Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2024 i Gourmet Traveller

SUBSCRIBE NOW magshop.com.au/gmt Details p88 The word iconic is thrown around far too often these days – to the point where it officially sits on our “blacklist” of banned words in the GT style guide. Despite what some millennials think, the word iconic is not simply a synonym for good or great. Rather, it’s a title that has to be earned over time; something so well-recognised that no introduction is necessary. In the world of hospitality, an icon is someone or somewhere that has stood the test of time, delivering a consistent and excellent experience, time and time again. You may not know what’s on the menu, but you know it will be sensational. In this issue, we celebrate the people, places and flavours that have achieved that unique status.…

RODOLPHE LE MEUNIER NORMANDY BUTTER Airfreighted in fresh (not frozen) this butter is one of life’s true luxuries. Transform a humble baguette, balance slices of peppery radish, or finish a risotto with a swipe of this butter that envelops the mouth in a balanced yet unctuous finish. Texturally it’s one of the most impressive, which begs for a thick spread. $22 for 250gm, rodolphelemeunier.fr COPPERTREE FARMS CHEF’S SERIES NEIL PERRY SALTED BUTTER Neil Perry knows the importance of good butter, so this chef-approved stick is worth keeping on hand. A bright dairy taste is lifted by flecks of Murray River salt. At CopperTree Farms retired dairy cows are also used for beef, making for a more sustainable farming process. $7.50 for 200gm, coppertreefarms.com.au LURPAK SLIGHTLY SALTED BUTTER With more than…

Dining out This month, we visit a Hobart pasta bar, a Balmoral Beach institution, a Melbourne fine-diner, and a Swan Valley winery restaurant. QUICK LOOK Level 55, 525 Collins St, Melbourne, Vic vuedemonde.com.au CHEF Hugh Allen OPENING HOURS Lunch Fri-Sat; Dinner Wed-Sat PRICE GUIDE $$$$ BOOKINGS Essential VERDICT A reinvigorated Vue Vue de Monde has been through several incarnations since it opened in 2000. Its journey from edgy street-level Carlton terrace to glamorous 55th floor perch in a CBD skyscraper has never failed to attract attention with its combination of style, substance and eye-watering expense. There have been times when style and expense have trumped substance, but with this current incarnation, chef Hugh Allen in charge and a three-month closure for renovation under its belt, VDM has positioned substance front…

QUICK LOOK 3210 West Swan Rd, Caversham, WA sandalford.com CHEF Alan Spagnolo OPENING HOURS Lunch Daily; Dinner Fri-Sat PRICE GUIDE $$ BOOKINGS Recommended VERDICT Historic dining A question, esteemed GT reader: how long does a venue need to be active before we start discussing icon status? A decade? Two decades? Whatever your position, I think we can all agree that at 184 not out, Sandalford is an integral part of the Swan Valley wine region. It was one of the state’s first vineyards, occupies a plum Swan River position and the estate absolutely pumps during wedding season. Not that Sandalford woke up looking like this. The groundwork for its current cellar door was laid in the late ’90s after hospitality heavyweights the Prendiville Group bought the property. Covid saw the…

What led to your big idea? I realised you’ve got to commit to six servings if you want to enjoy a nice bottle. I wanted to be able to drink any wine in any quantity, whenever I wanted, without having to think about when I was going to drink from that bottle again. How did your career in medicine inform the innovation? One of the first things I invented was a chemotherapy delivery system that involved an implant accessed by a needle. I remember sitting in my kitchen with a needle from my chemotherapy system and a bottle of wine, thinking, ‘There’s got to be a way I can get wine out of there with this.’ I made my first prototype in 1999 and tested it in my home for…

VEGETARIAN GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE GF Cod saltimbocca SERVES 2 // PREP TIME 10 MINS // COOK 15 MINS (PLUS RESTING) 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest 60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 2 skinless Murray cod or blue-eye trevalla fillets (220gm each), pin-boned 6 sage leaves, plus ¼ cup extra to serve 4 prosciutto slices 20 gm unsalted butter, chopped 1 bunch broccolini (200gm), trimmed 500 gm baby chat potatoes, halved 1 Mix garlic, lemon zest and a good drizzle of oil together in a small bowl. Brush fish with mixture and season all over. Press sage leaves on top of fish. Lay 2 slices prosciutto, overlapping slightly on a clean bench. Place fish, sage leaf-side down on prosciutto and…

