Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i Gourmet Traveller

I’ve only lined up for hummus once, but it was well worth the wait. It was a hot morning on the waterfront in Tel Aviv and the crowd that had gathered around Abu Hassan made it look like they were giving it away for free. I struggled to the front, fought for a spot at a shared table and had my first taste of musabaha, morning hummus, still warm and textured with whole chickpeas, served with ful, raw onion, hot sauce and bread. In that mouthful I understood that hummus is a meal, the star of the table, not just a side dish or a final resting place for limp crudités. The theme of this issue is the Middle East, but the broader theme is how, along with people, recipes…

FALAFEL, Very Good Falafel Louisa Allan and Shuki Rosenboim weren’t kidding with the name. How good? Order the falafel plate, a banquet of four superb falafels (made with chickpeas grown in the Mallee by Allan’s dad), hummus, zhoug and tahini, pickles, and salads. Let’s hear it for truth in naming. Very Good Falafel, 629 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, Vic, (03) 9383 6479. MICHAEL HARDEN, VICTORIA EDITOR SHAWERMA, Shish Shawerma Abu Dhabi’s Shish Shawerma revs up the shawerma for a modern audience, taking wood-fired pita, stuffing it with spit-roasted meats, salad and sauces and toasting it on the grill before serving. The clincher? Australian beef, caramelised to the point known as perfection. Shish Shawerma, behind Corniche Towers, Corniche Rd West & Al Khaleej Al Arabi, Abu Dhabi LARISSA DUBECKI, CONTRIBUTOR CHARCOAL CHICKEN…

Travellers can choose from 16 fragrances in Hermès’ new Hermessence collection to create a set of four travel-sized scents to match any destination. Four 15ml bottles, $220. hermes.com What’s a Middle Eastern ingredient you’d like to see used more in Australia, Shane? Aleppo pepper. It’s like a capsicum that has been dried and ground; it’s subtle but has a great depth of flavour. It’s from the border of Turkey and Syria and is a spice that I fell in love with a long time ago. You can add it to fish, meat, vegetables, chocolate. I have to stop myself from using it on everything. What’s your most memorable food experience from the Middle East? In Oman, I sat in the desert with a Bedouin family eating camel that was…

“I’ve learned to pack two pairs of glasses in case I visit a theme park with my boys and lose my only pair on a roller-coaster and then have to drive back practically blind.” Where did you go on your first trip abroad? It must have been to my grandparents’ house outside Florence. The Italian produce must have cast its spell because I’m still obsessed with lemons, olive oil and tomatoes. What sort of traveller are you? I like to plan ahead. I need to make sure that I eat in all the best places because for me going on holiday is about learning new things and coming back with lots of new dishes to cook. One time I got the wrong information about a place in Bangkok that I…

THE SAUCES Chilli, garlic and barbecue make up the “holy trinity”. Each is squeezed across the meat in a criss-cross fashion, evenly saucing the calorific pile. Hummus, sweet chilli and tomato sauce are options, if you must. THE CHIPS Thick, crisp and hot, the chicken-salted, cheese-sprinkled chips are the base, soaking up the juices from the meat and all that sauce. THE CHEESE It gets two goes; pre- and post-meat. Shredded supermarket cheese is sprinkled over hot chips, then another layer added after the meat. “You can never have enough cheese,” says Dastyari. THE MEAT Halal-certified doner kebab meat is shaved from a spit and gets a go on the grill before it tops the chips. Lamb, beef or chicken, or a mix for the truly bold, are the options…

BENEFITS OF COOKING WITH A STEAM OVEN Food cooked in steam not only tastes wonderfully tender and juicy, it’s also healthier, with more flavours, nutrients and minerals retained. Plus, you can cook multiple dishes at the same time without the flavour transfer. Cleaning up is a breeze–the moist air on the oven cavity wall heavily reduces food splatter and spills sticking on the bottom of the oven.…

