Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2024 i Gourmet Traveller

+ SUBSCRIBE NOW magshop.com.au/gmt Details p114 Alchemy is a funny thing; part science, part magic. Historically, alchemists were constantly searching to make things more valuable, trying to turn nickel into gold, or to create universal elixirs to cure all ails. Thanks to real science, there’s not much place for alchemy left in today’s world. The one place you will still find it, I’ve come to realise, is in cooking and hospitality. It’s the bit that isn’t listed in the ingredients that magically transforms a recipe into a signature dish. Or the power to control the ambience of a room and build an instant rapport with diners, over a few shared sentences. Hard to define but easy to recognise, alchemy isn’t something you see but rather, you feel. In this…

Now firmly part of the culinary lexicon, umami is a flavour worth understanding and mastering. Harnessing ingredients such as tomatoes, onion, rice koji and mushrooms allow for the savoury profile to be extracted, and then sprinkled on dishes for an instant flavour boost. Jimoto Foods Savoury and earthy shiitake mushrooms are celebrated through this flavourful seasoning. Created by chefs Doug Barker and Max Smith, the vegan seasoning can be sprinkled across stir-fries to thicken and add an umami undercurrent; or used in stocks and sauces to add a vegetal, savoury note. $13 for 80gm, jimotofoods.com.au Mingle Seasoning Made to help home cooks reduce their salt intake, this Mingle Seasoning is inspired by the nostalgic flavours of chicken salt. This seasoned salt can be sprinkled on a roast chook, steak or…

PEOPLE OFTEN FORGET THAT WINE IS A LIVING AND breathing product. Unlike spirits, wine develops in bottle. There is an alchemy to wine, not just in its cultivation and fermentation but also in cellaring it for future enjoyment. The biggest killer to wines in private collections, explains John Cuff, head keeper of the bottles at Wine Ark, is storing them in areas with variable temperatures. “Wines get delivered on the doorstep in the sun or stored in cupboards near microwaves or ovens, and while it’s pretty hard to kill a decent bottle of wine, the fluctuation in high and even moderate temperatures expands and contracts the wine inside the bottle.” In addition to maintaining a consistent temperature, wine should be stored in darkness. Think of your cellared wines as if…

Trisha Greentree, executive chef, Fratelli Paradiso Fruit with sea salt and lime I love seasoning fruit. It is lesser known here in Australia, but I grew up with my mum seasoning her fruit with salt or fish sauce. This love affair deepened when living in Los Angeles where I would buy fruit salad from the Mexican fruit street vendors. They would season your mixed fruit bag – your choice of mango, melons, pineapple and jicama – with salt, dried chilli flakes and lime. All the juices mixed with the seasonings create a mixed bag of heightened flavour and balance. The juice at the end of the bag is the craziest complex cocktail you will ever experience; it feels like a complete meal. Next time you make a fruit salad, season…

THE REGION Road tripping through this glorious wine region should come with a disclaimer: travel here at your own risk of up-ending everything completely. The natural beauty alone is enough to spark some real estate dream scrolling. Then, the food and drink culture will have you questioning if you too could master a craft and learn to pull off artisanal alpaca. Life is good here in the upper mid-point of Tasmania’s east coast in the towns surrounding Swansea and Bicheno. Just over 90 minutes to Launceston and two hours to Hobart, this is a charming hub where the walks are epic (hello Freycinet National Park), croissants are baked daily, and pinot grapes bask in some of the world’s best growing conditions. From Swansea way, drive over Wye River (“because it’s…

MELBOURNE If wine bars are all about food now, why shouldn’t a new restaurant be all about wine? That’s the angle at the newly opened Circl, a “wine-centric restaurant” on Punch Lane, in the Melbourne CBD. There are more than 1500 wines here – 150 of which are by the glass – and the list, presided over by Ten Minutes by Tractor’s former head somm, includes some of the most hallowed vinos in the game. For food, the seasonal menu serves up classic Euro bistro snacks with a native ingredient edge. Two streets down, on Russell Street, boutique hotel Melbourne Place is gearing up for its opening in October. Up on level 12, young gun chef Nick Deligiannis is running the show at the 150-seat Mid Air, whose remit will…

VACANZA VIBE Australian aperitifs are making a play for spring drinking. Leading the homegrown charge is Tanica with base notes of Davidson’s plum, layered with strawberry gum leaf, orange peel and cinnamon bark. Enjoy neat or if balmy evenings call a Spritz to mind, finish with a shot of fizz. $64, tanica.com.au MULTI-TASKING Transitional spaces and day-tonight dining is a smart new trend we are loving. North Sydney’s Sol Bread and Wine serves up French boulangerie vibes by day, before slipping on its evening dress to become a sophisticated wine bar with lo-fi-leaning wines. More please. solbreadandwine.sydney SPOTLIGHT ON Surya Palaniappan and Josh Masters, co-founders of female-led wine importer Vino Cammino, talk wine trends to expect in 2025. Wines produced in Etna, Sicily, are the ones to watch next year.…

