: like coucou, which his mother makes with a special stick that's older than Paul; and roti that originated in India and ended up in Trinidad – which he grew up eating as a kid. A lot of these dishes have travelled. “It had an origin somewhere, but this is where it ended up being," he says, "The Caribbean is 500 years of fusion. Maybe that should be the name of my book.” Migration and colonisation also shaped the cuisine – as did slavery, which isn't as far into the past as we'd like to think. The chef doesn't want to “elevate” dishes that have generations of history, but also show that you can present a dish that's rice and vegetables and prove how it can belong in one of the city's top restaurants. “It looks like a pile of goop - but there’s so much that goes into it,” he says. Paul also talks about how people still turn up to Seiobo thinking it's a Japanese restaurant (five years aft
Fri, October 23, 2020
Joanna Hunkin – Gourmet Traveller
Reporting from murder scenes and interviewing Lorde live at the Grammys – that's what Joanna Hunkin did before she became editor at Gourmet Traveller . Enduring these high-pressure situations meant she wasn't too shaken by her first year at the magazine – which has been incredibly eventful and challenging, and involved her relocating from Auckland to take up the role. On her very first day on the job, at the Restaurant Awards at Bennelong last year, she was handing out honours to chefs Ben Shewry and Kylie Kwong. Then, as the pandemic hit, she found herself having to produce a magazine under lockdown – a tricky feat, given that photo shoots, recipe testing and other group activities are key to Gourmet Traveller 's coverage. Her team used some leftfield ideas to complete cover shoots and other editorial work while socially distancing! We talk about some of the most memorable stories that have run in the magazine in the past year as well as relevant topics such as "authenticity" in food and how chefs feel about dealing with dietary requirements (from diners who claim they can't consume anything "shiny" or beginning with the letter 'A' to legit allergies to gluten and wheat – I wrote about this for the October issue of Gourmet Traveller ). We also cover her early days in Hong Kong (where her mother fed her microwave bacon!) as well as Joanna's return to the city later in life, where she dined at secret restaurants hidden inside Hong Kong's high-density apartments. Joanna also chats about her top three Australian restaurant experiences of the past year, as well as her favourite dining spots in Auckland. If you'd like to support me on Patreon, head to patreon.com/leetranlam. From $1.50 a week, you'll get access to my weekly podcast and newsletter, where I cover all the good things I’m consuming: the best food stories I’ve read, food podcasts I’ve listened to, what I’ve been eating and I also dive into what I’ve been working on.
Sun, October 18, 2020
Topher Boehm – Wildflower
They're not obvious candidates for making beer: wattle, strawberry gum and leftover sourdough from Ester. Topher Boehm turns to flower cuttings and other NSW-only ingredients to create wild ales for Wildflower , the Sydney brewery he runs with brother-in-law Chris Allen. They've named beers after their children – including the wild-raspberry-flavoured St Phoebe, which was selected over 1500 drinks to be named Australia's best beverage. And his curiosity with fermenting has led to Topher brewing 200 litres of soy sauce in a barrel, just for fun. Maybe his revved-up creativity shouldn't be a surprise – Topher once had 70 home-brewing experiments on the go in his apartment (until his wife fairly decided that perhaps that was just a little too much to co-habitate with). So how did Topher go from making frozen sandwiches for his family in Texas – and studying astrophysics and considering a career in shoemaking – to brewing beers that are found in 10 William Street and other top bars and restaurants around Australia? It's a pretty surprising path that also involves a really sweet love story (and a literally stinky town in New Zealand). You don't have to be a deep beer nerd to enjoy this episode, as Topher is a great storyteller – just listen to the unbelievably "epic" tale behind the coolship vessel that's being made for his spontaneous beers. The vessel has survived bushfires and flood – intense conditions that literally swallowed a truck belonging to the Blue Mountains blacksmith who is making the coolship. And while Topher has learnt about beer from hanging out in Europe and the US, he is keen to create a beverage that gets its flavours from sources you can only find in his home state. “We were calling beer local, but it was made that way from where it was brewed, not the ingredients it was from,” he says. Which means Topher is especially interested in bush foods, like saltbush, and is experimenting with the idea of bringing back his sold-out St Phoebe run using native raspberries. This episode actually features two parts: one recorded in January (before the pandemic) and a part two that sees us catching up remotely a few months after lockdown sets in. We also cover historical aspects of beer: it's the reason for the world's oldest recipe and, despite its cliched blokey image today, it was actually women who traditionally were brewers. (Go back to Ancient Egypt and it was women who tended to beer.) PS The cherry beer you hear fermenting in the background is actually now available from Wildflower (it's delicious)!
Wed, June 17, 2020
Natalie Paull – Beatrix and "Beatrix Bakes"
Natalie Paull once pointed a brûlée torch flame in the wrong direction – and accidentally set a whole docket rail of dessert orders on fire. She's endured brownie explosions and baking disasters, too. But people rightly associate Natalie with oven-baked triumphs – like the brilliant sweets from her popular Beatrix bakery in Melbourne. Think passionfruit cloud chiffon cakes, Tart-A-Misu, Moroccan Snickers tarts, cinnamon-glazed apple fry pies (without the fryer’s remorse!) and more. Her sugar-laced cakes have a transformative power – even for people who've undergone heartbreak and tragedy. Natalie has received letters of appreciation that have made her cry. Because Natalie is a big believer in "cake for breakfast", we talk a lot about desserts – from the blockbuster "floating" cake she made for own wedding, to the four-hour spiced quinces from her Beatrix Bakes cookbook, which have the most surprising story behind them. She also recalls her days working with chef Greg Malouf (after his heart transplant), Maggie Beer, Cath Claringbold and more. We also cover some of the "all-time favourite cakes" she's ever eaten around the world, from Kanazawa to Barcelona and beyond (including the "most perfect bite of cheesecake" in Tokyo)!
Mon, May 11, 2020
Shinobu Namae – L’Effervescence, Bricolage Bread & Co.
Shinobu Namae runs one of Tokyo's best restaurants: L'Effervescence. It has two Michelin stars and is known for its sustainable focus (nearly everything served to diners comes from Japan, even the cheese) and the menu is inspired by everything from McDonald's fried apple pie to world peace. Even the dish names are memorable (you can order something called 'Hurrah')! Namae-san has worked for Michel Bras in Hokkaido (the story behind this proves that overeating in New York is always a good thing to do) and he was Heston Blumenthal's sous-chef at The Fat Duck. Even though Namae-san grew up with an American-influenced diet, the chef has devoted his career to showcasing Japanese ingredients, from the artisanal wheat in the oven-baked goods at his cafe, Bricolage Bread & Co., to the menu at L'Effervescence. (The story behind the Japanese cheeses at the restaurant is pretty surprising.) He also talks about some of the memorable food he's had around the world – including his experience at Alice Waters' Chez Panisse, which he calls one of the best meals of his life. (He also has a sandwich inspired by her on his menu at Bricolage.) This episode was recorded when the chef was here last year, for Tasting Australia.
Wed, March 25, 2020
Charlotte Ree – "Just Desserts"
Charlotte Ree once ate 30 different kinds of croissants during a trip to France – then got a croissant tattoo afterwards. She's so dedicated to pastries that she'll stay up until 5:30am to finish a baking marathon. Pulling 120 cakes out of the oven during the hours people reserve for sleeping – and then going to work the next day, as communications manager for Pan Macmillan (the publisher of Hetty McKinnon 's cookbooks) – well, that's just a normal whirlwind day for Charlotte. Charlotte's love of all things sweet is clear on every page of Just Desserts , her latest cookbook. It features recipes for Nutella thumbprint cookies, peach and raspberry tray cake, tiramisu swiss rolls and chocolate ganache Bundt (Charlotte likes big Bundts and she can not lie). Just Desserts also includes "a nod to the king of biscuits" and is laced and frosted with a good dose of puns (sieve the day)! Charlotte talks about how to land a cookbook deal (when you're not a celebrity chef), being on the publicity trail with Hetty McKinnon, as well as Charlotte's personal baking triumphs, fails and memorable moments. Plus, we take an express trip to her favourite patisseries around the world (I've saved her Tokyo recommendations for my next trip)! Note: this was recorded a few months ago, before the current pandemic and lockdown hit. So, social distancing is paramount, but please take note of eateries you can still responsibly support as they need the help right now. And there's plenty in the podcast archive (the Christina Tosi episode, the one with Lune Croissanterie's Kate Reid !) if you're keen for a self-isolation soundtrack or audio company during this unprecedented time.
Mon, December 23, 2019
Angie Prendergast-Sceats – Angie's Food, Two Good
Angie Prendergast-Sceats once was an olive oil judge, where she had to watch out for vintages that tasted like "rancid feet" and "baby vomit" (such references really did appear on the flavour chart that's deployed in these contests). But for the last three years, she's been the culinary director and head chef of Two Good , which used recipes by top chefs (Peter Gilmore, Christine Manfield, Ben Shewry ) to create soups and salads that would be sent to women in domestic violence shelters. You'd order two soups: keep one and the other would be donated to someone in a refuge. The food was cooked by women from shelters, who were paid above-award wages to do so. In her role, Angie would oversee this work – and there some memorable/hilarious times when they did their cooking in a nightclub's not-so-conventional kitchen – and she also ran Two Good's Work Work program, training long-term unemployed women, refugees and disenfranchised people to help them get jobs. It was far from the aggressive stereotype of a kitchen where you could yell at someone to hurry up with the carrots; in working with people who might not know how to hold a knife or are still dealing with trauma, cooking 1000 meals a week is a different kind of challenge. We also talk about Angie's recipes – which appear in the new Two Good cookbook , her memorable trips to Japan (where she had nine bowls of ramen in five hours and visited a 1000-year-old miso shop) and what she's doing next with her Angie's Food enterprise.
Fri, November 29, 2019
Monty Koludrovic – The Dolphin, Icebergs Dining Room and Bar
“I was the guy who had the cream gun explode, trying to top the iced coffee.” Monty Koludrovic's early days in hospitality were "pretty calamitous", but one triumph was ending up in the kitchen of The Boathouse at Blackwattle Bay. It was a meal there, at age 12 (that he can still recap with incredible accuracy), that inspired him to pursue a career in restaurants. Since 2014, Monty Koludrovic has overseen dishes at Icebergs Dining Room and he later became executive chef of Maurice Terzini's other venues: The Dolphin, Scout, Bondi Beach Public Bar and Ciccia Bella. Besides introducing excellent dishes (like the Tokyo 7/11 sandwich at The Dolphin), he's also played a role in the restaurant group's collaborative events, like Aperitivo Hour, where Luke Burgess might turn The Dolphin's wine room into a falafel house or Ben Shewry might DJ in a safari suit as his Attica team lay down snacks from his award-winning restaurant. There was also the pizzeria pop-up by Joe Beddia (who makes the best pizza in America, according to Bon Appétit magazine) at the Bondi Beach Public Bar and, most memorably, $1000 dinners for Good Food Month featuring Hiroyuki Sato, whose Hakkoku sushi restaurant in Tokyo has a six-month waiting list. (Despite the hefty pricetag, all six sessions sold out.) The Icebergs team built two custom sushi counters for the events and the restaurant's seafood supplier said of the beachside location: “When you’re eating fish and you look at the fish’s home, the fish tastes alive.” Monty says, “We billed it as the world’s best sushi restaurant that day.” Monty also recaps his memorable (and hilarious) time eating at the OG Hakkoku in Tokyo, which also involved an encounter with attendees of the vampire-themed bar nearby. We talk about why the quality of food in Japan is so exceptional (“You’ve got 70-year-old sous-chefs over there and they’ll never be head chef unless their dad retires”). We also discuss what's next for Monty, now that he's leaving the Icebergs group after six years, as well as his final Aperitivo Hour at
Sat, September 14, 2019
Josh Niland – Saint Peter, Fish Butchery
Josh Niland can make fish scales taste like sugary cereal and fish eyeballs resemble prawn crackers. In his hands, seafood can become Christmas ham, mortadella and caramel slice. He can even turn calamari sperm into something you'd want to eat (no really)! His creative, waste-free approach to using every fin and scale is a response to the typical method of ditching 60 per cent of everything caught from the sea (“How is that 40 per cent of a fish is getting all the credit?”) and his innovative thinking is showcased at his acclaimed Saint Peter restaurant, Fish Butchery shop, and within the pages of his new publication, The Whole Fish Cookbook. Niland's interest in food started not long after he was diagnosed with cancer at age eight. His mum's chicken pie and the excitement of food media offered comfort after intense chemotherapy treatment – he even pinned pictures of chefs he admired on his bedroom wall. These well-known figures later ended up applauding him when he won Best New Restaurant for Saint Peter at the first national Good Food awards. Before opening Saint Peter with his wife Julie Niland (“Julie and I thought about this restaurant for so long – in every single meal that we ate together"), Josh worked at Est., Glass and Fish Face and shares the many "hectic stories" of his culinary education. A crab-eating competition, funnily enough, led him to being mentored by Fish Face's Steve Hodges, and ultimately inspired him to open Saint Peter (which landed Niland multiple Best Chef honours and a World Restaurant Award nomination alongside Massimo Bottura and Dan Barber). It's fascinating to talk to Josh about everything from the Starlight Foundation wish he was granted as a kid to all the unending possibilities he sees in every scrap of seafood (from cultivating single-origin bottarga to using fish fat like butter in desserts). Many of these ideas are featured in his book, which René Redzepi calls, "an inspiring read, something to return to again and again", and are compelling even if you don't eat fish. (That said, I'm hoping Josh can be convinced to bring back his self-saucing potato scallop one day.)
Sun, August 11, 2019
Jordan Toft – Bert's, Coogee Pavilion, Bar Topa, The Collaroy
Jordan Toft has been a chef for Saudi royalty and he's run a chalet in the Haute-Savoie in the French Alps. In Sydney, he's known for his work at Bert's (which was nominated for New Restaurant of the Year in the last Gourmet Traveller restaurant awards ), The Collaroy, Bar Topa and Coogee Pavilion. His next venture – a restaurant on the middle floor at Coogee Pavilion – has been more than four years in the making. Jordan started his career as a teenager and has since worked with many great chefs (he was mentored by Peter Doyle during an influential stint at Est). His career has sent him to Italy and France – and we spend a lot of this conversation talking about Europe because a) Jordan had one of the best meals of his life at Michel Bras's restaurant in Laguiole, France (the lunch he ate preceding it is pretty hilarious, BTW) and b) because Jordan and I recently went on a Eurail trip that zipped through Spain, France and Switzerland. We talk about the highlights of travelling via train carriages through this part of the world while flexing a Eurail pass . Some of the memorable experiences we had included eating at Llet Crua , in Barcelona (a cheese shop that specialises in revived Catalan cheeses); foraging for wild Spanish flowers and herbs on the Costa Brava coastline with Evarist March (a "gastrobotanist" who works with the acclaimed El Celler de can Roca ); eating desserts inspired by old books and Game of Thrones at Rocambolesc (the gelato parlour run by Jordi Roca, the world-renowned pastry chef); Jordan running into a strangely familiar face at a traditional Lyon restaurant; and taking ultra-scenic trains around Lake Geneva, including the GoldenPass Classic "Belle Epoque" trip up a Swiss mountain to eat mushroom fondue and see Gruyère cheese being made from two-hour-old milk at Le Chalet . Oh and there's the time Jordan bought 150 euros of jamón and schlepped it through two entire countries, too! This was a fun cou
Mon, August 05, 2019
Kirsha Kaechele – Eat The Problem, MONA
Sweet and sour cane-toad legs. Multiple cat recipes. A deadly cocktail you’re not meant to serve. These are some of the fascinating (and deliberately provocative) things you’ll find in Eat The Problem , the 544-page book by American artist and curator Kirsha Kaechele . It’s part cookbook and art project, with an impressive list of collaborators (including chefs Dominique Crenn, Peter Gilmore, Christine Manfield and Enrique Olvera) and pages that are filled with creative ways of dealing with invasive species (pig's eyeball margaritas or starfish-on-a-stick, anyone?). Eat The Problem is also the inspiration behind an exhibition of the same name at MONA, Hobart ( running until September 2 ) and a guest dinner series happening on August 6 at Melbourne's Vue de Monde, Byron Bay's Harvest on August 7 and Brisbane's Urbane on August 8. Kirsha is the perfect candidate for imaginatively addressing pests, given that she grew up on Guam, which was overrun with brown snakes – the "rock star of invasive species". They even landed coverage in The New York Times and inspired WTF solutions (paracetamol-laced mice were dropped from parachutes to deal with the snake problem). Also, her wedding dress was made out of invasive deer, she carries a cane toad purse and thinks we should make candles using fat from culled animals. Thinking sustainably comes naturally to her and it was her plan to hold a zero-waste food market at MONA in 2013 that helped kickstart the Eat The Problem project. Kirsha is fascinating to talk to and she approaches the issue of sustainability like no one else – instead of being overly serious and dour, she addresses environmental issues with plenty of invention and an unmissably bright palette (the feasts that launched the Eat The Problem exhibition, after all, took place on the world's biggest rainbow-coloured glockenspiel). Even her cutlery designs, which force people to share their food or feed someone across the table, are meant to provoke conversation and social interactions. She also talks about her 24 Carrot Gardens Project and her favourite places to eat and drink in Hobart (and Sydney, too).
Mon, July 22, 2019
Ardyn Bernoth and Roslyn Grundy - Good Food and Good Food Guide
Eating near a nuclear submarine base on a Chinese island and dining with Tamil tea pickers in Sri Lanka – these are some of the memorable meals that Ardyn Bernoth and Roslyn Grundy have experienced over the years. Given their many years covering food (Ardyn is currently the national editor of Good Food , Ros is the deputy print editor of Good Food – and both have senior roles on the Good Food Guide ), it's not surprising that they've eaten far and wide. What is surprising is how restaurant life is something they both experienced very early on – when their families entered the hospitality world. Ardyn and Ros also talk about their reviewing disasters, the lengths you have to go to ensure your restaurant coverage is accurate (“stealing copies of menus is something I’ve done many times, I’m ashamed to admit”) and some of their career highlights – like interviewing your heroes (Yotam Ottolenghi, "number one cookbook writer in the world"), your story landing on the front page of the newspaper and covering fascinating people like Icebergs Dining Room and Bar restaurateur Maurice Terzini (“his energy is 10 people rolled up into one frenetic bundle"). And of course, given their role as national restaurant reviewers, they share some of their favourite places to eat around Australia (Ester, Africola and Lee Ho Fook are some of their picks).