COMPACT SIZE, BIG IMPACT With the Smeg 60cm Classic compact steam oven and warming drawer, you can treat your kitchen to the class, style and functionality that it deserves. Without having to change your kitchen, simply update your oven and start cooking with steam. TECH SPECS • Fingerprint-proof stainless steel • High visibility black glass • 5 cooking functions • 20 SmartSense auto menus • Large LCD display • 50L cooking capacity • 3 cooking levels • 1.2L water tank capacity • Thermostat control 30 - 100ºC • Fully programmable • Child safety lock KEY FEATURES Smeg steam ovens utilise an evenly distributed steam that rises from the base in order to bring your food to the perfect level of taste while retaining a healthier vitamin content. Smeg’s SmartSense auto…

STELLAR SALMON The Steampro Steam Oven with SousVide function does everything an oven can do, to perfection, every time. Nail that salmon dish by cooking at a low and slow heat. Choose the right oven setting and the ultra-smart AEG Steampro will switch itself off when it’s done. PERFECT RESULTS. EVERY TIME. Every meal should be an experience. AEG created the SteamPro oven with full steam. It has three cooking modes — heat, steam and a combination of both. In combination mode it will automatically calculate exactly the right level of heat and steam. Whether you’re roasting or grilling meats, baking bread, creating delicate desserts or using the Sous Vide feature as seen in many professional restaurants around the world, you can be confident your cooking will be elevated to…

Hurdle Creek Still Pastis, King Valley, $95 This lovely local anise-flavoured spirit is infused with indigenous botanicals mintbush and anise myrtle. Add a splash of water and watch it go cloudy. Louche, baby, louche. hurdlecreekstill.com.au 2016 Domaine Vincent Paris Saint-Joseph, Rhône Valley, $50 Brilliant expression of the syrah (aka shiraz) grape from one of northern Rhône’s finest winemakers: gorgeous lifted peppery spice. Imported by redandwhite.com.au 2015 Grosset Gaia, Clare Valley, $83 One of the best vintages ever of this eminently cellarworthy Clare cabernet blend: exquisite perfume of cassis and bay leaf, elegant and sinewy in structure with underlying plush fruit. grosset.com.au Willett Straight Rye Whiskey, Kentucky, $145 Superb, retro-styled rye whiskey from recently rejuvenated Kentucky Bourbon distillery, Willett. Swirling aromas of rich toasted rye, oats and grain, creamy texture, lingering…

Have we ordered a meal entirely of crackers and dip?” asks my pal. Whoops. Didn’t Cher’s character in Mermaids make dinners entirely from canapés? Clearly a woman ahead of her time. But Hartsyard’s offerings aren’t hors d’oeuvre dainty – they’re robust things full of flavour. This is what they do here. Cheddar puffs are crunchier and less ephemeral than the name might imply, more like savoury crostoli, powdered with what our waitress calls Reuben spice, dotted with rounds of kohlrabi and served with an airy dollop of Dijon mustard. Brewery bread, two dense, toast-brown pucks made with spent grain from the beardy beer guys at Young Henry’s down the road, comes with a large clot of cultured butter, splashed in turn with an oil flavoured with the French curry-spice blend…

Hawayej-spiced chicken thigh cutlets SERVES 4 Hawayej, a spice blend from Yemen, adds depth and complexity to simply roasted chicken thighs. A refreshing salad of cucumber, red onion, coriander and mint makes a fine accompaniment, and flatbread will help mop up all the juices. Or serve it with a bowl of Turkish cracked wheat salad (see recipe at right). 8 chicken thigh cutlets, bone in, skin on 4 garlic cloves, crushed 2 tbsp olive oil Pickled long green chillies and Greek-style yoghurt, to serve HAWAYEJ SPICE MIX 1 tsp caraway seeds 1 tsp black peppercorns 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp ground coriander seeds ½ tsp ground cardamom ¼ tsp ground cloves 1 Preheat oven to 220°C. For hawayej, dry-roast caraway seeds and black peppercorns in…