BETWEEN ROLLING HILLS, RUGGED BEACHES, AND THE EVER-PRESENT blue ribbon of the Gulf St Vincent, McLaren Vale’s distinct four seasons and Mediterranean-leaning climate create a wine region of duality. The distinctive heat and dryness of South Australia are continually tempered by an ever-present oceanic influence, framing wine-growing terrain where plush, generous flavours are the status quo. Claiming to have the state’s oldest vines, red wine production dominates with a strong showing for shiraz and cabernet sauvignon. However, grenache has increasingly garnered the attention of the wine-drinking world both near and far, where the fusion of old vines and complex soils has created a supple, world-class style worthy of praise. Fantastic whites exist in a smaller proportion; lesser-known South European varietals like fiano and marsanne spearheading new directions for adventurous winemakers.…

I CAN’T GO MORE THAN ABOUT A WEEK without spice. On a recent cruise in Australia’s Kimberley region which served very palatable but largely Italian- and French-leaning food, I disembarked in Darwin and ran gasping to modern Sri Lankan restaurant Ella by Minoli. I had to jumpstart my tastebuds with chilli. I’m the opposite of the cartoon character who burns their mouth on something hot then pours fire hydrants of water down their throat while their eyes bulge and klaxons blare. After too long eating un-spiced food I mainline capsaicin. Which is why I think there’s a case to be made for more Australians breaking up their northern hemisphere holidays with a stopover that features a different kind of food to whatever they’re eating on their primary destination. After a…

Kingfish lime ceviche with mixed radishes SERVES 4 // PREP 10 MINS // COOK 20 MINS (PLUS MARINATING) Originating in Peru, ceviche relies on acid, to impart flavour and gently cook raw seafood. We’ve used a combination of lemon and lime and kept things simple on top with crisp radish, briny caperberries and a good glug of extra-virgin olive oil. 300 gm kingfish, thinly sliced 6 mixed radishes (such as watermelon, French breakfast and heirloom), thinly sliced on a mandolin 12 small caperberries, halved lengthways LIME MARINADE 1½ tbsp each lemon and lime juice ¼ tsp caster sugar 80 ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil0 ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil 1 For lime marinade, combine all ingredients and ¼ tsp salt flakes in a bowl. Add kingfish and…

Sequoia Lodge, SA A long soak in one of Sequoia Lodge’s three spring-fed hot pools is the perfect way to settle into this luxury estate and start tuning into the blissful surroundings. Guided nature walks will take you deeper into the Adelaide Hills surrounds, or simply sit back and enjoy a glass of local Grüner Veltliner before dinner at Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant. Cordelia Williamson, digital editor Sixpenny, Sydney, NSW  There’s a taste of nostalgia in the last bite of Sixpenny’s colourful no-waste dégustation menu. In this case, it’s a generous slice of multi-layered honey cake. Ten layers of lightly spiced sponge sandwiched between a burnt honey cream makes for a sweet finish.  Maxwell Adey, food editor Monique Fiso x La Grande Dame at Catalina, Sydney, NSW Trailblazing New Zealand chef…

For me, Baba’s Place is a critically important part of Australia’s culinary discourse in regard to our multicultural society. Co-founders, Jean-Paul El Tom and Alexander Kelly, of Lebanese and Macedonian heritage respectively. Together, they deliciously, creatively and powerfully tell the story of – in their words – “wog migration” in the culturally diverse suburbs of Western Sydney, where they grew up. In the process, reclaiming this term, widely known as a racial slur, to one of empowerment and pride. THE WORDS WON’T FORM IN MY MOUTH SO Jean-Paul El Tom jumps in, helping me out; “you mean, wog food?”. El Tom is the chef and part-driving force behind Marrickville restaurant Baba’s Place. And he is confirming the culinary concept at the centre of its domesticated warehouse party spirit. For my…

What led you to wine?  I’m not smart enough to be a pilot and I can’t play guitar, so I got a job in a wine shop. Then one night I tried a Meursault and I’ve been here ever since. I worked in fine wine retail and some of the country’s best restaurants (including Orana) for more than a decade, then my wife Hannah and I created Worlds Apart Wines in 2017 in the Adelaide Hills. Coming from that background, rather than studying winemaking at university, meant I’ve always gone for what is interesting and delicious, rather than what is “correct” or “excellent”. Who are your wine heroes?  Well Taras and Amber Ochota obviously (who I trained under), but also, all those farmers dedicating themselves to making a living sustainably…