Sat, June 29, 2019
Luke Burgess – Only In Tokyo
Tokyo isn't the most obvious place to seek out pizza, but the wood-fired slices here are better than anything you'd find in Italy. That's what chef Luke Burgess believes – and it's a case he makes in Only In Tokyo , the new book he's co-authored with fellow chef (and Japan-o-phile) Michael Ryan . In the podcast, we really nerd out about Tokyo's best pizza spots (from the life-changing Savoy to new favourite Pizza Studio Tamaki, both photographed by Luke for the book). We also talk about the book's other Tokyo highlights (from the city's best egg sandwich to a truly next-level kaiseki restaurant), as well as discoveries that aren't documented within its pages – from a four-seater noodle joint hidden behind a pastry shop to a Norwegian-inspired bakery in a traditional part of Tokyo. (The Japan talk begins at the 16:29 mark.) We retrace Luke's fascinating career path, too: from his start at Tetsuya's, his time at Noma (where he bumped into Ben Greeno ) and the launch of his memorable restaurant, Garagistes – along with the opening of MONA , it helped usher in a new wave of interest in Hobart. He talks about how he ended up buying $17,000 worth of lamb for the restaurant and why he closed Garagistes (despite being awarded Best New Talent by Gourmet Traveller ). Outside of his guest chef appearances (he recently turned The Dolphin into a falafel joint), he's currently working on a Tasmanian farm – so he has good recommendations for dining in Hobart and beyond (to add to his extensive Tokyo-visiting suggestions)! PS Shout-out to Trisha Greentree and the crew at 10 William St for letting us record this podcast upstairs at their ace wine bar. PPS If you're keen for a signed, personalised copy of Only In Tokyo , check out Luke's <a href= "https://www.lukeburgess.com.au/collections/frontpage/products/only-in-tokyo-two-chefs-24-hours-the-ultim
Tue, June 18, 2019
Hugh Allen – Vue de Monde, Noma
You don't need a roof or floor to run a great restaurant – that's what Hugh Allen learnt while working at Noma's Mexico pop-up. And yes, there were issues. "If it rained, the guests had to come sit in the kitchen," he says. Simple things, like boiling water, became a mission that could take hours. And yet, this ended up being one of the best working experiences of his life. The chef's three years with Noma also spanned its Sydney residency and its recent relocation in Copenhagen. I met Hugh last year, after saving up to eat at Noma, and I witnessed him parading the famous celeriac shawarma. It turns out there's a secret back-story to this Instagram-winning dish (#shawarmagate) and we find out about the status of the "show shawarma". After his time at Noma, he's returned to Australia to become Vue de Monde's current executive chef. For the menu, he's experimented with wattleseed Tim Tams, billy-tea traditions and classic memories of the Aussie milk bar. He's not allowed, though, to mess with the soufflé – it's been a Vue de Monde staple for 19 years. (He does sing to it, though.) Hugh has come a long way since working at Rockpool Bar & Grill at age 15 (and later winning the Gault Millau's Potentialist of the Year award, which led to him spending quality time in France's Champagne region). We also talk about his highlights from working at Noma and Vue de Monde and he also shares his favourite places to eat in Copenhagen and Melbourne.
Sat, May 25, 2019
Mark Best – The Final Table, Bistro by Mark Best, Marque
Imagine being a 16-year-old working in a Western Australian gold mine. This was Mark Best's life, straight after high school. It was a tough way to earn money as an electrician, so he eventually left. “I arrived in Sydney and found myself unqualified for above-ground work.” He ended up even deeper underground, claustrophobic and covered in fibreglass and varnish, trying to install battery packs on submarines at Cockatoo Island. “I literally will die if I don’t do something with my life,” he told himself. So he decided to cook professionally. Not long after this career path detour, he won the Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year award. In 1999, he opened Marque, where he maintained three chef’s hats for 10 consecutive years and was honoured with a Breakthrough Award by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. By the time of Marque's final dinner in 2016 , many impressive people had worked in Mark's kitchen: Isaac McHale (now running The Clove Club in London) and Mette Søberg (current research chef at Copenhagen's Noma) spent formative periods there. Of the talented locals (Victor Liong, Daniel Pepperell, Brent Savage, Adam Wolfers, Pasi Petanen, Hanz Gueco, to name a few), three would win the Young Chef of the Year award: Dan Hong, Daniel Puskas and Lauren Eldridge. We talk about "The Pesto Years" of the 1990s, how travelling throughout France inspired Marque's beginning, the history of his calamari risotto dish, trying times in the kitchen ("I may have held a sausage to someone’s head"), the memorable last dinner at Marque and why he chose to close the restaurant. We also cover: his current role as a World Restaurant Awards judge, what it's like developing menus for cruiseships (which he does for his Bistro by Mark Best business) and his appearance on The Final Table , Netflix's cooking contest. After getting hate mail from doctors while on Masterchef , he decided to take a different onscreen approach on The Final Table (SPOILER WARNING: we talk about that show's ending, from 53:15 to 58:12 on the podcast). It was also surreal to discover his fellow competitors owned his cookbooks. (Turns out he's quite qualified for above-ground work after all.)
Thu, April 18, 2019
Tim Watkins – Black Market Sake, Automata
Tim Watkins' parents needed a cooking course to learn how to use a microwave (which led to one Christmas turkey disaster) and he didn't eat broccoli or cauliflower until he was an adult. So life in the restaurant world might not have been the most obvious career path. After a few detours (including a stint as a shoe salesman), he ended up serving diners at acclaimed restaurants such as Pilu at Freshwater. He got a reputation for singing "Happy Birthday" in Italian to guests and he would go on to win Sommelier of the Year in the Good Food Guide for his work at Automata. We recorded this interview just before he started his new role at Black Market Sake (although we did use this as a good excuse to talk about breweries in Japan) and we also chat about the time he impersonated a Canadian Olympic athlete, went on a TV game show and witnessed quite a few forgeries. Oh and of course, we had to talk about that anti-organic-wines hashtag and his impressive collection of shorts.
Thu, March 07, 2019
Kate Reid – Lune Croissanterie
Would you line up at two AM in zero-degree weather, just for a croissant? People would regularly do that all the time, purely for the chance to try Kate Reid's pastries. The New York Times , after all, said her croissants are "the finest you will find anywhere in the world, and alone worth a trip across the dateline". Other fans include René Redzepi, Nigella Lawson and Helen Goh. Originally, Kate spent over a decade pursuing her dream job of being an aerospace engineer for Formula One car racing. She was the only woman in her role (and in fact, there wasn't even a female toilet where she worked). But when her career aspirations crumbled, and her life in London proved hugely isolating, Kate took solace in obsessive weight loss. Her eating disorder left her dangerously ill – she was six weeks away from dying – but her recovery was a key part of her starting Lune Croissanterie in Melbourne. It was inspired by a pivotal (and entirely impromptu) visit she made to Du Pain et des Idées in Paris. After a stint at the boulangerie, Kate started selling her own croissants from a tiny space in Elwood. The blockbuster reaction was incredible (people would arrive hours before opening, with movies on their iPad to pass the time), and has since led to Lune Croissanterie opening in Fitzroy and the CBD. Even the French newspaper Le Monde has given Kate's croissants an endorsement. But she is as upfront about the lows of her career as well as the big-time highlights. I really loved talking to Kate: she's so engaging, friendly and very honest. Catch Kate being interviewed by The New York Times food editor Sam Sifton, about The Power of Obsession for Melbourne Food and Wine Festival on March 9 .
Mon, March 04, 2019
Daniel Puskas – Sixpenny
Daniel Puskas started his career slicing tomatoes, but eventually ended up in the kitchen of Alinea, the acclaimed Chicago restaurant known for turning mozzarella curds into balloons filled with tomato foam. His experience there was part of his Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year prize. It's one of many honours he's earned throughout his career: he was also named the Citi Chef of the Year in 2018’s Good Food Guide, and Sixpenny is one of only three Sydney restaurants that's achieved three chef hats in the latest guide. You currently have to book two months ahead to get a table at Sixpenny. And it's worth the wait (Bar Ume's Kerby Craig cried when he last ate there). Dan worked at some all-star kitchens early in his career (at Tetsuya's, alongside Shannon Debreceny, Darren Robertson and Phil Wood; at Marque with Mark Best, Pasi Petanen, Karl Firla and Daniel Pepperell), before becoming head chef of Oscillate Wildly at age 23: he'd arrive to work on his skateboard and play Mario Kart with chef Mike Eggert before service started. At Oscillate Wildly, he met James Parry (another Young Chef of the Year winner), and they took Bob, their sourdough starter from the restaurant, and opened Sixpenny together in 2012. The menu is truly inspired, even down to its bread (including the ‘recycled’ loaf transformed with spent coffee grounds and golden syrup), and features fascinating ingredients (from emu eggs to anise hyssop). Sixpenny’s current sommelier Bridget Raffal is aiming for gender equality on her wine list. Dan is really open about the restaurant’s ups and downs (from the time he sat on a champagne glass, because he was shocked Sixpenny hadn’t scored two hats – to its recent ascension to three-hat status). He also shares some very funny stories from the many acclaimed restaurants he's worked in – he was truly great to talk to.
Fri, February 15, 2019
Caitlyn Rees – Cirrus, Fred's, Momofuku Seiobo
How to make cider from 300-year-old pear trees, what it's like to work alongside Dan Barber at one of the world's best restaurants and how it feels scoring Gourmet Traveller 's Sommelier of the Year award – Caitlyn Rees can give you a first-hand account of all of these standout experiences. When she was at Fred's in Sydney (where she served fascinating wines from the Adelaide Hills to Armenia), she was singled out by Gourmet Traveller as Australia's best sommelier in the magazine's 2018 restaurant guide. And because she won Melbourne Food and Wine Festival’s Hostplus Hospitality Scholarship, she ended up doing time at three places on her worldwide wish list: Relae in Copenhagen (a Michelin-starred restaurant that upended her expectations about how chefs and wait staff should work together), Dan Barber's Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York (her behind-the-scenes stories about this acclaimed restaurant are truly amazing) and helping Eric Bordelet in Normandy, the ex-Arpège sommelier who collects fruit from centuries-old trees to make his famously great cider. She also talks about the "rough red" that her grandfather made (and how it was her first encounter with booze), her time at Momofuku Seiobo (another wish-list job of hers), why she left Fred's (even though she loved working there) and what she's currently doing at Cirrus. Plus, a tragic story about suitcase wines and we hear her list of favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney (including the restaurant where she's spent practically all of her birthdays).
Mon, January 21, 2019
Carlo Mirarchi – Roberta's, Blanca
A near-death experience in Australia plays a surprising role in the launch of Roberta's, the much-loved New York pizzeria. When Carlo Mirarchi almost drowned on the NSW coastline, it inspired him to rethink his career path – and galvanised him to help start Roberta's in Bushwick. In 2007, it opened with such a minimal set-up (there was no gas and staff had to boil water in the wood-fired oven), so the chef often prepped food at home before getting to the restaurant. Despite its lo-fi beginnings, Roberta's would end up ranked #6 on list of 20 Most Important Restaurants by Bon Appétit and Mirarchi himself was named Best New Chef by Food + Wine. Roberta's would also inspire a frozen pizza range, an LA location and, when it was targeted by Pizzagate conspiracy theorists, its team responded in the best way possible: by launching a beer named Pizzagate. Mirarchi also runs Blanca, an ambitious Michelin-starred restaurant that has been reviewed by Pete Wells twice. The chef talks about what it's like to be on the other side of a New York Times review, plus: where he's had the best pizza in the world (“it changed my life”), whether pineapple is a legit ingredient on pizza, and we cover the origin story behind his collaboration with Lennox Hastie for Firedoor's fantastic Fireside series last month. For this occasion, Mirarchi brought Roberta's to Sydney via the Fire & Slice pop-up event, which took place at Firedoor and involved the Gelato Messina crew helping out on tiramisu-making and other duties. Also: shout-out to Lauren and Claire for listening to this podcast!
Mon, December 24, 2018
Adam Wolfers – Etelek
"You can't f--k with the matzo ball soup." That's what Adam Wolfers learnt from his grandmother. Etelek , his pop-up restaurant, is inspired by the chef's Eastern European background. It's a history that draws on memories of his grandmother tending to six pots on the stove at a time, as well as his grandfather Julius' time as a concentration camp survivor (an extraordinary tale that's been documented by Steven Spielberg ). Carrot schnitzel, scallop pretzel puffs and honey cake with wattleseed honeycomb are just a few of things you’ll find at Etelek , which is running at Potts Point until New Year's Eve. It's named after the Hungarian word for food and the pop-up has previously travelled to Melbourne and Canberra, and featured locally at Ester, Casoni and The Dolphin, gaining a following for its parsnip schnitzel and amazing langos bread. Even the most anti-carb person will be converted by Adam’s dishes, which has basically served as an atlas of bread from Yemen, Hungary, New York over the years. In fact, he uses a sourdough starter from his time at Monopole and made his name working in other Brent Savage restaurants, such as Bentley and Yellow (Adam helped turn Yellow into a vegetarian hatted restaurant, known for its eggplant steak and pickled kohlrabi and enoki). Adam also talks about his previous life as a jetsetting European handball player (in fact, he had to get his hip replaced after a career-ending injury) and, given the brilliant "everything bagel" that was on his menu, he weighs in on the neverending New York vs Montreal bagel debate, too. Plus, we chat about coming up through the ranks while mentored by Peter Doyle, Mark Best, Pasi Petanen and Brent Savage; his history with Bar Rochford's Louis Couttoupes, and whether Adam's langos bread is like Hungarian pizza. Make sure to check out Etelek before it winds up its Potts Point pop-up on New Year's Eve and keep an eye out on Instagram to see what Adam and Marc Dempsey have planned for Etelek in 2019.
Sat, December 15, 2018
Shannon Martinez, Mo Wyse, El Rosa – Smith & Deli, Smith & Daughters
People actively smuggle Smith & Deli's food onto planes – that's how addictive the dishes are. Interstate regulars even bring their own Tupperware containers and cooler bags, so they can enjoy the food at home. That's the power of what Shannon Martinez, Mo Wyse and El Rosa are doing at the popular Melbourne vegan deli – which is the subject of their new book, Smith & Deli-cious: Food From Our Deli (That Happens to be Vegan) . They've reconnected people to dishes they thought they never could eat again, with clever and convincing replicas of meaty and dairy-heavy recipes. Shannon's plant-based take on smoked salmon made Mo cry, in fact, while El's inspired a hugely emotional response to her vegan pastries, too. We chat about the romantic-comedy-like origins of Mo and Shannon's first meeting, what led to them opening their first vegan business (Smith & Daughters, which also attracts long queues and dedicated fans), Shannon's surprising appearance at a cheese festival ("I was definitely the token weirdo there") and her successful experiments with vegan Roquefort, the legal action that followed her popular vegan tribute to Sizzler and why it's important to make vegan food legitimately stinky. PS You need to try the vegan cacio e pepe at Smith & Daughters, which is truly amazing. And don't forget to pick up their new publication (or the previous Smith & Daughters cookbook , too).
Mon, November 19, 2018
Jowett Yu – Ho Lee Fook, Mr Wong, Ms.G's, Canton Disco
Jowett Yu was working at Tetsuya's – then in the Top 5 of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants – but couldn’t even afford a bed. It was a wild time (just listen to the memorable "pep talk" that head chef Martin Benn gave when the restaurant reached #4 on the list) and the kitchen was full of upcoming stars: Daniel Puskas (Sixpenny), Clayton Wells (Automata), Phil Wood (Laura), Luke Powell (LP's Quality Meats) and Dan Hong – who Jowett bonded with, because they basically had the same haircut and similar cultural backgrounds. Together, Dan and Jowett would go on to open Lotus, Ms.G's and Mr Wong together. At Lotus, there was the momentous night they launched David Chang's Momofuku book (and cooked for both Chang and Alex Atala), Ms.G's involved a memorable American research trip (where Jowett ate something that resulted in the "best 30 seconds of my life") and Mr Wong, which was an "intense" experience where he'd finish work at 3am and clock in again at 9am. Jowett then opened Ho Lee Fook in Hong Kong (an experience that earnt him a "lecture" from his mum and a major grilling when he put her dumplings on the menu – but even she ended up a fan of the restaurant). Here, the chef has experimented with fascinating vegetarian dishes, like typhoon shelter corn and celeriac char siu. More recently, he's launched Canton Disco in Shanghai. Jowett also talks about growing up in Taiwan (and his visits to his totally boss grandmother's farm: she could look at an egg and tell when it would hatch – and be totally right) and his love of Hong Kong's Belon (he compares chef Daniel Calvert's cooking to the rise of Beatlemania). When you consider that Jowett ended up in the kitchen as a 14-year-old because he essentially didn’t want to be a dishwasher (and he made the smart move avoiding a career in journalism, too!), there's no doubt that he's had a fascinating career.
Fri, November 02, 2018
Christine Manfield – Tasting India, Universal
$10,099 – that's how much someone is asking for their copy of Christine Manfield's Tasting India cookbook on Amazon. Sure, India Today called it the book to give native newlywed couples once they head overseas, so it's a prized publication – but luckily, the new updated version of the award-winning book is much more budget-friendly (and includes new chapters on Hyderabad, Punjab and Gujarat, too). While Christine Manfield is known as the acclaimed chef behind restaurants such as Paramount, East@West and Universal, we spend a lot of this podcast talking about her travels to India – a country that she's constantly visited for more than two decades. She has vivid stories of spice markets (and mountains that are literally fragrant with cardamom being grown) and the home cooks she's met, whose dishes she documents in her cookbook. Plus, we cover the regional (and religious) differences that shape the food on the plate. And what you have for an Indian breakfast (it is way better than toast and cereal). It was also great to talk to Christine about gender representation in the industry (particularly after she was a judge in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef competition last year and was quoted in the Herald as saying: "Where the f--- are the women?"). And I loved hearing about how Christine is still recognised on the streets of India because her Gaytime Goes Nuts dessert appeared in the finale of Masterchef Australia in 2012. (The dish is not only delicious, it's also a statement in support of the gay community, too.) You have a rare chance to eat Christine’s food again because she’s running Tasting India dinners across Australia in November, at much-loved restaurants such as The Agrarian Kitchen outside Hobart, Anchovy in Melbourne and Lankan Filling Station in Sydney. For details, visit Christine Manfield's website .
Sat, October 20, 2018
Bo Bech – Geist
"The most interesting place in Europe to eat” – that's how Noma's René Redzepi described Bo Bech's first restaurant, Paustian. The Copenhagen venue was located in the last building Jørn Utzon ever designed – and the Sydney Opera House architect was one of Bech's regular diners. (You need to hear the story behind the dish that Bech created for Utzon, which the chef talks about near the end of the podcast.) "When I stepped into the kitchen at the age of 24, my world flipped." Bech became a chef at a relatively late age – enduring terrible food during a peacekeeping mission inspired him to improve on what was available. To convince a bank manager to loan him the money to launch Paustian, he had to revert to some pretty unusual means (it did involve food, though). Paustian is the focus of Bech's first self-published book, What Does Memory Taste Like (which features a signature avocado dish that gets 80-something pages of coverage). His second restaurant, Geist, is more accessible in style – the type of place that Bech would want to be a frequent customer. It's covered in In My Blood , his new book, which is like an autobiography of the restaurant. It features architect's drawings and furniture sketches among the 100 recipes. It also covers rage and other inspirations behind his food (like his lifelong battles against endives and salmon). We also chat about his recent dinner collaboration with Lennox Hastie and his favourite places to eat in Copenhagen. You can find In My Blood at chefbobech.com .
