1. 50Tt
briefing
Food
issue 91 — 199198 — issue 91
Top-notch
tucker
Australia
Preface
The food-and-drink scene
in Australia is as vast and
varied as the country itself.
Join us on a culinary tour of
new stops in Sydney, Perth,
Melbourne and Canberra
– via a winery or two in
Margaret River, of course.
The Paddington
Sydney
Set over two floors in a roomy
one-time boozer on busy Oxford
Street, The Paddington is the latest
restaurant from Justin Hemmes’
Merivale group. The premises is
centred on a series of French-made
Rotisol rotisseries, from which
ex-Noma and Momofuku Seiobo
chef Ben Greeno creates the
restaurant’s signature dish: chicken
served half or whole.
The mains are hearty and
no-nonsense and although the
seasonally changing sides show
more colour, artistry and finesse,
the headline here is filling food done
simply. There’s also a lively after-
supper set who take to the upstairs
bar, balcony and mezzanine for
cocktails from Palmer & Co’s Sam
Egerton and Toby Marshall, or wine
chosen by Franck Moreau and
Adrian Filiuta. — jaf
merivale.com.au
Barbara
Brisbane
Like Fortitude Valley itself, this new
Brisbane bar is busy almost every
night of the week. Tucked into
the ground floor of a once grand
department store, Barbara pays
equal attention to cocktails, wine
and beer, including impressive
house brew Babs.
The crowd is young, discerning
and, apparently, generous: a board
behind the bar marks the names of
those who will be lucky enough to
be bought a drink by a friend the
next time they visit. — mco
barbara.bar
Mile End
Melbourne
Centred on an impressive
wood-fired oven, Mile End is
a love letter to the Montréal-
style bagel. Boiled in honeyed
water before being baked in
the oven, the doughy delights
served here are sweeter and
a hint chewier than those
synonymous with New York.
While they will concede that
it’s a controversial stance, Mile
End’s co-owners Ben Vaughan
and Michael Fee (pictured,
Vaughan on left) are firm in their
belief that they have developed
the better bagel. The recipe was
refined over months of testing
and tweaking and the hand-
somely renovated space –
which is just off Brunswick
Street – is a comfortable and
well-designed perch to test Fee
and Vaughn’s contention. — mco
mile-end.com.au
My Kingdom for a Horse
Adelaide
To Emily Raven, the
Shakespearean lament after
which her café is now named
was a metaphor for missed
opportunities. So when the chef
saw Adelaide’s growing café
scene, she knew at once that
she didn’t want to miss out.
Raven and her partner
Rachel Mead have channelled
nearly 30 years of hospitality
and retail experience into creat-
ing a café that is focused on
food, coffee and design in equal
measure. Distinct interiors from
Adelaide designer Samantha
Agostino mean a strong 1970s
influence and custom furniture
throughout. Coffee beans are
roasted on-site and Raven
hopes to teach Melburians
about the virtues of filter-
brewing beans. — mco
mykingdomforahorse.com.au
Perth round-up
Fresh takes
Perth isn’t short of decent
eats but newer spots are
popping up more frequently
across the Western Australian
capital. Perched on picturesque
Swanbourne beach in the
city’s western suburbs, The
Shorehouse was launched
by Scott Taylor in late 2015.
There’s a more formal menu
inside but we suggest you
take a seat on the deck and
indulge in a bistro-style crayfish
sandwich or a serving of fried
market fish.
In Mosman Park, newly
opened Rodney’s Bait ’n Tackle
is a drinking spot and sea-
themed curiosity shop: vintage
fishing rods line the walls and
a boat has been repurposed as
a bar. Meanwhile, Timber café
is sprucing up the south’s coffee
options. “Perth’s café scene
has experienced huge growth
but we noticed the southern
suburbs were missing out,” says
Sue Wagenaar, who co-founded
the Harrisdale haunt last year.
Using coffee beans from roaster
Typika and serving a great
breakfast – including smashed
avocado with raspberry-
flavoured balsamic vinegar –
Timber has already attracted a
loyal customer base. You’d be
wise to join the queue. — jwa
Three Perth picks:
01 The Shorehouse For the
view, seafood and outdoor deck.
shorehouse.com.au
02 Rodney’s Bait ’n Tackle For
the decor and atmosphere.
rodneysbar.com.au
03 Timber café For the coffee.
timbercafe.com.au
Q&A
Sujet Saenkham
Founder
Spice I Am
Sydney’s king of Thai cooking
talks about the 12 years
that have passed since he
founded his first restaurant
in Surry Hills, as well as the
four spaces he has opened
since. He has also shared his
family recipes with the public
in the form of a cookbook.
