www.greenchef.ca

Melbourne Day 7

After several days of lunches and dinners out, and seeing as we had a big dinner planned for our Tuesday evening, we elected to stop by the Richmond Hill Café and Larder first thing in the morning and pick up the fixings for a working lunch. They were just setting up as we arrived, and we went into the cheese room to select a few that had piqued our interest on the previous visit. First was a hard, orange cheese from Normandy, Mimolette, which boasted a dark orange centre and a firm hard rind. We were offered a sample, and the flavour was firm and nutty, not unlike some of the cheeses from the Pyrenees. Second on our list was a local cheese from a Gippsland cheesemaker, called Ironstone. Slightly softer, and a bit crumbly, it was similar to a firm gouda, although a different texture. Finally we selected a triple cream we had tried at the wine shop the other day, Delice de Bourgogne.

In order to complement our cheese selections, we chose some tiny wild olives, and a fig and date loaf, a small log of compressed dried fruit and nuts, and from the pantry shop a jar of spiced mandarins, 2 breads, a french and green olive loaf, as well as three meats, some Wagyu beef sopressa, Prosciutto di Parma, and a slice of the housemade duck liver paté.

Well armed, we went into the office and at midday laid out a small feast for the 7 of us, full of an array of flavours and textures. I made a mental note on the spiced mandarins, halved, in a semi sweet syrup with spices, complete with rinds, they were a beautiful accompaniment to the firmer cheeses.

After work, we popped by a bar upstairs from the European, The Melbourne Supper Club for a drink. An elegant room appointed with antique furniture, it was a throwback to an earlier era, as were the other two places we had visited in the same building. Our server was a lovely young lady with not only a great personality, but a deep knowledge of the wine, beer, and spirit selections on the menu. She suggested two different beers for those so inclined, and a select rum and wine for the others.

Following our aperitif, we wandered down to our dinner destination, The Press Club.

Chef George Calombaris has elevated Greek cuisine to another level in his Flinders Street showpiece. The menu is composed of a la carte selections, a degustation menu, and 3 options for menus meant for sharing, called “Kerasma” We selected to try Kerasma “B”, which included small plates, “Mezedes”, appetizers, salads, fish and meats, and then sweets. We selected a Pouilly Fumé to accompany the meal, and first to arrive were a selection of breads and an olive oil from Cypress.

The arrival of the first courses, was a platter composed of mussels baked on the half shell, a delicious skewer of octopus with white sardines, some beautiful olives, and dolmathes (grape leaves stuffed with a rice an meat filling) wrapped with bresola, air dried beef. Along side we were presented with a saganaki martini, a shot glass of tomato water, with minced cucumber garnish, and a skewer of warm saganaki cheese to accompany. Both were delicious, and promised a very good meal to come indeed.

The next course was sesame crusted tuna with melon and feta, with a cherry foam. A nice combination of flavours, although we felt the tuna could have been seasoned a bit more to stand out from the sesame crust.

Salads arrived in the form of cumin roasted beetroot, yogurt cheese rolled in herbs, and attiki honey. Our server brought us each a warm pistachio biscuit, which completed a dish of extreme simplicity, but complex flavours. A second salad, an interesting combination of watermelon, feta, and walnuts with cherry tomatoes dressed lightly in olive oil was equally stunning.

We hadn’t started on the main courses yet, and first to arrive was garfish, a “small thin fish with a pointed nose”, I was told. It was delicious and tender, served “garnished greek style” with couscous, caramelized fennel, and a yogurt accompaniment. As we finished up the fish course, the piece de resistance arrived, in the form of spit roast lamb with green beans, lemon potatoes, and greek salad “horiataki”. Again, the simplicity of such classic food presented with the utmost of style and the finest ingredients will have me looking at roast lamb shoulder and greek salad in a different way forever.