Fri, October 12, 2018
Su Wong Ruiz – Momofuku Ko, Momofuku Seiobo
“It was probably the singular worst experience of my life, because Noodle Bar will kick your ass.” Sure, Su Wong Ruiz's first go at working for David Chang's Momofuku restaurant empire wasn't exactly a success. (“My ass was completely flattened by that experience,” she says.) But over time, she became part of the acclaimed, three-hat-earning launch team for his Momofuku Seiobo restaurant in Sydney (Chang claimed this was his first venue "where the front of house is equal to, if not better than, the kitchen team"). Then Su went on to work for Momofuku's Ma Peche (where she met future Seiobo chef, Paul Carmichael) and Momofuku Ko, which has been called Chang's most ambitious restaurant. “Dave is a very particular type of coach and tormentor – he’s really good at it,” jokes Su. So it was fascinating to hear her talk about the unexpected challenges and standards set by the influential chef, as well as her strong working relationships with Ben Greeno (Seiobo's first head chef) and Sean Gray, who rules the kitchen at Momofuku Ko. I also enjoyed hearing how ultra-creative Sean's dishes are – like the cold fried chicken, for instance, and how things went down at their recent collaboration at Melbourne's Marion bar. Plus, Su's insights on delivering good restaurant service – and dealing with trolls – are really fascinating. It's especially interesting because her career started on the other side of the pass: when she "conned" her way into a job as a cook while visiting New Mexico. She also shares her favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney and New York.
Tue, October 02, 2018
Sunny and Ross Lusted – The Bridge Room
They’ve worked in Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Croatia, Greece, Bali and the Carribean. At one point, Ross had a job in Singapore while Sunny was in Chicago – and somehow, they ended up commuting and making it work. The couple were drawn back to Australia, though, because Ross had his eye on a restaurant location in Sydney: it had been his dream venue for 10 years. And once the site became available, the pair turned it into The Bridge Room (despite a floor that literally exploded and some awkward $50,000 phone calls to ensure the interiors met heritage restrictions). Previously, Ross worked for Neil Perry – and, after an injury that kept Ross out of the kitchen, the chef ended up overseeing Neil Perry's airplane meal range for Qantas; he even got to test the food in an airplane simulator. Ross and Sunny have many great tales about their travels abroad: from changing people's lives with Thai food in Croatia, visiting Noma in its early days and discovering surprising uses for popcorn in Bhutan. They also reveal the back story to launching The Bridge Room, which is currently one of the country's most well-regarded restaurants.
Sun, September 09, 2018
Kylie Javier Ashton – Momofuku Seiobo
Kylie Javier Ashton has dealt with forged bookings and martini glass accidents; she's disguised Alex Atala with garbage bags, and endured countless people throwing up when she's been on the job (“you could see the frequency of the voms go up when the scampi dish was on” is one of the most memorable lines from this interview). Having survived all that, it's clear that she still loves her work and wants people to join the industry (as her involvement in Women In Hospitality , Appetite For Excellence and Grow shows). Kylie Javier Ashton got her start at Tetsuya’s , when it was ranked in the Top 5 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. She's since become the award-winning restaurant manager at Momofuku Seiobo , which has been twice-named the best restaurant in Australia by Gourmet Traveller . Not a bad place for her to be, considering she didn't "even know how to carry plates" when she entered the industry. Kylie has many amazing stories to tell, and covers it all, from what it's like to actually work with David Chang, the background to Paul Carmichael's food at Seiobo and why she asks her staff to give presentations on Caribbean culture, and the reality of your restaurant being in two pieces in The New York Times : one by Pete Wells , the other by Besha Rodell . Plus: that memorable period running Duke Bistro with Mitch Orr, Thomas Lim and Mike Eggert (which followed her spell at Bentley Restaurant & Bar with Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt – the "hardest" place she worked). And let's not forget the time she also boxed in Cuba. I LOVED talking to Kylie for this interview and she drops some of the best lines I've heard (it's worth listening to this episode so you can discover why “I’ve just been out on Oxford Street with an eyepatch” and “I didn’t realise I was Wolverine for so long" are two of the greatest things anyone has ever said on this
Sat, August 04, 2018
Travis Harvey – OzHarvest
Turning unwanted coconuts into 2000 curries, 10 tonnes of donated squash into soup, leftover egg yolks from 16,000 Black Star Pastry watermelon-strawberry cakes into banana curd and working out what to do with 800 kilograms of airplane food picked up from the domestic airport gate – these are just some of the things that Travis Harvey handles as executive chef of a food-rescue charity. Working at OzHarvest means he's had to be pretty creative: for instance, he takes the most wasted ingredient in Australia – bread – and transforms it into dishes like fried Lazarus bread or ramen noodles at OzHarvest's pop-up cafe at Gratia in Surry Hills. He's also encountered other inventive ways of saving waste, like Josh Niland's attempt to incorporate cobia fat and fish scales into a chocolate bar dessert. Harvey has also collaborated with high-profile talent, like Massimo Bottura and even Cookie Monster. Through initiatives like the CEO Cook-off and OzHarvest food truck, he's helped the charity send 90 million meals to people in need over its 14-year history. Prior to his time at OzHarvest, he contributed to a stove-building project in Guatemala and endured Canberra restaurants that felt like episodes of Survivor . He even worked in kitchens that practise the very opposite of what he does today: extracting collagen from chicken wings, only to throw the wings out afterwards. It was fascinating chatting to Travis – and make sure you check out his work at the OzHarvest Cafe pop-up , which is running at Gratia in Surry Hills until September.
Fri, July 20, 2018
Joe Beddia – Pizzeria Beddia
Joe Beddia makes "America's best pizza", according to Bon Appétit magazine. The chef/owner of Philadelphia’s Pizzeria Beddia has also been referred to as Pizza Jesus and the Jiro of Pizza. He shrugs off what he does as "just pizza", but people would line up many hours (sometimes even arriving before Joe got to work!) just to try his pies. He only made 40 pizzas a night – and he produced each one from scratch over the restaurant's five-year run. Joe is currently on a world tour that he hopes doesn’t make people hate him – he's been to France, Italy, eaten at Noma, and he's currently in Sydney to do a week-long pop-up at Bondi Beach Public Bar. So locals can find out whether his work can be downgraded to "just pizza". Given that sommelier James Hird (who helped tee up the pop-up) describes eating at Pizzeria Beddia as one of his favourite ever food memories, you won't want to miss Joe's Australian-inspired versions of his pies while he's here. Joe also talks about life-changing pizza experiences in Tokyo, how he ended up spending his 40th birthday with comedian Eric Wareheim and how he essentially produced his Pizza Camp cookbook using his home oven. Oh and he also memorably recaps the time he attempted a stunt with a blindfold, razor, shaving cream and no pants in the hopes of winning a trip to the Playboy Mansion and $10,000. You can check out Joe's Sydney pop-up (from July 22 to July 28, 6pm until late at the Bondi Beach Public Bar) before he opens Pizzeria Beddia 2.0 in Philadelphia at the end of the year.
Mon, June 11, 2018
Sharon Salloum – Almond Bar, 3 Tomatoes, Cook For Syria
It's not surprising that Sharon Salloum would pursue a career in food – her dad has a thing for DIY cooking devices and even pioneered a shopping trolley/fridge shelf/lawnmower barbecue. Her mother and grandmother taught her the power of food around the family table, and their recipes inspired her Almond Bar cookbook – which landed her two international Gourmand Cookbook awards. Just hearing Sharon talk about Syrian dishes is the very opposite of a hunger suppressant; it will make you want to order her food immediately. But Sharon actually decided to work in healthcare before teaming up with her sister Carol to open Almond Bar in Darlinghurst and their newish cafe 3 Tomatoes in Ashbury. Her ingredients are grounded in local postcodes – vine leaves cut from her parents' yard, fresh za'atar from an uncle's home, or visits to a Western Sydney grocer who sells home-made shanklish from neighbours or excess produce from their suburban gardens. And given that Sharon has has strong memories of riding donkeys in her father's Syrian homeland (and eating some extraordinary breakfasts in the country), it's obvious why she has gone out of her way to find hospitality work and opportunities for refugees from the region. She's also taking part in the big Cook For Syria fundraising dinner happening on June 18 at Three Blue Ducks in Rosebery, in aid of UNICEF Australia’s Syria Crisis Appeal for Children, and you can find her sfouf recipe in the upcoming Bake For Syria cookbook. To more about Cook For Syria and how you can participate, visit cookforsyria.com .
Sun, June 03, 2018
Samin Nosrat - Author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
Samin Nosrat has written one of the most-talked-about and celebrated cookbooks of the last year, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat . Her trophy shelf includes a James Beard Award for General Cooking and the Julia Child First Book Award. It's an amazing effort for an "uncookbook" that she's spent 15 years working on. While in college, she saved for seven months to eat at Chez Panisse, the Californian farm-to-table restaurant run by Alice Waters – this life-changing meal convinced Nosrat that she needed to work there. And although she started with entry-level duties, such as cleaning the restaurant, she was very excited just to be on staff: “I can’t believe they’re letting me vacuum the floors at Chez Panisse!” Nosrat has brilliant stories about cooking at the restaurant (the numbers on the dials had worn off the ovens, so you had to wave your arms in front of them to work out the temperature), as well as visiting the oldest pickle shop in China and meeting an eighth-generation butcher in Chianti, Italy. She's also taught Michael Pollan how to cook (and dumpster-dived baguettes with him) and writes The New York Times "Eat" column, where Nosrat has confessed to being a bread hoarder and shared a recipe for a breakfast soufflé (aka soufflazy). Nosrat is delightful to talk to and it's worth listening just to hear her description of the feasts you enjoy at Iranian New Year and the green unripe plums that her mum snacked on while they were growing up.
Fri, April 06, 2018
Eve Yeung - Noma
The first restaurant Eve Yeung ever worked at was Noma - yes, the Copenhagen establishment named the World's Best Restaurant four times . So how did she end up in René Redzepi's renowned kitchen at the age of 18? The young pastry chef actually considered becoming a competitive hockey player (a path she pursued while working at Noma) and before she was preparing desserts in the high-profile restaurant, she worked at Long Island's best bakery – making extravagant cakes to celebrate people's milestones: one staggering creation, to commemorate someone's law degree, featured a legal book of torts and judge's gavel; she's also produced cakes featuring a shark jumping out of the water as well as an '80s tribute that showed a Rubik's cube on top of a 3D Pacman game. And yes, she's even fielded weird requests for wedding cakes (luckily, her family-friendly bakery had a policy about not making "crazy nudity cakes"), so she didn't have to bake anything that was too out there. It was a contrast to her time at Noma, where she would go foraging for ants in the Danish landscape or end up painstakingly cleaning reindeer moss for the restaurant's menu. She also got to push her desserts in imaginative directions (listen to the description of the dazzling ice cream sandwich she presented to Noma staff) and got to travel to Sydney for the Noma Australia pop-up. She also end up with many standout experiences while working at Noma Mexico, too, (from learning to cook regional specialties with locals to the time she was stuck in a cool room with a torchlight on her head to finish a granita dish for the menu). Eve has some pretty exciting news she'll announce later this year – keep updated via her Instagram account. In the meantime, enjoy hearing about her experiences working in memorable kitchens across the world.
Fri, March 16, 2018
Alexandra Carroll (Alex Craig) - Author of New York and Paris
They're two of the dining capitals of the world and they're explored (and beautifully photographed) by Alexandra Carroll in her books, New York: An Inspired Wander Through Manhattan and the Brooklyn Boroughs and Paris: An Inspired Wander Through the City of Lights . So it's no surprise that we talk about memorable bagels and croissants, the fact that Alex had to eat a lot of cheese to get the job done, as well as remarkable venues that are not Michelin-starred institutions – from Clown Bar, with its surprising history, to Dans Le Noir, a restaurant staffed by blind people that serves people completely in the dark. Then there's the New York trend for drinking broth like coffee! Alex also shares some of the easy-to-overlook gems in both cities (including a museum located in an elevator shaft in Tribeca) and how she went about producing both books. We also talk about how she was my first editor (as Alex Craig) and how she effectively bankrolled my first trip to Paris, as I bought an airfare to the French capital as her employee. And we touch on her incredible record as a book publisher – she was involved in the launch of Hannah Kent's bestselling book, Burial Rites , which is going to be turned into a movie featuring Jennifer Lawrence.
Fri, January 19, 2018
Jock Zonfrillo - Orana, Bistro Blackwood
At age 11, Jock Zonfrillo started working in restaurants - initially, as a dishwasher. "I very quickly surmised that I was on the wrong side of the flying frying pan." Only a few weeks in, he became a chef, an experience that would take him from Scotland to the rest of the world: from cooking for Prince Charles in Paris (assisting Marco Pierre White, who attempted to enter France by sticky-taping his photo on top of someone else's passport – true story) to Australia, where a four-hour life-changing conversation with an Aboriginal busker in Sydney opened him to the world of indigenous food and led him to opening Orana in Adelaide. It's currently rated as the best restaurant in Australia, according to Gourmet Traveller's 2018 national food guide. His work for the Orana Foundation - which seeks to showcase, document and make knowledge about native food accessible, while also ensuring Aboriginal communities directly benefit from the promotion of these ingredients - led to him winning the Food For Good award for the 2018 Good Food Guide. "It’s 60,000 years of knowledge that nobody's really paid attention to," he says. Learning about how Aboriginal people "had a relationship and understanding of the land, 50,000 years before the pyramids" has been pivotal to his work with Orana. (<span style= "color: #000000; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: st
Sat, December 30, 2017
Myffy Rigby, Palisa Anderson, Trisha Nelson – Live at Rootstock
Good Food Guide editor Myffy Rigby, Chat Thai and Boon Cafe co-director Palisa Anderson and an actual legit winemaker, Trisha Nelson who runs Ajola in Lazio, Italy, joined me for a chat recorded live at the most recent Rootstock food and wine festival at Sydney's Carriageworks. So, we talk about memorable experiences with booze, totally nerd out about agriculture (given that Trisha produces organic wine via a vineyard in Italy and Palisa runs the Boon Luck Farm in Byron Bay), how to deal with people who freak out when they encounter "natural wine", the best places to drink in Sydney (and beyond) and also the incredible stories that Myffy's written about for the Good Food print section in the Sydney Morning Herald (she recounts some of Lennox Hastie's near-death experiences in Europe, which are as flat-out dramatic as something out of a movie). We also cover Trisha's surprising career path to becoming a winemaker, and how working alongside Rootstock co-founder Giorgio de Maria at Berta played a part in her making wine in Lazio. You can read Myffy's writing at goodfood.com.au and the Good Food Guide, check out some of the wines we talked about at Chat Thai (in particular the Circular Quay branch) and find Trisha's wine at 10 William Street and via Giorgio de Maria's online wine store, http://www.giorgiodemaria.com . PS The wine we try during the podcast is Ajola's lovely Bianco Trilli 2016: it is a direct pressing of moscato left on the skins of procanico. Procanico is the local strain of trebbiano in that part of Lazio and it turns a lovely pink colour when it ripens. PPS Thanks to the Rootstock crew for inviting us and to Emma Hutton at The Cru Media for her help with making this podcast possible.
Thu, December 21, 2017
Morgan McGlone – Belles Hot Chicken
Morgan McGlone's fried chicken has scored a standing ovation. At an event run Noma's Rene Redzepi, no less. Feeding the top chefs at MAD, the famous Copenhagen food symposium, is just one of many memorable instances of Morgan's eventful career. Long before he launched Belles Hot Chicken, Morgy started out cooking for huge volumes of Japanese tourists at a revolving restaurant in Sydney as well as working for Luke Mangan and Merivale. He <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-tran
Sat, November 18, 2017
Ben Shewry – Attica
Ben Shewry's Attica is ranked #32 in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list and it's Restaurant of the Year in the first national Good Food Guide – but according to his son Kobe, Attica is " not bad" for a restaurant that doesn’t have a burger on the menu. Many years before Ben gained international acclaim for Attica's uniquely Australian dishes (from his i nventive take on avocado on toast to a savoury pavlova), he was shaping margarine <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; fo
Sat, November 11, 2017
Sarah Doyle – Bodega, Porteno, Continental Deli Bar Bistro, Wyno
Sarah Doyle has played a pivotal role in Sydney's hospitality scene. But there was a time she worked three jobs just to help keep Bodega running. It was the first restaurant she opened with husband and chef Elvis Abrahanowicz, fellow co-owner and chef Ben Milgate and their business partner/sommelier Joe Valore. And it was a game-changer – its fun, punk, loud focus on good food and good times was a contrast to the mannered French fine-dining scene that was reigning in Sydney hospitality at the time. But the queues came – and they took the chance to follow it up with Porteno. “I think you’re really going to strugg
Fri, November 03, 2017
David McGuinness – Bourke Street Bakery, The Bread and Butter Project
David McGuinness has frequently taken his sourdough starter on holidays with him to keep it alive. "You have to feed it regularly, like a baby," he says. This dedication to bread is not surprising, given that he's the co-founder of Bourke Street Bakery, the Sydney institution that is loved for everything from its chocolate ganache tarts to its meat pies ( Amy Schumer famously stopped by, straight from the airport, to try one during her Trainwreck press tour). Along with the bakery's co-founder, Paul Allam, David has co-authored two baking bibles – the original Bourke Street Bakery publication was even released in Russia, where it was called Streets of Bread . The new book, All Things Sweet , is dedicated to Bourke Street Bakery's much-loved desserts – such as the ginger brûlée tart (David shares the lovely story behind that on the podcast – and tells of the key role it played in how he met his partner). Bourke Street Bakery has come a long way from the days when its chefs had to teeter on milk crates to stir 120-litre pots filled with pie mix. There's its social enterprise, The Bread and Butter Project, which trains refugees to become bakers – which was inspired by the time Paul taught nuns in a refugee camp how to bake. Then there's the impressive Bourke Street Bakery family tree – which has seen former BSB graduates branch out and do their own thing (like Paul G
Thu, October 19, 2017
Shannon Martinez – Smith and Daughters, Smith and Deli
"The chef said he was going to the bank and never came back." Shannon Martinez was working as a bartender at The East Brunswick hotel in Melbourne when she was asked to take over the kitchen. She happened to put a vegan parma on the menu and it blew up – the pub sold close to 300 portions on a Monday night, attracted huge queues and Pink even turned up with her security detail to try the dish. It proved to Shannon there was a massive interest in vegan food and it led to her running Smith & Daughters and Smith & Deli with business partner Mo Wyse in Melbourne: they're eateries famous for their lines as well as their great, sceptic-defying vegan food. So you might be surprised to know she’s got a tattoo of jamon on her body and it’s not the only meat-related tattoo she has. You might also be amazed to know of her music career – she's actually played to thousands of people on the Vans Warped tour who sang along and wore her band's merch. And because she runs vegan businesses, people might not realise that Shannon is a chef who eats and cooks meat, but that’s her advantage – she’ll try a Spanish blood sausage at Porteno and think, "how can I make a version of this that everyone can eat?" and it’ll end up a bestselling item at Smith and Daughters. "Food is my number one passion. I cook vegan food purely because it was a market, a demographic of people that weren’t being looked after. And I thought that was really, really unfair," she says. <span style= "color: #000000; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;
Tue, October 17, 2017
Brent Savage – Bentley, Monopole, Yellow, Cirrus
"It was an old smashed-up pub that had no floor and no ceiling and no roof." It wasn't the greatest site, but Brent Savage and his business partner Nick Hildebrandt (somehow) transformed it into Bentley, the first restaurant they'd ever open together. 11 years later, they now run four acclaimed Sydney venues: Monopole, an award-winning wine bar; Yellow, a popular fine-dining vegetarian restaurant, and Cirrus, a well-reviewed seafood establishment. Brent got his start in the kitchens of renowned chefs (such as Phillip Searle's Vulcans and Mark Best's Marque) before going solo and being named Chef of the Year in the 2005 and 2015 editions of the Good Food Guide. Even though he worked in "old-school" rough-going establishments, Brent has since instituted a "no shouting" rule in his kitchens and knows that there's more to a restaurant than what's on the plate. His collaborators include Hildebrandt, who surely must be the most awarded sommelier in Sydney (even if he hasn't carted all his honours home to put on his trophy shelf) and Phil Gandevia, whose experimental drinks at Bentley include strawberry champagne, Weetbix milk and a pretty excellent counterfeit beer. Brent has also mentored many young chefs at his restaurants – including Adam Wolfers and Dan Hong (who met his wife when they were both working at Bentley). Brent has always had a pro-vegetarian bent to his cooking – his wife Fleur is a third-generation vegetarian – and he talks about how he approaches serving eggplant like it's twice-cooked pork belly. Bentley is the restaurant that inspired me to start my food blog, 10 years ago now, which is also what has led to this podcast – so it's nice to be able to chat to Brent about his career and achievements, and the fact he turned up to this interview, even though he'd suffered a hernia only five days earlier! But his high-pain threshold can probably be credited to his early days as a dishwasher, which taught him how to handle pretty much everything.
