The hands on approach with Wagyu I was invited back to a wagyu lunch at Jamon (3 Murphy St, South Yarra, Vic 3141 +61 3 9804 5710) by the chef and owner Charles a couple of months ago and should have posted this earlier. His point, which I wrote about for The Australian’s Indulgence section, was that wagyu is not some generic meat; it should as with other meats be appreciated by the cut. The Australian’s story says it all. […]
Recent posts
The great anchovy debate
Spot the Ortiz anchovy Jak simply asked the deli for a tin of anchovies. Dumbfounded by the cost she paid the extra $15.75 and brought them home slightly perplexed. I was mildly interested having been following the debate between Neil and Rebecca on the expense and finer points of Ortiz anchovies. What amazes me about these beasts is that the cost of a tin in the market can vary by over $2 – that’s almost the cost of a regular […]
Car share schemes show road ahead
The business of sharing cars has taken off in Sydney and Melbourne, writes Ed Charles SOMETIMES you have just got to do it. Car share plan GoGet came into being when founders Bruce Jeffreys and Nic Lowe put their own cars — a ute and a diesel station wagon — into the first incarnation of their company, Newtown Carshare, which rents out cars by the hour. They secured a sponsored Volkswagen Polo from a local dealer and, with a dozen […]
Gingerboy: eating at $3.50 a minute
Great. Jak and I are out on a date. A nice slow meal in a hip new hawker food restaurant from Melbourne chef Teage Ezard, Gingerboy (27-29 Crossley Street Melbourne 3000 +61 3 9662 4200). Despite my vivid imagination painting a picture of various hawker stalls in a tropical courtyard, the sort of thing you find in Ho Chi Minh City, it’s a flashily decorated room down a cute Melbourne alleyway. Fairy lights wink from behind black bamboo cladding and […]
Help! There’s a pineapple in my meal
I’ve been putting off writing about this for a few weeks now because I’m a bit embarrassed about what I’ve done. And that’s probably why I’ve been away from Weekend Herb Blogging for a while. But I’ve made the brave decision to join-in this weekend with WHB hosted by Nandita at Saffron Trail. It all started when a report arrived from Brisbane, Queensland, of the worrying trend of pineapple appearing in main courses in restaurants. I was happy to sneer […]
The Australian: Is all wagyu the same? fat chance
THE CURIOUS COOK I’M sitting with strangers at the bar of Melbourne sushi restaurant, Jamon, when chef Charles Greenfield begins a reminiscence about Kobe beef. It’s 1968 and Greenfield is supping beer at a sushi bar in Japan when he first tries the delicate, fatty Japanese steak. That was it,” he says, savouring the memory of that first taste, after which he rolled up his sleeves and became a dishwasher at that very restaurant while keeping his day job in […]
The Bulletin: Oliver’s twist
The Melbourne restaurant supporting Jamie Oliver’s charity foundation is largely owned by a businessman who is banking on profits which may not be there. BY ED CHARLES JAMIE OLIVER’S GONE HOME. The cameras are switched off. The TV show will soon end. Now the local franchise of the celebrity chef’s charitable cause, the Fifteen Foundation Australia, and the commercial restaurant venture, Fifteen Melbourne, have to make it on their own. Fifteen, the restaurant, is the public face of the project. […]
The olives that bit back
DJs: “Pitted olives is that?” Tomato:“Oh, yes that’s a wonderful idea. Pitted olives. Oh, but could you hold on the dental work?” DJs:“Excuse me sir?” Tomato: “I’d like that without $5,000 of dental work, please.” DJs: “I don’t understand.” Tomato: “It’s quite simple really. Each batch of pitted olives I buy from you features fully fledged olives complete with stones. I bit into what I assume to be a pitted olive and cracked a tooth. Kerching! The dentist wins. To […]
Update: The great Laguiole swindle.
Last week at my wine group lunch at Oyster (35 Little Bourke St, Melbourne 300 Vic +61 3 9650 0988) I couldn’t help but notice the steak knives. They have the classic shape and even the trademark bee. But sorry, these are not Laguiole but a blatant copy by Maxwell & Williams. I am very surprised that they have got away with it, or do they have a licensing deal with Laguiole? This is what the Laguiole website says: “Laguiole […]