Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2023 i Gourmet Traveller

It took me nearly 40 years to make my way to Japan for the first time – not helped by a certain pandemic, which curtailed a few plans along the way. When I finally touched down in Tokyo last year, I was thrilled to discover the bright lights and frenetic energy were every bit as dazzling as I’d hoped. Being swept along in a tide of humans down Takeshita Street in Harajuku, drowning in colour and chaos, was exactly what I’d imagined Tokyo to be. What I hadn’t quite anticipated, however, was the deep sense of serenity that manages to co-exist in the city; the moments of stillness and calm that greet you unexpectedly, bringing welcome balance to your day. And while this wasn’t what drew me to Tokyo initially,…

SYDNEY Kei Tokiwa (ex-Chaco Bar and Sekka Dining) is bringing his love and knowledge of sake and snacks to Darlinghurst with the opening of Amuro. Drawing on his time living in Tokyo, Tokiwa oversees this intimate 20-seat spot, where a hand-written menu may behold chicken karaage, Hokkaido scallops with umeboshi dressing and sobacha (buckwheat tea), and ama ebi (sweet prawn) with yuzu and wasabi stem. You won’t find a sake list, but instead the opportunity to chat through your tastes and wants with the team to find a sake to suit you, drawing upon the “Ichigen-san, o-kotowari” style of service common in Japan. In more Japanese openings, Chatswood has welcomed a high-end shabu shabu restaurant Hanasuki. Chef Takashi Yamamoto showcases five protein options (like kurobuta pork belly; or marbled wagyu…

I grew up in Durban, South Africa with Indian heritage, so the food I was raised on was quite diverse. Barbecue, or braai as it’s known locally, is very popular in South Africa. It was one of my favourite things to eat before I came to Australia 13 years ago. I love barbecuing here when I can but it’s never quite the same. And of course the same is true of South African Indian cuisine, like Durban lamb curry or bunny chow, the taste of which is quite different to traditional Indian food. When I arrived in Australia. I really missed some of the Indian food that I grew up with. So when I would go back to South Africa, I’d be sure to take lessons from my mum or…

EAT, STAY, SAKE There’s nothing like tasting sake in the place it was made, or staying there for that matter. Onyado Fukuchiyo is the first sake brewery auberge in Japan. The accommodation and restaurant is located in a revamped 230-year-old merchant building in Saga prefecture on the island of Kyushu. Rooms have access to an outdoor bath and guests can tour the brewery, which is normally closed to the public. The inn’s master is the creator of the local Nabeshima sake, which he pairs with the menu. fukuchiyo.com/en MOUNTAIN HIGH If there’s any day to raise a glass, it’s 20 May – World Whisky Day. Mark the occasion with something special, such as the new release Fuji Single Blended Whisky Masterpiece. Crafted at Mt. Fuji Distillery, which looks out over…

Mirin might not be the first ingredient people would think to add to a mixed drink, but the long-established Ogasawara Brewery in Hekinan doesn’t produce ordinary mirin. Naturally made by hand without any additives and aged for a minimum of four years, it has a gentle sweetness that’s a far cry from the syrupy, saccharine stuff usually found on supermarket shelves. “I’ve been using this mirin for years, mainly when cooking at home but it’s also super delicious to sip on its own,” says importer Matt Young, who brings the umami-rich and amber-tinted flavour enhancer into Australia under his Black Market Sake banner. At Ante, the sake-focused listening bar Young co-owns with chef and partner Jemma Whiteman in Sydney’s Newtown, mirin features prominently in the top-billed House Whisky Highball. The…

Osaka is often referred to as Japan’s kitchen, and okonomiyaki is the street food turned culinary staple that has reverberated from the city across the world. Originating in the 1900s during the Taish and Sh wa periods, when wheat flour spread among the general public, these days the grilled snack can be found in yokocho (late-night dining allies) and restaurants alike. With “yaki” meaning grilled and “okonomi” meaning “as you like”, it can be filled or topped with whatever you like, be it thin slices of fatty pork, squid, tempura flakes or cooked prawns. 1 For teriyaki sauce, place 125ml mirin, 125ml soy sauce, 2 tbsp cooking sake, 50gm caster sugar, 2 crushed garlic cloves, and 20gm finely grated ginger in a saucepan over high heat and bring to the…