Sat, September 30, 2017
Duncan Welgemoed – Africola
Duncan Welgemoed has the most incredible "becoming a chef" origin story I’ve ever heard – it's a crazy tale that also involves George Clooney and ends with Duncan quitting his job by escaping through a window. Duncan was prepping chicken intestines from the age of eight in South Africa, so maybe it's no surprise he ended up working at Michelin-starred restaurants run by Heston Blumenthal, Gordon Ramsay and Raymond Blanc. <span style= "color: #000000; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-a
Thu, September 21, 2017
Katherine Sabbath - Baker and Author of 'Greatest Hits'
Some people have tattoos of Katherine Sabbath's desserts – that's how committed they are to her cakes. Given that the self-taught baker has around 400,000 followers, it's not a surprise that fans are so dedicated. Katherine's blockbuster creations range from a Palm Springs wedding cake to a cantilevered cake she made for an architect that involved actual hardware parts. She's also made birthday cakes for Andy Bowdy and Ken Done – and she's collaborated with fashion label Romance Was Born, too. Even though her desserts are epic, it's surprising to learn that her approach is actually lo-fi. She uses her dad's plastering joint knife as a cake scraper and a lazy Susan from Ikea as cake turntable. We also talk about Katherine's previous life as a high school teacher and I could totally imagine her being the schoolkids' favourite – she is so charming, likeable, good-humoured and down-to-earth relatable. We even get into some #realtalk about social media and how representative it truly is. Plus, we also cover her cake-making triumphs and disasters; how to turn a dessert fail into a win; the irony of her being an Instagram star, given that she was the last person in her friendship group to join that platform; and her spectacular new Greatest Hits pop-up cookbook, which weighs 2.5kgs and is filled with stunning contributions by her collaborators (which include Benja Harney, Tracy Lines, Nikki To). It's available here and is honestly one of the most amazing books I've ever seen.
Thu, September 21, 2017
Lennox Hastie - Firedoor
Massimo Bottura once cried while eating Lennox Hastie’s food at Firedoor . When the chef behind Osteria Francescana, named world’s best restaurant in 2016, tears up while eating your steak, you must be doing something right. Perhaps that’s why Lennox was compelled to smuggle his signature dry-aged meat all the way to Italy when he visited Bottura recently. Also on Team Firedoor: Pete Wells , who is probably the most important food critic in the world. The New York Times journalist’s write-up of the Surry Hills restaurant was so favourable that Lennox ended up on the front cover of the newspaper. Firedoor is remarkable for its focus on smoke, burn and char. It relies on a fascinating mix of woods to fuel its kitchen – from ironbark to apple and even wine oak barrels. Every aspect of the menu, even the dessert, is touched by fire. Lennox learnt a lot about cooking with raw flames when he was at the grill-focused Asador Etxebarri in rural Spain. He dropped by for a day and ended up staying for five years. He worked with chef Victor Arguinzoniz on many fire-fuelled experiments – they even grilled caviar. Also: there were steaks that came from 21-year-old cows. And even though Etxebarri was a Michelin-starred establishment (and currently rated the sixth best restaurant in the world), Lennox basically lived in a ruin on the site. “Sheep used to walk in the back door to keep warm in the winter.” He also talks about how fire is at the heart of every culture, and can be a tricky medium to master (even the wood literally takes years to be ready to burn; and of course, we totally nerd out about Firedoor’s fuel source, especially indigenous ironbark, which burns 400C hotter than the European woods that Lennox dealt with in Spain). Gas has only been around for a few centuries, but we’ve been cooking with fire since the beginning of time – yet there’s still a lot to learn and it’s fascinating to hear about Lennox’s experiments and insights on trying to tame flames. (The heat also means he’s had a few heart attacks when the fire
Wed, August 23, 2017
Donato Toce - Gelato Messina, Messina Creative Department
Yes, Donato Toce has gelato for breakfast. And he actually gets paid for it – it's part of his job. He is the "cow milker, sugar hauler, head chef and gelatiere" at Gelato Messina, the much-loved Sydney institution that sells desserts such as Elvis The Fat Years, Robert Brownie Jr, Biggie S’Mores, This Is How We Scroll and the Game of Cones range inspired by the seven kingdoms of Westeros. (There are also great non-pun-related flavours, too, like tiramisu, apple pie and pistachio – the latter made using nuts hand-picked by grandmothers at the foothills of Mount Etna). Donato used to be the head chef at A Tavola, opposite the original Darlinghurst store, but he was compelled to join Gelato Messina eventually. Pavlova, once of his first gelato flavours, was a massive hit and typical of Messina's ultra-creative experiments (which have included the time they made roast chicken sorbet, for instance, or the disastrous tomato flavour). There have been multiple marriage proposals at Messina (there are now 16 stores) and it's become such an institution, there are even Messina-inspired Tim Tams in supermarkets. Of course, when
Sun, August 06, 2017
Jill Dupleix - Australia's Top 100 Restaurants
Jill Dupleix grew up as the daughter of a sheep farmer and took an unusual route to becoming a food writer – it involved a phone book, a bike ride and a stint in the world of advertising. And meeting Terry Durack: “We hated each other on sight.” They not only married each other, they ended up reviewing restaurants together. Since those early days, she's written 16 cookbooks, been the editor of the Good Food Guide, food curator of TEDx and currently she's the co-director of the Australian Financial Review's program for Australia's Top Restaurants with Terry. It involves overseeing the Australia's Top 100 Restaurants list and ceremony and writing about the remarkable venues that get highlighted by these chef-voted awards. (There's one restaurant that lives up to the obsession with hyperlocal produce by making its plates from its actual surrounds.) She talks about how the Australia's Top 100 Restaurants list is put together and what makes the highest-ranked establishments so special – from the neighbourhood charms of Tipo 00 to the special-occasion appeal of Brae, where even the temperature of the dishes will make an impression on you. Jill also covers the unusual espionage methods she resorted to while reviewing restaurants in the early 1980s (long before the iPhone – or the luxurious abi
Tue, July 18, 2017
Clayton Wells - Automata
“It was pretty crazy, actually,” says Clayton Wells about opening Momofuku Seiobo, but he could also be describing the incredible response to his solo restaurant Automata. Since Automata’s launch in late 2015, Clayton has been named Australia’s Hottest Chef by The Weekend Australian magazine, Time Out Sydney gave him their Chef of the Year award and Automata has been voted #9 restaurant in the Australian Financial Review’s Top 100 Restaurants list for the second year running. Oh and the most important food critic in the world, Pete Wells, also held up Automata as a restaurant worthy of global recognition in The New York Times. And despite all his mega achievements, Clayton isn’t above peeling nine kilos of grapes because his chefs think the job is “too shitty” to undertake themselves. Clayton talks about his path to opening Automata – which involved doing time at top restaurants such as Quay, Tetsuya’s, Noma and being part of the star team that helped Momofuku Seiobo, David Chang’s first restaurant outside of New York, land three chef’s hats in the first year that it opened. (Launching Automata also involved doing battle with a 2.5 tonne bank vault, too.) Clayton also covers what it’s like when the world’s most famous food critic steps into your restaurant and the chef also answers a hilarious bonus round of questions (involving Allen’s snakes and toilet paper), generously supplied by his award-winning sommelier Tim Watkins. (Thanks Tim! And thanks to Automata’s Glenda Lau with some of the intel for this podcast, too.) PS Look out for Clayton’s new restaurant, Blackwattle, opening in Singapore later this year.
Mon, July 03, 2017
Nikki To - Food Photographer
Nikki To's first shoots involved helicopters – an interesting challenge as she's "kind of afraid of heights"! Becoming a food photographer was an unlikely progression from her original plans to be a human rights lawyer, but her eventual career path led to her work appearing in Broadsheet, Gourmet Traveller, Qantas' inflight mag and even Swedish "Gourmet" magazine. After assisting industry veterans such as Daniel Boud, Petrina Tinslay and Anson Smart, she went solo: framing portraits of famous chefs (Jamie Oliver, Marco Pierre White) and local talents (she's taken possibly the best-ever picture of Mitch Orr, ever). She's ended up directing her lens at the tabletops of acclaimed local restaurants (Automata, Quay), as well as shooting New York during a hurricane. We talk about the weird tricks and props that are used in photo shoots (lube, steaming tampons) as well as the extreme lengths (or heights) she's gone to, to get an amazing shot. Think awkward positions with Adriano Zumbo or enduring freezing waves to shoot Nic Wong underwater. Plus: her favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney, how to get a good shot when people don't like having photographs taken of themselves, and her advice for getting into the industry. Look out for Nikki's work on Instagram , online and also via her new business, Buffet , which she's set up with her former Broadsheet editor, Sophie McComas.
Fri, May 26, 2017
Mike McEnearney - Kitchen By Mike, No 1 Bent St, Carriageworks
Mike McEnearney’s career has been full of surprising turns. Sure, he’s worked for Neil Perry and Gordon Ramsay – but also for Damien Hirst , running the <span style="color
Mon, April 17, 2017
Phil Gandevia - Bentley, Eau de Vie, The Roosevelt
A cocktail inspired by Charles Dickens? Or experimental beverages that include Weet Bix milk or charred Jerusalem artichoke? These are just some examples of Phil Gandevia's highly inventive work – he's an award-winning bartender who modestly describes himself as “the bar guy” at Bentley, but there's no other person I would trust to include wasabi vinegar and olive brine in a drink and actually make it delicious. You might've spotted him behind the bar at Rambutan, Eau de Vie, The Roosevelt and The Apothecary – where he concocted superfoods cocktails that even a skeptical Ned Brooks (DRNKS, Moon Park) approved of. And for someone who has thoroughly mastered booze, Phil has also applied his imagination and years of cocktail-savvy intel to a brilliant non-alcoholic menu at Bentley that is one of the best drinking experiences in Sydney: expect a smoked apple and verjus that you'll want to down “shots” of, a frothy wattleseed and West Indian spice buttermilk that's as good as the desserts it's paired with and a "wine" that he's cleverly made out of beetroot. We also cover some of the other Sydney restaurants offering intriguing boo
Mon, March 20, 2017
Rob Caslick - Two Good
Rob Caslick has designed lights for the blind, been deployed to Iraq as a naval boarding officer (where he intercepted illegal vessels smuggling oil in the aftermath of September 11), but if you like food, you probably know him for running Two Good. The company produces not-so-ordinary meals using recipes by Yottam Ottolenghi, Ben Shewry, Analiese Gregory, Mitch Orr, Neil Perry and other acclaimed chefs. It's built on a charitable two-for-one model, where you pay for two meals: one for you and the other to be donated to a shelter. Two Good's soups and salads are made by women from domestic violence shelters who are paid above award wages. And the quality of food is exceptional - Mat Lindsay's signature cauliflower dish from Ester (the one he can't take off the menu, due to its legendary popularity) has been turned into a salad for Two Good and Mitch Orr's roast hazelnut, celeriac and cavolo nero soup is one of the best soups I've ever had. I think I ordered ten when it was on the Two Good menu. This is not just about name-dropping, though. Two Good conveys to people in shelters that they are also worthy of a meal by Ben Shewry, Analiese Gregory or other acclaimed chefs. Given Two Good's inspiring work, perhaps it's not surprising that it won the Food For Good category at 2016's Good Food Guide awards ceremony. This honour helped put him in contact with top chefs – but that doesn't mean he can just coast on the win. He still had to go to impressive lengths to convince Ben Shewry to donate a recipe for Two Good. Rob also runs cooking programs for teen parents, a pop-up soup kitchen for the homeless and eventually hopes to start a farm-to-table restaurant that employs post-drug-rehab patients (with the possibility of big names like Tadao Ando and Martin Benn becoming involved). This is all the more impressive when you consider Rob does all of this in his spare time - he has a day job as an engineer. We chat about his amazing feats (such as the time a blind, gold-medal-winning skier inspired him to design lights for the visually impaired), as well as Two Good's upcoming fundraising dinner with O Tama Carey on May 4 at the Community Education and Arts Development, 255 Wilson Street, Redfern . It's a rare chance to be fed by the one-time winner of Time Out Sydney 's Chef of the Year award (especially as her upcoming Lankan Filling Station eatery is yet to open). Also, look out for upcoming Two Good events with renowned chefs such as Danielle Alvarez, Jock Zonfrillo, Mike Eggert and Jemma Whiteman. To keep up with Two Good's news and events, visit twogood.com.au .
Wed, March 01, 2017
Pasi Petanen and Giorgio de Maria - That's Amore, Cafe Paci and Giorgio's Fun Wines
2016 Good Food Guide Chef of the Year (and one-time skilled marksman for the Finnish army) Pasi Petanen was done with pop-ups. He'd scored plenty of acclaim for his one-off Cafe Paci restaurant – which was only meant to stick around for a year, but got extended to two and a half years by popular demand – and he'd also undergone temporary guest stints at Yellow and Auto.Lab , too. But friend and former Gourmet Traveller Sommelier of the Year Giorgio de Maria convinced him to take on one last job before pop-up retirement: That's Amore . Running throughout March at Mecca Alexandria , this limited run of dinners is a collaboration that'll see the sommelier and chef experimenting with what to serve – depending on what's at the market and what's in the cellar. There'll be a lot of back-and-forth adjusting of the dishes and drinks as the two taste and drink their way through upcoming menu concepts. “It’s like a ping pong game,” says Giorgio. That’s Amore is inspired by a tartare dish that Pasi served in pizza boxes at Rootstock Sydney a few years ago, but the pair is keeping a lot of the information about their pop-up classified so far. Sourdough starter pasta with butter sauce is the only dish they’ve willingly revealed from the menu so far, although Giorgio (who currently runs Giorgio’s Fun Wines ) has happily name-dropped what drinks might get served (including a fascinating seaside wine that he once presented in an oyster shell and a wild pear cider that’s aged for much longer
Mon, February 13, 2017
Danielle Alvarez - Fred's
Danielle Alvarez studied art history, but luckily for us, she realised that it was food that monopolised her thoughts - after all, she can happily identify the “eggshell crust” on a Cuban sandwich and was always prioritising her next cooking project. So she decided to spend her life in kitchens. Danielle's first-ever gig was at The French Laundry, Thomas Keller's three-Michelin-starred Californian institution, where she was challenged by a complicated egg dish that often ended up in the bin. The head chef at the time was Corey Lee, who went on to open Benu (one of the best restaurants in the US, according to David Chang), and she got to know the “shaking in and shaking out" ritual that ruled that establishment. Then she spent four years at another legendary restaurant in California: Alice Waters' Chez Panisse, where there were no official recipes and the kitchen was often run by painters, businesspeople or creative types who had no formal cooking background ("Alice really wanted that in her kitchen, she didn't want chefs"). The restaurant was famous for presenting just a perfect peach for dessert. A fateful trip to Australia eventually led to her being signed to Merivale and, after two long years (and gigs at other Merivale restaurants, such as Coogee Pavilion and The Paddington), Danielle finally opened Fred's in late 2016. It's a place unlike anything else in Sydney – it's inspired by her time in California as well as her relationships with unique producers (like Fabrice Rolando of Farm First Organics in the Blue Mountains, who grows bronze fennel and olive herb, rocket that tastes like peanut butter and asparagus that people have fought “wars” over). In this podcast, Danielle also talks about fighting fire to create her menu (which involves everything from mastering coals and wood and letting stringed lamb spin by the fireplace), the challenge of making the perfect bread - and what it's like when you work in an incredibly open kitchen and there's nowhere to hide from diners and critics. Plus, what it was like collaborating with Nadine Levy Redzepi on a guest dinner for March Into Merivale, the Cuban food that she grew up with and her favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney.