Stuffed, we still had sweets to come and when they arrived, a platter of classics with the undoubted Press Club touch: Helleniko kafe pannacotta, served with Metaxa brandy jelly, milk sorbet, which was silky smooth and heavenly. Also present were a fantastic chocolate tart, an ouzo crème caramel (undoubtedly one of those dishes that prepared well is magic, prepared poorly a nightmare. This one was in the magic category), and a bowl of piping hot loukoumades, greek “donuts”, bathed in honey. A takeoff on the classic, ”Yianniatkiko baklava with vanilla bean ice cream” rounded out the selection.

Following a cup of coffee, the group of us, amply satiated, walked to our respective hotels and cars, commenting on the impressive meal we had just encountered. Reaffirmed was my belief that value doesn’t only rest in the under $10 category, as when you have a meal of such, magnitude and complexity so well prepared, the $78 a head for the menu seemed a true bargain. I have paid much more for meals of less substance and satisfaction in places of equal renown in other cities.

http://www.rhcl.com.au/

http://www.thepressclub.com.au

Melbourne Day 6

Monday began the work week, which left less time for sightseeing and dining out, but we made every effort to keep up the pace. After our morning session, we decided as a group to go and check out the latest offering from local chef Andrew McConnell, cumulus inc. Tucked into a space formerly occupied by an art gallery, it was a simple, modern, open room with a bar on one side and a kitchen on the other. A mixture of high and low tables as well as seats in front of the kitchen provided a few options, but as we were 7 and the place was busy, we were seated at a large round table with tall stools with a great view of the whole room.

As seems to be the trend in Melbourne these days, all of the dishes were designed for sharing, we were told, so elected to order 7 plates, consisting of: Crispy school prawns sautéed with chilli and garlic; Olives; Scallops wrapped in speck with crushed broad beans; Kitchen charcuterie selection, which included sopressa, prosciutto, and jamon; Baked gnocchi with taleggio and truffle vinaigrette; Grilled King prawn with white bean salad; and House merguez sausage with chickpeas and silverbeet.

Overall the dishes were well prepared and tasty, although it was felt by all that the portion sizes were a bit light for the prices.

A productive afternoon of work followed, and then on our walk back to our hotel, we decided to pop into Gingerboy and make a reservation for a late dinner that night, so that my travelling companions could try it out. When we returned at 9 for dinner, the dining room was just as busy as it had been the previous time I had been there. They were all out of the Vietnamese beer I had enjoyed the previous week, but recommended the local “Cricketer’s Lager” as a good compliment to the food. I had talked up the place to my guests, and it didn’t disappoint.

We started with three small plates to share: Son in Law eggs with chilli jam and asian herbs; Steamed pork and chive dumplings with coriander relish; Spring Bay scallops with Korean black bean chilli dressing. The eggs came with instructions this time, to put the whole thing in your mouth to experience the textures fully. I obliged, and was treated to the combination of the crisp outside, and the soft centre accented with the chilli and herbs. The dumplings were nicely seasoned, and the dipping sauce reminded me of the marinade we used to make for an Asian tuna tartare. The scallops were baked on the half shell, with a touch of black bean and a fresh cilantro leaf on top.

We then elected to share one of the large plates with a few sides. The Red duck leg curry with confit shallots, thai basil, and coconut cream was delicious, falling off the bone tender with a sauce that was deep and complex. On the side we had creamed coconut rice, which was to die for, crispy corn cakes, and wok greens, a nice selection of flash-fried bok choy, sui choy, beans, and snow peas.

Although we were fairly full, we were enjoying the flavours so much we deemed it necessary to try the Gingerboy dessert share plate, a small portion of all 5 of the desserts. Sticky black rice, asian pear, and jasmine tea ice cream, was a nice combination of warm rice underneath and cold ice cream on top, the tofu cheesecake, pandan jelly, water chestnut, fresh strawberries was silky smooth and light, vanilla and apple dumplings with spiced rhubarb soup and coconut sorbet were as good as the last time, the chilled chocolate pudding, pineapple, and chilli rock sugar was very creamy, and the pear and cinnamon pancake, palm sugar syrup, red bean ice cream was an interesting combination of textures and tastes.