Wüsthof Classic Colour Series Continuing this year’s trend of bold colour in the kitchen, German knife brand Wüsthof has launched a new colour series, featuring five striking shades, including coral peach. wusthof.com.au Shibori Studio Australian designers Karen Davis and Pepa Martin use the Japanese art of shibori to create unique, one-of-a-kind fabrics, homewares and artworks at their Stanmore studio. shibori.com.au Tudor Royal With two delicious new dial colours joining the Tudor Royal family – chocolate brown and salmon – this sport-chic wrist piece is perfect for everyday elegance. tudorwatch.com GT subscription Give the gift of inspiration and escapism this Mother’s Day, with a subscription to Gourmet Traveller. The best part? Every month, they receive a fresh reminder that you care. magshop.com.au/gmt…

South Eveleigh has been forging its name as a leading food precinct since it opened in late 2021, and now with the arrival of Coyoacán Social it will further embolden this status. The Mexican cantina is the latest venture from Plate It Forward, a social enterprise dedicated to creating equal opportunity across the table. Coyoacán Social is overseen by head chef Roman Cortes, who through his lived experience of addiction is ready to help with Plate It Forward’s giving ethos. Food will be central to this, with Cortes bringing recipes from his family to the menu. Drawing upon his time growing up in Mexico City and his mother’s birthplace of Coyoacán, the menu will explore how food fosters connection and helped Cortes on his own recovery journey. Casual, colourful, flavourful…

FERMENSTATION ORGANIC CHILLI MISO A subtle infusion of chilli brings out the fruity sweetness of this small batch paste. While the chilli addition could pigeonhole this product, it instead adds to its versatility, creating a complex base for marinades. Equally delicious spread simply on hot toast with butter. $25 for 240gm, fermenstation.com.au RICE CULTURE ORGANIC MISO This textured, dense red miso paste is unpasteurised and packs a punch with a salty, malty umami flavour profile. The Gold Coast-based fermenters have been making misos for more than a decade, originally inspired to make their own miso with local ingredients, after the Fukushima nuclear disaster made them question the supply chain. $11.80 for 220gm, riceculture.com.au ENOKIDO MISO Created by Japanese chef Shinji Hiraoka, this brown rice miso has become a favourite at…

The medlar has been the butt of bawdy jokes for centuries. It’s the smutty clown of the fruit world, which makes us laugh at the absurdity of our own human frailties. Jokes about medlars stem from two unusual features of the fruit: their appearance, and their ripening habit. Medlar fruits are hemispherical and, frankly, poo-brown. The blossom end of the fruit is a little concave and puckered, reminiscent of… let’s just say somewhere the sun doesn’t shine. Indeed, the French nickname for the medlar is “cul de chien”: literally “dog’s bottom”. Medlar fruits are too hard and astringent to be eaten straight from the tree. They need to be placed in a basket and left indoors for a couple of weeks until they become soft and translucent. This process is…

What was your childhood like? I was born in 1932 and experienced the Pacific War when I was in elementary school. There, we practised evacuation drills in case of air raids, dug air-raid shelters, and grew potatoes. I started working at a sake brewery at the age of 16. Since food was in short supply and I was working with rice, I thought it meant I would not have to worry about eating. What is your earliest memory of sake? I am third generation toji (master brewer). When I was born, my grandfather was so happy the Noguchi family had an heir who would become a first-rate master brewer, he held me in his lap and would not let go. My grandfather passed away when I was two years old,…

Ned Goodwin is a former sommelier, wine communicator and Master of Wine at Langton’s. @nedgoodwinmw Given the focus of this issue, it is pertinent I draw on the 14 years I lived in Japan. In fact, I wrote my Master of Wine dissertation on Japanese preferences for styles of wine by-the-glass at top Tokyo restaurants. After amassing considerable data and testing a litany of theories, my supposition that wines of nuance and delicacy would carry favour over bombast and obvious fruit resonated. Wines that caress rather than bludgeon, so to speak. After all, Japanese cuisine is said to reach a state of perfection when nothing more can be removed. Subtlety is of the essence. Yet in a wine culture with more accredited sommeliers than any other but for Italy, along…