What’s your background?
I trained as a chemical
engineer and then worked
as a flight attendant
for Qantas to hone my
customer-service skills.
I’m Thai-born and have
always been passionate
about Thai food. I cooked
for my family from the age
of eight and all the food
was grown on our land
so we never had to buy
any ingredients.
How would you describe
Thai food in Australia?
Some of the Thai food in
Sydney is better than that
in Thailand because the
ingredients are grown
naturally and are more
authentic and flavoursome.
How did you manage
your expansion?
Each restaurant has a
different design and most
of the food is diverse.
Three restaurants serve
authentic Thai cuisine,
one serves regional
Thai and another serves
northeastern Thai street
food from Issan. — jwa
spiceiam.com
Q
Q
A
A
Q
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Three wine regions to watch:
01 Yarra Valley Though it has
long been a treasured weekend
destination for Melburnians, the
Yarra Valley is raising eyebrows
around the world for its cool-climate
wines. It’s one of three regions that
together produce 90 per cent of
Australia’s leading pinot noir and its
taste-making reputation has helped
take chardonnay from an oily,
over-oaked drop to a leaner and
more refined tipple.
02 Hobart Savvy wine-sippers have
been enjoying Tasmania’s award-
winning drops since the mid-1800s.
Renowned for its riesling, sauvignon
blanc and gewurztraminer, it’s now
attracting a following for its reds
too. Antarctic winds and fertile soil
make Hobart’s surrounding regions
a popular destination for cool-
climate wines, particularly along
the Derwent and Huon valleys.
03 Coonawarra Barossa Valley is
Australia’s most popular destination
for wine but nearby Coonawarra
may one day steal its crown. Its
warm and dry climate, limestone
soil and proximity to the ocean
come together to produce a superb
cabernet sauvignon. — br
Bundarra Farm
Barham
Lauren and Lachlan Mathers’ farm
began with a single pig called Doris
in their orchard in Barham, New
South Wales. Today Bundarra is
home to more than 300 plump
Berkshires, an English pig breed
prized for its rich meat.
Just outside of Barham, on
the banks of the Murray River, the
property sits in the Australian bush.
Mathers turns her free-range pork
into a tasty range of small goods
that visitors can pick up from the
attached farm shop. — mco
bundarraberkshires.com.au
Nola
Adelaide
Despite being in Adelaide, the
dishes at newly opened Nola –
including fried green tomatoes
and steaming pots of prawn
gumbo – are inspired more by
the Louisiana Bayou than the
Australian bush. Located in a
stable from 1903 in Adelaide’s
East End, the historic pub retains
its original masonry; inside,
decades-old Jarrah timber wine
casks are repurposed as bar tops.
The Creole and Cajun-
inspired menu showcases South
Australian produce, while at
the bar there are 16 taps pouring
craft beers. The marathon
whisky menu also serves as
a crash course in Australia’s
burgeoning distillery scene,
featuring spirits from Tasmania
and the Atherton Tablelands in
far north Queensland. — asc
nolaadelaide.com
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photographers:JamesGeer,JamesWhineray,JonathanvanderKnaap,KatrinaJames,
images:JAYMECOLLINS,JENNIFIN,KRISTOFFERPAULSEN,DanSchultz
Heartbreaker
Melbourne
Michael Madrusan made a name for
himself at Milk & Honey New York
before opening Melbourne bar The
Everleigh. For the past three years
he’d been weighing up a sister bar:
a departure from the iconic cocktail
haunt that came before it.