Some of the landmarks of Middle Eastern dining in Australia attained their status through longevity, while for others it’s more about their place in the culture. Canberra Turkish fine-diner Ottoman (9 Broughton St, Barton, ACT), opened in 1992, ticks both boxes. In Melbourne, A1 Bakery (643-645 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, Vic), has been a Sydney Road staple since 1992, while Abla’s (109 Elgin St, Carlton, Vic), has made the city’s best chicken and rice since 1979. In Sydney, Jasmin (22 Civic Rd, Auburn, NSW) and El Jannah (4-8 South St, Granville, NSW) might not be the oldest restaurants in town, but their hold on the tastebuds of lovers of Lebanese food is unrivalled. In Brisbane, No No’s (158 Musgrave Rd, Red Hill, Qld) is an institution, home to Queensland’s best falafel.…

If you want to find Salwa Moubarak, look for her in the kitchen. Never mind that she’s nearly 70 – she’ll be there, hands and elbows dusted in flour, kneading the 400 or so discs of flatbread needed each week at Gerard’s Bistro, her son’s Brisbane restaurant. This is the food of her mother and her mother before her; every time she heats the saj, every time she takes the rolling pin in hand, her connection with Lebanon, with home and family, her children and her parents, is renewed. Gerard’s is a restaurant in Fortitude Valley celebrated for its modern takes on Middle Eastern food. Moubarak works with chef Ben Williamson to make khobz marquq – the bread that is an essential accompaniment to his Lebanese, Turkish and North African…

Baharat lamb shoulder with onions and moghrabieh SERVES 6 // PREP TIME 40 MINS // COOK 4 HRS “Lamb rubbed with spices and cooked slowly is quite a traditional preparation in the Middle East,” says Greg Malouf. “Served with moghrabieh, giant couscous, this is a great dish to put in the middle of the table with some yoghurt and away you go.” 6 garlic cloves, 2 sliced, remaining left whole ⅓ cup (loosely packed) oregano 150 ml olive oil 1 large (2kg) lamb shoulder without shank, cut through the bone into 6 equal pieces (see note), trimmed of excess fat 1 tbsp Turkish chilli flakes (see note) 2.1 litres chicken stock 12 salad onions, trimmed 1 small onion, diced 1 tbsp each ground cumin and ground coriander seeds 1 long…

OVOLO NISHI The new owners of Hotel Hotel have renamed their boutique acquisition but say they’ll make no sudden changes in décor, price or staff. Guests can expect the creative mash-up that was Hotel Hotel’s signature, from the all-timber lobby, one-off furnishings and thought-provoking art to the inimitable all-day Monster Kitchen and Bar. In guestrooms, walls are rendered in layers of clay and woven grass to create luxurious cocoons, some of which wrap around private atriums planted with tree ferns. But even those facing the road are designed so you see nothing but eucalypts from bed. With rain showers, free minibar and room service summoned by iPad, there’s every reason to hibernate. 25 Edinburgh Ave, Canberra, (02) 6287 6287, ovolohotels.com.au Retreat to your room or curl up on…

Wedged in bushland between Coles Bay and The Hazards on Tasmania’s east coast, the 25-year-old Freycinet Lodge has emerged from an extreme makeover. Nine glass and timber coastal pavilions, shaped like the granite rocks around them, have been styled and finished by a crack project team led by Tasmanian tourism entrepreneur Brett Torossi, who owns Avalon Retreats. With king beds, alfresco bathtubs – a Torossi signature – and separate living and sleeping pods, the accommodation frames the lodge’s outstanding views of Coles Bay. Later this year, six Hazards View pavilions (four one-bedrooms and two doubles) will open along with the resort’s top spot, a wheelchair-accessible suite in the main lodge with the best views in town (freycinetlodge.com.au). Facing off across Coles Bay, Saffire caters to adventurers in 20 luxe suites…

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Helen Anderson, travel editor; Thanjavur, India Just when you think you’ve seen the most spectacular temple in Tamil Nadu, the southern Indian state with some 33,000 ancient temples, an older, more glorious one appears. @handersonglobal Lisa Featherby, food director; Byron Bay, NSW We were up in Byron covering a story for GT and I just had to make a stopover at the Atlantic guesthouse in Byron Bay. It’s been on my wish list of places to stay for a long while. The downside? The stay was way too short – I’m already planning my return. @lisafeatherby Sarah Oakes, editor Beijing, China A quick and sparkly trip to China for the opening of the Van Cleef & Arpels Patrimonial exhibition at Today Art Museum in Beijing. @sarahaliceoakes…

