Many moons ago, there was a heritage listed sandstone building in Sydney’s Darlinghurst. It used to be an Italian restaurant but then lay unused for years. It then became The Pond, a pop up restaurant serving local produce and with a constantly changing menu. And like Cinderella at midnight, on January 31st 2010, the sponsorship by Pure Blonde beer expires (although there are plans to keep it running with the intention of making it a profitable business that doesn’t need sponsorship).
My friend Teena has been telling me about Ganache many times over. You see she is a friend of the owner’s wife and as a croissant fan or fiend, she adores the croissants here. So after a lunch together one day we make our way over to Ganache in Castlecrag. Having undergone a recent renovation earlier this year it looks oh so French in an understated way.
Justin North
The recent World Chef Showcase was exciting for me for a few reasons. One if them was getting to meet Justin North, the chef and owner of Bécasse restaurant (along with Plan B, Etch and Le Grand Cafe) and the SMH 2009 Chef of the Year. When we got to talking after the show he mentioned the Producer’s lunches assuming that I had been invited but had been too busy to come along. Not so I said and Justin promised to ensure that I’d be on the list for a future Producer’s lunch, an initiative where Justin hosts media and other guests and introduces them to the actual producers that supply the restaurant with their special produce. And sure enough, a couple of days later, I received a phone call from Justin inviting me to a very special one – one with Carlos Petrini as the guest.
Carlos Petrini started the Slow Food Movement which started in 1989 as a way of consciously combating fast food and life and preserve a quality of life in response to people’s waning interest in the food they eat and its origins and it also looks at how our food choices impact the rest of the world. He visited Sydney to be part of the Sydney International Food Festival and held a talk just a few days before at the Opera House.
Margaret Fulton
The crowd is full of media including Helen Greenwood, Lyndey Milan, Indira Naidoo as well as the guest of honour Carlos and his table of guests. Next to him is an interpreter as he does not speak English. Smooth voiced Simon Marnie from ABC 702 is hosting and just as we’re about to start, the 85 year old Margaret Fulton (and shameless flirt who told the crowd when he’d won Chef of the Year that she’d rather see North undressed) arrives, sharp as a tack. Later, when Simon can’t immediately remember the name of the Australian of the Year she names “Tim Flannery” without missing a beat. Justin in his chef’s whites introduces us to everyone and gives us a quick overview of the Producer’s Lunch concept as well as the canapes, breads and amuse bouches.
Canape: Goat’s curd, olive and lemon thyme biscotti sandwich
We start with a canape – what looks like a delicate biscotti sandwich is one speckled with black olive and lemon thyme with a goat’s curd sandwiching it together. The crunchy biscotti combined with the salty goat’s curd makes my tastebuds rather excited.
Freshly baked Becasse bread: pumpkuin brioche, stout epi and garlic Rosemary Auverge
Justin tells us about the bread which is baked every day when the baker arrives at 2am. They are still warm which is always good in my books and the pumpkin brioche is sweet, buttery and with a centre of smooth pumpkin. The stout epi is a bit hard for my taste but the garlic and rosemary auverge is gorgeous and heady in rosemary. Served alongside it is butter or an olive oil solid square – I recall seeing him make something similar at the World Chef Showcase using a product called Glice.
Amuse Bouche: Spring bay Scallop with organic radish stems, green chilli and black pepper served with 2008 Freeman Rondo rose
Chef de Cuisine Alan Compton puts his finishing touches on a dish
“Forty seconds! It better be ready” says Alan Compton the Head Chef at Bather’s Pavilion. There are 15 plates of food in front of him at the two tier pass and all of them are in various states of dress (or should that be undress?). “Thirty Seconds, are you ready?” and the younger chefs yell back simultaneously “Yes Chef!” and then “Twenty seconds, why aren’t you ready?“. A chef stumbles and swears and dashes around the corner to grab something. “Ten Seconds hurry up!” says Alan and faces are taut with studied concentration as the final flourishes are put onto a dish. Welcome to the wonderful world of a high end restaurant kitchen. And a little warning this story is long but interesting so settle down with a cup of tea or coffee.
