Welcome to the September 2005 edition of the Campion and Curtis newsletter. We've delayed the newsletter a few days this month in order to include all of the news from
the Melbourne and Sydney Good Food Guides. Spring seems to have appeared overnight it seems with lots of blossom on the trees, more sunlight
each day and the temperature going up noticeably. In our garden the rosemary is in flower, flatleaf parsley is popping up and we've even fired up the BBQ for the first time this season.
It all bodes well for a beautiful springtime.
Visit the Campion and Curtis website
Spring produce
As if by magic the range of ingredients has transformed from hearty to fresh and light. Root vegetables have been replaced by asparagus, Asian greens, Asian herbs, broad beans,
peas and spinach. Fruit displays are filled with tangelos, Lady Williams apples, mandarins and pineapples. There is also a tiny window of opportunity to enjoy blood oranges.
It's time to swap stewed fruit for fruit salad and roasted vegetables for fresh, leafy greens. Time to leave behind hearty stews and enjoy pasta and noodle dishes.
The Age Good Food Guide
It's that time again when chefs gather to see how they have fared with the critics for another year. The Melbourne launch seemed much more intimate than previous years with a seamless presentation by host Stephen Quartermaine and editor
Roslyn Grundy. As with all years restaurants both receive and loose 'chef's hats' and go up and down on the score out of 20, although most awards and scores seemed to
come across to those assembled as pretty fair. Well, no one stormed out in a huff that we saw anyway. Last year we made much of the awarding of 'Best New Restaurant' to
Ladro, September 2004 newsletter, comments which seemed to have been noted it seems as this year that award was not given.
Roslyn Grundy writing in The Age said 'her editorial team decided not to present that particular award this year due to a lack of potential candidates.' Vue de Monde was the most likely
contender, however they decided (quite rightly too) 'it is not technically new if it has moved location but has the same name, owner-chef and staff.' The other three possible places were
those entering with at least one chef's hat award are Alevansi, Ay Oriental Tea House and Tutto Bene, 'however as good as these restaurants are, the panel felt
none captured the zeitgeist in the manner expected of an award-winner.' Winners are grinners as they say with the following picking up the main awards:
Restaurant of the year - Taxi Dining Room
Country restaurant of the year - Healesville Hotel
Chef of the year - Michael Darmanin, Cafe Di Stasio
Young chef of the year - Tim Saffery, The Court House
Wine list of the year - Langton's Restaurant & Wine Bar
Service excellence award - Chris Crawford, Circa, the Prince
Professional excellence award - Robert Castellani, Donovans
Outstanding achievement award - Specialist butcher Jonathan Gianfreda, Jonathan's of Collingwood
The other big names in the news were Circa, Pearl and Vue de Monde rising to three hats to join Flower Drum. Botanical and
Cecconi's went from one hat to two while Stefano's at Mildura slipped from three hats to two. So where to for Melbourne? It seems we're in a period when financial reality means new restaurants have a fairly tough financial challenge ahead of them with rising
costs and customers looking for value for money. The Age Good Food Guide is now available for $24.00.
The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide
Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide co-editor Matthew Evans made a flying visit to Melbourne to check out the Age Good Food Guide Awards. Now it's his turn with the
release of the Sydney guide. The 21st edition includes 64 restaurants awarded one or two hats, and six receiving a top rating of three hats,
(double that in Melbourne). est, Marque, Quay and Tetsuya's were joined by Guillaume at Bennelong and Claude's. Chui Lee Luk of Claude's in Woollahra became the first
female chef in more than a decade to secure the much coveted three hat rating. The notable move downwards was Neil Perry's Rockpool restaurant from three hats to two.
The editors noticed certain food trends across the state including $30-plus entrees and $70 mains at top restaurants, sometimes too bold Ferran Adria style combinations
alongside a welcome resurgence in comfort food, led by retro classics such as corned beef and steak diane. They also noted a resurgence in strong, technique-focused,
classically influenced cooking, mostly by Brit trained chefs producing smart versions of "Franglish" fare.