The Syrian civil war is more than a distant conflict for Carol and Sharon Salloum. The sisters, proprietors of Sydney’s Almond Bar, grew up visiting family in their father’s village in western Syria, and many of the family members still live in Syria. Since 2011, the war has made refugees of 5.5 million Syrians and exposed 3.3 million children to explosives. “It is vital for us to ensure that all Syrians are aware that we have not forgotten them,” says Sharon. It’s why the sisters are part of Cook for Syria, a movement that began in London in 2016 as a fundraising supper-club paying tribute to Syrian cuisine. It has since become a global effort and has raised more than $1 million for UNICEF’s work in the region. The Salloum…

Form Hotel Dubai Need a private yoga session? A sneaker-cleaning kit? Guests have access to a range of handy items and services – from babysitting to skydiving – at this new 136-room hotel in Al Jadaf Culture Village, on the bank of Dubai Creek. The hotel’s stark white façade references traditional Dubai architecture, while guestrooms are sleek and contemporary. A rooftop pool and gym have views over Al Jadaf boatyards, and guests can explore the neighbourhood on a range of special-interest tours. designhotels.com The Retreat Palm Dubai View the Gulf and Dubai’s glittering skyline from an airconditioned beachfront cabana at this “holistic wellbeing” resort on Palm Jumeirah’s East Crescent. Guests in 255 rooms and suites can follow customised programs in the hotel’s wellness centre, staffed by nutritionists, lifestyle coaches and…

The word hummus in Arabic means “chickpea”. Older cookbooks list the dish as “hummus bi tahini”, covering its two key ingredients. It’s an ancient invention, the recipe first recorded in Cairo in the 13th century. Seen far and wide in the Middle East and Mediterranean, hummus is made in many different ways, some served hot, some served cold, and, of course, everyone thinks their version is the best. Classically it was pounded in a mortar, which will give you a more rustic (and, yes, grainier) texture rather than the smoother food-processor version most of us are more familiar with today. My version here is made with a food processor, the garlic and lemon kept on the subtler side. I hope you enjoy it. Step by step 1 In a large…

Imagine where we’d be without tahini. Hummus would be a one-dimensional chickpea dip; baba ghanoush would be no more than grilled eggplant. Think of what tarator, the tahini-garlic sauce, brings to fried cauliflower and falafel, to kofta and calamari. Consider a world without halwa. Tahini is also often an undertone, adding a back-note of nuttiness and richness where it would otherwise be lacking. When used in a simple dressing – whisked with olive oil and lemon juice or vinegar – it can transform a chopped Israeli or Turkish-style salad into a standout meze plate, a substantial side to a pan-fried fillet of fish, or even a meal on its own. Organic tahini, found in good health food shops, is tahini at its best; it’s just sesame paste, sure, but a…

BEST IN BAKING Bread is one of the most popular things to cook using steam. Still crusty on the outside but with more moisture and texture on the inside, it’s easy to bake and you can even create your own flavour profiles. NEW WAY IN COOKING WITHOUT UPDATING YOUR KITCHEN As dimensions of cooking appliances haven’t really changed for the last 50 years, updating to the latest technology in most cases is as easy as out with the old and in with the new; no need to replace the entire kitchen just to get the best that innovation has to offer. No matter what level of cook you are, most of these ovens will almost do the cooking for you and deliver better results.…

KEY FEATURES With three cooking modes – heat, steam and a combination of both – plus a sous vide feature that automatically calculates the optimum level of steam and heat, with the SteamPro your meals are limited only by your imagination. TECH SPECS • Anti-fingerprint stainless steel • Five shelf options • Removable door and inner glass panes for ease of cleaning • Steam cleaning • 75 cooking recipes • 10 sous vide cooking recipes • 24 months warranty THE SECRET TO LOCKED IN FLAVOUR Delivering the perfect amount of steam for every dish — the advanced humidity sensor continuously adjusts temperature and moisture levels in the oven to suit the type of food you are cooking. This not only leads to more efficient water usage, but ensures that every…