Fri, January 06, 2017
Toby Wilson - Ghostboy Cantina, The Wedge Espresso
It was dragonboat racing - of all things - that led to Toby Wilson running his own cafe at 22. The Wedge Espresso in Glebe was a sliver of a space; when it launched, Toby managed to run the whole place with just a sandwich press and a fridge - “that was all my cooking equipment”. Despite the limitations he had to battle, the cafe got a cult following, particularly for The Henry, “the unofficial hangover sandwich of Glebe". So after three years there, Toby ended up opening Ghostboy Cantina - an eatery unlike any seen in Sydney before (although his Sloppies nights at The Wedge Espresso definitely shared some of its DNA). Ghostboy was a taco joint housed in the otherwise all-Asian Dixon House Food Court. The menu was about embracing the overlap between Mexican and Asian cuisine - so included dishes like a pho-inspired taco and a brilliant "accidentally vegan" fried cauliflower taco with seaweed salt, macadamia cashew cream and kaffir lime salsa verde. Toby chose to open Ghostboy Cantina on Chinese New Year 2016, which meant he had to contend with lion dancers and epic Chinatown crowds just to get Ghostboy going. He also underwent some jet-setting research for the venue: hitting regions in the US, Japan and Mexico for inspiration. In fact, he actually walked directly across the border of Mexico, demolished 30 tacos in one day and even ate "corn smut" (which he says is actually delicious). In the podcast, he also talks about the many guest chefs he hosted at Ghostboy Cantina (where a lasagna taco made its debut), its move to Tio's Cervecería and the future of Ghostboy, now that Toby has wound up its residency at the tequila bar. (Ghostboy Cantina was one of my favourite places to open in 2016 - so I'm glad it may have a second life.) Also: the unlikely connection between taco joints and renowned pastry chefs, Toby's intense peak coffee/"I'm dying" moment, what it was like slamming back egg coffees, plus his other recent culinary adventures in Asia and where he loves to eat and drink in Sydney (like Bar Brosé , which has “one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time” and <a href= "http://www.goodfood.com.au/eat-out/news/just-open-neighbourhood-surr
Sat, December 17, 2016
Lauren Eldridge - Pei Modern, Marque
In the last year, Lauren Eldridge has worked at the world's best restaurant (Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana ), impressed the greatest living Italian chef with fairy bread and a punch to the face, whipped dessert with ropes in India and rolled croissants in Paris with Guy Savoy, the 'magician of French cuisine' . Not bad for someone who thought she'd end up with a psychology career (and occasionally forgot to add key ingredients in her cakes). While working at Marque restaurant as pastry chef, Lauren won the 2016 Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year award - and she ended up at Italy's Osteria Francescana as part of her prize. During her time there, the restaurant took out the top spot on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list and Massimo Bottura was also given the keys to the town of Modena. She also got hit in the face by a colleague and ended up inadvertently bleeding from the nose while casually chatting to Massimo Bottura. So, she definitely had a memorable time in Italy. While Lauren was away, Mark Best announced the closure of Marque and the 17-year-old restaurant finished with a final service of alumni chefs (an all-star line-up that included the likes of Dan Hong, Dan Pepperell, Brent Savage, Daniel Puskas and other talent that Mark mentored). Although Marque has closed, Lauren is now working with Mark again at Pei Modern at Sydney's Four Seasons hotel. She's brought over her Honeycomb and Cultured Cream dessert (which Gourmet Traveller placed on their ‘Hot 100’ list for 2015) and takes credit for some impressive not-so-typical dishes at Pei Modern, like the salted liquorice cake and molasses ice cream. Perhaps one day we'll see a version of the fairy bread dessert she presented to Massimo Bottura on the menu. In this podcast, she also talks about what it was like to be mentored by Mark, the irony of making desserts when she doesn't have a sweet tooth and her recent culinary adventures around the world. Plus, where she likes to eat and drink in Sydney.
Sat, November 19, 2016
Mike Bennie - Rootstock Sydney
In a past life, Mike Bennie used to help famous figures like Russell Crowe, A Tribe Called Quest, Baby John Burgess, as well as (future Prime Minister) Malcolm Turnbull and then Lord Mayor Lucy Turnbull pick wines. The Rootstock Sydney co-founder and award-winning wine communicator takes us on a few flashbacks to that memorable time (the Russell Crowe anecdote is particularly great) and - inspired by this very amusing Herald article that bagged Turnbull’s public wine collection ( 'Malcolm Turnbull's wine list is embarrassing and boring: industry experts' ) - Bennie also covers the hilariously bad state of politician’s taxpayer-funded booze cellars. In this podcast, we also cover Mike’s record-setting drinking session at Noma Japan (aided by Rootstock co-conspirator James Hird, with slight assistance by The Bridge Room’s Ross Lusted) and what it was like to then help Mads Kleppe put together the drinks program for Noma Australia - the biggest restaurant opening in Sydney this year. They enlisted artisanal makers, like Two Metre Tall’s Ashley Huntington (who is literally two metres tall) and Mike even had his own Brian wine make the final cut, in a totally legit way. He also chats about the blowback and the immense pressure he faced putting together the drinks list, against intense expectations about “name-checks” and supposedly obligatory inclusions. We also chat about the upcoming Rootstock Sydney festival (on November 26-27 at Carriageworks), which doubles down on Australian cuisine even more than last year’s impressive effort. Expect "roo and ray rolls”, pizzas topped with native ingredients and sausages that were OG creations by immigrants during the gold rush. And after some legal battles, Rootstock has managed to successfully bring out a collection of Georgian winemakers, here to celebrate their 8000-year-old approach to making booze, as well as stage a “big wild party” on the Saturday night with Georgian dishes such as roasted potato with tkemali and cheese khachapuri. Also at Rootstock, there’ll be the return of the orange wine bar, the sake bar, the introduction of Spritzstock (which sees Spirit People teaming up with PS40) and beers made with wild fermented grains by Two Metre Tall. And don’t forget, there’ll be talks and a chance to meet producers - from Owen Latta, who started making wines during schoolbreaks as an underaged 15-year-old to the one-of-a-kind French champagne grower Lelarge Pugeot. Mike also updates us on the places he loves to frequent in Sydney - as well as the establishments he’s looking forward to checking out next. PS Tool frontm
Tue, November 15, 2016
Nancy Singleton Hachisu - "Preserving the Japanese Way", "Japanese Farm Food"
Arriving as an exchange student from California, Nancy Singleton Hachisu originally planned a short visit to Japan, but 26 years later - she's still there. A relationship with a Japanese organic farmer is what upended her plans and saw her settling into an 80-something-old farmhouse that's been passed down his family for multiple generations. During this time, she's met fascinating Japanese producers - such as a "salmon whisperer", unique salt raker and a ninth-generation sake brewery owner - and published two cookbooks, "Japanese Farm Food" and "Preserving the Japanese Way", resulting in a fan base that includes Joel Robuchon and the team at Cornersmith. She describes what's really in your soy sauce (you'll be surprised), artisan producers creating the most next-level potato flour and sesame you've ever heard of, how to make ancient Japanese cheese and what it's like to eat at Jiro's sushi joint multiple (yes, multiple) times. Thanks to Shelby Chalmers at Fino Foods for teeing up this interview.
Thu, September 29, 2016
Glen Goodwin - Bentley, Monopole, Yellow
The band Kiss has played a surprising role in Glen Goodwin’s career. A love of the group led to his first job, as delivery boy to restaurateurs such as Neil Perry. It also played a pivotal part in how he ended up in New York. He worked there for 12 years – with bosses such as Bobbie Flay and Wylie DuFresne – in a pre-gentrified Manhattan that had drug dealers on every corner. During this ultra-eventful time, Glen also ended up being quoted in a story called ‘Hey, Is That Sommelier Old Enough To Drink?’ in the New York Times . That wasn’t his only memorable overseas stint. In Paris, Glen impersonated his brother – so he could land a job at an Australian-themed pub. Spells in his home country have been pretty adventurous, too. After returning to Sydney in 2008, Glen ended up at Bentley Restaurant and Bar , where he became co-owner and lived through some incredibly late and rowdy work hours. In 2013, he helped them relocate the restaurant from the original Surry Hills site to the new Radisson Blu site in the CBD, which involved personally shifting $500,000 worth of wines. In 2012, he helped open their second venue, Monopole , which recently was awarded Best Wine List and two hats in the Good Food Guide . Glen was also nominated as <a href= "https://www.pressreader.com/australia/gourmet-traveller-australia/20160801/282862255212342" target="_blank" data-slimstat-clicked="false" data-slimstat-type= "0" data-slimstat-tracking="true" data-slimstat-async="true" data-slimstat-callback="fa
Sun, August 28, 2016
Ibrahim Kasif - Stanbuli, Porteno
“The fire was creeping up on me,” says Ibrahim Kasif. “It was pretty scary.” He was working at Porteno when smoke began to billow through the atrium. He headed up to to the roof to check for problems – and found it seriously in flames. The building had to be evacuated, firefighters were called and the street was shut down. The Porteno fire was one of many incidents that delayed the opening of Ibrahim’s first solo restaurant, Stanbuli. There were also the epic battles with council (which involved an expensive pre-DA that turned out to be useless) and the fact that the site – the amazing Marie-Louise Salon on Enmore Road – was so dilapidated that it wouldn’t take much encouragement for the floor to collapse dramatically under your feet. Stanbuli, once it (finally!) opened, represented the Turkish food that Ibrahim grew up with – the fried eggplant that his grandmother would tease the family with, as well as the fish sandwiches and stuffed mussels that you’d find on the streets of Istanbul. There was not a stereotypical kebab or Turkish rug in sight – and the singular, highly personal menu makes Stanbuli a Sydney standout. Ibrahim talks about the long road to opening Stanbuli, the fascinating history of the Marie-Louise salon that used to be on the site (it's worth staying to the end to hear this), as well as the unexpected side effect of John Lethlean panning his lamb brain dish in an otherwise glowing review. (Despite that incidental thumbs down, Stanbuli has opened to great notices by everyone - from Terry Durack, Gourmet Traveller and beyond.) Plus, what it was like to work on a yacht as the chef for the ninth-richest man in Australia, the tough start to Ibrahim’s career, and where he likes to eat and drink in Sydney.
Wed, July 20, 2016
Helen Yee - Grab Your Fork
Helen Yee is one of Sydney's OG food bloggers. Even unreformed blog haters probably make an exception for her site, Grab Your Fork, which she started back in 2004 – before the iPhone was even invented, let alone Twitter or Instagram. Since then, Grab Your Fork has been listed as one of the world's 50 best blogs by Times Online and it's been an excellent source for where to eat in Sydney. She's also written lots of great articles as a freelancer, including an epic top 50 cheap eats feature for the Good Food Guide (and Good Food website), where she singled out a place where you can get Burmese-style pho and other local gems. Helen has also covered venues beyond Sydney - she's written about one-metre-tall roti in Malaysia that's so big that two people need to carry it, plus the unusual experience of encountering examination ramen and gold-leaf soft serve in Japan. We also cover the highs and lows of being a food blogger (and definitely deglamorise what the reality is actually like - it really is a full-time unpaid job), blogging ethics, the diversity of food media and our complicated feelings about the term "female Asian food blogger". Plus, where to eat and drink in Sydney (which Helen is well qualified to answer!) and the venue that she is most excited about visiting next. PS Thanks to James Scarcebrook for interviewing me on his Vincast podcast recently! Check it out if you're curious - or plunder his archives, as he casts a conversational look at the world of food (and wine) as well.
Sun, June 26, 2016
Elijah (EJ) Holland - Noma Australia, Nature's Pick
How do you make an impression on Rene Redzepi? Turn up with 300 wild plants - painstakingly gathered over four days - to present to Noma's award-winning chef. That's what Elijah (EJ) Holland did - and hand-picking lemon aspen and diving for seaweed definitely paid off as EJ became a key part of the Noma Australia team when it opened in Sydney earlier this year. He joined the kitchen as a forager and a chef. EJ is the most casually fearless people I've ever met - and he's unafraid to scale a cliffside to pluck Spanish daisies for a dish or fill his ingredient basket by spear-fishing and bow-hunting for produce. His ingredient list is incredibly vivid - from sandpaper figs and sea coriander to an eccentric plant that Redzepi called the "most unique-tasting fruit" he’d ever tasted in his entire life. EJ shares his panoramic knowledge about native cuisine - and reveals that we've been thinking about "poisonous plants" the wrong way. (Council even asked for the removal of lantana flowers from the Noma Australia menu, even though it's mainly cattle that are at risk of lantana poison.) And of course, EJ's career goes far beyond just his time with Noma's Sydney residency. He started as an apprentice at 13 and went on to work at acclaimed restaurants such as Jonah's and Aria; set up his own bar, The Powder Keg, where a lot of the produce was either hand-picked, hunted or spear-fished. He currently runs Nature's Pick, which supplies wild Australian ingredients to well-renowned restaurants such as Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Gastro Park and Aria. PS Big thanks to The Vincast for featuring me on the latest episode - it was a total honour to be featured; you should take a dive through James Scarcebrook's podcast archive if the sound of in-depth interviews with wine makers sounds highly appealing to you.
Sat, May 21, 2016
Palisa Anderson - Chat Thai, Boon Cafe
“We’re never going to work in a restaurant, nevertheless a Thai restaurant.” That's what Palisa Anderson told herself and her brother when they were growing up, but after some detours living in four different countries (and through other careers), she's ended up as co-director of the many Chat Thai restaurants across Sydney and the spin-off venues (like Boon Cafe, which is one of Dan Hong's favourite places to eat breakfast in Sydney). David Chang and Rene Redzepi ate at Chat Thai after their MAD Sydney appearances this year - and Palisa and her mum, Amy Chanta, actually made the staff meals for Noma Australia's last day of service. (It's a big contrast to the period – decades ago – when mother and daughter would spend their hours collecting pickling barrels out the back of McDonald's!) Palisa grew up with banana leaves and noodles drying around the house - and can recall the early (very memorable!) days when her mother started Chat Thai, more than 20 years ago. It was probably inevitable that she would end up working in the world of food. In this podcast, Palisa also talks about life in Japan, her fangirling of growing food and plants ("One of my best friends was a chrysanthemum"), unusual farming methods and what exactly is "shit metals curry”.
Wed, March 09, 2016
Corie Sutherland - Edition Coffee Roasters
From drinking supermarket Nescafe to the buzz of making coffee for his hero Rene Redzepi every morning (and being the Noma chef's personal barista), Corie Sutherland has certainly had an unexpected career. He tells his story of living in Japan, getting into 'specialty coffee' (a term he's wary of using), how he came to start the award-winning Edition Coffee Roasters with his brother Daniel Jackson, the next-level things he's witnessed at coffee championships, how his life intersected with Noma (and the amazing amount he was offered for his reservation at the booked-out Noma Australia!) and what it's like meeting your culinary heroes.
Wed, February 24, 2016
Alex Elliott-Howery - Cornersmith
This has to be one of my favourite podcast episodes. Alex Elliott-Howery, who co-owns the Cornersmith Cafe and Picklery in Marrickville, was awesome to talk to. Her award-winning cafe has a hyper-focus on preservation, fermentation, urban beekeeping, avoiding waste and produce-bartering. As a flipside to the acclaim, she's also endured pickling disasters that've left her crying into her gin and tonic; and she once tried to preserve a summer bounty of tomatoes, only to find herself still up at 3am, waiting for the water to boil (this definitely lead to more tears). She really lives the sustainability life, carrying around a ladder to salvage mulberries from becoming footpath splatter, and her progressive approach can sometimes have a downside (eg having to combat hardcore pickle nerds). Despite being besieged by vandalism early on, Cornersmith has been built up a strong fanbase that happens to include Jamie Oliver (the back-story to this is great, by the way). And expect Europeans to join the pro-Cornersmith club, given the Cornersmith cookbook will be published in Germany and The Netherlands. In this interview, Alex also talks about her courtship and wedding to her Cornersmith co-owner, James Grant (one highlight is what their son decides to wear to the ceremony); the hilarious incident she had with the police and how long you can really keep pickled items for (you'll be surprised). Plus, what suppliers refuse to bring her; more about her Cornersmith family, reader responses to the book and where she likes to eat and drink in Sydney.
Mon, February 08, 2016
Patrick Friesen – Papi Chulo, Queen Chow
Patrick Friesen originally thought he was going to be a doctor. He also planned to be in Sydney for a short spell - but luckily for Australians (and their appetites), he did a U-turn on both points and we're now fans of the talented chef and his menu-ruling work at Merivale's many venues: Ms Gs, Work In Progress, Papi Chulo and the upcoming Queen Chow (which you may know via Insta-stalking its #enmorechinese hashtag). In this podcast, we talk about the true story behind his ‘Phat Pat’ nickname, the food scene in Canada (where he grew up) and how he ditched microbiology lectures to pursue food and spend his (then) life savings on eating solo at Per Se at age 19. Patrick has also gone on some mega research trips for Merivale - from his Michelin-star-blitz through Hong Kong (with Dan Hong and the Mr Wong crew) to fat-burning his way across Nashville with Morgan McGlone (Belle's Hot Chicken, Husk). “We ate more food than anyone’s ever eaten in three days,” says Patrick. We also hear about his recent Japan trip, where he spent a bomb on dinner at a sushi joint (only for it to be over in a flash), felt sick (in the best way possible) at the fish markets, and also endured a two-hour-long queue just to try Shake Shack. Aside from his Tokyo adventures, we also chat about other border-crossing meals he's had – like the Phnom Penh chicken that's not from Cambodia (a secret discovered via fellow chef Jowett Yu) and where he's smashed the best burgers in the world. Patrick has pretty strong opinions on buns-and-patties and it's one of the many topics he'll be exploring for March Into Merivale (we have fun running through his golden rules for burgers). He's also tackling Instagram, guilty pleasures and other special dining events for the Merivale program (which has its launch party on Wednesday February 10, and runs from February 14 to March 20). We also chat about what he cooks at Papi Chulo (from his insanely good cauliflower dish with romesco, parmesan and brown butter crumbs), the indestructible curly fries, and his local twist on American-style barbecue. Plus, a preview of Queen Chow, what you do when the price of avocado skyrockets, how a hunt for gossip accidentally led him to the co-head-chef role at Papi Chulo; and we finish up with his favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney.
Tue, February 02, 2016
Stuart Krelle - Luchetti Krelle
From producing macaron wallpaper for Adriano Zumbo to making dynamite-stick lights for ACME - and creating the "zombie-proof" exteriors for Momofuku Seiobo - Luchetti Krelle has been behind the attention-hooking designs for Sydney's noteworthy restaurants, bars and eateries. Co-director Stuart Krelle has worked on hospitality projects of all budgets and styles - from the mega-pop charm of the Hello Kitty diner to an installation of toy soldiers parachuting down into Single Origin's Surry Hills cafe. The company has even managed to turn hidden parts of the Hinky Dinks bathroom into clever spots for wine storage. And toilets can sometimes be a surprising talking point - as he discovered when there was controversy surrounding Luchetti Krelle's design of the urinals at Ananas (yes, even bathrooms can be controversial)! Last year, his company won a Restaurant Bar & Design Award in London for its cartoon-evoking look on ACME. Stuart talks about the highs and lows of making a venue look good - and what it's like when things get down to the wire and you have to finish the interiors before Mick Jagger turns up for the launch of your bar.