Alla Wolf-Tasker is sitting in the dining room at Lake House, the Daylesford destination she founded with her late husband Allan, 40 years ago. That she’s occupying a table is unusual. She can’t remember the last time she ate in her own restaurant. But our topic is legacy, and the way women build it, and Wolf-Tasker decides the best way to chew it over is literally, during a lunch with daughter Larissa, just three years old when her parents founded the business and now Lake House’s brand manager. Our table of three discusses all kinds of things: unseasonal pine mushrooms springing up after summer rains, the peacock that visited Wolf-Tasker after her beloved Allan passed away in 2022, the beauty of broccolini shoots and – as so often happens when…

The Australian meat pie descends from medieval European “coffins”: bland pastry parcels meant to preserve the food they contained (and not originally meant to be eaten). After British settlement, the meat pie became one of Australia’s first fast foods. Wandering vendors sold them on 19th-century streets: they’d stab pastry tops with their thumbs and fill the resulting holes with “gravy” (glorified salty water), according to Jan O’Connell, author of A Timeline on Australian Food. Thankfully, the meat pie has evolved in more hygienic ways. Food Standards Australia New Zealand has strict rules about the selling of this staple: it must contain at least 25 per cent meat flesh (with pastry, gravy and vegetables likely filling the rest). This dish also keeps progressing with our culinary landscape. Chan and Ryan Khun…

I quite like Sundays. I’m guessing you do too.” These are the words of New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based chef Dave Verheul; the creative spark behind beloved wine bar Embla. He says launching a Sunday lunch set menu at Embla soon captured the bar’s essence: “Simple things grown by the best and cooked with care. Clear vibrant flavours served with minimum distraction.” These days Verheul doesn’t work weekends and is grateful for this return to the general population, “connecting with so many people who for years existed in a separate time zone.” Verheul’s now spends weekends cooking at home, using a wood-fired oven. “If this isn’t possible at home, then I can suggest that you use either a good quality gas-fired pizza oven or turn your oven up as hot as that…

It takes one to know one. Which is why when Peter Gilmore tells you a restaurant is good, you can trust it will be something exceptional. The executive chef behind two of Australia’s most iconic restaurants – Quay and Bennelong – knows exactly what it takes to stand out from the crowd and continually delight diners. So following a recent trip to Italy, where he mentored the Oceania regional finalist Robin Wagner in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy competition, we simply had to know: which restaurants are on his Italian fine-dining hitlist? But before we reveal his top five, an important word of advice from the master: pace yourself. “The reality is you’re always going to have limited time when you’re travelling,” says Gilmore. “But don’t ever try to do…

1 Arabescato Gold marble, $825 per square metre, Avant Stone. 2 Orient P2 pendant Fritz Hansen, $1480, Cult Design. 3 Bailey cereal bowl in Caramel Check, $55, Jardan. 4 Smeg 900mm Victoria induction freestanding cooker in Cream, $8541, Harvey Norman. 5 Chasseur copper covered casserole pot 4L, $469, Living By Design. 6 KitchenAid KSM195 stand mixer in Almond Cream, $899, Harvey Norman. 7 Enoha bar stool, $640, Hermosa Living. 8 Loulou XL vase in Amber, $179, Maison Balzac. 9 1901 Gold Federation kitchen tap, $1130, Sydney Taps. 10 Listone Giordano slide flooring, POA, Space Furniture. PHOTOGRAPHY PRUE RUSCOE (FOREST COTTAGE).…

1 Inspired by Vietnamese traditional lacquerware with trails of orange flower, rose and musk. Diptyque Do Son Limited Edition Eau de Parfum, $303, Mecca. 2 An overnight facial. Cosmetics 27 Mask 27 gel cream face mask, $143, Mecca. 3 Luxurious skincare that never gets old. Skin Caviar Luxe Cream, $875, La Prairie. 4 Matcha tea meets creamy fig notes and soft vetiver in this ode to stillness. Thé Matcha 26 Eau de Parfum, $345, Le Labo. 5 The ultimate tubing – or coating – mascara. Kevyn Aucoin The Volume Mascara, $55, Mecca. 6 A key addition to makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury’s famed one-minute, no-mirror face. Eyes to Mesmerise Long-lasting Cream Eyeshadow in Champagne Pink, $50, Charlotte Tilbury. 7 Sculpting and setting for endlessly tamed brows. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze…

