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!
Marilyn December 4th, 2008
Over 32 years at Baguette Restaurant we have done a number of renovations, but earlier this year we decided on a completely new concept. We would become a bistro. Why fiddle with a “brand” that has been so successful for so many years? Well, our personal tastes have moved on and we are over going to formal restaurants with fussy service and over-engineered food. We believe that to enjoy a restaurant experience you need good company, real food and a quietly competent waiter. Bruno Loubet, our wonderful French Chef, devised a menu of French classics plus some innovative contemporary dishes. Flavour is what it’s all about.
The make-over began in September and was completed in an incredible 2 weeks. High priority was given to two issues that many restaurants get wrong … acoustics and lighting. I simply wont go to a restaurant where I have to shout or where the lighting is too bright or too boring. We bought beautifuly tables (the tops look like tortoise shell but are in fact made from coconut shells) and tossed out the table cloths. Replaced the floor with acid-washed black marble, all new lighting with huge, sexy pendants, deleted the art gallery and threw some interesting French pieces into the mix to add character. People are telling us that they love it and I hope they are being honest because what we did was risky business.
Marilyn March 1st, 2008
Bruno Loubet has headed up the kitchen at Baguette for almost a year now, and without doubt he is the best head chef we have had in 31 years of operation … and we’ve employed some pretty good chefs. He comes from traditional French training and upbringing and in his early 20s became a celebrity chef in England. He was Raymond Blanc’s head chef at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saison (2 Michelin stars) at 24 years old, and earned his own Michelin star at Four Seasons at 29 years. He went on to open his own restaurant, Bruno’s Bistrot, and it was voted Best New Restaurant in the UK. A TV series and 2 books followed.
Fortunately he chose lifestyle over celebrity status and brought his family to Brisbane 6 years ago. He owned his own restaurant here (Bruno’s Tables) which won 2 stars from Gourmet Traveller, and then went on to head up the kitchens at Berardo’s at Noosa, awarded Best Regional Restaurant in Australia by Gourmet.
Now at Baguette, his food is simply superb — modern French — and you can find his menus at www.baguette.com.au/restaurant.
Marilyn July 23rd, 2007
One of my favourite blogs is Waiter Rant (see recommended blogs on the right). His comments are always perceptive, occasionally outrageous and usually a ‘belly laugh’. If you ever wondered whether you can drop into your favourite restaurant but it’s after 10pm so will you be welcomed? … go to Ask the Waiter — Late Night Dining, July 19, 2007 on Waiter Rant.
Marilyn June 13th, 2007
The best meals in Shanghai are not where you expect them to be, so be adventurous. Yes there are expensive western fusion restaurants (about the same cost as Australia), but you can also eat for almost nothing in Chinese cafes. Most have shortened English menus with photos of the food.
Some of the dishes though are only for the adventurous. Here are a few examples:
* Salt and pepper king snake
* Braised bullfrog legs, or tortoise in casserole
* Cows lungs soaked in chilli sauce
* Steamed rabbits ears or goats’ feet tendons
* Red stewed fish lips and shark mouth
… get the picture? MSG is alive and very well too, so if you have a sensitivity to this chemical you’re in real trouble. There is quite a lot of protocol involved if you are a guest at a restaurant, so my advice is to read carefully the Lonely Planet’s guide to China (or the slimmer version just on Shanghai).
Marilyn June 13th, 2007
Shanghai’s steamed dumplings are world famous and can make a cheap, delicious meal. There is a trick however to eating them as they are full of scalding broth. Put one onto your chinese spoon, nip off the top with your teeth, blow to cool and slurp the whole lot down.
On a recent trip to Shanghai we sampled a number of restaurants specialising in dumplings. One modern one with 3 branches is Din Tai Fung which has the lightest dumpling dough, delicious fillings and queues. Expect queues anywhere popular, in a city of 12 million people.
Dumplings are bought by the steamer basket and shared. Dip the slippery ‘ravioli’ into little bowls of vinaiger and fresh ginger. Tricky so be prepared to be messy. They are generally stuffed with meat, spring onion and greens. Cost? About $9pp for more than you can eat.