Fri, January 01, 2016
Mike Eggert - Pinbone
Mike Eggert studied environmental science - a career path he returned to, in a way, when he cooked feral animals for a Pinbone/Young Henrys event for 2015's Good Food Month (an occasion that lead to a truly spectacular, poncho-staining food fight). After detouring from his studies and becoming a chef, he went on to work at many acclaimed Sydney restaurants – such as Oscillate Wildly, Sepia, Duke Bistro (with Mitch Orr, who is his co-host on The Mitchen podcast) and Billy Kwong (which is where he met his future Pinbone co-head-chef Jemma Whiteman). Along with Jemma and front-of-house ace, Berri Eggert (who is also Mike's sister), the trio gained a devout following with their Pinbone restaurant in Woollahra. In fact, when they announced the closure of its location in 2015, diners were willing to wait an hour and a half just to get in for the restaurant's famous brunch (and not just any diners - Quay's Peter Gilmore was spotted lining up on the footpath). Mike actually had trouble closing the fridges near the end, because they were so packed with prep and produce for the final weekends. Pinbone also had a great rep for embracing dietary requirements, instead of grumbling about them behind diners' backs; and it also was responsible for the Instagram-ruling maple bacon and pumpkin tart, which began quite accidentally, but ended up on the cover of Gourmet Traveller . Mike also talks about where Pinbone is currently at and the 2016 restaurant openings that he's most excited about.
Fri, December 18, 2015
Magnus Nilsson - Faviken, The Nordic Cookbook
I chat to Magnus Nilsson about his epic new publication (The Nordic Cookbook, which has 700+ recipes that he collated from the region - including 400 recipes that he personally tested at home and features some of the 8000 photographs he took of the area), whether he believes as many World's 50 Best judges actually visit his tiny restaurant Faviken, why a sandwich can tell you a lot about a country's cuisine, what it's like to eat puffin and the recent time he got pulled over by American cops.
Sun, November 29, 2015
Annabel Crabb – Kitchen Cabinet, Special Delivery
Annabel Crabb once put a laptop in the oven and it wasn’t even the worst thing she’s ever cooked. Rare culinary slip-ups aside, the host of Kitchen Cabinet is brilliant at mastering recipes (she’s just released an excellent cookbook , after all). And her food-transporting game is pretty strong, too – for her ABC TV show, she once carried a honey fig semifreddo cake to Senator Nick Xenophon’s place , with zero melting tragedies. Getting serving implements through airport security is another matter, though. “You try and take a cake fork anywhere – you’re in massive trouble,” she says. Despite this obstacle, it’s impressive what Annabel is able to achieve on her cooking show, despite not having a traditional studio kitchen set-up. She’s so savvy that she once managed to make ice cream in a hotel room. Taking dessert to someone – the premise of her show – can act as a great Trojan horse for getting into sought-after places (such as Joe Hockey’s “notorious” share house, where former opposition leader Brendan Nelson lived in a shed for $80 a week; “it’s the funniest, weirdest story,” she says). Food to make and take is the focus of her great new cookbook, Special Delivery ( Murdoch Books ), which she’s co-written with her Kitchen Cabinet recipe consultant and life-long friend, Wendy Sharpe. Food offerings can be a not-so-secret code, a direct message that conveys a lot – as Annabel explains in the book, sometimes it can mean ‘Congratulations’ or ‘I come in peace’ (to politicians) or ‘Lord, this meeting might be grim – let’s have some cake while we’re at it’. In the podcast, she says: “Often when you’re in situations where you can’t think of anything else to say to somebody – like when maybe they’ve had a death in the family or they’re very sad about something and you’ve run out of the constructive things to say – sometim
Fri, November 20, 2015
Ben Greeno – The Paddington, Merivale
“There’s no $10 steak, that's for sure,” says Ben Greeno . There's nothing standard-issue about his upcoming ventures with Merivale , which is no surprise – Ben is far from a standard-issue chef. (In fact, there's question about whether The Paddington – the 'pub' he's opening for the hospitality group – is even actually a pub. And the chicken shop that will follow is not going to be your average takeaway outlet, either.) So there are many dynamite reasons why people are majorly excited about this acclaimed chef's next moves. After all, Ben was Rene Redzepi's first employee when the Danish chef opened Noma . “It was one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever had,” says Ben. And after working at Michelin-starred kitchens in Europe (and running a supper club in London, where he fed 10 people at a time from an apartment), Ben ended up at David Chang 's Momofuku outposts in New York – and later headed the award-blitzing team that opened Momofuku Seiobo in Sydney. He talks about all of this in the podcast – plus, the dish that outlasted the famous pork bun at Seiobo, and that wild time they had when recreating Momofuku Ssam Bar's seminal 2007 menu for Good Food Month in 2014. This year, Ben joined Merivale – and it probably doesn't hurt his employment prospects that CEO Justin Hemmes name-checks Ben as one of the best chefs in the world . So Ben also chats about his plans for The Paddington (which opens on Tuesday), with a menu that is inspired by three fantastic on-site rotisseries (where he'll be roasting everything from lamb to celeriac), and the research he's done for the upcoming takeaway shop (including the time he ate 100 euro chicken in France with Hanz Gueco ). Ben also talks about his standout experiences at L’Arpege and his anticipation for the future Merivale venues for Patrick Friesen and Danielle Alvarez (“It’s gonna be one of the best openings of next year for sure," he says about he
Sat, November 14, 2015
James Hird – Rootstock Sydney
Within the first minute of chatting, James Hird mentions the time his sister got caught up in a Chilean coup in Uruguay at the age of 11 – so you know it's going to be a good interview. And while overseas escapades in India and France played a role in shaping James' ideas about eating and drinking, there's no doubt that the local landscape strongly influences his outlook about what should end up on our dinner plates or in our glasses. After starting a law degree, James became an accidental sommelier – not that his commitment to wine was ever in doubt. He recalls sucking empty bottles of 1895 Madeira after service one night, at an early stage in his career. Over time, James would become involved in opening Buzo, Wine Library and Vincent – and after years of uncorking wine and pouring well-picked bottles, he was named 2015 Sommelier of the Year in the Good Food Guide. James admits that, “I think about wine pretty differently.” For him, you can narrow wine down to place and people – like music, you just have to find the genre you’re into. “A place over a 10-year period is going to produce a style or a riff you might like. And then within that, you might find a person that you really like their interpretation of that place.” Being able to zoom into a region and really get a sense of its character and culture is a key part of the Rootstock Sydney festival that he co-founded. This year's installment of the artisanal food and wine event has gone truly next level, with added pavilions on coffee, cheese and indigenous ingredients, and around 80 producers on call to talk about what they do. Oh, and James also has to work out how to rotate a cow with a forklift and create earth ovens from scratch for Rootstock Sydney. And Magnus Nilsson's going to be around for breakfast, too. As well as chatting about the festival, James also discusses his amazing travels this year – including his pilgrimage to Pizzeria Beddia, a pizza parlour so great that it sells out its pies by around 6pm ( Bon Appetit name-checked it as " the Best Pizza in America ", after all). And he also covers the time he spent at the Noma pop-up in Tokyo with Rootstock co-conspirator Mike Bennie – and the surprising record that their table guests managed to set. Don't miss Rootstock Sydney, which takes place from November 28-29 at Carriageworks. Tickets and info available from rootstocksydney.com .
Fri, October 30, 2015
Ben Sears – Moon Park
When Ben Sears was working at Cutler & Co, the “biggest highlight” was when Quentin Tarantino came in for dinner. He's picked up quite a collection of memorable experiences throughout his career – from the time he worked at L’enclume, with its remote location (and tourist-magnet appeal as home of the sticky toffee pudding) to his burnout from having to make The Age's Dish of the Year way too many times, and his final spell as head chef at Claude's, when it closed after 37 years. “That was one of the weirdest services I’ve ever done – by far,” he says. In this podcast, he also talks about the low-budget and punk way that he opened up Moon Park with his partner and co-head-chef Eun Hee An and Ned Brooks, their business partner and floor manager. It definitely involved a visit to K-Mart. Ben jokes that their first patrons were really just "Ned’s friends" and downplays Moon Park's food as “Korean nonna food, gussied up for the masses” – but their venture ended up being shortlisted for Best New Restaurant by Good Food Guide and Time Out Sydney and the chefs were also nominated for Best New Talent in the Gourmet Traveller Awards. We also chat about Korean food and culture (including the amazing traditions of Pepero Day and Black Day – and how Korean food is about a zillion years ahead of the game) and we also bring up Kim Jong-Un’s haircut once or twice. And finally, Ben shares his favourite places to eat and drink in town – including the place he name-checks as "the best restaurant in Sydney".
Thu, October 15, 2015
Claire van Vuuren and Mitch Grady – Bloodwood, Newtown Locals
Claire van Vuuren and Mitch Grady did not plan to become chefs. She wanted to be an artist and he thought he'd be a golfer. Luckily for Sydney diners, their career paths got redirected – and the pair met while working at renowned Sydney institution Claude's, where they bonded over practical jokes. They went on to open Bloodwood in Newtown – a venue that marked the tectonic shift towards young chefs running casual-but-brilliant places that they personally enjoyed, instead of the high-end fine-diners that had defined "good food" in Sydney. During this podcast, they also talk about the battles and highlights of working in the kitchen – from the incidents that have landed them in hospital to the thrill of running your own venue, where guests will walk right up to you and tell you what they really think. Mitch covers what it's like to be a non-drinker while running a bar that has award-winning wine lists and Claire talks about the challenges endured when women are significantly outnumbered by men in the industry. They also chat about organising the upcoming instalment of Newtown Locals. This year's set of collaborations for Newtown Festival sees Black Star Pastry, Brewtown and N2 Extreme Gelato becoming a dessert super-group; Hartsyard and The Stinking Bishops teaming up to create the ultimate Beer Poutine; Bloodwood, Mary's, Bach Eatery and Old Town Newtown joining forces on a Chicken Waffle Cone; and Oscillate Wildly and Bloodwood nailing the Veggie Corn Dog business. Plus, there'll be offerings from Earl's Juke Joint, the Courty, Rising Sun Workshop, 212 Blu and Mike Bennie as well. Make sure to check it all out on Sunday November 8 at Newtown Festival .
Fri, October 02, 2015
Luke Powell – LP's Quality Meats
Luke Powell was very young when he snuck into the world of food – he was enrolled in culinary classes at 15 (despite being far below the 17-year minimum cut-off) and by 19, he found himself in the kitchen at the prestigious Rockpool , while crashing at the dodgiest hostels in his off-hours. Throughout his career, he’s witnessed amazing things – the strangest party trick performed by a head chef in New Zealand; staff tackling 10-kilogram zucchinis at Mugaritz in Spain; and many memorable incidents at New York’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns – including an encounter with a Jewish pig farmer whose mother had yet to learn of her son’s choice of work. Locally, Luke’s CV is impressively well-rounded: after being head chef at fine-dining institution Tetsuya’s , his next move saw him slinging burgers and making trash-can bacon at the extraordinarily popular Mary’s . And after some time with Mat Lindsay at Ester , he finally got to open his own place: LP’s Quality Meats . In this podcast, Luke charts all the fascinating directions that his career has taken – and explains why a Southern Pride smoker that cost as much as a small car (and is just as big) is the nerve centre of his restaurant. He also talks about one of the “top 5 best things I’ve ever eaten in my life”, handling the minefield of dietary requirements and his favourite places for dining and drinking in Sydney. Catch Luke at the upcoming event, <a href="http://sydney.goodfoodmonth.com/details?deal=91153
Tue, September 15, 2015
Myffy Rigby – Good Food Guide, Good Food Month
Since I last talked to Myffy Rigby, she's left Time Out Sydney (and boy did she go out memorably – one of her last hurrahs was an incident involving a nude bartender and dog track). Then she became the current editor of the Good Food Guide and the creative director of Good Food Month. In this podcast, we talk about the sleep she's lost over working on the guide, and how she tracked down the guests she wanted for Good Food Month (including the ones who got away, but hopefully will appear next year – I have my fingers crossed so badly about Brooks Headley making it on 2016's bill)! Myffy also talks about highlights from the Good Food Month program and speculates on why ramen attracts so many nerds. Plus, her collaboration with the Porteno crew on the 'Recipes For A Good Time' cookbook (and her possible regrets about it), what the Gelinaz Shuffle was really like and her favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney (including where to get the “best pasta in the city").
Sat, September 05, 2015
Barbara Sweeney – Food and Words Festival
Barbara Sweeney has made a great career out of her appetite. She's been regional editor for Good Food Guide, oversaw Cheap Eats for nine years, spends Saturdays as a 'talking cookbook' and even has been a honey judge. In this podcast, she also chats about her fascinating assignments – from interviewing wasabi farmers to rating vinegar. (Also, did you know that 'hen caravans' existed?). There's also a time trip to the oddball retro dishes that she remembers from decades past and plus, it's hard not give your jealousy a workout when Barbara describes the staff meals she experienced when working at a hotel in Umbria. Barbara also chats about Food & Words, the festival that she has run for several years. She runs through this year's program – which will include writer Anthony Huckstepp interviewing Sepia owners, Martin Benn and Vicki Wild, a hummus tasting by Michael Rantissi (Kepos Street Kitchen, Kepos & Co), colonial gastronomer Jacqui Newling, and yep, even me. It takes place on September 19 at The Mint in Sydney and you can find out more and grab tickets from foodandwords.com.au .
Tue, August 25, 2015
Jake Smyth – Mary's
Jake Smyth knows a hell of a lot about burgers. Along with Kenny Graham, he runs Mary's – which, despite only being two years old, has quickly become a much-worshipped Sydney institution. It's easily titleholder of the best burgers in Sydney and inspires the craziest queues, even on the coldest winter nights. David Chang, who famously said Australia screws up burgers like no other country, endorses Mary's as the exception he's on board with. No wonder Mary's sells 10,000 burgers a week between its two outlets. Even though it was "carnage" with Jake's daughter being born on the same day that the first Mary's store opened, these two life-changing events would prove to be amazing forces in Jake's life. He also talks about all the burger research he's done (including the worst example he's ever endured) and the unusual former lives of Mary's Newtown location, which is over a century old. He even shares some of the secrets behind Mary's amazing mushroom burger. (Jake was actually a vegan for two years, and a vegetarian for four.) Jake also chats about the unusual things they've bartered for Mary's burgers, the Fairy's burger fundraiser and his favourite places to eat and drink (such as The Gretz and 10 William Street).
Mon, August 24, 2015
Min Chai – N2 Extreme Gelato
Min Chai was an “unhappy accountant” before a tragedy inspired him to change the course of his life and open N2 Extreme Gelato . He had zero experience and friends even warned him against going ahead, but his one-of-a-kind way of making flavours soon led to four-hour queues at his first store. Min’s flavours can be wonderfully attention-seeking (such as Ferrero Reveal or Chinese Couch Syrup ), cheeky and controversial (think 2 Girls, 1 Cup ) and straight-up great ( Buttered Popcorn , Tease Ma Malt ). He’s even collaborated with everyone from Christina Tosi to Young Henrys. He talks about the intense highlights and lowlights of running N2 Extreme Gelato and also shares some of his favourite places to eat and drink (such as Cho Dumpling King , Ching Yip Coffee Lounge and Hakiki Turkish Ice Cream ).
Tue, July 28, 2015
Gregory Llewellyn – Hartsyard, The Gretz
Working at a restaurant run by the Mafia – that was no big deal for Gregory Llewellyn. In fact, whether it’s blitzing through 300 covers a service in New York, enduring sanity-testing celebrity demands for hotel riders or watching smoke clouds billow into parts of a restaurant where they definitely don’t belong – Gregory has proven himself to be an unflappable chef. He started in hospitality as a 15-year-old, incredibly psyched just to be a dishwasher because it was a front-row seat to the full-blaze drama of the kitchen. Now, he runs Hartsyard with his wife, Naomi Hart. The hatted Newtown restaurant is known for its non-stop popularity and this Sydney institution is so famous for its fried chicken that it has become the focus of their new cookbook, Fried Chicken & Friends: The Hartsyard Family Cookbook. Accordingly, there are more than 10 pages dedicated to making this recipe alone in the new publication. The book also tells the story of how the restaurant came to life, including all the disasters that haunted them when trying to open the venue (such as the restaurant's chairs not turning up, having to go to crazy lengths to source much-needed ingredients, or witnessing the disastrous smoker accident). In this podcast, Gregory also chats about everything from his knack for “shockingly over-ordering” food, that time he endured the Franny Llewellyn Apple Diet and the crazy things he did to make sure Hartsyard would be built on time. He also covers the opening of The Gretz, which was as intense as Hartsyard’s birth. It’s also worth listening to this chat just to hear Gregory crack the line, "Couple cases of Crownie”, in his attempt at a broad-as-hell Australian accent. Interviewing Gregory was great fun (and in fact, I laughed out loud multiple times while editing this – it’s a very entertaining chat). Listen in also to hear his list of favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney (such as Bodega, Osteria di Russo & Russo, Moon Park) and keep an eye out for the Fried Chicken & Friends cookbook, out in August through Murdoch Books.
Wed, July 22, 2015
Analiese Gregory – Funemployed
“Analiese, you’re going to have to move your car, we’re going to blow up your car.” This has to be one of my favourite-ever interviews – Analiese Gregory is one of the most fascinating chefs that I've been lucky enough to talk to. Not that working in food was an obvious pathway for her – in fact, having a father who was acclaimed in the industry actually dissuaded her from cooking (her dad, Mark Gregory , was the first New Zealander to receive the Meilleur Ouvrier de France , a big culinary award). And even though she made, "what lots of people consider to be, like, the worst move of my life”, she has single-handedly built an impressive CV. After working at Quay as executive sous chef, she ended up spending her days putting together one of the world's most legendary dishes – the gargouillou – at Bras in France, a restaurant on her bucket list. She also juggled living in a house with 24 stagiaires – and their many dramas (car-ruining and otherwise!) – when working at Mugaritz in Spain. At the world-renowned restaurant, no idea was classified as off-limits, so she got to consider the surprising connections between live squid and hip hop, or carry out fascinating and out-there experiments with mould. “OK, well I’m still alive, so now I can feed this to other people,” she says in the podcast. Analiese also nailed a dish that Mugaritz had been trying to create for four years. In this interview, she also chats about her unforgettable time running a pop-up restaurant in Morocco – where everything (yes, even rubbish) needed to conveyed in and out of the city via donkeys. There were no cars – and there were no suppliers. But the produce within her kitchen-stocking reach was staggering – such as camel milk and more types of honey than you could contemplate. During the podcast, she also talks about the brutality of working in Paris, her favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney, and her upcoming Funemployed dinners – which sees her team up with a culinary gang that includes award-winning sommeliers Richard Hargreave and Giorgio de Maria, plus acclaimed chef Luke Burgess, who has just returned to Sydney after his spell running the amazing Garagistes in Hobart.
