Category Archives: Travel

Back to basics

tent

Hi Tony,

I can’t agree more. In fact, a container of frozen chicken stock has been pulled out to make some chicken and leek pies for tonight’s dinner.

We were so pleased to be invited to a great friend’s 30th birthday party on Saturday night. A trip back up to central Victoria, this time to Oxley (just down the road from Beechworth). “C”’s family have a beautiful property just out of town, where we pitched a tent and donned our “vintage ski gear”. My ski pants must have shrunk in storage…

The food put on for the party was a lesson in keeping it simple. Surrounded by some amazing producers in Oxley, it was a delight to see it celebrated. Local, Brown Brothers’ wines (I was particularly partial to the Prosecco and the Chardonnay), a locally cured leg of ham, a couple of cold smoked whole salmon, more Milawa cheese than I have seen in my life and to wrap things up, local Milawa Bakery salted cornbread rolls stuffed full of coleslaw and the most amazing slow cooked lamb. Melt in the mouth. Proof that if you start with great produce, treat it with the care and attention that it deserves, you simply can’t go wrong.

So, how do we city dwellers find such wonderful produce? That is the big question. Perhaps a trip up to somewhere like Oxley or Milawa for the occasional sourcing trip? The other option which seems to come to the fore from time to time is to buy straight from the producer and have it shipped. I haven’t tried this yet, but perhaps it is time.

No doubt there were some sore heads the following morning. A few passed our tent in the wee hours of Sunday morning. I must admit I had to stifle a chuckle when I heard “…I can’t feel my face…” upon passing. Pretty sure a breakfast roll with some re-warmed lamb would have fixed most of the ails.

We had to sneak way to get to Meredith’s birthday lunch on Sunday. A stop at the Oxley Take Away for breakfast, again, simple fresh eggs, local cured bacon on Milawa Bakery bread with some relish. Worthy.

Inspired, I’ve got a loaf of pasta dura proving. I know, it is a Tuesday night and already pushing 9pm but another 30 mins of proving and a hot, hot oven with some help from a water spray, and I will have a loaf of bread with crunchy crust crying out for some Beechworth Honey from our last visit. It’s not going to help my waistline, but oh so tasty.

We have a long weekend coming up. Me thinks that some time in the kitchen is a must.

Daniel

 

Apple a day

Beechy

G’day Tony,

It certainly looks we do nothing but eat out, doesn’t it?

The truth be told, 3 weeks of eating in the US has caused a malfunction (that’s what I am going with) of our bathroom scales. In much need of shedding some pre-wedding pounds/kgs, we have resorted to eating not a calorie more than is required to sustain the vital organs.

I’ve been relegated from the kitchen, as apparently you can eat lettuce leaves raw. Not entirely so, but the duck fat, pork belly and russet potatoes are nowhere to be seen. Sad, but true.

Speaking of pork belly, what does wild pig belly taste like? Have you been fattening them up on your freshly planted garden? Do they like your coconut cream?

Can you at least get take-away on the island?

I have a vision of you going “Survivor” and living off the land and sea. It’s not a comforting vision.

Ok, in keeping with our holiday schedule, the lovely Julia and I set off for Beechworth (central Victoria) last weekend. A Christmas gift from the parentals was a weekend at a B&B. Must admit, pretty fine present as I do so enjoy a well-run B&B. Barnsley House fit that bill in spades. Great time of year to be up there too, autumnal colours (fall colors for our US readers) a plenty!

I know you’ve been to Beechworth before and had mixed reviews. I’m no different. Some of it was great, some of it ok and some of it just annoyingly touristy. I’ve got a few friends who hail from the area, so got a few pointers on where to eat and what to see and do.

We arrived Beechworth a little later than hoped, so headed out almost immediately after check in to find some food. Curiously we tried the Ox and Hound only to be told “I’m the only one on, so we can’t serve you tonight”, by a clearly distressed waitress. We retreated quickly.