ROMAN HOLIDAY WITH GUY GROSSI, GROSSI FLORENTINO Embrace the spirit of Ferragosto, Italy's favourite holiday festival, by joining Melbourne's favourite Italian chef and throwing together dishes packed with flavour that will please even the most demanding crowd. Guy Grossi draws on the no-holds-barred style of Rome to present big, bold dishes worthy of the caput mundi: yellowfin tuna with the salty smack of bottarga and the tang of pickled fennel segues into rich, robust braised oxtail, cut with the bite of cime di rapa. And it wouldn't be a Roman holiday without some serious pasta: toasted-wheat tonarelli with pig's cheek and pecorino doesn't disappoint. EVENT 4 DETAILS CHEF Guy Grossi THEME Roman holiday LOCATION Harvey Norman Chadstone, 699 Warrigal Rd, Chadstone, Vic DATE & TIME Event 7pm, Wednesday 11 July…

I have a very clear memory of when I first began collecting the recipes that would later form the basis of my first book, A Book of Middle Eastern Food. It was 1956, and the Jews were leaving Egypt in a hurry, en masse, after the Suez Crisis. I was an art student in London sharing a flat with my two brothers, and my parents arrived as refugees. We were inundated by waves of relatives and friends on their way to new homelands, not sure where they’d be able to stay. Everyone was exchanging recipes with a kind of desperation. We might never see Egypt or each other again, but a dish would be something to remember each other by. There had been no cookbooks in Egypt. Recipes had been…

Smoky eggplant and walnut dip SERVES 4-6 // PREP TIME 20 MINS // COOK 25 MINS (PLUS DRAINING) Walnut dip meets baba ghanoush in the best of ways. We’ve topped it with pickled turnips for bite, but extra walnuts for crunch would also go nicely, as would a few herbs and a sprinkling of sumac or paprika. Begin this recipe a day ahead to drain the yoghurt. 250 gm Greek-style yoghurt 2 large eggplant 100 gm walnuts, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes 2 tsp hulled tahini 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 tsp dry-roasted cumin seeds (see cook’s notes, p192), finely ground with a mortar and pestle Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling Pickled turnips (see note), black and white sesame seeds, sumac,…

It took Joseph Abboud some time to nail the description for his newest Melbourne venture. He was conflicted about labelling the food at Bar Saracen “Modern Middle Eastern” because calling it modern “implies that what we do at Rumi – and that Lebanese food in general – is not modern”. “It’s a living cuisine and we’re eating it in Melbourne where I was born, though my background is Lebanese,” he says. “So it’s inevitable that you take in your surrounds.” The solution? Abboud says that his new city bar and diner is “of Middle Eastern appearance”. The recipes here have been taken directly from Bar Saracen’s menu and prove his description to be apt. Designed to be eaten as meze, these dishes offer a lively, big-flavoured mix of traditional and…

Getting there Qatar Airways flies from five Australian cities to the Omani cities of Muscat, Salalah and Sohar via its hub in Doha. It operates one direct flight daily from Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra and twice daily from Sydney to Doha, with connections to 150 destinations on six continents. qatarairways.com Stay Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort Opened in October 2016, this resort is set on the edge of a canyon on one of Oman’s highest mountains. Guests can salute the sun on the cliff’s edge, take in films under the stars, and take a hike with the resort’s “mountain gurus”. Thrillseekers can scale the cliff-face and fly over the canyon on zip-lines. The resort can arrange the two-hour transfer by car from Muscat. If renting your own car,…

Relax in style at the luxury Awarta Nusa Dua Resort & Villas in Bali. Make your booking via the official website to personalise your stay with the wide range of bespoke services on offer.wartaresorts.com The practical yet versatile 77L AEG 60cm SteamPro steam oven from Harvey Norman prepares myriad dishes with ease thanks to its multiple functions and settings, $4999.harveynorman.com.au Elevate your dining or living space with the Duke buffet from Domayne. Featuring multiple compartments and intricate parquet detailing, the Duke will store all your essentials while sitting pretty, $2799. domayneonline.com.au The 200 Series Double Oven from ILVE pays homage to kitchen trends of the past by separating the grill from the main oven, while sleek stainless steel and tinted glass sets it firmly in the present, $3399. ilve.com.au Ministry…

