A Weekend Away - Canberra

Last weekend we headed off to the nation's capital for the weekend. I always really enjoy visiting Canberra, particularly at this time of the year, when the Autumn leaves are out in all their colourful glory, and the air has that wonderful crisp chill to it. Usually, when we visit, we head off to the National Gallery, Parliament House (yes, I'm a bit of a politics nerd) and the local markets - but this time the visit ended up being extremely food-centric!

We usually break up the 3 hour drive with a rest break at a trucker's roadhouse (which usually involves consumption of some dodgy servo food eaten on the run) but this time we decided to take our time and check out a place that we always drive past - but I've always wanted to try. The rather twee named Grandma's Little Bakery is located in Collector and sits up on the hill, overlooking the olive groves of Fedra Olive Farm. The cafe is part of the farm complex, and serves generous, rustic and really flavoursome food using local ingredients. It was a gorgeous day when we visited, and eating lunch whilst looking out over the sun drenched olive groves was a lovely way to break up the trip.

The view as we ate lunch 

at Grandma's Little Bakery, Collector.

Grandma's Little Bakery also has a small farm shop, which sells their wonderful olive oil and olive products - as well as a range of herbs, sweet treats and kitchen supplies. I was sure to bring home a bottle of their beautiful olive oil. I think we will be making a stop to the olive farm a regular part of future Canberra road trips. It made the drive so much more enjoyable.

Award winning local Fedra Olive Oil 

which I bought to take home.

Crossing the border into the Australian Capital Territory, you could see right away that Autumn has arrived. The colours of the leaves are just spectacular - shades of ochre, scarlet red, silver and everything in between. We were treated to really beautiful weather for the whole weekend, so we got to enjoy it all in the Autumn sunshine. Nature really is magnificent.

Canberra Autumn colour.

Our favourite accommodation option in Canberra is the historic Hyatt Hotel, located close to Parliament House. It was built in 1927 to house politicians when parliament was sitting, and is a gorgeous example of Art Deco architecture. I'm a huge fan of all things Deco, so it is always such a treat to stay at the Hyatt and revel in that pared down elegance.

The Foyer - Hyatt Hotel Canberra.

We have stayed in lots of hotels in our travels, but the things that make the Hyatt one of our favourite places to stay are those generous, elegant rooms - particularly the luxurious bathrooms, which all have beautiful deep baths and so much space that two people can happily get ready in the morning without getting under each other's feet.

Art Deco Bedroom - Hyatt Hotel Canberra

We have found the standard of service in the hotel really excellent on all of our visits - and I should mention that they also do a great martini in the Speaker's Corner Bar in the evening! The hotel is famous for it's high tea, which is served in The Tea Lounge every day.

Nothing like a luxurious bathroom to make you feel spoiled.

On the Friday evening, we headed into Civic to check out a restaurant I had heard good things about - Temporada. As chance would have it, the week before we went to Canberra it received a really glowing review in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food supplement - so I thought that our chances of getting a reservation would be zilch. Turns out we were lucky and managed to get in.

The food all had one thing in common - knock your socks off flavour. As a starter, we enjoyed gorgeous South Coast oysters cooked on a wood fire in their shells. Just beautiful - and it got me thinking about using this technique at home. Then we moved on to entrees - a beautifully prepared venison scotch egg (with a luscious runny yolked quail egg inside) and a beef short rib roll served with horseradish and fermented cucumber. Sadly I don't have any pictures to share - the place had lots of "atmospheric" lighting which made it impossible to get decent shots.

For mains, Andrew chose the Bangalow pork cutlet with caramelised  brussels sprouts, mustard and speck - and for me a beautiful crispy skinned trout with charred broccolini, almonds, capers and beurre noisette. Both dishes were delicious - served in a rustic, generous way. Perfect Autumn food. We shared a dessert - salted caramel donuts, served with house made banana ice cream and toasted marshmallow. Over the top - but delicious.