My dining companions were as impressed as I had been the week before, and raved about it as being their best meal of the trip so far.

http://www.cumulusinc.com.au/

http://www.gingerboy.com.au

Melbourne Day 5

Sunday morning we woke to a cool morning that showed promise of sunshine, which was perfect for our planned agenda: a trip southwest of Melbourne to the coast, to visit a few of the towns along the Great Ocean Road, one of the world’s reported most beautiful seaside drives.

As the hotel was packed for brunch, we decided to grab a snack on the way out of town, and our local hostess took us over to a small café and food shop owned by one of Melbourne’s most well known chefs and cookbook authors, Stephanie Alexander. The Richmond Hill Café and Larder is part café, serving great, simple, well prepared food, and part food shop, selling seasonings, condiments, books, and equipment. In addition, the have the most fantastic cheese room that boasts racks and racks of aging cheeses beautifully displayed along with fine wines. I made a note to come back and pick up bread and cheese for lunch one day.

Armed with a few fresh muffins and coffee, we headed out of town on the M1 towards Geelong. The drive south took us about 1oo km down to the beginning of the Great Ocean Road. Winding along the coast west from just south of Geelong to Portland, the seaside route hugs the coastline, winding up and down through a series of picturesque little towns and offers a breathtaking view of the ocean which stretches South to Tasmania and beyond to Antarctica.

We were headed about 80 km along the road, and drove through Anglesea, stopped for a photo op at the Big Hill, a rocky bluff that had posed some challenges during the road construction following the first world war. We wound down towards Lorne, stopping briefly as an echidna crossed the road. The small mammal resembles a porcupine, but is more closely related to the platypus as the world’s only other surviving monotreme (a mammal that lays eggs).

Once in Lorne, we stopped for a coffee on the pier, and walked through the local fish shop, and then made our way the last 16 km to Wye River. We pulled up to the Wye River Hotel, and had a delicious pub lunch, starting with some warm olives served with sourdough bread and Moroccan spices to share, and then fish and chips, made with local whiting. We tried the local beer, the Otway ale, and enjoyed the view from the glass walled patio with an amazing view of the sea.

Turning back to the city, we were fortunate to get some pictures of a few sleeping koalas in the gum trees. At Anglesea we pulled up beside the golf course for another set of pictures, as they have had an ongoing problem with kangaroos all over the course. There was a pack of about 20 enjoying the fairway grass, and when a foursome played through, barely raised an eyebrow.

We got back to the city around 6:00 and had plans to go to The Night Cat,
a local club which featured live latin music on Sundays. The concierge informed us that the Spanish Festival was on in Fitzroy that evening as well, so we took a cab the few km to check it out. There were 2 blocks of Johnston Street blocked off, packed with street vendors selling food, drink, and a stage with live music at one end. The Night Cat offered drop in salsa lessons before the band started, so we joined in with the rest of the house, before grabbing a table to enjoy the live band, an 18 piece afro-cuban group called Los Cabrones. The place was packed on a Sunday night, with a crowd of mostly young folks having a great time, and we were treated to some great latin dancers on the floor surrounding the stage.

http://www.rhcl.com.au/

http://www.greatoceanrd.org.au/

http://www.thenightcat.com.au/

Day 3 in Melbourne

The day started with a morning visit to the William Angliss Institute, the largest hospitality school in Melbourne. Here they teach all of the culinary programs, baking, patisserie, confectionary, butchery, and a host of tourism and hospitality programs and degrees.

It was particularly interesting in talking with our hosts at the school to see how they have adapted from being a purely vocational institution in the past to now working very closely with Industry, and have developed a great capacity to deliver custom training packages for employers in any area of the hospitality fields, which are all linked to further options within the national qualifications framework. This is one of the main reasons we are visiting Australia, to see how we can develop those sorts of relationships in Canada in relation to formal training and credentials.