As in Melbourne there is a concern that younger chefs are bringing a too sweet / too rich approach to dishes.
Also love the comment that wagyu beef is available at bargain bin prices, which makes the editors (and ourselves) wonder if it is the real thing.
Restaurant of the Year: est.
Chef of the Year: Mark Best, Marque
Best New Restaurant: Pilu at Freshwater
Editors' pick
Favourite Bistro - Tabou
Favourite Mediterranean - Perama
Favourite Asian - Spice I Am
Favourite Seafood - Pier
Favourite Yum Cha - Marigold Citymark
Favourite Bar - Bridge Bar
Favourite Café - Bertoni Casalinga
Award for Professional Excellence - Michael Manners of Selkirks at Orange
Silver Service Award - Maurice Terzini of Icebergs
Sommelier Award - Christopher Morrison, formerly of Guillaume at Bennelong
The Josephine Pignolet Best Young Chef Award - Daniel Puskas of Marque.
The SMH Good Food Guide is now available for $24.95.
The Food Lovers' Guide to Australia
In an era when there are endless TV shows dedicated to food it's great to hear that SBS is again backing our own local food heroes Maeve O'Meara and Joanna Savill in a
new series of their Food Lover's Guide To Australia. This 13 part series (the 5th series incidentally) will be hitting our screens from Wednesday September 14th at 7.30 pm.
Join this intrepid duo as they travel across Australia to bring us new discoveries such as snails, Asian greens, sea cucumbers, lotus root, amazing lamb, ethnic celebrations,
fresh pistachios, local saffron, walnuts, custard apples, farmhouse cheeses, the latest varieties of persimmons, strawberries and pomegranates. It should be quite a journey.
Visit the SBS website here to get further details, recipes and producers and chefs profiles.
Master of Molluscs
With a title like Master of Molluscs up for grabs you really want to know more. Geoff Lindsay of Pearl is going into battle against Shiego Nonaka of Shoya
restaurant with Spring Bay mussels, scallops, abalone and oysters as the ammunition. The dishes the two will create are to be matched with wines from Peter Marr
Winetrader. Those present on the day will choose their victor! Bookings to 03 9328 3210. Cost is $150.00 per person and will be held at Pearl Restaurant, 631 Church
Street, Richmond, Melbourne.
A Taste of Slow
The Taste of Slow seems to have been embraced by food lovers with many events now booked out, which is a great start to this new event. One of the main features of the
event will be activities centered at the Abbotsford Convent, St Heliers Street in Abbotsford from Saturday 10th to Sunday 11th September.
A $10.00 entry price for adults will cover traditional cooking techniques and demonstrations by well-known chefs who support the Slow Food philosophy;
Pietro Porcu & Steven Salce (Da Noi) Frank Camorra (MoVida), Mary Ellis (Cliffy's Emporium) and Brigitte Hafner (The Age Epicure columnist).
The entry fee also covers a series of 'spoken word' panel discussions hosted by Vogue Entertaining + Travel editor Margaret Merton and Joanna Savill, presenter of SBS's Food
Lover's Guide. Topics include; What is slow food? Do we really have terroir in Australia? And in praise of slow, presented by food author Carl Honoré.
Alongside these activities will be lots of food and wine tastings plus activities for children including kompost kidz. The Collingwood Children's Farm Farmers' Market
also be operating on Saturday which is right next door to the Convent. This is an event not to be missed by food lovers who are in Melbourne so we'll see you there!
General Public Inquiries: (03) 9823 6100 or www.atasteofslow.com.au.
Duet Wine Convivium
Food personality Ian Parmenter is well known for his many years on our screens as resident chef on the ABC as well as festival director of the
the Tasting Australia event held every second year in Adelaide. What many of you may not know about him is the fact he grows wine grapes and makes wine with his
partner Ann Dewar in Margaret River. Now those of us who don't get an opportunity to visit southwest Australia can still get our hands on his wines through a new wine
convivium. In partnership with John Casas of Casas wines those who wish to join will receive two 12-bottle cases of wine per annum from Duet cellars at just $260.00
including delivery within Australia. Ian will be including lots of his recipes with each delivery and there are a host of other member benefits. All details are
available on the website here.