Hotel opening dates are the very definition of optimism. This year three significant new properties overshot their scheduled opening dates and missed their chance to be reviewed for our guide. So, a belated welcome to the 312-room W Brisbane, the city’s first new five-star in two decades (wbrisbane.com); The Darling Gold Coast, a 57-suite addition to The Star casino (thestargoldcoast.com.au); and The Westin Perth, which opened at the end of April. The Westin’s highlights include a rooftop pool, the Roman-style Garum by Melbourne chef Guy Grossi – one of several new bars and eateries within the surrounding Hibernian Place precinct – and 368 spacious Westin rooms ranging from 42 to 240 square metres (westinperth.com). Westin Hotels & Resorts is also keeping busy in Queensland with The Westin Brisbane, set to…

THE JOHNSON There’s a sense of occasion on arrival at The Johnson as guests pass under a black proscenium arch and cross a small square to enter a light-filled and perfumed foyer. This hybrid tower of designer flats and hotel includes 93 guestrooms on lower floors and three penthouses. Bland grey corridors lead to funky apartment-style rooms with concrete ceilings, pale wood-panelled kitchenettes and a palette of neutral textiles with bursts of colour that reference namesake artist Michael Johnson’s bold paintings, found in all rooms and public spaces. A fantastic 50-metre pool fringed by gay sunloungers and umbrellas reinforces the sense that The Johnson is not so much a city hotel as an urban resort. 477 Boundary St, Spring Hill, (07) 3085 7200, thejohnson.com.au The beds are a highlight of…

CROWN METROPOL MELBOURNE Crown Metropol is a far cry from clichés of casino hotels. Instead of plush pile and complimentary chips it’s all clean lines, Danish-influenced design and casual, even quirky touches that create a seam of character in one of the country’s largest hotels. The rooms have a hipsterish, mini-apartment feel (note the key bowl and doodle-patterned bedspread) that attracts a younger clientele. But there is also a surprising number of families, drawn no doubt by one of the nation’s best hotel pools – an infinity-edge affair with ocean views. On the downside, sometimes the queue at reception looks almost as endless. 8 Whiteman St, Southbank, (03) 9292 8888, crownmelbourne.com.au The art collection adds unexpected whimsy to lift lobbies and public areas. David Sequiera’s library of blue-spined books is…

Orange blossom milk puddings with mandarin SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 10 MINS // COOK 10 MINS (PLUS FREEZING) Stanbuli, 135 Enmore Rd, Enmore, NSW, (02) 8624 3132, stanbuli.com.au Pictured p194. 400 ml milk 50 gm cornflour mixed with 100ml water 70 gm caster sugar 1 tbsp orange blossom water, or to taste Finely grated mandarin rind, to serve MANDARIN GRANITA 200gm caster sugar 200 ml fresh mandarin juice (from about 5 mandarins) 1 For mandarin granita, combine sugar and 200ml water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves (4-5 minutes). Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Stir in mandarin juice, pour into a wide, shallow tray and freeze (6 hours or overnight). Scrape with…

Beer provided the fuel for the workforce in ancient Egypt, but in Cairo today, you’re more likely to enjoy karkadeh, a sweet, yet sour tonic of dried hibiscus. With alcohol forbidden by Islamic tradition, it’s no surprise that a vibrant non-alcoholic drinking culture has flourished in the Middle East. It’s a place where the sommelier at The Ritz-Carlton or at The St. Regis might suggest Ceylon to celebrate rather than Champagne. (In 2017, incidentally, Anfal Fekri of Bahrain’s Silver Tea Leaf Consultancy, became the Middle East’s first master tea sommelier.) Somer Sivrioglu, chef of Sydney Turkish restaurants Efendy and Anason, has fond memories of first dates over sips of fresh lemonade in Istanbul. Then there’s ayran, a salty yoghurt drink. It was declared the national beverage in 2013. Gazoz, meanwhile,…