Wed, July 08, 2015
Matt Swieboda – Waterman Lobster Co.
By opening Waterman's Lobster Co in Potts Point, Matt Swieboda wanted to create the " Mary's … of lobster roll places". Here, Matt not only serves the classic American dish in both the Maine and Connecticut styles , but even includes a vegetarian egg-nori version that unexpectedly teleports you to Japan. (This roll is a delicious butter-mayo bomb, by the way.) The menu also includes raw milk Wisconsin cheese with jalapenos and fish rillettes – but the stadium headliner here is the iconic crustacean. In this podcast, we talk about how this sea animal went from being seen as a low-class food (eating lobster was once considered as lowly and desperate as consuming rats) to the luxe product it is today. Matt debunks the myth that they're immortal creatures (although they can live for more than 100 years) and describes where you can find “the worst lobster on the planet”. He also covers what should go into a proper lobster roll, why they go well with "fat buttery chardonnays" and why (despite the backlash) he decided to track down lobster from America instead of using Australian produce. Also in this episode, Matt talks about his unexpected career in hospitality (in his early days, on the bus to work, he'd give himself a crash course on the grand crus of Burgundy) and how he went on to start much-loved Sydney small bar, Love Tilly Devine . And he singles out his favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney – from Onde for a T-bone steak to Room 10 , where he pretty much spends all his weekly earnings.
Fri, June 19, 2015
Christopher Thé – Black Star Pastry
The fan base for Black Star Pastry is pretty large – after all, its stores attract long lines, have scored many Sydney food awards and even drawn the attention of an Argentinean TV show (its crew called up and asked for an updated pavlova). Black Star Pastry's success may seem unlikely when you consider that its creator Christopher Thé originally had a BA in Psychology and was also told the original Newtown location was "cursed" when he moved in; the DIY attitude that powered the first store meant that he pretty much built the patisserie from scratch, using his parents' retirement money. But the former pastry chef for Quay and Claude's eventually built up such interest for his work that a spin-off Black Star Pastry store opened in Rosebery and a pop-up has appeared at the Powerhouse Museum. Demand for his signature strawberry and watermelon cake has spiked exponentially – not long ago, he was selling half a tray of these a day; now Black Star Pastry buys around a ton of watermelon a week to cover the thousands of strawberry and watermelon pastries that are sold. (The revenue from the cake alone is basically enough to cover 40 people's wages at the company). Christopher shares many other amazing stories about running Black Star Pastry – including the incredibly personal story behind the design of the Rosebery outlet and the inspiration behind the Anzac Day cookie packages – to his surprising army ambitions, collaborations with local designers and keeping watch over former charges who have gone on to their own thing (look out for John Ralley's Textbook Patisserie).
Sat, April 25, 2015
Dan Barber and Eric Kayser – Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
Where do you even begin when listing Dan Barber 's achievements? You could point out that he's the award-winning chef behind the Blue Hill & Blue Hill At Stone Barns restaurants in New York. Or note that Time included him in their list of the World's 100 Most Influential People (with a write-up by Ferran Adria , no less). Or name-check the fact that he advises President Obama on nutrition. He's also the author of The Third Plate , a fascinating book that any food-curious person should read (it was definitely one of my favourite books of last year, but probably way more importantly, it just won a James Beard Foundation award). He also features in the new show, Chef's Table , by David Gelb who made Jiro Dreams of Sushi . It will probably be the next Netflix show to completely derail any good intentions you have to get anything productive done. (The series also features his “lost brother”, Ben Shewry of Attica .) In this podcast, I talked to Dan Barber about The Third Plate – the fascinating people he features in the book and how he ended up writing an unlikely page-turner about soil, agriculture and other key influences on how we eat, and what should feature on the menu of the future (such as "rotation risotto"). He also talk about how he's a "wheat nerd" (he has created his own signature wheat); whether dealing with the President means encountering a lot of Secret Service agents, and how eating sustainably means we need to rethink our attitudes about abundant yet unpopular ingredients – a belief he's really taken on with his wastED pop-up. Eric Kayser is a fifth-generation baker who has been described as the "the world ambassador of French bread". He has more than 110 stores worldwide, with recent openings in Mexico and Thailand, and his accolades stretch across many borders, too: he's been awarded Best Baguette in New York and Best Croissant in Tokyo. In this i
Mon, March 30, 2015
Mitch Orr – ACME
Mitch Orr got into cooking after realising there were plenty of perks to studying food tech in high school (such as being the only dude in the class). Scoring an extra lunch as a byproduct didn’t hurt, either. Jamie Oliver’s TV show only added to the appeal of mastering recipes. Mitch went on to become 2010 Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year while at Sepia , picked up Time Out ‘s Best New Talent and People’s Choice Award honours while running the kitchen at Duke Bistro with Thomas Lim and even landed on the shortlist for Cleo Bachelor of the Year. And despite the heavy amount of cred on his CV (and staging for Massimo Bottura ), he isn’t one to take things overly seriously. His Half Baked stoner dinner with Dan Hong and Levins, where he served instant noodles and “bong water” is an example of how fun and rebellion rules his creations. In this podcast, he also talks about what it’s like to finally run his own place, as co-owner and head chef of the excellent (and perfectly named) ACME , a place he wryly describes as #notanitalianrestaurant. He also reveals what he really thinks of customer feedback and being scored by Terry Durack . Also discussed: what really upsets him in the kitchen (it’s hilarious and surprising), what to do with a zillion litres of extra egg whites, and where he likes to eat and drink in Sydney (“anytime anyone asks me where to go, I always say 10 William Street and Ester “) – this list includes both high-end favourites like the “phenomenal” meal he last had at Sixpenny and the knockout desserts at Bentley , as well as Faheems Fast Food , and yep, even KFC. Mitch also runs through the places he most wants to try next (which includes <a href="http://automata.com.a
Mon, March 16, 2015
Andrew Levins – TwoThousand
In the year since I first talked to Andrew Levins on my podcast, he's notched up some major achievements – such as becoming a dad and accidentally ending up as face of the opposition to Barry O'Farrell's lockout laws. He also closed The Dip (where he found himself making 200 burgers in an hour) and landed on the other side of food-reviewing game – writing criticism as editor of TwoThousand. In this guise, he's really tested himself – such as enduring a Vegemite-crust-stuffed pizza so that we don't have to (he calls it “one of the worst things I’ve ever eaten” ) as well as expanding the geographical reach of TwoThousand to some of his favourite postcodes outside the inner city. This includes heading to “Sydney’s greatest suburb” and sharing with readers the details of his Cabramatta Happy Meal (take note: the sugarcane juice stand he recommends is knockout-level good) or the place in Sydney where you can eat baos that are like burgers. And speaking of buns and patties, he talks about some of his most memorable reviews (such as his take on The Burger Project), plus being sent overseas by California's tourism board to document his “favourite fast food place in LA”, the piggy fries at Oinkster and the place where Levins knocked back the "best tacos of my life” at 4am, AKA “one of the best meals I’ve had in my life”. We also chat about the unexpected second life of his cookbook, whether he misses cooking commercially, the grossest thing he’s ever had to do as a chef, and where he likes to eat in Sydney with his son, Archie (Pinbone, ACME and Moon Park to name a few of their fave hangouts).
Tue, February 24, 2015
Dan Hong – Merivale
A good restaurant doesn't have to be a stuffy one – Dan Hong has highjacked traditional expectations of fine dining in Sydney, and as executive chef at Merivale, a strong voltage of fun charges through the places he oversees, such as Ms Gs, Mr Wong, El Loco and Papi Chulo. He has helped redefine how we eat in this city. Yes, he has an impressive CV – which includes being named Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year when he was at Bentley and time in the kitchen at Tetsuya's when it was #4 best restaurant in the world – but he's also responsible for unapologetically enjoyable dishes, such as the Stoner's Delight at Ms Gs, a dessert so epic that it has spawned as many sequels as a Hollywood blockbuster franchise. His achievements go beyond just notching up honours and hats; in fact, Kanye West went to his restaurant, Mr Wong, twice in one week, while he has also cooked for his heroes: Ferran Adria, Rene Redzepi and his mother, Angie Hong. As part of his work for Merivale, he's gone on intense research trips – where he's eaten as many as 40 tacos in one day, or experienced 8 Michelin stars in a matter of hours. During this podcast, he talks about the tremendous ups and downs of his career, and shares some memorable stories outlined in Mr Hong, his cookbook/memoir for Murdoch Books. The tale about 'Dave's salad' and meeting his wife are some of the highlights. He also chats about his experiences with Justin Hemmes, this year's March Into Merivale program, and where he likes to eat and drink in Sydney.
Fri, February 20, 2015
Carlos Heng and Dan Pigott - MakMak Macarons
A princess cake and a corporate job in banking seem like unlikely ingredients for a macaron company, but they each played a part in kickstarting MakMak Macarons . Carlos Heng and Dan Pigott began their venture in DIY style, with Carlos overtaking Dan's kitchen and selling his sweets in an underground fashion. Eventually MakMak went legit, getting crowned with the honour of Sydney's best macarons in Time Out magazine and opening a flagship store in Newtown, in a shop initially decked in fake seagulls, beach balls mid-bounce and 100 kilograms of sand. As you could guess, MakMak doesn't take the lazy option when it comes to anything – which probably explains why it has such an excellent rep for creating addictive and seriously quality flavours, such as Malteser & Roasted Banana, Smoked Vanilla & Pecan Praline and Peanut Butter & Belgian Milk Chocolate. The duo once even produced an installation of 350 of their handmade sweets and painstakingly created gold-leaf macarons for a wedding (despite it being the craziest nightmare, because the glitzy ingredient would not stick to the biscuit). Dan and Carlos also talk about the time they made Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott flavours for the last election, what it was like going on research trips overseas (where they ate some surprisingly awful macarons in Paris), and how they manage to make 3000 sweets from scratch each week. Plus, their favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney and where they'd like to visit next.
Sun, February 01, 2015
David Thompson, Katrina Birchmeier, Emma Barnes - Electrolux Appetite For Excellence Awards
This special episode was recorded on the night of the Electrolux Appetite For Excellence Awards last year. For the podcast, I was lucky to be able to talk to competition judge David Thompson about everything – from the century-old Thai cookbooks he's collected to the time he recently won Best Restaurant in Asia (an experience that actually annoyed him, surprisingly)! I also got to chat to Katrina Birchmeier of Garagistes, who won Young Restaurateur in 2012, and returned as a judge in the Young Waiter category in 2014. And finally, I talked to Emma Barnes, a finalist in the Young Chef category, about the time she burnt her face in the kitchen (but didn't even notice!), her experience of the competition and why microwave soup is not as terrible as you think. For more info about the Electrolux Appetite For Excellence awards – including last year's winners and entry details for the 2015 competition, visit appetiteforexcellence.com
Thu, January 08, 2015
Massimo Bottura – Osteria Francescana, Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef
Massimo Bottura is considered to be the greatest living Italian chef. He runs Osteria Francescana in Modena, in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, which is currently ranked #3 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards list. His brilliant new cookbook, 'Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef' (out through Phaidon) covers 20 years of his iconic dishes, which include items such as Tortellini Walking On Broth, Memory of a Mortadella Sandwich, A Potato Waiting To Become A Truffle, Oops I Dropped The Lemon Tart and Snails In The Vineyard. In this podcast, he talks about everything from the Australians who tried to kill him, what inspires his work, and also the 'craziest' thing he's ever done in the name of food.
Wed, December 03, 2014
Kylie Millar - Pei Modern, Burch and Purchese
Kylie Millar has a masters of physiotherapy – and has even worked with the Sydney Swans AFL team ! – but that’s probably not why you’ve heard of her. She’s done time at Mugaritz in Spain, which is ranked no. 6 on the World’s Best Restaurants list , and also has worked as a pastry chef at the sugar-laced wonderland that is Burch and Purchese in Melbourne and is currently turning out desserts at the acclaimed new Sydney outpost of Pei Modern . In 2012, she also was a contestant on a TV show you may have heard of called Masterchef . In this podcast , she talks about both the pressures and highlights of being on Masterchef , from feeding guts to Massimo Bottura to meeting her idol, Jamie Oliver (Kylie admits she lost her cool when this happened – “I was worse than the screaming teenage girls at a Justin Bieber concert”). Your sweet tooth will also get a workout while listening to this episode, whether it’s hearing about her nougatine parfait “D-day” moment with Guillaume Brahimi , or when she recreates the atmosphere of working at Burch and Purchese (where you could smell the sugar in the air as soon as you walked into the patisserie; or enjoy a cheese and crumble dish with smoked vanilla ice-cream, as part of the dessert degustations). Kylie also talks about experiencing and making next-level sweets in Spain (drawing on a convention-stretching ingredients list that ranges from lemon pith to foie gras!), and her current role at Pei Modern, where the menu includes unique creations such as a sorrel sorbet with honeycomb and a not-so-typical chocolate tart with eucalyptus and cultured cream. And somehow Kylie also has time to experiment with her own line of sweets! She is currently working on a range of salted honeycomb, a one-of-a-kind salted caramel with cultured cream, and even bespoke cakes. If you’re keen on ordering any of these, you can contact Kylie directly on millar.kylie@gmail.com . The salted caramel is especially amazing! It’s definitely up there with the best I’ve ever had. Despite the high sugar content of the podcast, I can guarantee you th
Mon, November 03, 2014
Kerby Craig - Ume
As a 15 year old, Kerby Craig was fascinated by the world of restaurants – seeing a chef breakdancing in the middle of service (!) confirmed for him that this was the industry that he wanted to work in. By accident, he ended up at the original Tetsuya's as a teenage apprentice chef and, after stints in Sydney and overseas, later helped Koi earn a hat in The Good Food Guide. To mark this achievement, he actually got a chef's hat tattooed on his neck – an act that was memorably referred to in Terry Durack's review of Ume, the restaurant that Kerby opened after his time at Koi. ("That's a hat you can't take off him," Kerby's manager told Durack at an event. "That's a hat I would never take off you, Kerby!" replied the Herald food critic.) Despite earning acclaim, Kerby's experience with the industry has endured some rough lows – including the business failure of Koi – and opening Ume was "very very stressful", he says. "I don't know how we got a loan!" We should all be glad that he took on the bank-balance risk and the emotional strain, because Ume is a remarkable restaurant that brings a one-of-a-kind twist to Japanese dining in Sydney. Also in this podcast, Kerby chats about his own adventures dining from Kyoto to Fukuoka – and enjoying the next-level hospitality of Japanese establishments. Kerby also covers what it's like to cook a tradition-bound Asian cuisine as a white guy with tattoos, and the restaurant he's most looking forward to (Clayton Wells' Automata, which opens next year).
Tue, October 07, 2014
Hetty McKinnon - Arthur Street Kitchen
Hetty McKinnon is the creative force – and salad-making ace – behind Arthur Street Kitchen . Her one-woman business saw her taking lunch orders from locals, creating meals from scratch at her Surry Hills home, and personally delivering these salads every Thursday and Friday on her bike. To pull this off, Hetty had to single-handedly cook 100 salads a week in her domestic kitchen, playing a game of ingredient Tetris just to fit all the required produce into her very normal-sized fridge. And even if it was plummeting with rain, Hetty would make all the salad deliveries herself – something she's been doing (without complaint!) since 2011. During this podcast, Hetty also talks about life before her Arthur Street Kitchen adventures – such as her start in PR, and her macaron-making challenges for Remy & Lee's – as well as the cookbook she created after people kept asking for her much-loved salad recipes. The resulting publication, Community , has been a hit, but producing the title also led to Hetty's first-ever appointment with a physio – it was that gruelling! She also talks about the next chapter of Arthur Street Kitchen, which is moving from Surry Hills to Brooklyn; what it's been like to be a vegetarian for the last 20 years, and where she likes to eat and drink in Sydney.
Mon, September 08, 2014
Nick Smith – Rising Sun Workshop
Nick Smith's early fascination with food was marked, literally, with a bang. A childhood cooking incident – which led to an unexpected visit from the bomb squad – did not deter his culinary interests, nor did a 10-year career in stockbroking. Along the way, he started his own catering company, became involved with Single Origin Roasters and, most recently, is the reason why people have been blitzing through bowls of ramen at the Rising Sun Workshop pop-up noodle bar and communal motorcycle garage in Newtown. In this podcast, Nick also talks about the creative ways he's worked around the limits of – for instance – currently only having one frypan in the Rising Sun Workshop kitchen (blowtorches have been deployed) and how he went on a ramen study-binge before finalising the three types of memorable broths that he serves at the current Newtown pop-up: The Darkness, The Light and The Monk. The current phase of Rising Sun will wind up on Sunday September 21. Nick talks about the special dinners that will take place in the lead-up to this final date, as well as the next stage of the ramen bar. The workshop crew is waiting on the response to a development application currently before City of Sydney council. If all goes well, this noodle joint/communal workshop will rise again at the old Mitre 10 site in Newtown, on 1 Whateley Lane. Fingers crossed that these guys re-emerge soon – they've been doing great things at the current Lennox St site; plus, Sydney needs its ramen fix! PS The David-Chang-endorsed ramen place in JR Tokyo that we discuss in the interview is Rokurinsha .
Thu, September 04, 2014
Chui Lee Luk - Claude's, Chow Bar and Eating House, Celestial City
Chui Lee Luk grew up in Malaysia, visiting the markets early in the day – fascinated and repelled by how "gruesome" they could be. When she moved to Australia, she was introduced to French food, thanks to "one of the weirdest competitions I've entered ever". After a career dealing with stamp duty and commercial transactions, Chui found herself switching paths to work in restaurants – there she was, a former commercial lawyer learning how to cook from teenagers who had more culinary experience than she did. But the monumental change – and battle scars – were worth it, as Chui went on to become chef and owner of Claude's, a Sydney institution that she never let become fusty – not only did she experiment with what appeared on people's dinner plates, but Chui's innovative approach saw tonnes of dirt being transported by crane into the restaurant for an art installation, with the chemistry of the soil magically lighting up LED lamps throughout Claude's. This highly memorable experience did lead to some things unexpectedly going wrong, though – as Chui explains in the podcast. She also talks about the under-representation of female chefs in the industry, missing French ingredients once she opened Chow Bar and Eating House, her most recent restaurant venture – a Chinese-style izakaya that has recently announced its closure, unfortunately. We also discuss the Celestial City exhibition at Museum of Sydney and the Celestial Tables event that we're both part of – I'll be interviewing Chui for the Q&A and she'll also be presenting her pickles for a tasting session. It takes place on Sunday September 28 at 2.30-3.30pm. You can get tickets here , if you're interested.