Lunch was served in one of the three restaurants on site, prepared by second term culinary students. I had a starter of duck confit and chorizo ravioli served in a flavourful broth with a garnish of fennel and orange salad. For a main course, I had ordered the crisp spatchcock, (a small guinea hen) and couscous, which was quite delicious as well. I indulged in the chocolate trio for dessert, also very well executed, especially when you consider it is being prepared by students who have been in a program for less than a year.

One program they have instigated that has been very successful had been their Great Chef program, where they have the top chefs from Melbourne come in to prepare 2 dinners with each class of finishing students. What a great opportunity to build relationships, and also for the chefs to recruit directly from the school.

Following the afternoon’s work in developing our Canadian program standards, we decided to take an evening stroll across the river to Southbank and find somewhere to dine there. Very much the way Vancouver’s waterfront has evolved, the Southbank and Docklands areas feature a broad promenade packed with restaurants, street performers, and a number of shops and services.

On a Friday night, the place was bustling, so we settled into a French inspired bistro for dinner. We started with two appetizers, a carpaccio of kangaroo, and a twice baked goat cheese soufflé. The carpaccio was very nice, the kangaroo meat sweet and tender, and garnished with horseradish cream, olive oil, and micro greens. The soufflé was equally nice, with a sweet corn and pickled ginger salsa, as well as a spoon of fresh chevre on top.

The main courses took a while to arrive, and when they finally did with an apolpgy from our server, they were less than perfect. My tuna was cooked fine, but it was a little bland, and my dining companions had similar stories about their choices, a rack of lamb that was somewhat tough, and the Morton Bay bugs (a type of crustacean similar to a spiny lobster) were a bit mushy. We ordered dessert, enjoying the company and the entertainment on the promenade, and were pleased with the “assiette”, a tasting of crème brulee, chocolate brownie, and summer pudding.

After dinner, we took a nice stroll back along Flinders street, and spied a tapas bar I had on my list to check out later, so noted its location for a dinner later in our stay.

After a cleansing ale in the hotel bar, we retired for the evening, as we had much planned for the weekend to come.

http://www.angliss.vic.edu.au/

Day 2 in Melbourne started with breakfast in the newly renovated hotel restaurant here at the Grand Hyatt. They have gone with a beautiful, open design conveying the feel of a working kitchen, with the chefs working and doing their prep on the stations and service areas around them. Everything was really fresh and well prepared, and because the prep areas are right there, always fully stocked.

After an initial morning meeting, we started to plan our week here, and most importantly where and when we would eat. I had my list of places that I had scouted, and our hosts had a number of additional suggestions in the city and surrounding areas. After a quick visit to one of the culinary schools here, we picked up a business associate at the airport and headed back downtown for a late lunch.

The European, aptly named, is a narrow restaurant nestled beside the historic Princess Theatre, directly across from the Parliament buildings. As you walk through the tall doors, you would swear you were in an old French bistro, small wooden tables and a long bar gracing the dark wood panelling, and chalkboards with the daily specials, and wine selections.

Features included two kinds of local shellfish, a couple of pastas, two daily fish dishes, and a veal scallopine. After perusing the menu and wine list, We ordered some of the featured Coffin Bay oysters to start, which I hear were exceptional, briny, and plump. (due to a reaction years ago, I haven’t eaten oysters in years, but I enjoy hearing about the nuances of them from those who do.) I ordered some of the crispy School Prawns, a small shrimp quickly deep fried and served with a romesco aioli and fresh lemon. They were very fresh and tasty, with a briny sweet finish.

For main courses, a few at the table ordered mushroom risotto, while I had the farfalle alla siciliana, bowtie pasta with ripe tomato, basil, and anchovy with garlic and olive oil. Simple but delicious, with a glass or two of pinot grigio to wash it all down. For dessert, we elected to share two offerings, a parfait with a fig and pecan crust and roasted fruit, and a tiramisu.