Heartbreaker is raucous, with a
jukebox, a pool table and a neon
sign in cherry red. The cocktails
come pre-mixed and batched in
individual bottles, which makes for
less theatrical bartending but means
service is sharp and speedy. — mco
heartbreakerbar.com.au

2. 50Tt
briefing
Food
200 — issue 91 issue 91 — 201
Perfect South
Sydney
Aussies may know how to make a
mean espresso but when it comes
to tea there’s room to catch up
with their Asian neighbours. Renee
Creer and Paul Tooth, the founders
of Perfect South, have taken up the
challenge. Farmed in the sub-alpine
valleys of northeast Victoria, where
climate conditions are similar to
parts of Japan, the First Harvest
and Estate varieties have been
staples since 2012. More recent
concoctions include an orange–and-
cinnamon houjicha blend. — chr
perfectsouth.com.au
Supernormal
Melbourne
Those mourning the loss of Golden
Fields – chef Andrew McConnell’s
cherished St Kilda restaurant and
bar – have come to regard his
recent venture as an institution of
the same standing. Some dishes
at Supernormal have been passed
on from its predecessor – notably
the New England lobster roll – yet
the seasonal menu here raises the
game with more Asian influences.
There’s a touch of China in the
slow-cooked Szechuan lamb and
a hint of Korea in the sour shiso
kimchi and tuna. If the Wagyu beef
doesn’t spell Japan clearly enough,
the neon signage on Flinders Lane
and the private karaoke booth will.
From morning to night, chefs pre-
pare sharing plates from the kitchen
for the sparsely decorated but
always busy dining room. — chr
supernormal.net.au
Tell Henry
Adelaide
Some Adelaideans were sur-
prised when Tell Henry opened
in sleepy suburb Kent Town but
founder Brad Bonar (pictured)
knew interesting things were stir-
ring. Set in a former mechanic’s
workshop, Tell Henry is all about
good coffee. You’ll likely find
Bonar manning a La Marzocco
Linea PB coffee machine, care-
fully adjusting the grind of his
Industry Beans coffee. It’s the first
café in South Australia to stock
the Melbourne roaster. — mco
20 The Parade West
Osteria Oggi
Adelaide
For years Adelaide’s Italian
heritage could only be tasted
in old-school restaurants but
the opening of Osteria Oggi
in the heart of the South
Australian capital’s CBD is an
unashamedly modern outing.
The menu finds harmony in an
antipodean reinterpretation of
classic Italian staples. The space
was brought to life by interior-
design duo Studio Gram; the
tunnel-like entrance follows
a long deep-set bar, opening
onto a large posterior mess-hall
where diners can choose to
either sit under a pergola-like
central gallery or in the comfort
of curvy booths.
Restaurateur Simon Kardachi
– the man behind nearby Maybe
Mae and Press Food – has
opted to produce all pasta
in-house, while chefs Andrew
Davies and Mimi Rivers have
sprinkled the menu with plenty
of seafood. With the Barossa
Valley and Adelaide Hills vine-
yards nearby, an empty wine
glass is a potentially incendiary
gesture so make the most of
the well-compiled list. — la
osteriaoggi.com.au
Smalls Bar
Melbourne
Small bars are one of Melbourne’s
strengths but Smalls Bar is
our favourite. The atmosphere
strikes a cordial balance between
intimacy and buzz across its
24 seats and an emphasis is
placed on warm service. “We are
all about championing small pro-
ducers,” says co-owner Jess Ho.
The meticulous wine list at
the heart of Smalls Bar is man-
aged by seasoned sommelier
Wiremu Andrews. Andrews
and Ho are usually on hand to
take drinkers on a taste tour
of wines, which are made
by small producers based any-
where from the Adelaide Hills
to Alicante. Delicious bites to
eat are prepared in a kitchen
shared with respected restaurant
St Ali, rounding off Smalls Bar’s
big credentials. — nsg
smallsbar.com.au
Pink Moon Saloon
Adelaide
The five friends behind this folksy
bar and restaurant got themselves
out of a tight spot (so to speak) by
building themselves a premises in
a tiny alley between two existing
buildings. The result is a laneway
mountain cabin surrounded by
stonework; divided into three
sections, the slender wood-hued
saloon includes a front bar, an
open-air courtyard and a restaurant
out back. There’s also a wood-fire
oven to the rear and a meaty menu
of no-nonsense food. — la
pinkmoonsaloon.com.au
Tune in to The Menu
friday 19.00 uk time
On The Menu, Monocle 24
listeners are served a platter
of cutting-edge chefs, exciting
restaurants, bartenders with
fresh ideas and the latest food
trends from Helsinki to Hong
Kong, Sydney to São Paulo.
Sounds tasty. Available as a
podcast too.
