Innholdsfortegnelse for Febuary 2023 i Gourmet Traveller

I don’t so much remember my first Chinese New Year celebration, as I can still feel it. The bass of the drums rumbling up through my feet, taking over my whole body as my four-year-old heart began to beat in time with the rhythm; the electric jolt of cymbals clashing as a fur-trimmed, yellow lion’s head bobbed its way through our school playground, its huge eyes blinking playfully before chomping on a lettuce (a symbol of wealth and prosperity, I would later learn). Growing up in Hong Kong, Chinese New Year was always part of my life. But it was only as I grew older that I learned just how far reaching and diverse Lunar New Year traditions could be. From Tê´t in Vietnam and Seollal in South Korea, to…

Joshua Tree, California Just a two-hour drive from LA will land you in this impressive national park, renowned for its incredible rock formations. The park is stunning from dawn til dusk but even better by night, when the lack of light pollution makes for a world class stargazing experience. Holly Doran, designer Redbird, Sydney Delicate slivers of firm tofu, seasoned with five spice and Sichuan pepper, make this a hot contender for the city’s best salad this summer. Subtle and aromatic, it’s the surprise standout at Redfern’s excellent new local. Joanna Hunkin, editor Rottnest Island, WA The boat trip may be a little bumpy to this island getaway but the crayfish, sequestered bays (like this one called Geordie’s, which is home to chilled stringrays and ever calm waters) make it…

Melbourne is a year-round destination for food but at the end of March it will transform into a culinary epicentre when the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival returns to take over restaurants, gardens, Queen Victoria Markets and more. Culinary doyenne Alla Wolf-Tasker AM (pictured) will headline the festival’s tentpole event, the World’s Longest Lunch, bringing her pioneering regional dining from Daylesford’s Lake House to Treasury Gardens. The lunch kicks off a 10-day program of events, many of which will sell out quickly, so be sure to check out the program when it’s released in early February. March 24 to April 2, mfwf.com.au The Essential Ingredient has opened a huge new store in Sydney’s Crows Nest. It’s packed with specialty ingredients, professional cookware and culinary books. There’s also a professional test…

Local artisanal chocolatier Koko Black will be joining in the Lunar New Year celebrations this year. All chocolates are handmade using natural ingredients, with flavours inspired by the bright traditions of Lunar New Year fireworks. You can gift lush praline boxes or individual chocolates with flavours including mandarin and yuzu; matcha, chilli and mango; or caramelised coconut; all of which include a complimentary red envelope to mark the occasion. From $24.90, kokoblack.com Globally loved Japanese bakery Le Tao has sold more than 20 million desserts, and now Melbourne CBD is home to its first Australian store. Line up to get the signature fromage double cheesecake, which uses Hokkaido cream, Italian mascarpone and Australian cream cheese for a feather-light texture and memorable taste. letaoaustralia.com…

No fruit is more symbolic of tropical exoticism than the pineapple. Composer Scott Joplin wrote his famous Pine Apple Rag in 1908. In the 1940s, singer Carmen Miranda swung her hips to a samba beat with a pineapple peeking out of her fruity headpiece. Canned pineapple from Hawaii was fetishised in 1950s America. It was added to every conceivable recipe including, most contentiously, pizza. When this craze made its way to Australia not long thereafter, Queensland’s pineapple industry thrived, embodied by the iconic Big Pineapple erected in 1971. Yet this bizarre fruit’s story begins much earlier than the 20th century. The pineapple belongs to the South American bromeliad family. Its fruits develop from a cluster of small violet flowers, each giving rise to an individual fleshy berry, which grow tightly…

ON TREND Dive head first into the world of biodynamics at Byron Bay’s hibachi grill and wine bar, Moonlight. Here, sommelier Sean Duncan has created a niche wine list to champion biodynamic wine. Expect drops by the likes of Hunter Valley’s Krinklewood, South Australia’s Yangarra, and Western Australia’s Cullen Wines. moonlightbar.com.au SPIRIT OF PLACE While sipping from the Yarra isn’t advised, this is as close as you’ll want to get. Melbourne CBD gin distillery Little Lon Distilling Co has launched Yarra Strength Navy Gin, a spirit that speaks of the Yarra/Birrarung River. In 2019, owner Brad Wilson was awarded City of Melbourne’s small business and social enterprise grants to help fund his vision to make a gin of place. He and distiller Taylor Spelt did so using botanicals from the…