StreetSmart looking for restaurants
StreetSmart organisers are recruiting restaurants for the 2005 StreetSmart campaign to support Victoria's homeless. Last year 45 top Melbourne restaurants raised over
$45,000 to combat homelessness in Victoria and this year organisers aim to sign up 75 restaurants and raise $75,000. The event will run from 14th November to
24th December, StreetSmart restaurants will add a $2 voluntary donation to every table's bill. Every dollar collected will help charities supporting homeless people.
In 2004, StreetSmart restaurants supported 11 grassroots charities. If you would like to assist in 2005 can contact Adam Robinson at StreetSmart Australia on
03) 9836 1926. For more information check out the StreetSmart website.
The Seasonal Produce Diary 2006
This is a sneak preview of the cover from our Seasonal Produce Diary 2006. As you can see photographer Greg Elms has again pulled out all the stops
to create beautiful fresh produce images to keep us inspired for a new year of seasonal shopping, cooking and dining. The official launch will be at Tasting Australia in Adelaide in October,
however a few bookstores across the country have received stock early. So make sure your local bookshop puts a copy aside for you as demand for last years edition
was very strong. Again the diary includes monthly seasonal ingredient lists, recipes and food tips
which put seasonal produce to good use and wine matching tips, plus market opening hours and food and wine festival
dates from across the country. Enjoy! The Seasonal Produce Diary 2006 - RRP $29.95 (Hardie Grant Books)
Recent Drinks
A visit to Mornington Peninsula for us inevitably involves a bit of time spent at the T'Gallant Winery. On the last visit we picked up a bottle of their 2004
Juliet pinot grigio which is now sitting empty on the office bench. The reason is to remind us to tell everyone how good it was. This is a terrific food wine
with a beautiful mix of savoury rich flavours that are balanced out by the soft texture of the wine. Great with risotto, saltimbocca, BBQ seafood and anything with an Italian leaning.
Also a real treat these last weeks has been a bottle of Trentham Estate pinot noir. The classic flavours of sweet cherries and berries are in balance here with
a hint of oak. An excellent wine from a region which is not usually recognised for pinot noir. Both these wines offer excelent value for money drinking at the mid teens prices.
Cider time
Improved Foxweld may not be a household name to many, but take it on good authority this variety of apple, yes apple, makes the best cider.
At a recent cider tasting hosted by Adam Marks of Bress and Drew Henry from Henry of Harcourt Cidermakers, over 20 ciders were tasted, both overseas and locally made,
and Improved Foxweld was a star, being bittersharp in flavour. This is just one of the varieties that Marks and Henry are playing with in the apple growing centre of Victoria, and having a lot of fun at the same time. Cider may just be the next big thing to hit dining tables across Australia; it's a perfect match with roast pork and also charcuterie such as rillettes, terrines and smoked meats.
For further information and to get your hands on some cider contact Adam Marks on 5474 2262 or Drew Henry on 5474 2177.
The Australian Beer Festival
What's not to like about the opportunity to taste over 100 Australian beers? Not much a far as we're concerned. So if you fancy yourself as a beer enthusiast then
get along to The Rocks in Sydney for The Australian Beer Festival on the October Long Weekend. Brands include Coopers, Little Creatures, Blue Tongue, Grand Ridge,
Potters, Hopping Mad and many more. A tasting glass will cost you $5.00, then a small fee per beer. Tickets can be pre-purchased
here. Or come along to The Australian Hotel, 100 Cumberland St, The Rocks Sydney on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd October from 11am-10pm.