Dining Room - Temporada

On Saturday, we drove to Hall - about 30 minutes out of Canberra - to Poachers Pantry for lunch. Poachers Pantry is a farmhouse on the grazing property of Susan and Robert Bruce, farmers who decided to build their own smokehouse, so they could smoke and sell their own produce. The smokehouse idea grew, and now, a couple of decades on, there is a cafe, farm shop and cellar door, selling their cool climate "Wily Trout" wines. The beautiful farm setting makes a lovely place for a weekend lunch, and there is also the chance to pick up some great products from the farm shop while you are there. I bought some of the Bruce's locally made Prosciutto, as well as an excellent Bresaola (salted, air dried beef). They also sell all kinds of smoked red meats as well as chicken and fish. The shop also stocks locally produced olive oil, condiments, preserved goods - and their Wily Trout wine range. There is also wine tasting on site.

Down the road to Poachers Pantry

So, to lunch. I kicked off with one of my favourite food combos ever. Scallops and black pudding. They were served with a lovely fresh fennel and herb salad, and a delicious sweet pumpkin puree. So simple, but wonderful. I enjoyed a glass of Wily Trout Sauvingon Blanc which was perfect with this dish.

Scallops with Poachers Pantry Black Pudding

For the main course, I went for the braised pork cheek with kimchi and lotus root. The dish was served with a rich, full flavoured master stock. The hot, spicy kimchi was the perfect contrast to the rich, buttery pork cheek. Andrew chose smoked lamb cutlets with fondant potato and parmesan crisp - he was generous enough to share some with me, so I can confirm that the lamb dish was rich and delicious.

Braised Pork Cheek with Kimchi & Lotus Root.

In the background - Andrew's smoked lamb cutlets.

My dessert choice was a beautifully light layered green tea and white chocolate mousse, served with gingerbread crumb and yuzu curd. I was really taken with the contrast of textures as well as the beautiful flavours of this dish. The citrus tang of the yuzu curd against the rich mousse and the crunchy, fragrant gingerbread was so lovely.

Green Tea & White Chocolate Mousse

with Yuzu Curd and Gingerbread Crumb

As you can see, there are all kinds of delights to be had in Canberra and it's surrounds. These are just a few of them. We had a really fantastic weekend trying some new places and soaking up the gorgeousness that is Canberra in Autumn.

In other Gourmet Goddess news, we are heading back to our beloved Tasmania in late June. After deciding that we were going to be sensible and save money by not heading over this year (we are currently saving furiously to buy a house there that will be a holiday place first, then eventually our full time home) I ended up winning two return flights to Hobart in a competition. So guess what? We're going. I take this as a sign from the universe that we were meant to visit after all. Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Needless to say I will be writing all about it as I always do. Each time we visit we find great new places to eat and gorgeous new destinations and produce to share with you. Can you blame me for wanting to live there?

*******

Tasmanian Travels Part 2

It's well over a week since we returned from our Tasmania trip and I thought I would share a few more snippets of food related highlights with you all,  before resuming standard post holiday transmissions.

One of the most exciting and pleasurable parts of the trip for us was heading to Longley, up in the mountains just out of Hobart to meet artisan knife maker and blacksmith John Hounslow-Robinson. We discovered John whilst watching a documentary on Chef Tetsuya Wakuda and were blown away by the beautiful handmade Damascus steel knives that he was making for the chef. My metal obsessed husband did some research and managed to track him down and we commissioned John to make us two knives - a chef's knife and a slightly bulkier Bushman's knife.

We were absolutely thrilled with the result, all handmade by John from found, local materials. The chef's knife has an almost luminous Huon Pine handle with beautiful striped grain - reminds me of  a Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) pelt. The Bushman's knife was made with a deer antler handle with a natural curve that makes the knife feel so great in your hand. John collects old metal, fallen wood and bones, antler and other material from road kill - which unfortunately you see so much of in Tasmania. I think it makes absolute sense not to waste these precious materials, and John turns them into objects of such practicality and great beauty.

Damascus steel, hand forged knives

made by John Hounslow-Robinson

 

When we arrived at John's house in the bush, he was in the process of smoking his own free range bacon and local salmon in a home made smokehouse he had constructed. We soon discovered that as well a passion and talent for metal work, he is also a cook who loves good food. We even left with a few recommendations for places to eat in Tasmania as well as a gift of 1.5kg of his raw bush honey - the bees had been particularly busy in his neck of the woods!