Sultan Ahmet Mosque, Istanbul After shouldering my way through spice bazaar backstreets, the resonant quiet in Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque) stills the pace of Istanbul. This place of worship remains so beautiful with its painterly blue floral tiles and decorated domes despite being built in the Ottoman era. Cordelia Williamson, digital editor Atria, Melbourne Lobster, caviar, and a view from 80 floors up. This is breakfast Ritz-Carlton-style. Open to hotel guests only in the AM, this is when the hotel’s flagship fine-diner turns its tweezers to all things eggy, including this luscious cocotte. Anna McCooe, deputy editor Little Parakeet Bay, Wadjemup, WA Exploring the coves of Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) off Perth is a uniquely West Australian joy. Add in hopping quokkas on land and hiding WA rock lobsters (locally…

Europeans have a friendly rivalry about how much more they love the potato than their neighbours. Whether it’s British chips, French pommes frites, Low Countries’ frieten, or Spanish patatas bravas, every nationality thinks their recipe for fried potatoes is the best. It seems everyone wants to claim the iconic spud as their own, and define their cuisine by it. The domesticated potato originated on the border of Peru and Bolivia, some five to ten thousand years ago. Potato plants are tetraploid, meaning they carry four sets of chromosomes (as opposed to our two). This makes it very adaptable to different growing conditions. The potato was able to be grown in the tropical inland valleys as well as the subalpine grasslands of its Peruvian heartland. By the 15th century, the potato…

CLASSIC HITS Top drops, how to mix a perfect Martinez, legendary liquors and the icons of Australian wine. SPOTLIGHT ON Paolo Saccone, Etymon’s director of wine The pairing I love... Krug and roast chicken. But my ultimate is Nebbiolo with fassona, the wagyu of Italy’s Piedmont. What I’m cellaring.. Burgundy red, Champagne, and Super Tuscan reds. My cocktail of the month... Americano. The bitterness of Campari and vermouth makes it a perfect aperitif. The trends I’m watching... Beaujolais reds. The soil and terroir distinction between each of the Beaujolais Crus is becoming more unique and at a level where it’s expected that premier cru wines will be released. One to watch. Blewitt Springs is a specific part of McLaren Vale’s wine region and is producing fabulous grenache wines that are…

How we tell stories throughout history forges the legends we’re in awe of today. Based on truth but retold so many times some of the facts get distorted, before you know it, an icon is born. Then there are stories you wish were true; a personal favourite is when a small, unnamed Melbourne gin maker allegedly distilled its first batch in a bathtub in his apartment, almost knocking himself (and his roommate) out from the fumes. However, these urban legends, stories, and wild retellings passed down through generations of iconic spirits all stem from the same three factors: innovation, inspiration and revolution. DEWAR’S What makes a spirit iconic tends to be that magic blend of history and innovation, such as in the case of Dewar’s blended whisky, founded by John…

Flamboyant, flaming and French, it’s hard to outshine this booze-soaked classic. At Melbourne’s Gimlet, a guéridon trolley allows for extra fanfare, with each dish flambéed and finished tableside. Andrew McConnell and head chef Colin Mainds’ recipe can be recreated at home, with safety and planning an essential ingredient. “Preparation is key to executing the final stage of the recipe,” says McConnell. “Measure the ingredients and have them sitting next to the cooking area at arm’s length. And be very careful when igniting the sauce, using extra-long matches.” Lighting the sauce burns off the alcohol, leaving a more intense citrus flavour. There’s also the option to serve the sauce as is, without setting it alight. TIPS It is best to use a non-stick 20cm crêpe pan for cooking. A small ladle…

In 2012, I was alone in Paris with a dark secret. Despite writing about food for years, I had never been to a three-Michelin-star restaurant. I needed to fix that. I felt like I needed a benchmark meal to help me calibrate my criticism: how could I know what was good if I’d never eaten at the best? So I booked in at Le Meurice, at the time a three-star restaurant helmed by chef Yannick Alléno. (It’s since slipped to two stars and is under the auspices of Alain Ducasse.) Le Meurice is palatial, over the road from the Louvre and the Tuileries Garden and matching them in presence and prettiness. Pablo Picasso hosted a wedding banquet here. Salvador Dalí was an honoured guest. And then there was me, ready…