Margaret River round-up
Wine and waves
There aren’t many places in the
world where you can surf tall swells
in the morning, stroll along beaches
in the afternoon and five minutes
later find yourself sipping some of
Australia’s best wines in a quaint
and shady vineyard. But Margaret
River, south of Perth, is a gourmet
paradise surrounded by white
beaches and the azure sea where
the Indian Ocean meets the Pacific.
Many of the young winemakers
here came as surfers and found that
the land, sea air and mild climate
could also result in feisty wines. The
turning point came in 1965 when
an agricultural expert said Margaret
River’s farmland was perhaps the
best terroir in Australia for growing
vines. “You get the best grapes by
giving them plenty of sun and heat
during the day and enough rest
in strong, fertile soil at night – and
that’s what we have here,” says
Star dish
Udon Bolognese
Cho Cho San, Sydney
Few dishes sum up Sydney’s melting-pot take on
all things culinary better than this Japanese-Italian
hybrid of a dish: Udon Bolognese. Our favourite
recipe is available from Cho Cho San in Potts Point.
The inspiration of restaurateurs Sam Christie
and Jonathan Barthelmess – also behind The
Apollo (see page 204) – the space itself is an
elegant Izakaya-style joint brought to life by Greek
architect George Livissianis. The window seats
are the best place to people-watch and enjoy
sesame-topped pork and a chilli-peppered forkful
of perfection. — jaf
chochosan.com.aus
Drew Brent-White, a surfer and
winemaker from Windance Estate
in Yallingup. — dep
Three Margaret River stop-ins:
01 Hay Shed Hill Vineyards The
vines here were planted in 1973 and
the vineyard excels at the region’s
cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay,
semillon and sauvignon blanc.
hayshedhill.com.au
02 McHenry’s farm shop &
winery This family business
supplies all the top restaurants in
the region with meat. Daughter
Freya Hohnen also produces wine.
mchv.com.au
03 The Studio Bistro This relaxed
bistro and gallery in Yallingup
is perfect for a leisurely brunch
before exploring the area’s
grape-based delights.
thestudiobistro.com.au
Three superb Aussie spirits:
01 Gin In 2014 Archie Rose
Distilling Co became the first
independent urban distillery in
the city of Sydney in the past 160
years. Its Dry Gin is made from
14 native botanicals.
archierose.com.au
02 Whisky Bill Lark realised that
Tasmania had all the ingredients
required to make a stellar whisky.
He opened Lark Distillery with his
family 150 years after the last
licensed Tasmanian distillery closed.
larkdistillery.com
03 Vermouth Yarra Valley-based
Causes and Cures’ vermouth
– which takes its name from
Wermut, the German word for
“wormwood” – is made with
handpicked Viognier grapes and
local herbs. — mss
causesandcures.com.au
Continental Deli
Sydney
The Continental Deli is the
inspiration of Elvis Abrahanowicz,
chef and co-owner of Surry Hills’
favourite Argentinian steak joint
Porteño. The venture, launched
in 2015, is at the vanguard of
a wave of new restaurants and
bars bringing a smarter punter to
the traditionally grungy western
district of Newtown.
The Continental, decked
in dark wood and tiled floors,
operates during the day as (you
guessed it) a deli – but come
nightfall it transforms into a low-lit
bistro and bar. If you fancy a
snack before dinner the cured
meats and top-notch cheeses
prove a delightful accompaniment
to a glass of semillon chardonnay
or – if you’re after something a
little stronger – a can of house-
mixed martini. — mal
continentaldelicatessen.com.au
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photographers:KatrinaJames,JonathanvanderKnaap,images:EARLCARTER,
BRENTONandNAOMICOLLEY,KRISTOFFERPAULSEN,daviddevleeschauwer
XO
Canberra
Chef Anand Ramakrishna’s fusion
menu is artfully created and simply
executed: the roasted pork neck
with pickled cucumber and ginger
chilli relish is recommended, as are
the soft prawn-and-pork dumplings
with spicy soy. The restaurant, set in
a quiet suburb on Canberra’s fringe,
offers a modern take on Southeast
Asian cuisine and a refreshingly
casual take on fine dining. The
impeccably designed space from
Capezio Copeland buzzes with a
diverse crowd. — mco
xo-restaurant.com.au