admin July 1st, 2010
In April S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list went live on the internet, and Noma in Copenhagen was named the world’s Number One. Next day they got 100,000 emailed enquiries. 822 jurors around the world nominate winners from their region — a jury made up of critics, chefs and industry people. Gourmet Traveller’s Pat Nourse heads up the jury for Australasia. He says that “I don’t think it’s a perfect system, it’s not without flaws, but I think it’s a pretty good-looking list.” Sydney’s Quay came in at 27 and received so many inquiries that they systems crashed.
Noma is not into molecular gastronomy (more a ’neo naturalist’ approach to food) so is this the new direction for food at our top restaurants? Some say the Pellegrino list favours “bistronomie” instead of technical excellence, but many believe it is an international yardstick for what’s happening in contemporary dining.
The new gastronomic centres are Spain and Scandinavia these days, rather than France. But this is all at the rather esoteric stratosphere of restaurant experiences – which is not for everybody. France’s “best” restaurant was No. 11 — Le Chateaubriand, a bistro and not a 3-Michelin starred establishment as you might expect. Is this all a reflection of new trends … or just fad and fashion?
Whatever … it keeps us all interested in what restaurants are up to, food, learning to cook and an extraordinary number of people glued to the box watching Masterchef.
admin April 3rd, 2010
Restaurateurs eat out too! 
At Baguette we welcome the Brisbane City Council’s initiative to introduce the Eat Safe system, which will rate restaurants, cafes, takeaways and bakeries’ food hygiene.
Council inspectors already regularly check businesses where food is prepared, but this new system will be more transparent because restaurants etc will be encouraged to display their rating to the public.
I do, however, have some concerns about how the 5 star rating system will be understood by the general public. Continue Reading »
admin April 2nd, 2010
The latest trend to hit London is the pop-up restaurant. This is subversive dining that runs from student fare to haute cuisine. It is said to be the offspring of the GFC but roving supperclubs in New York and one or two in Paris have been going for years. Aided by Facebook, Twitter and Paypal these underground ‘restaurants’ operate like this: budding chefs, or entrepeneural types after some extra cash, clear out some of their loungeroom furniture once a week and offer meals to their friends and the public, sometimes for a ‘donation’ and other times a price is set. Another variation that is legal is when would-be restaurateurs borrow the kitchen of an established restaurant for one night to serve their own cooking.
Do you know of any home restaurants operating in Brisbane? Restaurateurs may see this trend as a threat, but I say ‘bring it on’. Many people have the peculiar idea that restaurants are easy money and a tootle to pull off successfully. After a stint in a pop up, for both ‘chef’ and the dining public, I am guessing that most will be more than happy to let the professionals do it next time. Still … it could be fun.
admin March 19th, 2010
I’m not thrilled by a great deal these days, but having dinner and a cooking class with Rick Stein in his new restaurant at Mollymook (3 hrs south of Sydney) is the best thing I’ve done in ages. I have been a fan because he is so down to earth and uncheffy, and he does a good line is gastro-tourism with his very entertaining TV series – French Odyssey (canal boating thru France), Mediterranean Escapes and coming to ABC TV in May Far Eastern Odyssey. All of these by the way come with the same-name cookbook. He is just as charming and passionate in person, as on film.
Rick Stein at Bannisters (Bannisters is a boutique hotel at Mollymook) is the first restaurant he has done outside his home base of Padstow in the UK. We were part of a group of foodies who spent 2 days at the hotel indulging in some excellent food, a dinner with Rick and a cooking class at his nearby home. Here is a very easy recipe he gave us, perfect for your next dinner party:
Marinated Tuna with Passionfruit, Lime & Coriander
“Chefs agree that tuna is best served rare. Here I’ve taken the idea of a ceviche and added some Australian flavours — but don’t marinate the fish for longer than 10 minutes.” Rick Stein
3cm thick piece of tuna loin fillet (or Atlantic Salmon)
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 passionfruit
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 medium/hot green chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt plus ground black pepper
Slice tuna into very thin slices. Lay slices overlapping onto plaates. Just before serving make the dressing. Sieve passionfruit pulp into a bowl to extract the juice and mix the rest of the ingredients. Spoon marinade over tuna for 10 minutes only and serve.