 

 

John's House in the bush

-The smoke on the right is from the smokehouse.

 

Andrew and I were both so grateful to have had the chance to meet John and spend some time with this remarkable person. As well as a talented artisan, he was a storyteller, and a warm, generous and gracious host. It makes me so happy that in a world of mass production and disposable everything, that John  is up in his mountain home creating such lasting beauty with what he finds around him. To own two examples of his amazing work is such a privilege.

 

 

John Hounslow - Robinson

Longley Tasmania

 

 

Back in town, walking around Salamanca Market in Hobart on Saturday morning, I loved seeing all of the fresh winter produce being sold direct from the farmer to the public. Everything was so vibrant and fresh, particularly the winter root crops. So many ideas for dishes were swimming around my head when I spied all of these beauties......

 

Winter Root Vegetables @Salamanca

 

Such beautiful jewel coloured produce

@ Salamanca

 

Any of you who are fans of the wonderful Gourmet Farmer on SBS will recognise A Common Ground - the tiny shop under the stairs in Salamanca that sells produce from Fat Pig Farm, as well as other small Tasmanian producers. It is the brainchild of Matthew Evans and Nick Haddow who wanted to showcase the very best of Tasmanian food in one place. They stock Bruny Island Cheese,(including Australia's only raw milk cheese -  C2 - made on Bruny) charcuterie, free range pork, small batch artisan wine, whiskey and ciders and all sorts of other gourmet treats made from Tasmanian ingredients, with a focus on sustainability. You can now order from them online, but it was great to be able to visit in person. Check out their website or on Facebook for more information - they really are something special.  http://acommonground.com.au/

 

The shop under the stairs

A Common Ground

 

I'm not much of a drinker these days, but there were a couple of alcoholic treasures that I discovered on our trip. The first was a bit of a fluke - a while ago I had tried to order a bottle of the small batch Sloe Gin that I had seen them make on Gourmet Farmer from the Common Ground website, but it sold out so fast that I missed out. Sloe Gin is made from ripe blackthorn fruit (related to plums) and this gives the gin an extra herbal and fruity character, as well as a lovely pinkish/purplish blush. I had forgotten about it until I got to the shop but the subject came up with the lovely Common Ground lady as she was putting together a dinner hamper for us. We really hit it off with her and the end result was that once the shop was empty and there was no one but us about, she revealed there had been a mix up with an order and because of this she had the very last bottle under the counter - would we like it? HELL YEAH! I am considering having a go at curing salmon with some of the Sloe Gin, as well as drinking it.

 

Another boozy highlight was the discovery of the delicious locally made Pagan Cider. I rather like ciders, and this one is a beauty. Made from a mixture of local apples and cherries I was initially concerned it might be too sweet for me - I'm not a fan of sweet alcohol - but it was perfectly balanced and not overly sweet at all. It comes in two varieties which have different amounts of cherry in it. The one pictured below has the most cherry, but I still didn't find it overly sweet, despite the rich colour. I brought home 4 bottles with me and think I will have to do some research to see if I can buy it online and have it shipped. It really is delicious. The label is pretty too.

 

Pagan Cider

Made from Tasmanian Apples & Cherries

Driving through the countryside around the Huon Valley and Cygnet, many of the apple trees had the last apples of the season still on the branches. They made for a pretty splash of red in the winter landscape. Apples and apple juice was for sale everywhere, at un-staffed roadside stands where you just take what you would like and leave the money in the tin. Love that.

 Winter Apple Fall

Cygnet, Tasmania

 

Dining out wise, here are some of the things I particularly enjoyed.

We visited The Source at MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) to experience Michelin starred chef Phillipe Leban's food. We chose a seven course degustation menu and loved the local ingredients served with technical flair and creativity. We really rated our meal there, particularly the Scallop Gnocchi which was knockout - such a beautiful texture and pure scallop flavour.

 Tasmanian Scallop Gnocchi with Yuzu Foam

@ The Source

The roasted duck course took those rich, robust winter flavours and gave them a light touch. All of the flavour was there, without the heaviness. I really enjoyed this one.