Bulleit Frontier Kentucky Straight Bourbon A high rye content gives Bulleit a distinct warm, peppery complexion that’s sure to stand out in mixed drinks. $58 for 700ml vintagecellars.com.au Four Roses Kentucky Straight Bourbon Promising a more delicate finish than others in its category, Four Roses delivers smooth honey and tropical fruit notes. $59.99 for 700ml kentstreetcellars.com.au Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon Cinnamon and other spices poke through in this whiskey by Jimmy Russell, the longest-tenured active master distiller on Earth. $54.99 for 700ml danmurphys.com.au…

Also known as spekkoek, a product of the Dutch colonisation in Indonesia, this cake has persisted and taken on its own unique history with Indonesians as a celebration cake. It often has more than 18 layers, so baking requires patience, but less layers can still prove equally impressive. The layered cake is served at Imlek (Chinese New Year) as well as weddings and birthdays, but can also be found year-round in bakeries and supermarkets. Variations of the cake have travelled to Malaysia (sarawak layer cake) where colourful detailed layered cakes are similarly enjoyed at celebrations. SERVES 12-14 // PREP TIME 20 MINS // COOK 40 MINS (PLUS COOLING) 300 gm finely grated palm sugar 1 tbsp lime juice 24 egg yolks (from extra-large eggs) 400 gm honey 400 gm butter, chopped, melted, cooled 2½ tbsp…

Lunar New Year is a time for family reunions and feasting, but the first thing that comes to my mind is my grandmother’s scorched lawn, accidentally destroyed by her church friends and their makeshift bánh chu’ng production line. They were assembling the parcels of steamed banana leaf and glutinous rice for Tê´t Nguyên Ðán, the celebration of Vietnamese Lunar New Year. Also known as Tê´t, it coincides with Chinese New Year. For me, 2023 is especially fortuitous: it’s the year of the cat if you follow the Vietnamese zodiac. The animal is missing from the Chinese version because it failed to attend a feast and consequently was left off the table (literally and metaphorically). The year of the cat is my year and my mum’s, too. The creature is known…

BIA HOI ETTA Yusheng translates to “an increase in abundance”. It’s important to not finish the dish, to save some luck for the rest of the year. YUGEN For many staff, family is thousands of miles away so the meal before service on Lunar New Year is their reunion dinner. GAEA Auspicious reasons aside, dumpling making is essential during Lunar New Year because it brings family members together.…

Victor Liong loves celebrating Lunar New Year, but he rarely gets the chance to go all out. It’s his own fault really because, by running one of Melbourne’s most popular and lauded Chinese restaurants Lee Ho Fook, it means he’s busy helping other people have a good time. Still, he gets to celebrate by osmosis as “people get together to recap the year that’s just passed, see in the new year and do that with a lot of convivial drinking and feasting”. “Lunar New Year is a little more significant for Chinese people outside of China,” he says. “They hold onto the traditions tighter because it’s a tie to the culture they’ve left behind. When I do celebrate in Australia, it’s all about what would Mum cook. It’s special because…

One of the best gifts my mum and dad gave me as a child was seven years in Singapore. We moved to Joo Chiat from Belfast when I was five, my father accepting a job as an interim pastor at Katong Presbyterian Church, and my mum working as an ophthalmologist at National University Hospital. I love my homeland, but Belfast in the 1990s was still a conflict zone and life could feel pretty grim, so I’m grateful that my parents inserted an alternative environment and culture into my childhood. And what a destination they chose! It took me time to adjust, but I loved growing up in Singapore. I was dazzled by the shimmering glass and steel skyscrapers, which I thought looked like something from The Jetsons, and my eyes…

Tell anyone you are going to Singapore and the first question they will ask is this: ‘What are you going to eat?’ Dining out is a way of life in the Lion City, treated with near religious levels of devotion. Everyone has an opinion on where to go: where to get the best chicken rice, the best Peranakan sweets, the best char kway teow, the best chilli crab, the best kaya toast, the best satay, even the best coffee (Tolido’s Espresso Nook). You won’t ever go hungry in Singapore. It’s been three years since I was last there and returning to the island brought a cascade of emotion. Weaving through the Maxwell Food Centre hawker market on my first day, loading up a plastic tray with sticky sweet char siu…