Following an afternoon of work, we retired to the hotel, and then regrouped for a beverage before heading out for the evening. I had scoped out the local music scene, and we headed to a small club in West Melbourne called Spenser’s Live to see a quartet of some of Australia’s finest fusion musicians: Brett Garsed, Phil Turcio, Craig Newman, and Gerry Pantzis. They played a fantastic 90 minute set of inspiringly tight, textured, and smooth instrumentals, after which we were famished.

It was creeping onto midnight, so we decided to follow a recommendation I had read about online. Anytime a restaurant is touted as the place the local chefs go after work, you know two things: the food will be good, and reasonably priced. We headed over to Supper Inn in a deluge, the first rain in awhile here, and after scaling a narrow staircase, came into just what I would expect, a busy room full of bodies young and old, and the smells of great Chinese cooking.

We ordered 5 things:

Hot and sour soup, which was packed full of meat, shrimp, and vegetable, crispy skin chicken with special sauce, which was crisp on the outside, moist and tender inside, with a light but very tasty glaze, fried rice with pork and shrimp (enough said), pork spareribs with mandarin sauce, which were crispy with a sweet sticky sauce clinging to them, and shiitake mushrooms and shanghai bok choy, caramelized and so packed with flavour one of my dining companions described them as the best shiitake mushrooms she had ever tasted. I would have to agree, and after a night of several beers, great music, and finally another great meal, we settled in for the night.

http://www.theeuropean.com.au/

http://www.spenserslive.com/

http://www.miettas.com.au/archive/guide2000/supperinn.html

I will be in Melbourne for the next 10 days on business and seeing as it’s got a great reputation for good food, thought I’d share my dining experiences.

The Central Business District is compact and an interesting mix of old and new architecture. Across the street from my 30+ story hotel are two beautiful old churches, the spires of which I look out onto. I set upon some research before leaving Vancouver and had a list of a few restaurants to check out. The inflight magazine on our flight from Sydney provided a few others and to my great delight, once I searched all the addresses and websites, I had 8 places within a few blocks of the hotel. My first order of business was an evening walk to get my bearings and check out the CBD quickly, and then pop into one of my choices for a solo dinner.

The downtown core is divided into large streets with all of the big buildings you would expect in an urban metropolis, but in addition, there are small streets and lanes between the buildings that provide a very different atmosphere. Tucked into the various “little” streets and “lanes” are all of the small cafés and restaurants you could imagine. There is a great deal of south Asian influence here, and keeping with Australia’s reputation for excellent cooks, the incorporation of classic technique for a vibrant fusion food culture. A stroll to the east took me over to the large park beside the parliament buildings and once I finished weaving in and out of the side streets to scope out the next week’s dinners, I ended up at my first destination, Gingerboy.

Tucked inside an older building and on a side lane, the place was bustling! No room in the dining room, I was told, but could saddle one of the barstools and have my dinner there, or pop upstairs to the brand new cocktail lounge. I decided on the former, as the small open kitchen was right there and my barstool provided a great view of all of the action (probably the only thing I really miss about not being in a small restaurant kitchen every night). I counted 8 cooks working furiously and food flying out at a phenomenal pace. I perused the well chosen wine list and the menu and decided that beer would be suitable for a menu inspired by Singapore’s famous hawker stands. I asked the young lady tending bar for a recommendation for beer to suit the food, and was introduced to “333” from Vietnam.

Looking though the menu, I settled on picking a few small plates, and decided that once I had some reinforcements would have to come back to try some of the larger plates meant to share. First to catch my attention was the signature dish I had read about, “son in law eggs”. I was informed that the kitchen could make a smaller order if I liked, as there were normally 3 on a plate, (an offer I gratefully accepted to allow for more choices), and also decided on the cuttlefish, corn cakes, and wagyu dumplings.