Roasted Duck with Daikon and Winter Cabbage

@ The Source

 

I love the flavour of green tea (yes, I know it can be a bit of an acquired taste) so the green tea dessert was right up my alley. An edible receptacle of green tea "glass" was filled with a creamy, punchy lime mousse that you had to crack open to get to. Great contrasting texture of the creamy mousse and the crackly green tea covering. Served with a Sencha green tea sponge and a sweet and sticky black sesame paste, this was a winner. Only thing I wasn't fussed about was the chocolate drizzle on the sponge - seemed a bit random and not really necessary. The rest of the flavours though were to die for.

 

 

 Green Tea Crust, Lime Mousse, Sencha Cake and Black Sesame

@ The Source

The following night we visited Smolt, a restaurant in Hobart that I had been reading very good things about and was keen to try. (If you are wondering about the name - a smolt is baby salmon)Unfortunately the place was quite dark so I can't share the photos of some of the best dishes - they just don't do the food justice. Although they have an A-La-Carte menu, we wanted to try lots of things - so we asked them if they could possibly do a degustation menu for us with smaller tasting serves. They were happy to oblige and the result was our best meal of the trip! Like The Source, they are very focused on Tasmanian produce but using them in a more rustic, free form way. The menu had a very Italian/Mediterranean influence and the flavours were robust and generous. We started the meal with ultra fresh Tasmanian oysters which I can't get enough of.

 Tassie Oysters @ Smolt

 

A simple salad of winter apples, locally produced prosciutto and salad leaves showed that the very best dishes are those that let the superior produce speak for themselves. We had 7 courses in all - all savoury (we asked them not to do desserts as we aren't huge dessert fans) The dishes were all generous and colourful and full of flavour. Slow cooked pork, dishes of richly roasted vegetables, local creamy goat cheese, perfectly cooked seafood - all delicious.

 

 

Rustic Winter Apple & Prosciutto Salad

@ Smolt

 

The Tassie Cheese Arancini  was decadent and rich, with a creamy, stretchy risotto and cheese centre, but a super crisp shell. Just heavenly. As well as a fantastic meal, the service was very good, relaxed and friendly but efficient. The other big plus was that it was moderately priced and brilliant value for a top notch menu, great service and lovely surroundings. If you are visiting Hobart it is really worth a visit. They apparently do fantastic breakfasts and are open for lunch too.

 

Tasmanian 3 Cheese Arancini

@ Smolt

 

 

For more information, opening hours and sample menus for these restaurants, visit their websites - I've posted the links below. I would recommend both of them. Completely different styles of food, but each do what they do brilliantly. 

 

As to my own cooking - well the weather is wintry and rainy and I have a rostered day off today so I am heading to the warmth of the kitchen in a moment to cook up a big batch of proper Bolognaise sauce (a mixture of half free range pork, half organic beef mince). I plan to freeze some but a lot of it will be destined for a tray of Lasagne for the weekend. This chilly weather makes me want comfort food and Lasagne is comfort personified I reckon. Also thinking that a batch of walnut muffins might be in order.

 

Until next time - stay warm and eat something delicious!

 

The Source  http://www.mona.net.au/mona/restaurant

Smolt  http://www.smolt.com.au/

 

******

 

Tasmanian Travelbug

Greetings from the gorgeous southern island state of Tasmania! I thought I would give you all a brief progress report on what we have been up to food wise, in this place that seems to have stunning produce and food experiences at every turn. It has been wonderful returning to Tasmania in the winter - the last time we were here the landscape and the seasonal food for sale was very much in Spring mode. Now at the beginning of the cold season, the landscape and the weather looks very different from when we were here in November. Still beautiful and wild, but harsher and less forgiving. Everyone is rugged up for the new conditions, and as you drive around you see tendrils of smoke drifting from farmhouse (and urban house) chimneys as everyone lights their fire to create a cosy respite from the winter cold.