Sun, August 24, 2014
Ambrose Chiang - Momofuku Seiobo
Ambrose Chiang 's love of food started early on – at the age of six, he was already handling big knives and other serious kitchen hardware in his family's kitchen in Hong Kong. Later, he moved to Australia, and after battling early alarm-clock starts and hill sprints, he moved on from the world of football to the world of hospitality – which proved just as gruelling as any contact sport, particularly when working at Cafe Sydney, where you could be juggling 600 covers a day. In this podcast, he also talks about returning to Hong Kong, where he landed a job at Amber at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental – and being a witness to the city's unique dining culture; Hong Kong had a colourful food culture, but eating out might not necessarily be about enjoying yourself, as it turned out, and diners sometimes had surprising habits. At age 22, he's landed some notable achievements, such as being the youngest state finalist in the Electrolux Young Waiter of the Year competition (he talks about what it's like to serve Nick Hildebrandt and other industry heavyweights for the contest) and he currently works at Momofuku Seiobo, one of the best restaurants in Australia, and in Ambrose's opinion, also home to the best ramen in Sydney (sorry guys, it's also available as a staff meal, but you can enjoy vicarious servings of it via Ambrose's Instagram ).
Mon, July 21, 2014
Hanz Gueco - Cafe Paci
Hanz Gueco has discovered some pretty surprising things as a chef. Orange juice can be the best part of a $300 meal. You can get sent home for the most unusual reason when working at an establishment in Japan. And there's a sneaky way to get around America's legal drinking age of 21 that does not involve a false ID. In this podcast, Hanz also describes what it's like to be the sous chef at one of Sydney's most inventive restaurants – Cafe Paci – which is run by acclaimed chef Pasi Petanen (who, besides being widely respected in the industry, is also known for his Finnish roots and menu fondness for rye). Hanz also chats about how he got to this point in his career, after notching up cameos at impressive institutions locally (Rockpool, Marque, Est) and overseas (Manresa, Ryugin), and as a bonus, he covers how to "win" at Instagram. He is also a contestant in the Electrolux Young Chef of the Year program and discusses what it's like to be a part of the competition and how he feels about being judged by such heavyweights, like David Thompson of Nahm. After Hanz talked to me for the podcast, he was named as a finalist in Electrolux's Young Chef of the Year competition. The winner is announced in mid-August. Good luck, Hanz!
Wed, July 02, 2014
Andy Bowdy (Andrew Bowden) - Hartsyard
Andrew Bowden is the "lord pastry master of Hartsyard ". You may know him as Andy Bowdy if you follow him on social media, where you can see the next-level desserts he makes for the hatted Newtown restaurant. This includes his ever-changing soft serves and pies – which incorporate everything from deep-fried cheesecake, wasabi peas, toasted bourbon marshmallow and duck fat choc chips – and his spectacular bespoke cakes (one particular creation was bartered for 18 cheeseburgers from Mary's). One of these concoctions still takes the title for the best cake I've ever eaten. He didn't start off wanting to be a chef, but he managed to get there through some unlikely steps. Despite some unfortunate incidents with knives and unco-operative lettuce, Andy has had some great adventures in the kitchen (including a memorable dance session that led to emergency vehicles turning up at the restaurant where he happened to be busting his moves). Andy also talks about how he ended up at Hartsyard with head chef Gregory Llewellyn, his inventive dessert experiments, his mentors and his favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney.
Thu, June 19, 2014
Ferran Adria - elBulli
When Ferran Adria – one of the world's greatest chefs – was recently in Sydney for a day, I was lucky enough to get a chance to interview him. In the car ride from the airport to his hotel, I got to ask him about whether he actually eats plane food; we went into detail about elBulli 2005-2011 , his spectacular seven-book set about the ground-breaking restaurant's last chapter; whether he still considers himself a punk (he used to blow up tomatoes and claim it was a "punky" phase he was going through); what he cooks at home and what's next for elBulli. Thanks to Phaidon and Kate & Co PR for making this interview possible.
Fri, May 30, 2014
Richard Hargreave - Momofuku Seiobo
Not many people look into a wine glass and see a career. When Richard Hargreave was at Quay in his first-ever serious sommelier role, he was juggling a business degree – with plans to graduate and land a "grown-up job". He never ended up going down that road and ignoring the "grown-up" path has definitely paid off. In fact, Richard was named Sommelier of The Year at the latest Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Awards for his work at Momofuku Seiobo – a restaurant so great that people have forged confirmation bookings to try to get a much-coveted spot there. It's no surprise that Richard is gaining much-deserved attention and applause for his inventive drinks program; not only does it cover note-worthy wines and sake, but it also includes house-made sodas, custom-crafted brews and juice pairings (think konbu tea, pumpkin and mandarin juice and other next-level beverages). He chats about his upcoming Sunday Wine Sessions events at Momofuku Seiobo, momofuku.com/sydney/seiobo/sunday-sessions , which he's running with the equally booze-savvy Mike Bennie; the series is an attempt to take the "reverence and stiffness" out of enjoying wine ("it's just another beverage," says Richard; no one gets that stuffy about beer, after all) and will cover everything from fermentation, festive drinks and the curious phenomenon of suitcase wines. Richard also talks about his many other drinking adventures (such as sweet-talking Customs into smuggling bottles home and visiting a spectacular vineyard in Aveyron, France), what he thought about Premier Barry O'Farrell losing his job over a '59 Grange and the restaurants he's most excited about trying next (namely, the latest projects by chefs Luke Powell and Nic Wong).
Thu, May 08, 2014
Renee Creer - Perfect South and Sydney Tea Festival
Renee Creer is doing something unusual in Australia – she's selling locally grown green tea under her label Perfect South. She's taken an unusual route to get to this point – a journey that involves a visit to an 800-year-old tea shop in Kyoto, becoming a tea master, and enduring the occasional "tea high" from too many tastings in one go. Renee's teas are now served at Rockpool and Cornersmith and she's also one of the organisers of the Sydney Tea Festival, which takes place at Carriageworks on August 17, sydneyteafestival.com.au. During this podcast, she talks about "man tea" and "lady tea", how to serve a killer brew, where she gets her loose-leaf fix in Sydney and whether or not she'd drink panda-poop tea.
Thu, February 13, 2014
O Tama Carey - Berta
O Tama Carey grew up "eating nothing, refusing all food", so it may be surprising that she ended up as a chef. In fact, she jokes that she was "tricked" into this career. She's made a name for herself in Sydney, through working at Billy Kwong, running pop-up dinners with Billy Kwong co-conspirator Hamish Ingham (who now heads Bar H) and for the last three years, she's been adding a contemporary twist to Italian food at Berta in Surry Hills (her Sri Lankan background leads her to sneaking some curry leaves into the dishes, occasionally). O Tama's hands-on approach means that she's reared pigs for the restaurant (an incident that resulted in her first experience with shotguns) and she's had to deal with mega beestings and chasing queen bees in the post (yes, they do get sent in the mail!) in order to cultivate honey for Berta. She also talks about coverage of women's chefs, what she refuses to eat and her upcoming appearance at Stories from the Cellar on February 23 at Elizabeth Bay House, as presented by Wildwon Projects and Sydney Living Museums. O Tama name-checks her favourite places to eat in Sydney, too – in particular, she salutes the brilliance of Brent Savage (Monopole, Yellow, Bentley).
Tue, January 28, 2014
Mike Bennie - Rootstock Sydney
Mike Bennie was studying law and looking for a no-brainer job that wouldn't interfere with his late nights out. He found one stacking shelves and driving a van for a local bottle shop – and it ended up being the gateway into his interest in wine. After run-ins with E Annie Proulx, the world of radio, and ditching law, he ended up as an award-winning wine writer. He's travelled the world via his wine glass – literally and figuratively: he's physically climbed a Swiss mountain - conquering 600-metre cliff drops – just to visit a vineyard and he's also endured 10-star hangovers after testing up to 40 wines a day. Mike's accessible, insightful and witty approach to the topic means that he can easily talk about the 8000-year-old wine-making traditions of Georgia – as well as whether you should get wine advice from rap music. He also covers what to look for in a wine label and why orange wine is a big deal. As an organiser of Rootstock Sydney (Feb 8-9, Carriageworks, Sydney), he talks about the impressive line-up of winemakers and chefs involved; Mike also runs through the "Bermuda Triangle" of his favourite places to eat in his neighbourhood, and the restaurant opening he's most excited about this year – the new place that Luke Powell (Mary's, Tetsuya's) will be running in Chippendale.
Tue, January 21, 2014
Andrew Levins - The Dip
Andrew Levins once got offered a cookbook deal during a DJ set. This happened after he opened The Dip, the popular American-inspired eatery that he runs in Sydney with his wife, Bianca. It was namechecked for its hot dogs by Gourmet Traveller when it first launched and Levins' "hot dog expertise" has also been flexed on his TV show, Levins Eating Food , where he highlighted the most interesting dogs in Sydney (including a deep-fried Korean creation that could very well protect you from a killer hangover). Levins also has many fascinating tales about dining around America and shares his trick for making a toasted cheese sandwich with an iron. Plus, you need to hear his rundown of where to eat in Sydney and the places he wants to check out next (Pinbone and Moon Park are on the list).
Thu, January 09, 2014
Elizabeth Hewson - Moving Out Eating In and Black Communications (Quay, Otto, Simon Johnson and more)
Elizabeth Hewson gets her inspiration from everywhere: one of the recipes in her new cookbook, "Moving Out … Eating In", comes from an incident involving a hangover. And while her cookbook tackles the reality of creating meals when you've just left home and you're nervously counting down until your next pay packet, her day job can seem like the flipside of producing inventive budget-watching cuisine. Working in PR for Black Communications, she looks after luxury food brands such as Simon Johnson provedores and Riedel glassware and hatted restaurants like Otto and Quay – which means she's had the famous Snow Egg dessert more than anyone you know. She's also experienced a lunch out in the fields, as served by Quay's Peter Gilmore and Noma's Rene Redzepi and can tell you about Austrian decanters that have been influenced by Chinese zodiac signs. She talks about what it was like creating a cookbook from scratch while in her twenties with no money, how to make brains actually tasty and she shares some of her favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney (Billy Kwong and 121BC are some of her beloved haunts).
Mon, December 30, 2013
Adam Humphrey - Arras
"You should be dead." That's what Adam Humphrey's doctor once told him. Despite the physically exhausting nature of his work, the co-head-chef and co-owner of Sydney's Arras has survived life in the kitchen with some pretty amazing tales to tell. Early on, his achievements include scoring against a famous UK goalkeeper, being a pastry chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant at 18 and denying Antonio Banderas some requested carbs. He currently runs the hatted restaurant Arras with his wife Lovaine, and his inspired creations include sushi bread, "Tomato Soup & Friends", a dessert that resembles a spilled-over Negroni – not to mention the most Willy-Wonka-style petits fours plate in Sydney. Adam shares his many stories, as well as his favourite places to eat and drink (The Bentley, The Wedge and Sixpenny are just a few of the establishments where he likes to spend his time).
Thu, November 28, 2013
Jaime Wirth - Drink N Dine
There's no doubt that Jaime Wirth has rebooted the idea of Sydney pubs. Via his Drink N Dine empire, he's transformed many old-man drinking holes into places where you can find a deep-fried Golden Gaytime, Kingston Kreme donuts and someone under the age of 55. It hasn't been an obvious – or easy – career path for this former DJ. He's weathered drive-by shootings, firebombs and some seriously unappealing encounters with greasetraps to ensure that places like The Norfolk, The Abercrombie and The Forresters run pretty smoothly. It's no surprise, then, that he has some pretty amazing stories to share.
Thu, October 10, 2013
Joanna Savill - Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Editor and Director of Good Food Month
Here's an interview I did last year with Joanna Savill, editor of the Good Food Guide and director of Good Food Month (previously known as Crave International Food Festival).
Mon, July 08, 2013
Kristen Allan - Cornersmith and Full Circle
What's it like to stage a dinner in the back lot of Opera Australia? Or throw a random soup party in a park and hope you don't get busted? Kristen Allan would know, as these are some of the guerilla culinary events she's organised with Full Circle (the team also behind The Eat-in pop-up restaurant in Chippendale earlier this year). She also runs excellent cheesemaking workshops at Cornersmith, so she's also an expert on ricotta, labne, and all things curds and whey – and in fact, can personally tell you what's more unappealing than eating maggot-riddled cheese (you'll be surprised by her answer!) or the lovely story behind the most expensive cheese she's ever bought. Kristen also chats about her unusual career path into the world of food, her time at much-loved Italian restaurants Vini and Berta, and her involvement with Cornersmith's newest establishment – opening in August.
Thu, April 04, 2013
Christina Tosi - Momofuku Milk Bar
Christina Tosi is a James Beard Rising Star Chef and the creative force behind the popular Momofuku Milk Bar bakeries in New York. But she's taken an unusual path to get to this point. She studied electrical engineering and, even when she ended up in the kitchen of the award-winning WD-50 (as a pastry chef, not an engineer!), she chose to take an unexpected next step: working as a cashier and resolving unsexy problems – such as unclogging toilets – at the newly started Momofuku. In fact, it was a boring paperwork problem that sparked her creative collaboration with Momofuku's David Chang. She went on to challenge his belief that "dessert is for wusses" and continues to prove to be the exception "to any assumption you make". We talk about her career; her famous creations, such as "crack pie" (it's "the dare of all dares to just have one slice and just walk away") and Australia's connection to it; the local flavours she fell in love with during her trip here, and much more. Thanks to Bloomsbury (publisher of Christina's book, "Momofuku Milk Bar") and Crave Sydney International Food Festival for making this interview possible. It was recorded (in a crowded props room during my lunch hour – very glamorous!) while Christina was in Sydney as a festival guest last year.
Wed, December 19, 2012
Naomi Hart - Hartsyard
Naomi Hart ended up in hospitality by accident. But her unintentional career path has taken her to some interesting places – such as a New York restaurant where she almost dropped a table on Tom Hanks (he was very nice about it) and the stylish coat-check woman was straight from a Bill Cunningham photograph (in fact, she was often the subject of his lens). After working in LA, she came back to Australia with her husband Gregory to start Hartsyard, a Newtown eatery that quickly became known for its big flavours, its popularity with locals (the Porteno crew are regulars) and its famous mascot – George, the eyepatch-wearing duck. She's had many adventures working as a waitress and restaurant manager, and she reveals quite a few entertaining examples in this podcast.
Sun, November 11, 2012
Nick Palumbo - Gelato Messina
Elvis The Fat Years, Tiramisu, Hansel He’s So Hot Right Now, Sage and Burnt Butter, Risotto Milanese, Breakfast of Champions: The Sequel, Pavlova and Raspberry & Rose Gelato with Pomegranate Brownie – these are just some of the attention-seeking flavours that have made Gelato Messina famous over the years. Nick Palumbo, who opened the original gelato parlour in Darlinghurst more than a decade ago, chats about the very first scoops that launched Messina, how he and his team come up with such original, unexpected flavours (one flavour was inspired by his nephew's twisted love for 'The Mighty Boosh' TV show) and if there's any downside to being surrounded by ice cream all day. He also chats about Gelato Messina's expanding universe, which now includes stores in Pyrmont and Surry Hills and, soon, Bondi and, yes, China! We wonder how Elvis The Fat Years will translate. <span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1
Thu, October 11, 2012
Jack Hanna - The Grounds
Jack Hanna knows his coffee. He has been awarded national roasting competition and won the world latte art competition. He's also one of the people behind The Grounds, the many-things-in-one cafe that opened in Alexandria earlier this year. He talks about the coffee-related adventures he gets up to in the “research facility” at The Grounds, his feelings about coffee snobs, and what latte art he's gotten away with "drawing" (you'd be surprised). Oh and there was the time he fitted out a vintage coffee machine l ike a hot rod, too. He also covers his favourite places to drink in Sydney (and guess what, they're not cafes). Thanks to Alex Watts for producing this podcast and making it sound slick and also FBi radio for lending us sweet use of its studio. You can follow The Grounds on Twitter at @groundsroasters.
Sun, September 16, 2012
Myffy Rigby - Time Out
Myffy Rigby's pathway towards being Chief Food and Drink Critic at Time Out Sydney magazine was not so obvious: she grew up as a vegetarian, dropped out of school early and soon found herself producing kilos of batter a day for Pancake At The Rocks. It took her a long while (and a few career detours) to figure out that she wanted to be writing about food. As someone who covers the most noteworthy places to drink and dine in this city, Myffy talks about the upsides and downsides of being a food critic (yes, there are downsides) and the most memorable meals she's had – the ones at the greatest restaurants in the world and also one experience so violently stomach-churning that it gives her a little post-traumatic stress disorder just thinking about it. Myffy also discusses the Time Out Food Awards, the Bar Awards, the secret identities she assumes when out reviewing and also her <span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;
Mon, August 13, 2012
Josh Nicholls - The Milk Bar by Cafe Ish
Japanese cuisine and Australian bush tucker don't usually go together, but chef Josh Nicholls made this culinary mash-up his signature at Cafe Ish, the popular Surry Hills eatery he opened with his wife, Ai, in 2007. It later morphed into an izakaya and, recently, has transformed into The Milk Bar by Cafe Ish in Redfern, with its menu of $5 burgers, Malteser pies and killer shakes (think Miso Caramel or Rosewater, Berry and Rosella). Josh chats about his accidental career as a chef (mainly inspired by chasing 'the girl'), how he once got headbutted by an apprentice in the kitchen, the renewal of Redfern, the keys to a good burger, the cheat's guide to native ingredients and his favourite dining spots around Sydney. Oh, and whale bacon gets a mention, too. Thanks to the wonderful Alex Watts for producing this episode and the just-as-ace FBi radio for lending us its studios. Josh on Twitter: @Milkbar_CafeIsh Ai on Twitter: @torandkinpira
Wed, August 01, 2012
David Ralph - Kakawa
In the first episode of the Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry, Lee Tran Lam catches up with David Ralph, a chef who has worked at diner-impressing restaurants in Sydney (Quay, Flying Fish and Sails at Lavendar Bay) and London (Michelin-starred La Noisette and Kensington Place). David's an expert at placating anyone with a sweet tooth as he currently runs Kakawa, the best chocolatier in Sydney with his partner Jin. He chats about his kitchen war stories (he once had to break up a fight between two chefs), what the staff meals at flash restaurants are like (the better the restaurant, the worse they are!), dealing with the day-to-day temptation of working with chocolate and shares his favourite places to dine in Sydney. As always, thanks to FBi for letting us record in its wonderful studios. And thanks to Alex Watts for his excellent production work.
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