THERE ARE THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF SERVING food and drinks, then there’s the alchemic wonder of being truly looked after in a restaurant. Like any alloy, it can be tricky to separate the elements and unpick exactly what goes into creating the feelings of safety, joy and connection that can be engendered by great service. We speak to three front-of-house professionals working in very different Australian dining rooms to unpack the mysteries and, perhaps even enable the rest of us to win friends and influence people in daily life. Melissa Ammirati is general manager of Oborozuki, a fine-dining Japanese-French restaurant overlooking Sydney Harbour. Gianluca Esposto is general manager of A’Mare, an Italian restaurant at Crown Sydney renowned for tableside service. Emily Slane, is venue manager at Convoy, a busy…

Roast rainbow trout with asparagus, grapefruit and pistachio salad SERVES 6 AS A MAIN // PREP 15 MINS // COOK 30 MINS 2 plate-sized rainbow trout (500gm each), scaled and gutted 90 ml extra-virgin olive oil 2 large ruby grapefruit, peeled 1 long red chilli, thinly sliced 1 tbsp Sherry vinegar 1 tsp honey 3 bunches asparagus, trimmed ¼ cup slivered pistachios, chopped Mint, basil and red vein sorrel, to serve 1 Preheat oven to 200°C fan-forced. Wash trout inside and out, then pat dry with paper towel. Score on top side with 4 diagonal cuts through to the bone, angled towards the tail. 2 Place trout, scored-side up, on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush with oil; season to taste. Bake until golden and just cooked…

Grilled crudités with charred spring onion crème and pickle salt SERVES 4-6 AS A STARTER // PREP 40 MINS // COOK 45 MINS (PLUS COOLING) Lightly grilling vegetables imparts smokiness while still retaining crunch. Off the hot grill, we season and serve with a charred French onion crème for dipping. 300 gm small kipfler potatoes, scrubbed and halved 1 bunch baby heirloom carrots, trimmed, scrubbed, halved lengthways 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed 1 bunch baby turnips Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling PICKLE SALT 2 tsp apple cider vinegar ½ tsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed ½ tsp smoked paprika 2 tbsp finely chopped dill Finely grated zest of 1 lemon CHARRED SPRING ONION CRÈME 4 unpeeled garlic cloves 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling 200 ml crème fraîche…

About halfway through the 11-day cruise up the coast of Norway, as we are approaching the Lofoten Islands, it finally dawns on me that it’s time to jettison the idea that today’s scenery cannot possibly live up to the magnificence of yesterday’s. Opening the curtains of my stateroom that morning on yet another astonishing view, the penny drops, along with my jaw. We are deep into fjord country and so the escalating levels of beauty – towering, thickly forested mountains plunging into dark seas glimmering with the endless golden light of an Arctic Circle summer giving way to ridiculously picturesque, cobblestoned towns nestled around harbours filled with brightly coloured fishing boats and lined with planter boxes vibrant with summer flowers – come with the territory. Best just to sit back,…

Something happens to your body between the breathless anticipation you feel before boarding a long-haul flight and the limp weariness that engulfs you when the wheels touch down. Swollen calves and ankles. Dry skin and flattened hair. The desert-mouth of water loss (yes, even when you turn down the second wine and leave the pretzel packet unopened). Your brain is excited to be wherever you are, of course. Your body hasn’t quite got the memo. Australian travellers know the feeling all too well. The clever ones also know how a hotel can help to smooth things over – a luxury that hasn’t always been afforded when travelling interstate. Historically, few Australian hotels have prioritised truly premium spas as part of their guest services, but they are increasingly becoming a non-negotiable…

Smooth operator PAGE 150 Object of desire PAGE 154 PHOTOGRAPHY TOM ROSS. INTERIOR STYLING PATTERN STUDIO. Smooth Operator This kitchen’s room-defining centrepiece borrows its cool from curved edges and sleek surfaces. 1 Objects of Virtue White 149 vessel, $1620, Tigmi Trading. 2 Pro VitroLine Combi steam oven, $9799, Miele. 3 XAL Move It 45 Round Trimless downlight, POA, Est Lighting. 4 The Pragmatist by Heidi Middleton, from $1800, Artclub. 5 Dough centrepiece in Cream, $300, Toogood. 6 Vola 590H Deck Mounted Kitchen Mixer in Brushed Crome, POA, Bathroom X. 7 Verde Guatemala marble, POA, Signorino. 8 SP01 Michelle stool, $905, Space. CREAM DREAM Neutral dining gets a warm upgrade with a sophisticated wash of maple finishes and caramel hues. 1 Tony Assness Saint Loup candle, $175, Composition. 2…