Cody Mizuno is excited about one of the Japanese capital’s emerging ramen trends: fresh fish-based ramen. The one we’re about to visit is called Madai Ramen Mengyo, which translates to “fresh fish”, and the soup here is made with luxurious fresh snapper or sea bream (the two names are used interchangeably in Japan), rather than the usual dried fish, or dashi, that characterises most Japanese fish-based broths. We duck inside a small shop lined with a narrow wooden counter along one side, punch in our orders on the push-button machine and are soon presented with a fragrant – verging on pungent – bowl of glistening, slightly opaque snapper soup, filled with textured handmade noodles and topped with blush-pink folds of pork. The chewy noodles and featherlight pork are delicious but…

“When I first saw this Japanese style of art, it grabbed me, inspiring me to get involved.” In Pottsville, Pipit chef Ben Devlin is putting the “closed-loop philosophy” of his restaurant into action. And it’s a beautiful thing. Working in the Pipit dining room (though he usually makes art in the kitchen when the restaurant is closed), his muse for the day is a locally sourced squid, which stars as both the subject and medium in his gyotaku practice. Gyotaku is an ancient Japanese art form where sea creatures are used as “printing plates” to create squid ink impressions on rice paper. At Pipit, which Devlin and his wife Yen Trinh own together, the art form dresses the walls and is sold on the website as an extension of the…

In Japan, sando are everywhere: on convenience store shelves, Shinkansen menus and even in vending machines. Their rising popularity in the West over the past decade means sandos now appear on the menus of high-end restaurants and hipster pop-ups everywhere. Perhaps the popularity of sando is due to their seemingly simple design. As with all great inventions, however, sando are not always as they seem. They are a culinary example of the Japanese pursuit of perfection, but what makes sando unique among sandwiches is that they are wrapped and pressed. This unites the filling and bread so that, when cut, they make a beautiful cross-section. They are usually served chilled or at room temperature, but almost never hot, even with a katsu filling. Sando falls into the culinary food group…

DAY ONE I’m in Kōenji – the city’s youth subcultural centre. A one-time punk neighbourhood, now home to vinyl shops and hipster-filled coffee shops. Here, you can jostle at crowded counters as you work your way through Japanese snack food staples. It’s while ambling in the bustling neighbourhood that the smell of burning charcoal combined with roasting meat hits me – an aroma that can only mean one thing: yakitori. I allow my nose to lead and soon find myself on Kōenji’s “Yakitori street”, on the west side of Kōenji Station. This is where I watch as an attentive chef continuously rotates negima skewers over a charcoal grill, while basting them in a sweet soy sauce and mirin mix. Also, on Kōenji “Yakitori street” a queue of hungry-looking salarymen (all…

LOCAL HERO Hatayama Tosa Jiro. Cross-legged on the tatami, farmer-chef Seiichi Komatsu silently wields his chopsticks over our binchotan-fuelled hibachi with the focus of a monk gently relocating a mosquito. Japan’s Jidori (humanely raised local chicken) story speaks of legendary flavour, but consuming Kochi’s rare-breed Tosa Jiro is deeply visceral. Savour buttery, raw liver as each element of pristine fowl, from cockscomb and sperm-sac to plump breast slivers are precision-grilled for tenderness. A repeat sequence, taken further, encourages extended mastication – essential in noting the altering umami. Essence of Tosa Jiro bones and marigold-coloured yolks grace an ethereal Oyakodon (mother-and-child rice bowl), perfectly concluding the sensory meditation. VISIT Kure Taishomachi market. Everyday, fishmonger Tanaka-san hauls his morning catch onto the lunch menu in rustic Kure Taishomachi market. Katsuo (bonito) sashimi…