Capi Cocktail Mixers The clever gang at Capi in Melbourne continue to make life sparkle with their latest release of ready-to-pour cocktail mixers. Their low-sugar Margarita mix is especially welcome on a warm summer’s afternoon. BYO tequila. capi.com.au Ironclad Knives When we heard Ironclad had created knife handles from engineered wool, we were a little skeptical. But we promise, once you get your hands on this sustainable alternative to plastic, you’ll be equally impressed. ironcladpan.com.au July Everyday Tote The newest member of the ever-stylish July family is this durable cotton tote. With padded laptop pocket and (wine) bottle holder, it’s perfect for work or play. july.com Raised by Wolves by Jess Ho Hospo veteran-turned-food writer Jess Ho serves up deeply compelling reading in their memoir Raised by Wolves. Salty, spicy…

South Australia is also riding the current food festival wave, once again hosting Tasting Australia. This year's extravaganza welcomes an all-star lineup of chefs including Norway’s Heidi Bjerkan and the United Kingdom’s James Lowe and Gill Meller, alongside local heroes Karen Martini, Darren Robertson (pictured) and Justin James, the chef behind Adelaide’s Restaurant Botanic. The event, which will run over 10 days and two weekends, will see more than 150 events spread across all 12 regions of South Australia; from Adelaide to Flinders Ranges and beyond. April 28 to May 7, tastingaustralia.com.au…

This neat little coffee machine expands your at-home barista abilities one pod at a time. Combining coffee and technology, Morning is a new machine designed by Singapore-based coffee connoisseurs Leon Foo and Bowen Chiou. The Morning Machine allows you to customise the temperature and water pressure of your coffee as you brew, while still using a pod system. And for those who prefer a simpler approach? There’s a pre-programmed classic setting that’s just the press of a button away. drinkmorning.com.au…

With his clear, courageous, singular – and witty – discourse, I believe Benjamin Law is one of the most important voices of our generation. Benjamin’s powerful advocacy for minority groups, and generous and compelling sharing of his Australian-Chinese heritage offers immense support and comfort to many in our society. He is also an excellent role model for the queer community, and someone I have long admired. So many chapters of the Benjamin Law story have already been told – in his own razor-sharp words, no less. This one begins in an ABC Radio National studio in 2019 when the multidisciplinary writer and his Stop Everything! co-host Beverley Wang recorded a chat with Australian Survivor host Jonathan LaPaglia. Law and Wang were expecting an insider’s scoop on a pop culture sensation.…

Perth loves a wine bar. Perth also loves a new opening. So it makes sense that when a new wine bar arrives in P-Town, locals get excited. That was certainly the case when Casa debuted in late 2021. The combination of a timeless mid-modern aesthetic, a deep commitment to organically made wine and a no-bookings policy made it the talk of the town and guests flocked here en masse. It didn’t hurt, of course, that It-chef Paul Bentley was on the pans. Bentley, a kitchen veteran who’s also behind the menus at Si Paradiso and El Grotto, has no shortage of good food ideas. He thinks spongy focaccia and the Mayan pumpkin seed dip sikil pak belong together. (They do). He thinks, like the Bordelaise do, that spicy pork sausages…

What were your formative years like? I grew up on the outskirts of Cape Town – a melting pot of cultures with a rich history of wine production. Neither of my parents finished school and their greatest wish was that their children aspired to be more than they could. What drew you to the industry? I was never exposed to wine growing up. Alcohol had a negative connotation in our community and wine was for the elite. So, a life in wine was never on my radar. The chemical analysis I had to perform on wines as a newly qualified food technologist drew me into the intriguing world of winemaking. I found myself accepting a role as a vintage intern in California; a role that would ultimately lead me to…

2022 Mayer Bloody Hill Villages Chardonnay, $42 Pink grapefruit, green melon and nectarine meet subtle flinty notes and oak in a show of elegance and a refined minerality. This modern style of chardonnay pairs wonderfully with lobster linguine. timomayer.com.au Four Pillars Bloody Bandwagon, $50 This punchy “faux pillars” non-alcoholic gin uses Yarra Valley shiraz grapes to build colour and burst out of the glass with red berries and hints of spice. Perfect for a riff on a highball, with a generous splash of soda. fourpillarsgin.com 2021 Giant Steps Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir, $70 The sun hits early at Applejack Vineyard, causing full ripeness of both stems and fruit. This creates ideal conditions for the generous use of whole bunch in the blend. Thus making this pinot a savoury bomb of…

“One of the best ways to make someone smile is by investing in a unique personalised gift.” ERI Founder of Hardtofind SCAN TO SHOP hardtofind.com.au…