The morning we arrived we dumped our bags at the hotel and headed straight down to Salamanca Market (my favourite market in the country) to explore and grab some lunch. The market is bursting with fresh local produce, hand made items of wood and metal and wool, sweet treats, fresh flowers, vintage goods and all kinds of treasures. As we wandered around we couldn't resist the delicious aroma of wood fired pizza cooking. A portable wood fired oven was cranking out hand made pizza made from all local ingredients - including scallops, Huon Valley mushrooms, organic beetroot and local goat's cheese. We grabbed a couple of slices to munch on as we strolled around the market - the delicious roasted pumpkin and feta was a standout.

 

Wood Fired Pizza

- with great local produce on the menu.

Those of you who have been watching Gourmet Farmer on SBS would be familiar with their small gourmet shop under the stairs at Salamanca Arts Centre - A Common Ground. We dropped in to see if their eagerly awaited raw milk saffron cheese had arrived yet - but alas there is still a few weeks before it will be available. This means we will have to purchase it by mail order and have it shipped to Sydney when the time comes! We did however buy some beautiful free range ham, raw milk cheese and pickled cherries to take home with us. The biggest score though was managing to procure a rare bottle of their small batch sloe gin. Although technically sold out, (I had already tried to buy it online) we got chatting to the delightful Common Ground lady and in the process ended up with the very last sneaky bottle from under the counter as the result of an order mix up. Score!! I'm thinking that I may use the sloe gin as a component in a dish when I get home.

Just down the hill from our accommodation, we found a brilliant European old style bakery - Daci & Daci - that is choc full of the most delectable breads, pies and pastries to suit every taste. We have ended up there for breakfast a few times so far. This place pretty much sets the standard for baked goods, and to be honest I thought it was even better than a lot of the bakeries we have visited overseas - even France where they have such a big reputation for patisseries. As well as breakfast, we have been getting treats to take away when we have been road tripping around. They have a huge variety to choose from, and so far everything we have tasted has been exceptional.

Freshly Baked

-Treats from Daci & Daci

 

 Daci & Daci
Just one of the counters full of delicious things

A few days ago we took a drive to Port Arthur, site of one of the most notorious prison colonies in Australia. The day was suitably sombre and grey for such a sombre place. A lot of the buildings are now ruins, but the Commandant's convict built house is still complete. They have turned this into a museum, showing a bit of how the ruling classes lived there - including the original kitchen. I thought it was rather lovely to look at, but you can imagine it would have been less than lovely for the servants who had to work with this very basic arrangement - carting water and keeping fires going and managing on supplies brought in by ship. I'm always intrigued by historical kitchens - they tell you so much about how people lived.

The Commandant's Kitchen

Port Arthur

We could not visit Tasmania without crossing the water to one of our favourite places - the wild and lovely Bruny Island. This island is the source of a whole lot of amazing produce and there are lots of folks making really exceptional products there. If you love oysters, then you are in for a treat. They have what are easily the best oysters I have ever eaten. The day we went, we actually ate them for breakfast - shucked while we waited, sitting under a tree at the oyster farm. They taste so clean and fresh, with that gorgeous salty brine of the sea. I love the taste of oysters and seafood from very cold waters - they have a pristine character about them that warm water varieties just don't have for me.

We checked out some of the beautiful smoked trout and salmon from the Bruny Island Smokehouse, as well as smoked wallaby (you will commonly find wallaby on the menu in Tasmania) and free range smoked ham. We came away with some of the ham, their award winning trout pate and the delicious buttery tasting salmon pate too. Next stop was the Bruny Island Cheese Company for second breakfast - a simple wood fired pizza topped simply with tomato and their stunning cheeses. They also bake excellent rustic wood fired bread, so we came away with a loaf which ended up being dinner that night, along with their excellent cheese - particularly the delicious C2 raw milk cheese which is a favourite in our house.

Bruny Island Smokehouse, Get Shucked Oyster Farm,

Bruny Island Cheese Company.

Yesterday we drove out to Cygnet, an area we really love and where we hope to live eventually. As well as exploring, we had lunch at The Red Velvet Lounge, a local cafe/meeting place that I had read about recently. I was surprised to find a quite large, but very cosy and welcoming place that seems to be a hub for locals as well as visitors. We had a delicious comfort food style lunch in front of the fire there, and was really impressed by the very simple, but beautifully prepared food. I chose a slow cooked lamb shoulder with roasted potatoes and salad. This was served with a little jug of lamb jus and a great punchy salsa verde - all local ingredients and just delicious.