KIT SOAP SLAB Anyone who remembers the body gel charge of the 2000s might be surprised by bar soap’s return. And still, new wave deluxe iterations have made a clean and green comeback. This one is triple milled for purity and enriched with macadamia oil so it won’t dry out skin. $16, mecca.com.au COCO MADEMOISELLE THE BODY OIL Scent meets skincare. This nourishing body oil spray absorbs quickly for a non-greasy finish with trails of Chanel’s iconic amber fragrance. $110, chanel.com NÉCESSAIRE THE BODY SERUM Power plumper hyaluronic acid and super smoother niacinamide have probably already made their way onto your face in recent years but this body serum takes their benefits below the neckline. $75, mecca.com.au CELLULAR ENERGISING MIST La Prairie is leading the scented mist movement. The new…

A.I.R. Myoko, Niigata, Japan Luke Burgess’ residency at this boutique ryokan in Akakura Onsen was a hit, not least because he has a knack for unearthing pristine local produce. Case in point: this delicatel tofu, with a bold sauce buzzing with kanzuri, Niigata’s famous snow-fermented chilli paste. Max Veenhuyzen, WA state editor Promenade Bondi Beach, Sydney Moreton Bay bugs and golden brioche amp up the wow-factor in this elegant take on prawn toast. It’s one of several delicious reasons to visit Bondi’s newest resident, which serves up A-grade people-watching alongside superb snacks and share plates. Anna McCooe, deputy editor Mount Fuji, Japan There is an indelible feeling of wonder at the foot of Japan’s tallest summit. At the base you’ll find onsens, blooming sakura and warm hospitality, only adding to…

When did you first learn how to cook? When I was a kid, both of my parents worked full-time jobs, so I had to learn how to make lunch and dinner for myself. But on the weekends, my parents would be at home so I took lessons from them and learned how to make our hometown’s signature dishes. My favourite is a soy-based soup called imoni in Japanese, which is made using local Yamagata beef and taro. You grew up in the Yamagata prefecture of Japan, do you have any early food memories from your hometown? I have so many fond memories of the local food festival, which celebrated the imoni soup. The imoni would be made in a really enormous pot, about six metres wide, and there would be…

I first met lawyer and poet Sara Mansour through our participation in the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, “NIRIN” exhibition (thanks to artistic director Brook Andrew). Sara invited me to Bankstown Poetry Slam. Listening to the exceptional poets on stage, opening their hearts in the very safe space Sara has helped to create, I learnt so much about the many challenges faced when integrating into communities outside of one’s homeland. Beyond this, the slam was a reminder of Western Sydney’s rich cultural diversity, which overflows with creativity. Sara Mansour has the spotlight. Standing against the dark backdrop, the silk hijab that frames her features catches the light. She approaches the microphone and the audience braces. Because when this wordsmith has something to say, she compounds it into two minutes of pure,…

For some diners, the realisation that very good things are going on at Petermen will set in early. It may strike when slender cuts of salted King George whiting hit the table, marinating in a citrusy gordal olive brine that knows better than to outshine the delicate sweetness of the flesh. Or when fat Jervis Bay mussels follow, preserved in a pulpy, dusky achiote vinaigrette with a pleasantly bitter and earthy edge. For others, the switch might flick later on, over a gargantuan green curry for two that makes a star out of grilled Spanish mackerel, mined with muntries, pea shoots and barbecued cucumber. Then again, there’s a lot to be said for the braised saltbush empanadas, too – crusty, herbaceous and brightened by a piquant, tomatoey Turkish ezme salad.…

Confession: I’ve never been a massive whisky fan. It took a well-known Scottish chef to sit me down one night post-service to explain the finer details of it to me (while imbibing quite a few) before I developed a professional appreciation for it. Even then, it wasn’t my drink of choice, until recently. Enter the delicious world of Japanese whisky, with its more delicate, approachable styles that took my breath away. And I’m not the only one; over the past decade demand for Japanese whisky has outstripped supply. Some producers, such as master blender Jota Tanaka at Fuji, claim it would take “close to another 10 years to meet the global demands”. After drinking one of the seasonal Highballs (flavoured with spiced peach to enhance the spirit’s floral notes) at…