Plating at the pass
This event was my number 1 pick of the whole Sydney International Food Festival programme. Having never really been in a kitchen for an extended period of time (ok I had visited the Gordon Ramsay RHR and Petrus kitchens and that was exciting but that was for about 15 minutes) but to get up close and personal was something that I’d always wanted to do. I should admit that I’ve never wanted to open a restaurant myself which is why I haven’t really gravitated towards trying out for Masterchef, preferring to write a cookbook instead or a regular book. Somehow the hours, hard work and sheer difficulty of the business particualrly in restaurant saturated Sydney put me off. I’d also heard that many chefs were also angry, unfriendly, egomanical divas so I was a little trepidatious before entering the hallowed kitchens of Bather’s Pavilion (or just “Bather’s” to locals). I realise that I”ve eaten at all of Dansereau’s restaurants from Kables back in the previous century B.B. (Before Blog) to the Bather’s Pavilion Cafe also B.B., Bather’s Pavilion Restaurant and The Bather’s Pavilion Kiosk.
Serge shows us the view from the top balcony
I was sent the information sheet. I was to wear black pants, a white t shirt, minimal jewelry and rubber soled shoes. Ransacking my wardrobe I realised that a) I don’t have any plain white tshirts and b) the only rubber soled shoes I have are black patent leather ballet flats and c) I’d have to leave my cocktail rings behind.
Balmoral Beach
At 5.30pm this Thursday night Mr NQN and I arrive along with the other 14 people that have signed up for this once in a lifetime opprtunity. This is the first year they are doing it and we are handed a blue and white striped apron. Serge emerges in his chef’s whites and greets us and takes us upstairs to show us the building. We’re shown the view from the upstairs balcony which is a stunning view of the blue hued waved Balmoral Beach and then sit down in one of the function rooms.
He tells us about the history of the building and his history coming to Australia and the challenges he had to face with developing new produce and how at the time it was he and Neil Perry and Stefano Manfredi who were helping each other out and sharing their new discoveries of things such as Wild Mushrooms. At the time there were only a few types of lettuce: Iceberg, Chicory and Mignonette. He talks about his partnership with Vogue editor Victoria Alexander who fought for years with the council to get the site (which was originally a changing place for people who went to the beach) to be made into a hotel and with Dansereau they finally settled on making it a restaurant.
The Blue Room (private dining room)
He also shows us his next book which is yet to be sent to the printers and is in a yellow ring folder to be called the “French Kitchen” which is a more home style based book as is the trend now. His first book “Friends and Food” won the Julia Child prize for best cookbook and interestingly, all of the photography in it was done by Danserau himself after taking a short course on camera basics. He also conducts yearly tours of France on top of running the cafe, restaurant and kiosk. How he manages with two young kids is something of a miracle.
The Pastry Kitchen
I was a virgin and it was the first day of SIFF (the Sydney International Food Festival). OK let me clarify that rather preposterous statement. I was a Let’s Do Lunch virgin. This year, I finally was going to take part in a Let’s do Lunch where for $35 you get a main meal along with a glass of wine with tea or coffee. However at Bilson’s we learn, the let’s do lunch deal is slightly different from the rest. For $25 you get a main meal and a glass of wine but it does not include tea or coffee. I am lunching with Reem this sunny, warm Spring afternoon at “One”, Tony Bilson’s new restaurant at Number 1 Alfred Street Circular Quay. I’m a little lost (yes I get lost easily) and I need to ring Reem to find out where she is (it turns out she is only metres away from me under the stairs, in a shaded area).
Reem, are you tweeting?
We take a quick look at the menu. There is of course the Let’s Do Lunch deal which is the Swordfish Nicoise salad which is normally priced at $33 so to get this for $25 plus a glass of wine is a steal. I opt to try something else (for the sake of research of course) so I choose the most interesting sounding thing on the menu, the pig’s trotters. The food is mainly French which Bilson is known for but with bits of Italian and Spanish and a tempura dish thrown in to please everyone.
Bread $7
We were hungry so we answered yes when we were asked if we’d like bread. It’s not bad and the butter is unsalted but I prefer some of the more sour sourdoughs on offer at other restaurants. The appearance of $7 for the bread on the bill is a bit of a surprise to me too.
Truffled Crepinette Pigs Trotters with celeriac puree $32
As seen in the Foodies Guide 2010
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