Gregor & Lewis Bespoke Travel at Noosa organised the trip, and hopefully will be able to do another … after Rick has filmed his northern Spain/Portugal TV series. noosa@gregorlewis.com.au or phone 5447 4666.
admin March 19th, 2010
This week our head chef, Graham Waddell, put together a 6 course duck dinner for a packed restauran tof 93 people at Baguette — and pulled it off splendidly. He used (every bit) of the excellent duck we get from organic grower Bendele Farm, outside Gympie. The menu:
* Duck liver parfait on apple galette, date confit * Soft boiled duck egg, tarragon brioche & white asparagus soldiers * Duck consomme with asian flavours, artichoke tortollini * Confit duck leg, crisp potato mille-feuille, veloute of wild mushrooms * Pan roasted duck breast with giblet & fig pie, cinnamon sauce * Pear & duck egg clafoutis with brown bread ice-cream
WINES
The food was team with some very interesting wines made in France by a group of Australian and French winemakers … for the Australian market. Fascinating idea and highly successful, if comments on the night are anything to go by. The project put together by Fosters is called Maison de Grand Esprit (loosely “a meeting of the minds”). Ask for them at your independent bottle shop — they go under La Belle Voisine, Les Petites Vignettes and Les Seize Galets labels.
admin October 17th, 2009
In this Weekend’ Australian newspaper, Graeme Blundell writes: ‘…when many of us are tired of poncy, expensive restaurants, the lionisation of self-indulgent food critics and esoteric cooking that has lost its attachment to a living culture. We want satisfying platefuls of good ingredients, cooked well, and value for money.’ Amen to that!
admin October 4th, 2009
Did you know that you can take a 2 1/2 hr canal boat ride, starting in the centre of Paris (under the Bastille) and finishing in the gentrified suburb of Parc de la Villette? The cruise takes you via the 100 year old Canal Saint Martin, through four locks and two swing bridges, pasts retro style cafes and shows you ‘Parisians’ Paris’. Whilst in a long tunnel at the beginning of the trip they give you a “Sound and Light” history trip of the area. Quite unlike anything else we have ever done in Paris. You can catch the Metro back into Paris from Parc de la Villette. More info: www.canauxrama.com
admin October 3rd, 2009
We have just returned from Paris and this time we took an apartment for 5 nights, rather than a hotel room. Paris hotel rooms are notoriously miniscule (they must price real estate there by the square inch), and even though our “apartment” was hardly commodious it was still the much better option. Get a one bedroom not a studio, so that if one of you is jetlagged you have the living room to read your book, rather than perching on the toilet in the middle of the night. We used ParisAddress.com which gives you excellent information (including the square meterage of the unit) and you can book in real time. It pays to do your homework on which areas of Paris you prefer. We like Ile Saint Louis (the little island behind Notre Dame) because it’s 17th century little streets are like a village in the heart of Paris. Other areas to consider are the Marais (the medieval Jewish sector) and The Latin Quarter. I prefer to avoid the Champs Elysee and Louvre areas because of the wide boulevards and traffic. If you are set on a hotel check out Hotel du Jeu de Paume on the Ile Saint Louis (www.jeudepaumehotel.com) — small and full of character.
Another option is VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) which Kathy from Lets Travel told me about (minimum 2 nights). Kathy said that she did this very successfully in Rome, where the owner picked them up at the Airport and showed them the nuts and bolts of the apartment.
admin October 3rd, 2009
I really think Messrs Rudd and Swan should be ringing Baguette to check on the health of the economy. They don’t need to wait for the quarterly (after the event) figures, because any restaurateur can tell them ahead of those figures how we are travelling. We are like the canary in a coal mine in that regard. The minute people lose confidence, their job or read too many gloomy newspapers they stop eating out in restaurants.
So at the end of March 2008 we knew that something unpleasant was happening in the economy. The good news now is that as early as May this year the trend reversed — with no particular marketing to explain the improvement in our figures. A crude measure maybe, but having had Baguette for 33 years we have seen several recessions, one depression, many downturns and upturns. Just give me a ring if you need to know what is happening next!
admin August 4th, 2009
Just returned from Sydney and can recommend these 2 hotels — ones that you may not have considered before:
The Lord Nelson Hotel
The Lord Nelson Hotel — said to be the oldest hotel in Sydney, it is situated in the Rocks area in a quiet backwater on the corner of Argyle Place & Kent Street. It is a micro brewery, popular bar, brasserie and rooms. The queen or king bedrooms with ensuite and breakfast (with contemporary fitout) cost $190. The rooms offer individual charm and with only 9 rooms you wont find any specials for this hotel on Wotif. I would however check how noisy it gets downstairs in the bar in the evenings.
Observatory Hotel
The Observatory Hotel – is now 16 years old but has the timeless appearance of an old (but stylish) English aunt. The rooms are huge and luxurious and as a “small” hotel of 100 rooms you are really looked after by staff who really care. Although they do have harbour view rooms (Darling Harbour, not the more spectacular views you get from Circular Quay hotels) I would choose the city view rooms – their standard room at $315 per night, and worth every penny. (There may be specials on Wotif.) It also has an amazing subterranean heated pool with twinkling LED lights on a deep blue ceiling — just like the movies — and a spa for massages and facials. The high tea is quite special too. This hotel is part of the Orient-Express group of unique hotels, cruises and luxury rail advantures.