First to arrive were the eggs, crispy from the deep fryer, soft in the centre, perched on a banana leaf with chilli jam and fresh mint, basil, and cilantro. I cracked them open with my chopsticks and the combination of crisp outside, soft poached egg centre and the spicy jam mixed with the sweet fresh herbs was exceptional. Shortly thereafter, my crispy chilli salt cuttlefish arrived, with a fresh lemon wedge and warm sesame oil to accompany. I love fried squid in all of its forms, especially the larger varieties like cuttlefish and the “flying neon squid” we get back home. Simple yet delicious!

The corn cakes were next to appear, a bowl overflowing with crisp fritters made of cornmeal, fresh corn, herbs, and finely diced hot peppers. I nearly burned my tongue in my excitement, but thank goodness for a nearby bottle of the crisp “333” to prevent any damage. The corn cakes were nicely spiced, tender and soft inside, crispy outside, and were particularly useful in sopping up the remaining soft egg and chilli jam from the first dish.

Last, but certainly not least, the Wagyu beef and bamboo shoot dumplings with their cashew soy dipping sauce graced the narrow bar. There were different types of dumplings on the menu, but these had grabbed my eye, along with a supporting endorsement from the bartender. Well seasoned Wagyu beef (the same breed used for the famous Kobe beef) and bamboo shoots were folded into thin gyoza wrappers and steamed and fried in the traditional manner. The texture was very interesting, akin to a great beef tartare, and provided just enough zip to make it interesting without losing the subtleties of such well marbled beef.

I was nicely full from my four plates, but after finishing up and cleansing my palate with the last of the beer, determined I had enough room for dessert. I ordered a latte and the apple and vanilla dumplings with rhubarb soup and coconut sorbet, and was then offered to move upstairs to the lounge to have dessert. Brand new, the upstairs had only opened on the previous Monday and was turning into an extra dining area on busy nights. A few tall tables, a bar with a half dozen stools, and a few cozy low ottomans provided a few seating choices. I sat at the bar and when dessert arrived a few minutes later, was equally as impressed. Thin dumpling wrappers stuffed with an apple and vanilla filling, served warm in a delicious thin rhubarb soup. The soup was actually quite like one my former pastry chef Dawne used to make with panna cotta, and was a nice complement to the warm apples. The coconut sorbet was extremely smooth and flavourful, and the texture leads me to believe they use a pacojet, an innovative machine which basically churns the sorbet fresh each time you serve it.

I’ll have to ask next time, which will certainly come soon, this time with a few others to help work through the very well executed menu. Gingerboy can be found at 27-29 Crossley Street, a few blocks from the Parliament buildings in Melbourne’s CBD.

Website: http://www.gingerboy.com.au

Welcome, and thanks for joining me as I spend time building my web profile. Content will be added continually over the next short while

For the past 20 years, I have been dedicated to developing my skill and my craft as a Chef here in Vancouver. During this time period I have had the good fortune to work in small restaurant environments where customer service and quality of food have always been of the utmost significance, and this has instilled in me the importance of consistency and quality control in all aspects of the food service industry. From my apprenticeship at a small neighbourhood restaurant where I worked in high school, to my current position as the Executive Chef of one of the city’s foremost and highly regarded small restaurants, that passion and dedication has always been foremost in my approach to cooking, creating, and managing in the restaurant business.

After 10 years as the Executive Chef at Bishop’s, I have felt the need for greater challenges and the opportunity to extend my skill set to a different environment. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed every day behind the stove, I have reached the point in both my professional career and personal life that I know the experience and expertise that I have developed over the years will be best utilized in the next phase of my career in a more managerial role. I take great satisfaction in the organizational elements of being a Chef, as much as the actual physical cooking itself, and I am finding that the reality of being the Chef of a small restaurant means that most of my time is spent in the actual execution of dinner service, rather than the planning, recipe and menu writing, and other things that I feel would make better use of my time.

Over the years, in addition to the day to day operation of the restaurant, and all that that entails, I have had the opportunity to work on many outside projects that have piqued my interest in pursuing different opportunities in order to keep my creative energy flowing and ensuring my growth as a Chef, Manager, and as a person continues.

This page is the beginning of that journey, and the start of many interesting new projects.

Dennis