Moving on, we venture almost next door to the Tanswell Commercial Hotel. Yes, a pub. Pub food, beer, Laminex tables and a wine list. I can almost hear you scoffing from here. The food was, well, I didn’t leave hungry, but half a cabbage with some charred “pork belly” (hint: there was no way it was pork belly, rather rolled pork flank) was just too much.

Now to the wine list. Stunned, as I scanned the offerings, I barely noticed the average (at best) food. The usual house wine offerings ignored, I found myself looking at the pricey end of the spectrum, only it wasn’t pricey. It must have been a misprint, surely. An ’01 Savaterre Chardonnay for a mere $85? ’06 Giaconda Cabernet Sauvignon for a pittance more? This is half what I would expect to see these at a bottle shop, but at a “restaurant”?

The next day was all apples and autumn colours before a night dining at Provenance. A couple of “chefs hats” from a large Australian media company? Sure. Degustation? Sure. Matching wines? Sure. Expensive? You bet. Would I go back? The jury is out.

Yeah, the food was interesting. Some stand out dishes. The sake and wine accompaniments were, at times, challenging and I am not sure worked as desired. The stain on the night though was the intoxicated, loud and downright inconsiderate group that arrived shortly after us. Staff spent more time apologising to other diners in the room that should have been necessary. Some less than discreet “shhhh-ing” from staff was heard, multiple times. Finally, and I mean finally, the group was able to be moved to another (empty) room.

A pet hate? You betcha! These are my top 5 things that irk me most in fine dining establishments:

    1. Intoxicated patrons who never learned the difference between their “inside voice” and “outside voice”;
    2. Overly attentive staff (please, please let me enjoy spending some moments with my dining companion(s));
    3. I’m sorry sir, that was the last bottle of that wine. Well, why was it on the list?
    4. So glad we could participate in the conversation of the table 3cm from ours; and
    5. Let’s stop and get a pizza on the way home, I’m famished.

No doubt you’ve got some to add to this?

Daniel

P.S. Definitely heading back to Beechworth, perhaps during morel season!

Prix fix

Mammoth

Hi Tony,

I am on the same page as you. Super expensive, 18 course degustation menus are fine and all, but does that make the restaurant better from one offering a la carte? Pretty sure I’ve had that seafood fried rice you speak of too, and agree, it is pretty amazing.

One of the most insidious trends to permeate the Melbourne eating scene is the “no bookings” restaurant. Seriously, if I want to go for some food with a/some friends, I like to know I am going to be able to get some food. I get why restaurants complain about bookings not showing. I blame the serious foodie and the media for playing into this hype. I also blame the serious foodie and media for not having the common courtesy of calling to cancel a booking.

Picture this, showing up with 3 friends to a no-booking restaurant at 6pm, expecting that a sitting will be assured within a few minutes, only to be told said restaurant is already full, but we can find a table for you in about 4 hours. Take my number, you ask? “No, we don’t do that”. Find a bar nearby, where you drink (with no food) for a few hours and forget to check back about a table. You arrive late to check back to find your name has been crossed off, because “we found a table for you 2 hours ago and you weren’t to be found”. No, don’t go postal, it’s about creating an artificial demand.

If the restaurant is good, no-shows for bookings will not matter as there are plenty of walk-ins to fill the table.

The newest experiment is prix fix (pay fixed amount for 2 or 3 courses at booking – non-refundable). Must admit, this solves many of the issues. If you are the type to blow off a restaurant booking…well, you’ve already paid, so restaurant is ok on revenue front. They may even be lucky enough to fill your table with some walks ins. It’s a 2 for 1 switch!

We are spoilt for choices in Melbourne, but I refuse to line up for one of these no-bookings restaurants. I can do better and know I’m going to be eating when I chose to, or near enough to it.

Back to the US. We headed to Lake Tahoe. A stunning part of the world. Odd, but stunning. I am still trying to figure out why there are a multi-million dollars houses and only a Safeway to get groceries. Where is the providore? The fishmonger? The artisan baker?