It began in the sweltering backseat of a Toyota Camry. The annual meeting of the New Year Snack Syndicate, which is an exclusive club with just two members – my sister and I – and it was formed with one very specific goal: to stocktake the sweets we’d manage to raid from Lunar New Year snack boxes. You’d find these vibrantly decorated boxes – and their compartments filled with flaky coconut biscuits, dried candied fruits and more – on the dining room tables of relatives we visited. These snacks were historically chosen to signify prosperity and health: hallmark themes for a great Lunar New Year. And after raiding them, our stash was almost as valuable as the cash-filled red packets we’d receive during Lunar New Year. But we didn’t really…

It’s a warm Tuesday night in Sydney’s Chinatown, and judging by the crowd of diners happily chugging back bottles of Tsingtao beer as they feast on handmade dumplings and noodles from Chinese Noodle Restaurant on Thomas Street, you might think the headlines of Chinatown being dead were somewhat overcooked. Traditionally bustling with activity, Chinatown in both Sydney and Melbourne fell silent in early 2020, as a wave of Covid-fuelled xenophobia swept the narrow alleyways, leaving restaurants empty and the streets deserted. In March, the closure of international borders saw tourists and international students disappear overnight. As revenue dried up, a string of high-profile closures stabbed at the hearts of Australian foodies. In Sydney, famed Cantonese restaurant BBQ King was one of the first casualties, closing its doors in August 2020.…

EVERYDAY: EFFORTLESS FOOD WITH FLAVOUR SUBSCRIBE & RECEIVE + 12 ISSUES of Gourmet Traveller for $74.99 via automatic renewal + A BONUS copy of Everyday valued at $49.99 + SAVE 37% off the newsstand price + FREE DELIVERY of the magazine to your home each month ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? Simply extend your subscription to receive this offer Hurry! Offer ends February 26, 2023! SUBSCRIBE VIA MAGSHOP.COM.AU/EVERYDAY Taking fresh produce and quality ingredients, this collection of recipes shows how simple it is to create everyday dishes from scratch. Featuring more than 100 seasonal recipes that are easy and quick to prepare but with the hallmark elegance of Gourmet Traveller, this book will appeal to people who lead busy lives but still want to make and enjoy delicious and stylishly presented food.…

We cooked a lot in our house, from morning until night, but we never used to make dumplings. They were a treat reserved for family meals out. That was our Sunday lunchtime outing, instead of church. We would reel off the numbers of the dishes we wanted to order. Har gao, xiu mai, char siu bao… these names punctuated my childhood years. It wasn’t much later, when I began writing cookery books, that I started badgering my mother to test out all sorts of recipes. Recipes we loved eating but never made ourselves. These are the recipes I wanted to put down in writing as part of our family’s culinary heritage, and which I am sharing with you now. Fried prawn dumplings MAKES 24 // PREP TIME 30 MINS //…

How did you get into cooking? I can honestly say the food scene in Sydney got me into cooking. I remember coming here from Hong Kong to study at university and falling in love with the eclectic food culture here instead. Everything about the Australian food scene was so exciting that I decided I wanted to become a professional chef. Following the closure of Hartsyard, you’ll be opening a new venture in the Old Clare Hotel in Sydney this year. What can you tell us about it? Our plan is to build the whole menu around the coastline of Australia. The menu will be heavily seafood focused with lots of ingredients you wouldn’t normally see in restaurants, plus a minimal waste approach. There’s talk of the Hartsyard fish burger making…

1 Morgan’s Sorrento’s Fiesta en La Playa Chef Paul Wilson will head to the Mornington Peninsula for this Mexi-Cali pop-up, running until mid-March. Nixtamal (fermented corn) tortillas will be topped with LA-style fried fish with chipotle adobo and lime crema; or lamb barbacoa with tamarind chilli mole. There will also be a taco inspired by Wilson’s late friend Anthony Bourdain, with bone marrow, slow-cooked tongue and cheek and salsa verde. morganssorrento.com.au 2 Rancho Seltzo House Made Hospitality (the team behind Hinchcliff House) has made its debut splash into Bondi with this bright resort-inspired restaurant and bar. Kick back with prawn rolls and kingfish ceviche; joined by seltzers on tap and rum-driven cocktails. Depending on how the concept fairs (we’re guessing well given its beachside location) Rancho Seltzo may become a…