Golden glow GT’s all-stars return to the spotlight, new riffs on classic flavours, and Embla’s Dave Verheul shares the food he cooks when entertaining at home. Braised beef cheeks with creamed swede SERVES 4-6 // PREP TIME 25 MINS // COOK 3 HRS 50 MINS Saucy slow-cooked beef and earthy swede showcase the magic that happens when time, technique, and quality ingredients converge. 2 tbsp olive oil 4 beef cheeks (250gm each), fat trimmed 3 onions, thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 fresh bay leaves 3 thyme sprigs, plus extra to serve 375 ml red wine 250 ml (½ cup) beef stock 600 ml beef jus (see note) Baby red vein sorrel, to serve CREAMED SWEDE 3 swedes (about 1.1 kg), coarsely chopped 125 ml (½ cup) pouring…

Hit refresh A new era for New Zealand’s top lodges, a love letter to iconic cities, Peter Gilmore’s guide to Italy, unseen Paris, and a weekend in the Barossa. Anna is a travel and lifestyle journalist, and author of the travel memoir Departures. @annadothart Belfast? Hmm, I don’t think I know anything about your city. Or about Northern Ireland at all. What is it most famous for?” My Patagonian mountain guide, Nico, was a true pro. “I’m not sure,” I muttered as I laced up my hiking boots in the hotel lobby, hoping we could change the subject. “Come on! What is Belfast’s recent history? If I say ‘Belfast’, what springs to mind in neighbouring countries?” Speaking with characteristic Argentinian confidence, Nico was plainly trying to establish rapport with his…

Fornasetti Original Sin large candle, $899, Libertine Parfumerie. 1 The Row wide shaft 100 knee-high boots, $3841, Matches Fashion. 2 G-Chrono watch, $3275, Gucci. 3 Balmain button-embellished faux patent leather-trimmed houndstooth tweed jacket, $3550, Net-A-Porter. 4 Tom Dixon Air elements diffuser, $325, David Jones. 5 Amouage Jubilation 40 Man, $750, Libertine Parfumerie. 6 Saint Laurent Byzance velvet and crystal cuff, $3560, Matches Fashion. 7 Bottega Veneta Sardine small intrecciato leather tote, $5880, Net-A-Porter. 8 Gucci GG-jacquard wool jumper, $1850, Farfetch. 9 JW Anderson knot-detail leather shoulder bag, $1440, Farfetch. PHOTOGRAPHY KRISTINA SOLJO. STYLING OLIVIA BLACKMORE.…

1 MUKTI ORGANICS VITAL B ELIXIR At a cellular level, niacinamide is the ultimate support act. It’s the precursor to NAD+, which keeps cells firing but declines with age. It’s also an anti-inflammatory, which increases the epidermal production of skin barrier lipids. That means it protects skin from irritation and gives it its glow. This serum doubles down on skin barrier support with the addition of panthenol, or vitamin B5, a humectant that binds to the skin. $120, muktiorganics.com 2 ALPHA H VITAMIN B SERUM Niacinamide is water-soluble. And while the body doesn’t store or produce it, we need to ingest it or – even better for skin – apply it topically. A serum is an apt delivery method as it stays on the skin to be absorbed. $40, alpha-h.com…

Clockwise from above left: 70’s Ceramics bowl on base in Comet, $109, House of Orange. Tura large marble cake stand, $155, Horgans. Angus mango wood round footed platter, $100, Madras Link. Davis & Waddell acacia wood footed cake stand, $75, Peter’s of Kensington. Volute platter in Smoke, $129, Maison Balzac. Nolan cake stand, $70, Madras Link. PHOTOGRAPHY KRISTINA SOLJO. STYLING OLIVIA BLACKMORE.…

CRACK ON The best hot cross buns, new restaurant openings across the country, Noma’s next move, and an artisan chocolatier. RESTAURANT NEWS THE LATEST FROM CHEFS AND RESTAURANTS AROUND AUSTRALIA SYDNEY A new Argentinian-Australian restaurant is lighting up Balmain with its fire-cooking focus. In the footprints of the former Efendy site, the kitchen at Casa Esquina is powered by an open-flame parrilla where tira de Asado (slow-cooked shortribs), black Angus T-bones, 60-day aged rib-eye, Gundagai lamb tomahawks, mahi mahi and other delights are grilled. Outdoors you’ll find a barbecue spit that you’ll smell well before you see it, serving up Argentine street food for Balmain locals to take away in the week. Then on Sundays, slow cooks of whole beasts including lamb and suckling pig are the carnivorous centrepiece. Alfresco…