Cook and Stay
Cook and Stay is a new service for those who are searching for cooking classes across Australia. An easy to use website provides details of classes in all manner of cuisines
and skill levels. Behind the project are Victoria Richardson and Camille Haskell-Petch who both share a love of cooking and appreciate the cultural place of cooking in
society today. So if you've been inspired by TV cooking shows on TV and are looking to take the next step this could be just the place to do it. All the necessary details are
available on the Cook and Stay website here.
Cooking classes and food tours
Tony Tan cooking school. Tony Tan is leading a 13 day tour to Hong Kong this month.
Convivial Times Overseas tours include Southern Italy and Sicily from Sept 10- Oct 2nd and Singapore with Swee-eng Chia from September 30 - Oct 9th.
Essential Ingredient Big names include Martin Boetz from the excellent Longrain restaurant and Stefano de Pieri with food,
inspiration and recipes from Mildura.
QVM Cooking School
Catch up with Barra Vera and his session on the spices of India, plus kids and teens classes for the school holidays hosted by Shani Burke.
Cooking Co-ordinates, Canberra Pasta pronto with Mary Wills and knife sharpening, plus school holiday cooking classes for children.
Simon Johnson Talk+Eat+Drink
Danny Drinkwater with mod Aus food, Justin North with French bistro and Sarah Kodicek with a 2 week option titled beginners luck and build on basics.
Gourmet Safaris Join Gourmet Safari for Italian cooking with Anna Trimboli and a Turkish walking tour of Auburn.
Sydney's Seafood School Learn the secrets of tempura and teppen-yaki or join author Carol Selva Rajah for an Asian BBQ class.
Click here to visit the Campion and Curtis website We have also added a new page featuring our cooking classes and food tours for corporate and social groups here.
Cheers until next month, Allan and Michele
Spring recipe
Our recipe this month comes from the 2006 Seasonal Produce Diary which is just about to hit bookshop shelves around the country. RRP $29.95 (Hardie Grant Books)
Asparagus and green tea noodle salad with Thai prawns
As spring awakens us after the cold dark winter, so does the zingy dressing used in this recipe, which also doubles as a marinade for the prawns.
2 tbsp grated or shaved palm sugar
80 ml (1/3 cup) lime juice
60 ml (1/4 cup) fish sauce
2 small red chillies, diced
60 ml (1/4 cup) peanut or olive oil
200g green tea noodles
4 bunches asparagus
1 cup coriander leaves
1/2 cup Vietnamese mint leaves
1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
1 kg green prawns
1 tbsp peanut oil, additional
Mix palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce together. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Add chillies and oil. Set 60 ml (1/4 cup) of liquid aside.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook green tea noodles until al dente, approx 8 minutes.
Drain refresh and cool under running water. Place in a bowl.
Bring another pot of water to the boil.
Snap off and discard the hard ends of the asparagus and cook the spears in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, depending on thickness.
Refresh under cold running water.
Cut asparagus into 5 cm lengths.
Place in a bowl with noodles, and add herbs.
Refrigerate until needed.
Peel prawns leaving tails attached. Place in a bowl.
Add the 60 ml (1/4 cup) of liquid and additional oil.
Marinate for 30 minutes before cooking.
Heat a large fry pan, or grill until hot.
Add prawns, cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove.
Add to noodle salad, along with remaining liquid and toss to combine.
Divide between 6 plates and serve immediately.
Serves 6 as an entree.
Wine match
The combination of herbaceous asparagus, full flavoured green tea noodles and Thai inspired seafood provides many different opportunities for wines to match.
You could think spring and go for a just-released rosé. In particular Yering ED Rosé, Turkey Flat Rosé or an import such as Spain's Gran Feudo Rosé which has long been
a favourite of ours. Verdelho is another good option as it has, depending on the winemakers approach, a beautiful mix of flavours including tropical fruit,
spice, nectarines, lemons and limes with a clean, rich finish. So it makes a good match with a dish such as this.
Verdelho is available from producers across the country including Moondah Brook, Cock Fighters Ghost, Bleasdale, Seaview and Tulloch.
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