The new year has a lot to be excited about. I’m really excited about performing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival again after a three year break. I have a few TV series and film projects to shoot in Malaysia. I’m also hoping to do a Malaysian stand-up comedy tour – it’s been a while since I’ve done that with the pandemic and all. In Malaysia we refer to Lunar New Year as the Chinese New Year. It’s a really big festival that literally overwhelms your senses. You see lots of decorations in homes and malls, you hear Chinese New Year songs and firecrackers, you see the performances such as the lion and dragon dance, you taste special dishes like yee sang and poon choi and you feel the connection…

What may or may not shock you is how similar it looks and feels. The cerulean, turquoise and teal tones that dominate the long, narrow space. The waitstaff’s white dinner jackets and billowy dresses. The steep wine mark-ups. The relentless pace and sizzle of the place. Fresh from a seven-month facelift, Icebergs Dining Room and Bar remains unmistakably Icebergs. You can still kick back in a wicker chair overlooking the Pacific, call for a plate of those marvellous flash-fried gamberetti with aioli and chase it with a No. 8 – the signature bracer of vodka, Campari and ruby red grapefruit juice that’s been the linchpin of the cocktail list. And it all still comes with a pinchme sense of privilege you’re unlikely to feel at any other spot in town.…

This issue marks a time of festivities, as much as one of remembrance, as we embark on another year. It is a time to be thankful and to celebrate a life worth living, without the weight of recent years. Wine makes the celebration more fluid, as a means of social lubrication, as much as a vessel of culture. It can transport us to places in the mind’s eye, serving as a conduit of cultures far and wide, while serving, too, as a vestibule of local traditions. Lunar New Year is a seminal moment in the calendar and an opportunity to embrace the bounty of cultures that make modern Australia what it is today. It also marks a time of movement and change. As summer gives way to autumn, we prepare…

Back in 2019, PS40 owner Michael Chiem overhauled the entire cocktail selection at his esteemed Sydney CBD bar and introduced a series of mixed drinks inspired by festivals across the world. The list included the likes of the Dark Mofo – a fizzy, chilled mulled wine of sorts – as well as a clarified beetroot juice number with dark rum and vermouth honouring Hanami, Japan’s annual cherry blossom viewing celebration. Perhaps the most captivating of all these was the Lunar New Year, an intricate blend of red bean, pandan leaf, whisky and Cognac with a kaleidoscopic nutty-sweet complexity. “I based the drink around nian gao, the traditional red bean dessert commonly served around the New Year that features the same spices, pandan leaf and dried citrus peel,” says Chiem. Here,…

VEGETARIAN GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE Summer clam chowder SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 15 MINS // COOK 15 MINS 30 gm unsalted butter 100 gm pancetta, cut into lardons 1 onion, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 tbsp finely chopped thyme 2 corn cobs, kernels removed 1.5 kg clams (vongole) 125 ml (½ cup) dry white wine 60 gm creme fraiche 2 tsp red wine vinegar or to taste Zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 tsp juice, or to taste Warm bread rolls and micro parsley, to serve 1 Melt butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Add pancetta and stir until lightly browned (3-4 minutes). Transfer to a small bowl with a slotted spoon. Add onion to pan, cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (3-4 minutes). 2 Add garlic and thyme to pan; cook, stirring…

I could never have predicted as a five-year-old running up and down the stairs in my grandfather’s restaurant that one day I’d be sharing so many of his recipes. It’s seriously humbling to think that thanks to some higher force, it was little old me who was chosen to share my father’s and grandfather’s legacy. If I’m honest there were times I hated working in the restaurant. I mean, how many 14-, 15- or 16-year-old kids want to work on a Saturday night when their mates are out gadding around town? But this was my life, my reality, and look at me now (all smiles). So, what once drove me crazy I now thank, and with an open and loving heart I can honestly say I would not change a…

Korean temple food and fried chicken might seem like an odd couple, but they’re both integral parts of Mingoo Kang’s world. The celebrated chef behind Seoul tasting menu restaurant Mingles is remixing Eastern and Western cuisines and techniques. The result is a winning combination that saw the restaurant voted as the best restaurant in South Korea for seven years in a row by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards and claim two Michelin stars. But where does he eat when he is off duty? The answers pivot between the city's most innovative restaurants and its most highly-prized local secrets. KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN When friends of chefs come to visit Seoul, I take them to Hyodo Chicken. Chef Shin Changho from Joo Ok (another of Seoul’s two-Michelin starred establishments) and I…