I went back to an old favourite (Rosie’s Café) for a burger, and again for breakfast. Perhaps because it was close. Not sure. What I did recall was that we returned to the “it’s bigger, therefore better” attitude. The café latte was no exception. Pretty sure it was a good solid litre! Was it good? Well…it was big.

Rosies

South Lake Tahoe was worse. Cal/Nev border means wanna-be glitzy casinos on one side of the street and run down motels on the other. Nothing about it was good. We didn’t stop, just stared.

Mammoth Lakes was next stop. This is where we were pleasantly surprised, but it wasn’t because of some funky place in town, but rather the food at the daylodge at Mammoth Mountain. I don’t think I’ve ever seen snowboarders with plates of salad before….certainly not with pants hanging around thighs and for lunch at a ski resort?!

LA was final stop. I was going to say something about LA, but I still think the best part of LA is leaving…

Back in Melbourne now. Big weekend planned, a ball, a 50th and rounding things off with a Eurovision party with some Danish friends (who had no choice but to host…both the party and Eurovision).

Dan

Au naturel

OakvilleGrocery

Hi Tony,

Sounds like a nice time had in France?!

The oysters sound great, but I’ll see your oysters and raise you some Kumamoto’s from Tomales Bay! Tiny little tasty morsels…and when I say tiny, I mean about the size of a ‘quarter’, but oh, so good.

After heading north from San Francisco on Highway 1, we found ourselves driving along the coast of Tomales Bay and oyster lease after oyster lease. Every once and a while some quaint little restaurants built over the water with benches outside serving oyster chowder and raw oysters. We stopped at Nicks Cove and sampled some of the Kumamoto’s. They had 3 or 4 other varieties, but these caught our attention and had that ozone-y freshness. Washed down with a nice local amber ale. Much goodness.

NicksCove

We ventured further north along the coast then turned inland along the Russian River. Wine country. To be more precise, cool growth country. Pinots, pinots and surprisingly more pinot. Ok, I get the pinots, but other people in the world with cool growth areas make other stuff too…not sure I count Sauvignon Blanc from NZ though. That is an anomaly, but what about some Chardonnay or, heaven forbid, some Riesling? Nary a drop to be found. At least in our limited time there.

On a non-wine note, pretty cool place. We stopped at the information centre (chamber of commerce in American) in Guerneville and were happily set up with a free tasting at Moshin. Dean was pretty excited about some Aussies visiting and opened up a bunch of special treats before sending us off with another free tasting to Ridge Vineyards where the same sort of hospitality was offered.

Stunning scenery as the road meanders along the oh so attractive river which is lined with redwoods and the odd house with killer views. This place is on our list to head back to and explore more.

Napa. What a mistake. Tour buses, the same cabernets, merlots and chardonnays. It’s a little like Disneyland for people who know a little about wine (sorry Disney!). I used to like the Napa Valley. Not so much anymore. That said, a stop at the Oakville Grocery is well worth it for a fresh deli sandwich. Their “espresso” coffee is ok, but mine was hotter than the sun…which made tasting anything for the remainder of the day just that much harder.

If I had a little luck, some careful timing and the money, I’ve heard nothing but good things about Thomas Keller’s 3 Michelin starred The French Laundry, though the 100+ page wine list would be sure to stretch a sitting out some. I’ve heard there is a twist at the end?!

Lake Tahoe is the next stop. Snow? Well, there is supposed to be…I wonder if US skiers drink coffee yet? I suspect not.

Chat soon.

Daniel

French toast

Cancale oysters (1)

Hey Dan,

Isn’t it strange that we should both be travelling at the same time, particularly to these destinations.

Despite the absurd ‘freedom fries’ debacle ten years ago, Americans and the French have more in common than either would like to admit. Unfortunately that includes their ‘cremate it and stew it’ coffee. No wonder the minority of Americans with passports all seem to be in Paris.

You can get a half-decent espresso if you ask nicely, but anything with milk in tends to come with the sense that the coffee grinder was on strike that day.