When unprecedented demand for their knafeh overwhelmed the family business, two brothers decided to take the show on the road, and life took a sweet turn. WHO You’ll hear them before you see them: brothers Ameer and Joey El-Issa bake (and dance) to a booming playlist of Middle Eastern beats, the blast radius emanating from a shipping container turned pop-up bakery, the mobile home for their Knafeh: Jerusalem Street Food business. The signature pastry that has powered Knafeh since its 2014 start in Sydney still holds its own against the noise. WHY When the pair’s mother, Nabila, debuted a “lighter, creamier version” of the knafeh at their family business, Shisha Bar & Grill, in Sydney’s Croydon Park, it was a runaway hit with customers – so much so that it…

Meet Hana Assafiri. Over the last 20 years, the Melbourne chef and activist has proved that cooking can empower the vulnerable — first through Moroccan Soup Bar, the North Fitzroy restaurant that garnered a cult following for its chickpea bake, and most recently with Speed Date a Muslim, a monthly event that aims to confront stereotypes of Islam through food and conversation. Here, she shares her formative culinary influences, the dishes she returns to again and again and why she thinks restaurants can break down boundaries. You moved back to Lebanon from Melbourne when you were five. What were your earliest memories of eating there? The reality is that upon our arrival in Lebanon everything became scarce almost immediately. The fondest meal that comes to mind is bread with a…

1 KOL WA SHKOR / kolsh-kor / Often served on special occasions, and traditionally made with layers of fillo pastry wrapped around ground cashew, kol wa shkor, translates as “eat and be thankful”. It’s made with much less sugar than regular baklava, with orange blossom syrup bringing the sweetness. 2 LADIES’ FINGERS / lay-deez fin-gers / There are a number of variations of this finger-shaped baklava. Greece and Cyprus, for instance, have daktyla, a deep-fried version filled with almonds, cinnamon and sugar. In Lebanon they’re called znoud el-sit and are filled with ashta, an Arabic clotted cream. 3 MA’AMOUL / ma-mool / Pressed by hand in a wooden mould, the ma’amoul, which means stuffed in Arabic, differs depending on the time of year or the celebration. Date paste is the…

CRISPY SKIN TIPS FOR A WORTHY ROAST Roast chicken with cranberry, almond stuffing and crisp hasselback potatoes FOR RECIPE VISIT hn.com.au/steam-ovens VISIT HN.COM.AU /STEAM-OVENSFOR MORE INFORMATION ELECTROLUX 60CM 16-FUNCTION STEAM-ASSIST PYROLYTIC OVEN ( EVEP618SC) $1999…

SUCCULENT SEAFOOD Keep your seafood moist and tasty with the Smeg compact steam oven that locks in flavour and nutrients so your seafood is always as fresh as the day it was caught. BEST FEATURES OF A COMPACT STEAM COMBINATION OVEN The smaller capacity of a compact steam combination oven delivers quicker heat-up with less energy consumption. Use steam and convection cooking at the same time, or use the electric oven or even the grill independently.…

The world’s oldest winery is in a cave in a remote valley in Armenia. Here, archaeologists have found remains of a fermenting vat, a wine press and grape seeds dating back more than 6,000 years. Researchers have found similarly ancient examples of winegrowing in both Turkey and Iran. We don’t need archaeologists, of course, to tell us that the Middle East was the birthplace of wine. The Bible is dripping in it: Noah was the world’s first vigneron, and Jesus was a big fan, turning water into wine, and wine into his own blood. Today, though, the Middle East might not be the first place that comes to mind when we think of wine production. Most people’s immediate perception of the region, I suspect, is that alcohol is forbidden in…