VEGETARIAN GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE Crisp eggplant yasai itame SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 15 MINS // COOK 20 MINS 35 gm (¼ cup) plain flour2 eggs, lightly beaten75 gm (1 cup) panko crumbs2 eggplants (300gm each), cut lengthways into 1.5cm-thick slicesVegetable oil, for shallow-frying Shichimi togarashi, sliced spring onions and bean sprouts, to serve YASAI ITAME 1 tbsp vegetable oil1 onion, cut into thin wedges2 bunches of mixed Dutch carrots, peeled and thinly sliced lengthways¼ Savoy cabbage (about 200gm), shredded4 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 6cm lengths250 gm snow peas, trimmed and halved60 ml (¼ cup) soy sauce60 ml (¼ cup) vegetarian oyster sauce2 tbsp barbecue sauce 1 Place flour in a bowl, season to taste and mix to combine. Place eggs in a separate bowl. Place panko…

Last time I checked, pizza wasn’t part of a traditional kaiseki meal. And yet, as dinner at Monk crescendos with elegant wood-fired pies freighting fresh nori, the herbal mountain plant fukinoto and other seasonal Japanese ingredients, it feels like the most natural thing in the world. News that Italy’s most famous flatbread has infiltrated Japan’s most traditional meal is shocking enough. That this is happening in the country’s cultural ground zero is another level of scandalous again. But while the purists rage, others are excited about this new direction. “Kyoto is the best place to open up a restaurant,” says Yoshihiro Imai, Monk’s chef-patron. A former pizza chef in Nagano, Imai relocated to Kyoto and opened Monk in 2015 where he serves highly seasonal, highly delicious modern kaiseki menus. “It…

Honolulu is fortunate enough to be famous for more than just one bloody day; the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. But Hiroshima is a city that will always be synonymous with one devastating date. It is impossible to visit this bustling, modern city – the eleventh largest in Japan, with a population of 1.1 million – without considering its painful place in history, as the location of the most shocking, truly unprecedented crime against humanity, the dropping of an atomic bomb on a civilian population, an attack that killed as many as 100,000 people on August 6, 1945, with at least another 80,000 dying more slowly by the end of that year, from burns, injuries and radiation poisoning. It also completely flattened, or torched, 70 per cent…

STOP IN Coffee Hanasaka. A tiny coffee shop on the fifth floor of a cookie-cutter building in the trendy Daimyo neighbourhood, this is the kind of place that could only exist in Japan. Vintage movie and art posters beautify the timber-clad space; the soundtrack is record-based; coffees are meticulously and carefully made and the house-baked cheesecake is finished with salt for maximum savour. An absolute pleasure. Closer to ground level, Ecru serves excellent coffee by day before slowly morphing into a natural wine bar after dark. SEE Fukuoka Art Museum. Diversity is a key tenet of this institution. Part of serene Japanese garden Ohori Park, the museum is home to a dynamic collection of modern and contemporary pieces from Japanese, Asian and international artists. Come to admire works from Salvador…

SOAK Kinosaki’s seven onsen. The quintessential Kinosaki activity is onsen-hopping. First discovered by a Buddhist priest in 720 AD, the ancient waters of Kinosaki Onsen were put on the map after a former Emperor hailed their healing abilities. Now, there’s a public onsen for every day of the week — and that’s in addition to private baths within the many ryokans (traditional Japanese inns). Each onsen bath has purported health benefits, and each has a different mood to soak up. STAY Kobayashiya. For travellers searching for a cultural immersion that extends to their accommodation, then a stay in a ryokan is essential. And the most historic in Kinosaki is Kobayashiya. Dating back 300-plus years, Kobayashiya is fresh from its first major renovation in more than 100 years, the property has…

There’s anticipation in an ellipsis: the dot dot dot that tells us there’s more to come. And with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, fairy godmother of the statement spot, there’s always something new to be said. The art-world darling first teamed up with Louis Vuitton a decade ago, when Marc Jacobs was creative director. In 2023 she and the French luxury house are collaborating again. This time her endlessly dotty motifs symbolise infinity (a fitting statement for the pairing of two icons) and they are emblazoned across the Maison’s creations under the moniker LV x YK. At GT our eyes are firmly fixed on the Speedy Bandoulière 20, a compact handbag, serigraph-printed with Kusama’s signature spots. Swung over the shoulder from the removable strap or tucked in as an in-flight “personal…