Funnily enough, it was a decent coffee that lead me to one of my better lunch experiences in Paris. I was walking past a place called Le Pain Quotidien (http://www.lepainquotidien.com) at coffee-o’clock and stopped in, and was surprised to get something that tasted like coffee. That they also had some great-looking bread and organic vegetables on the menu – April in France isn’t great for vegetables, as they tend to eat seasonal, and that limits things to asparagus – decided me on coming back for lunch.

I thought it was a real find, but then I discovered that it is a chain that originated in Belgium, and that even has four outlets in Sydney! Still, quality is quality – franchise or not.

The vegetable thing also led me to Le Richer (http://bit.ly/1lHGTE2), a bit of a hipster bistro on Rue Richer in the 9th arrondissement. The menu is limited to three starters, three mains and three deserts, and they don’t take bookings – arriving for a late mid-week lunch we got a table instantly – but the food is actually worth a wait.

My main featured the most tender and succulent rabbit I’ve ever eaten, though the addition of cuttlefish to the sauce seemed unwarranted. Good service and Agent Provocateur Belgian ale on tap, as well as a choice of wines by the glass or up to about €60 per bottle (most are in the €25-40 range), and a pretty decent espresso to finish. What’s not to like?

The eating highlight of this France trip was in Brittany in a little town called Cancale though. At the Port de la Houle there is a row of restaurants facing the water, and at low tide oyster beds are visible at one end of the bay. Tractors towing trailers full of oysters ply the street in front.

The oysters were so good at the casual Au Pied d’Cheval for lunch one day we went back and tried the slightly fancier Le Surcouf the next night, and they were even better. That lovely fresh seaweedy, sweet salt-water flavour and beautiful silky texture – my mouth is watering just thinking about them. Their moules marinières weren’t bad either. All washed down with a 2012 Pouilly Fumé – unlike you, Dan, I prefer my French whites while they’re still in diapers.

All-in-all a memorable experience, and one that reinforces my feeling that really good ingredients don’t need to be messed around with much.

Enjoy the rest of your California sojourn, I hope there’s some more good eating.

 

California Dreaming

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Hey Tone,

So, I’ve been in the US for a little more than a week. It’s taken me this long to figure out that the food here is either quite good or appallingly bad. While the choice of dining venue would, in most other countries, give some sort of indication of what is about to be served, this place seems to be an exception.

Probably the thing that is most curious and disappointing at the same time is the ‘if we increase the serving size, it is better’ mindset. That’s fine if a normal serving size is three scallops; increasing it to four is not something many (other than those with a shellfish allergy) will complain about. But, seriously, who really needs an extra 250g of fries, on top of the huge pile already on the plate.

We might have accidentally happened on the solution at Fish Hopper in Monterey (www.fishhopper.com/monterey/‎)… order an ‘entrée’ to share. They were nice enough to split the herb crusted albacore tuna onto two plates. Done.

And, where do I start about American coffee. It is hard to call much of what is offered coffee…I think it should be renamed ‘hot caffeinated beverage’ instead. There are a few who are trying… Blue Bottle Coffee Co in San Francisco (www.bluebottlecoffee.com/‎) for instance. Clearly people want one of these hot caffeinated beverages with some flavour, some character… perhaps even resembling coffee. The queue shows how eager the masses are to get off the gravy train and get on the coffee train.

San Fran has been interesting. More diverse, with emphasis on quality that other stops. But – and this is the big but – stay away from the main tourist precincts. We found a place called Aliment tonight (alimentsf.com/) and thought the simple, clean menu was just plain nice. A pint of EvilTwins Hipster Ale set up the meal so nicely. The fitout was hipster clean, staff discreetly tattooed, wine list short, but plenty of choice and the scallops were the size of… well, they were huge.

We are off to wine country in the morning. Russian River, Sonoma and Napa. I’d like to think that wine people will embrace good food, without the need to drop $275/person on a meal designed by Thomas Keller’s team…

How was France?