FOODIE SPECIAL .....Dining Down Under

Dining Down Under





While cuisines in Australia are a nod to the global trends, they also hew to the culinary traditions of respecting local produce

The spread before me looks fit for a queen. There's mashed avocado with heirloom radish, goat's cheese, toasted maple, sunflower and pepita seeds; a platter of cran berry and pistachio granola with vanilla bean natural yoghurt, strawberry and edible flowers; cauliflower fritters anointed with beetroot leaves and pumpkin seed dukkah; a toasted brioche roll with fried egg, crispy bacon, chipotle mayonnaise and baby spinach. And of course flaky crois sants and jam doughnuts hot from the oven.

I'm breakfasting with Matt Preston, food critic and cojudge of MasterChef Australia at Millstone, a delightful patisserie in Malvern, Melbourne, and one of his favourite haunts in his native city. The owner of the café, young Alice Wright has trained as a pastry chef at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and returned to give the city a taste of the classic French patisserie with a modern flair, Preston tells me.

Wright's food philosophy has apparently found a resonance in this city of foodies. A flurry of customers crowd the sun-dappled café -some buying, others tucking into gorgeous food. A glass cabinet showcases the handiwork of Wright's small team of 20-something chefs. The smiling chefs bustle about replenishing the goodies as they fly off the shelves.

“In a way,“ explains Preston digging into the unctuous avocado, “Millstone represents today's quintessential Australian dining scene. The café is helmed by a young chef-owner in tune with global trends who leverages the best of Australian produce to create cuisine that has its own distinct vocabulary.“

Mixed Palate

As Australia's culinary capital, it's no surprise that Melbourne is peppered with trendy cafés and restaurants. But what's noteworthy is that the chefs are not following fashionable trends blindly.

Their food is a nod to global trends, yes. But it also hews to the Australian culinary traditions of respecting local produce, showcasing its gorgeous seafood and endorsing the less-is-more mantra.

Later that evening I dine at Estelle, a passion project for its quirky but well-respected owner-chef Scott Pickett who -during our seven-course meal -volleys energetically between stoves in the restaurant's open kitchen and scribbling our orders. An unabashedly high-end restaurant, Estelle is degustation only, with a seven-course menu featuring simply-titled dishes that have deep inspiration behind them.

Pickett's meal is as skilful as it is unpretentious -French bistronomy at its best, but one that eschews the starchiness of a traditional Michelin-dictated meal.First to arrive are the starters -cured Kangaroo meat with black rice, a wonderful alchemy of earthy protein with al dente rice grains followed by cod roe and a potato soufflé whose velvetiness triggers delicious umami explosions in my mouth. Mains are a triumph of farm-fresh Australian produce harnessed creatively to dazzle and delight. There's tomato, burrata and green strawberry; yellow fin tuna, baby peas and foie gras; king salmon, n, asparagus, seaweed and Flinders rs Island lamb with wild garlic.

“It's all about restraint,“ Pickett tt -who also owns a feted bistro next xt door -tells me as I tuck into his de electable mango-passion fruit-kaffir ir dessert, another dish of finely-caliibrated ingredients. “I'm learning ng to be more confident with less components, and to hold back. After years in the business, I'm now looking at what I can take off a plate, not what I can add to it.“

Upping the Ante

The same frugality -and minimalism -characterises Gazi, a casual Greek canteen owned by George Calombaris, the chilli-hating MasterChef judge. Backgammon sets, a ceiling accoutred with a gazillion upturned terracotta pots and fluorescent pink floodlit toilets dominate the eatery. As I enter the restaurant (which overlooks a busy main street) punters are swigging Mythos beer while the smells emanating from its sizzling open kitchen send my olfactory sense into an overdrive. Gazi's eclectic menu offers uncomplicated Greek flavours -feta-infused salads, velvety beetroot dips, big hunks of meat done spit roast-style. The soft-shell crab -braised in black olives and capers -is spectacular. As is the souvlaki -a flatbread enveloping juicy charred chicken, mustardy-mayo, red onion slivers, parsley, and a mound of salty French fries.

Not just throbbing metros, even remote Australian regions seem to be upping their game, front-lining cuisine that would belong in a far more swish setting. My sojourn to Kangaroo Island is rewarded with opportunities to feast on farm-fresh produce created by entrepreneurial farmers in an unspoilt natural haven. The island's pristine environment provides fertile ground for freshly caught King George whiting, sheep's cheese, Ligurian honey, distilled spirits and artisanal wines all of which are leveraged by clever chefs to produce stellar meals. Kangaroo Island apparently has an exponentially growing culinary scene.Seafood infused with natural goodness, sweet and tender freshwater crayfish, oysters nurtured in the clean, shallow bay fronting the hamlet of American River... Of the island's 4,600-odd residents, most are farmers, fishers and other primary producers “Our food producers benefit from the clean, green environment. Small-scale operators use chemical-free processes to create top-quality meats, grain, potatoes, and dairy,“ hotelier Mandy Brown tells me. Brown and her husband Paul run Seascape Lodge, their capacious hilltop bungalow converted into a boutique hotel with sweeping views over the crescent-shaped Emu Bay. The hotel is also my abode for two days. Mandy explains that she has had a steady repeat clientele -her bedrock, really -not only because of the property's stunning views but also the food.

“Eating is a major part of the `Seascape' experience,“ the passionate cook tells me, describing her food as `elegant home-style' dining. She locates fresh island produce, gathers eggs laid by her own `chooks' and picks fresh herbs from her garden daily. In the evening all guests congregate with the couple to enjoy a three-course dinner prepared with fresh seasonal produce. Haloumi Cheese produced at the island's sheep milking dairy, locally caught fresh seafood, Ligurian honey, Kangaroo Island wines and regional beers.

A Picnic to Savour

Breakfast too spells plenitude at Seascape. I began my day with homemade bread and jams, freshly baked muffins, fresh fruits, cereals and muesli, Island sheep milk yoghurt, freshly squeezed juices, Ricotta pancakes and Mandy's own free-range organic eggs prepared to choice. For me personally, it was a picnic to savour fruits of the ocean plucked fresh daily while soaking in jaw-dropping ocean views, rolling hills and natural bushland. I try the island's fabled freshwater crayfish at the Marron Café later in the day. But before that, I check out the storied blue marrons of various sizes up close in the café's holding tanks behind the restaurant.

It is these tanks the chefs nip up to each time an order arrives. Bush Tucker herbs (like lemon myrtle, grown on the property) are used in preparations for a typical Australian dining experience and flavour.

The `Poacher's Platter' I order is a redoubtable conglomerate of prawns, squid, scallops and fresh marron with a side of herb bread.

At Kangaroo Island Spirits (KIS), south Australia's first boutique dis tillery, I get a taste of award-win ning and handcrafted gin, vodka and liqueurs that incorporate native Australian botanicals and locally grown ingredients. The distillery's cellar door provides a first hand experience of its awardwinning samphire vodka and walnut-and-honey liqueur.

“All of our products are handmade, bottled and labelled here, and we offer product tastings of our entire range,“ explains owner Jon Lark. “You can also blend your own gin using anything from juniper to lemon myrtle to the crisp, juniper pine. All of the distillery's smallbatch wild gin comes from the native ingredients,“ syas Lark. Even better, the walnuts used in the liquor production are combined with local Ligurian honey to make the most lip-smacking ice-cream ever. I bite into the luscious confection and am transported pronto to culinary heaven, an experience I encountered repeatedly in this country of exquisite cuisine.

Neeta Lal

ETM3JAN16