Thank you Stephanie Alexander for your ongoing contribution to the community, enabling so many young people to form positive food habits for life. Twenty-five years ago as a young chef I was deeply inspired by Stephanie, being mentored by her has been a career highlight. Between 2010 and 2020 I was the NSW Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation Patron and loved collaborating with Stephanie to fulfil her vision of healthy children and young people living in sustainable communities across Australia. Tonight, Stephanie Alexander AO wants you to sit around the table to eat. She hopes you will be joined by family or friends, that you’ll break bread together, pass the salad (preferably plucked from your own garden), discuss the world. But don’t just do it for Alexander, or your own…

The first written mention of the Martinez – the Martini’s predecessor – appeared in 1884 in The Modern Bartenders’ Guide by OH Byron. Described as a Manhattan made with gin instead of whisky, the influential tipple featured in several volumes over the decades, raising more questions than answers about the best ingredients and ratios to use. Some iterations favoured Dutch genever. Others called for Old Tom gin. Then there was the matter of vermouth – dry, sweet, or both? – and the addition of curaçao or Maraschino. Perhaps the best approach is the one taken at Sydney’s aptly named Martinez, House Made Hospitality’s restaurant and terrace bar. “We dismantled the components, elevated them and reconstructed the cocktail to produce a drink which is great before or after dinner,” says beverage…

Icon is a big word. Impactful, powerful and resolute. But it is not immutable, fashion influences perceptions of quality just as quality, to a great extent, determines fashionability. The Langtons Classification is the barometer of it all when it comes to Australian wine. Solely based on consumer demand in the secondary market and the pricing that dictates, the Classification is dictated by consumer demand alone. There are no arbiters of taste in the form of a tasting panel, group of critics, Masters of Wine or anything else. The performance of all domestic wines sold at Langtons’ auctions, both online and physical, is collated and disseminated. The results are corroborated and appropriated to the tiers within the Classification with the caveat that there must have been a minimum of 10 vintages…

THE EXPERTS Pip Pratt The executive chef across Sydney’s The Gidley, Bistecca and Alfie’s certainly knows his way around a prime cut. With an impressive wet-ageing facility housed within Alfie’s, Pratt ensures butchery and cooking across all venues is top end. Ash McBean In Victoria, Ash McBean of G McBean Family Butcher is a fifthgeneration butcher. You’ll find her behind the counter alongside her father Gavin McBean, at the pair’s flash butcher located inside Prahran Market. THE CUTS T-bone steak This hefty steak (pictured left) packs two different textures and flavour experiences – a tender fillet muscle on the smaller side of the bone and a juicy sirloin on the other. “The bone is left in for moisture retention. And essentially, it really helps flavour the meat,” says Pratt. T-bones…

It’s never an easy proposition taking on an icon, let alone three of them simultaneously. But this is exactly what Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, the Hong-Kong-based ultraluxury hotel brand, is doing in New Zealand. Late last year, Rosewood made a foray into New Zealand’s iconic luxury lodge scene, as part of an ambitious expansion plan under the watch of CEO Sonia Cheng. This involved taking over the management of the three Robertson Lodges properties – Kauri Cliffs in the Bay of Islands, Cape Kidnappers in Hawke’s Bay and Matakauri near Queenstown – that have been integral in defining and shaping this unique corner of the upscale accommodation market. It’s easy to understand why the deal has attracted attention. Fundamental to this specifically New Zealand style of luxury accommodation is that…

HOME INSPIRATION 1 Dinosaur Designs Carve rug, $1990, Designer Rugs. 2 Sophie Lite chair, $3945, Poliform. 3 Shapes of the Mind VII by Lucas Wearne, $1600, Curatorial + Co. 4 Edge Eric buffet in Onyx, $2420, King Living. 5 Huxley Organic dining table, $4560, GlobeWest. 6 Travertine Roccia, $330 per square metre, Artedomus. 7 Rometti Fysallida vase, $1295, Space Furniture. 8 Tom Dixon Bash vessel, $625, Living Edge. 9 Paume rattan round placemat in Antique Brown, $210 for six, Living By Design. PHOTOGRAPHY PABLO VEIGA. STYLING KERRIE-ANN JONES (BRONTE BEACH HOUSE).…