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 […]
Recent posts
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 […]
Wine judges brawl it out
“Judging Australian wine shows is the closest I’ve ever come to hand-to-hand combat.” So says wine writer Tim Atkin the Uk’s The Observer: “No one actually exchanges punches, but the verbal fisticuffs can be brutal. If you’re brought up to be polite and to consider someone else’s point of view, the bare-knuckle opinions can come as a shock. ‘I thought that wine was fucked, mate,’ a fellow judge told me after I’d advanced the claims of one particular Shiraz/Viognier blend.”
Vegout open day
There’s food, booze – the lot – at Veg Out in St Kilda this Sunday (29 October from 11am) which is holding it’s annual open day. I’ll be doing my best Gordon Ramsay impression on the BBQ between 2.00 and 3.00. And if you want anything too fancy you can fuck off. Actually, I’d really like to seize control of the wood-fired pizza oven but that’s another story. You’ll be able to stroll around the gardens and the borders admiring […]
The Australian: New industry takes root
Money might not grow on trees, but it certainly can appear under them, reports Ed Charles October 27, 2006 FIRST we started exporting wine to France. Now Australia could be doing the same with that most exotic of ingredients, the truffle. Prized by top chefs, the truffle is the aromatic fruit of an underground fungus — the most popular being the Tuber melanosporum, or black Perigord truffle. It sells for $1500 to $3000 a kilo, depending on quality, and is […]
Gordon Ramsay lands in Melbourne
CAPTION COMPETITION: Kylie (left) and Monique from the Tomato posse want your caption suggestions. Monsieur Truffe truffles for the winners. I’ve a bloody awful headache but it went something like this: Tomato: “My friend Neil wants to know why you didn’t just kick Marco Pierre White in the bollocks.” Gordon Ramsay: “We scrapped a couple of times times…” Tomato: “I read Marco’s book and it’s a bit crap. just settling scores and telling everybody how good he is.” Gordon Ramsay: […]