When Ibrahim Kasif’s grandparents arrived in Sydney from Cyprus in the 1950s, they had to buy their olive oil from pharmacies. Anglo-Saxons didn’t then see much use for it beyond treating ear ailments. “There was simply nowhere else that sold it.” Joseph Abboud’s parents shared similar stories. Once, they told him, family friends had the police arrive unexpectedly when they tried to bake pita in a wood-fired oven in the backyard. Sirens wailed as za’atar-dusted bread spiced the air. Passed down between generations of Middle Eastern migrants, these stories of culinary deprivation lend a heroic quality to the recipes that survived. They speak of a time when taste could be treasonous and, for chefs like Kasif and Abboud who run three of the most innovative Middle Eastern restaurants in Australia…

While Dubai may have spent much of the past two decades building tall towers and hosting parties, Abu Dhabi, its more reserved rival city, has been pursuing soft power of another kind in an effort to shore up an oil-free future. A long-term campaign by the Abu Dhabi government to persuade marquee cultural institutions to open outposts in the city – part of its blueprint to create an essential stopover between hemispheres – came to fruition spectacularly last year when the Louvre Abu Dhabi opened in a cluster of 55 pavilions designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. It joins the distinctive gold-domed UAE Pavilion events space and Manarat Al Saadiyat arts and cultural centre on Saadiyat Island, a 27-square-kilometre island adjacent to the main island of Abu Dhabi. The Louvre…

We’ve witnessed the rise of chia puddings in hotel breakfast buffets this year, and the inexorable fall of paid WiFi; only one hotel group on our list of Australia’s top 50 hotels still charges its non-club guests for what should be as indispensable as running water and a cheerful check-in. While researching the 2018 Gourmet Traveller Australian Hotel Guide we’ve noticed more complimentary inclusions – minibars, happy hours and guest laundries – largely due to the rapid expansion of freebie-friendly Ovolo Hotels. And we were poured a craft beer from a tap installed at the check-in desk during one particularly memorable stay – a gesture so hospitable we wonder why we haven’t seen it before. There are many reasons to celebrate Australia’s vibrant hotel scene this year. Our reviewers were…

THE DARLING Yes, The Darling is part of The Star casino complex, but it exists within its own glamorous galaxy. Guests are nevertheless treated like high-rollers – attentive porters usher them through the vast lobby with its monumental black marble pillars and vivid red accents, and check-in comes with a warm welcome and a smooth rundown of what’s on the cards. Entry-level guestrooms are well appointed, with marble bathrooms and rain showers, while a step up to a Jewel Suite, with city or harbour views, doubles the size and adds a bath and extra luxe. Easy access to good restaurants, just beyond the lobby, is part of the deal, most notably Barbadian-flavoured Momofuku Seiobo. 80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont, (02) 9777 9000, thedarling.com.au A caviar facial at The Darling Spa might…

JACKALOPE When Jackalope opened in a Mornington Peninsula winery last year, it was like an alien spacecraft landing. The charred timber-clad building, full of arresting art and neon-lit corridors, is like nothing else in the region. Neither are the dark and handsome rooms, many with freestanding stone tubs, all with spacious balconies and complimentary minibars. Guests lounge beside a black infinity pool, contemplating the vineyard and an all-day menu, or shoot pool in the starkly contemporary bar housed in the 1876 homestead. Other diversions includes dégustation-only restaurant Doot Doot Doot and an excellent bistro, Rare Hare. Alien maybe, but Jackalope landed in the right place at the right time. 166 Balnarring Rd, Merricks North, (03) 5931 2500, jackalopehotels.com Jackalope’s dedication to wine is endearing, from the glass-walled wine cellar at…

COMO THE TREASURY From its homegrown art collection to Eucalypt tableware, Australia’s first Como hotel is full of Western Australian stories. The biggest is developer Adrian Fini spending some $110 million and four years transforming three neglected 19th-century buildings into one of the country’s finest hotels. Guest quarters are as notable for their size as their style: freestanding baths, lavish use of travertine, custom-made furniture. Luxe design features aside, it’s the human touch that defines Como The Treasury. Whether it’s an informative escort through the State Buildings labyrinth to your room, or concierges who deliver dining suggestions with a list of available reservations, service is a cut above. 1 Cathedral Ave, Perth, (08) 6168 7888, comohotels.com/thetreasury The hotel has a strong sense of place and a pronounced local accent. From…