Marilyn March 31st, 2007
This is a guarded secret and you are jolly fortunate that I am letting you in on it. The Kabuki was an unexpected find, perched on a cliff overlooking the Freycinet Peninsula — on a recent trip to the gorgeous east coast of Tasmania. The owners don’t seek publicity but have survived for over 15 years, despite the remote location and the puzzlement of the locals (they prefer the RSL).
Refugees from the Sydney restaurant scene, owners Michi Nakanishi and partner Terry Lanning, have found their nirvana. Incredibly they are open all year (though only for lunch in winter). The food is exquisite and the prices incredibly reasonable — our lunch with wine cost under $30 pp.
They also have 7 clifftop cabins which make a perfect overnight stop between Hobart and the Freycinet. Kabuki can include their Oriental room service dinner when you stay overnight.
Marilyn February 15th, 2007
Life for the foodies of Brisbane is getting interesting. Recently Baguette has been able to offer soft shell crabs and fresh black truffles from France.
Admittedly some have struggled with the concept of eating the whole crabs, spindly legs and all, but most people love them — served in a tempura batter with a spicy little salad.
Philippe Reboul is an enterprising local who is flying in fresh truffles from France each week. At $2,900 a kilo the chefs have to be very enterprising with how they deal with them! We bought a special truffle slicer which producers paper-thin slices but the truffles are so pungent that customers are able to savour (often for the first time) what the French and Italians have been raving about for decades.
We have on the menu a truffle risotto (the flavour is enhanced by storing the truffles with the raw rice for a few days), fresh Bundaberg scallops which take up the flavour of the truffle slices nicely, and a steak with truffle mash. All good fun …
Marilyn February 12th, 2007
From time to time people have said ‘you should write a book’. What … another recipe book (to promote the restaurant)? I’ve never seriously considered it because I couldn’t get a handle of what direction it should take. Neither Francis nor I are chefs, so the style of food at Baguette has evolved and changed with the chefs we employed … messy … so what else to say? Jan Power (Brisbane foodie extraordinaire, writer, after dinner speaker and farmers market organiser) came up with one idea. Write the stories: the sad, the funny, the absurd and the downright grotesque. So here’s one.
The family of a well-known Ascot artist (and wife of a colourful QC) were throwing her a surprise 60th. Friends and foes were gathered at a local historic hall for a Murder Mystery evening. But beforehand a few drinks at home were in order. Suitably surprised our heroine was led to the front garden where 2 camels awaited. Transport to the evening’s venue. So, donning her mink and with her son in tow she set off for Racecourse Road, a short haul from the family home.
Meanwhile at Baguette, customers were enjoying an early evening drink at tables on the pavement, when ’round the corner came 2 camels with evening dressed occupants on board. Mouths dropped, everyone swivled and a stunned silence descended. The artist, never one to let a good opportunity pass, suddenly ordered a halt. “I think I need a gin & tonic” she declared. So the camels did that thing they do with their legs when they sink to the ground, and the two passengers calmly sat down at a table to have their drinks — before re-mounting and loping off to their destination.
There are many more stories of course, some very messy and inappropriate to relay whilst the protagonists are still alive. But if we hang in there long enough, libel wont be an issue and you may see that book afterall …
Marilyn December 11th, 2006
In the UK a prominent restaurant reviewer recently did some market research on what people hate about restaurants. This was the result:
1. Double tipping (a 15% service charge is automatically included, but space is left on the bill for a further tip — not applicable in Australia fortunately).
2. Bad positioning of tables (too close etc)
3. Mobile phones
4. Tables near the loos
5. Snogging (pommie for pashing)
6. Breast feeding babies
7. Children
8. Heavy perfume (of flowers, on waitstaff, other customers)
9. Bad music
10. Being asked to pay for still bottled water
In Australia (particularly Sydney) I could add, restaurants that don’t take bookings.
What do you think should be banned?