Lamb Shoulder

- served with Lamb Jus and Salsa verde

As you all know, I'm not a big dessert fan - but my very favourite sweet treat in the world is a simple sponge cake with cream. The Red Velvet Lounge version of this looked so beautiful, we had to share a slice. Old school, just like your Nanna would make sponge was sandwiched between whipped cream and fresh local berries. Just perfect. And proof that simplicity and excellent ingredients rule!

The Red Velvet Lounge Sponge Cake

- with cream and local berries

All of the food we have been enjoying so far has been rustic and quite simple, but tonight we will change gear somewhat for a fine dining degustation menu at The Source. Located at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Michelin star winning chef Phillipe Leban creates dishes with all Tasmanian ingredients, but with a French influence. We are really looking forward to seeing what he comes up with for us this evening. I will report back, so watch this space.

*******

Just popped out for a sec......

So, after just over a month of no Gourmet Goddess updates I decided that I really needed to check back in and let you know that all is well and that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Life has been insanely hectic over the past few weeks, with work and everything else. This has meant not a huge amount of blog worthy cooking and even when there was, no time to sit down and write up anything that might have been of interest. Food at our place has been back to basics, with a few notable exceptions, which I did snap pictures of with Instagram on my mobile phone - so here are the highlights to bring you up to speed.

I acquired an almost new bread machine from a friend who discovered she can't eat bread anymore (boo!) but who passed her bread maker on to me (yay!) I have now gotten into the habit of baking bread every Saturday morning. Have experimented with a few different recipes for a basic loaf and think I will venture into the realm of grainy breads and fruit loaves soon. A few weekends ago we had some bread left over by Sunday morning, so I decided to make us a batch of French Toast with my day old, homemade bread. This loaf was made with organic unbleached flour. I teamed the golden bread up with some fresh blueberries, raspberries and strawberries - and maple syrup of course. It was a delicious treat and the best French Toast I had ever made. The home baked bread was a real winner.

French Toast and Mixed Berries

Made with GG's Home Baked Bread

A road trip down to Canberra one weekend yielded an esky full of fresh produce that we picked up in our travels - including a beautiful big pumpkin, organic garlic, berry vinegar, locally made sausages, chicken terrine, organic beef mince and a small pheasant. Although I have eaten pheasant a few times before, I had never cooked it and thought it was time I had a go. I decided to go with a very old technique for cooking game, which was to soak it in milk overnight before roasting it. To the milk I added fresh thyme and bay leaves from my garden, along with crushed peppercorns and juniper berries. The pheasant soaked in the milk for a good 12 hours, then I drained the milk off, patted the pheasant dry and roasted it with seasonal vegetables. I made a gravy with the pan juices and served it as a traditional roast.

The pheasant was not a large one - just under a kilogram - and it came already plucked but with the head still intact. I removed the head to roast it, although if I was being really old school it would have been left on during the roasting process. The enzymes in the milk help to tenderise the flesh, and the herbs and juniper I added gave it a lovely herbal aroma and flavour. The meat was not overly gamey and came out quite soft and juicy, with the exception of the legs where the meat was darker and not as tender. This is almost always the case with game, or any meat for that matter - the parts of the animal that do most of the work tend to be tougher than the less active parts. The flavour though, was fantastic. I am a fan of game meat - rabbits, pigeon, duck - and I was very happy with my first attempt at cooking pheasant.

Roasted Pheasant with Bay, Thyme and Juniper

Served with Autumn Vegetables

Fast forward to this week, where my work colleagues and I hosted Australia's Biggest Morning Tea, which raises money for The Cancer Council - a very worthy cause. My contribution was a couple of dozen rather kitsch looking pink cupcakes. The cake and icing was spiked with lemon, which gave a little freshness to them and balanced out the sweetness. I went a bit mental with the decorations - lots of sparkly stuff and coloured baubles and flowers. Thought a bit of whimsy in the workplace can't be a bad thing! They were a big hit, and along with the contributions from my workmates who baked their favourite recipes to share, raised over $500 for The Cancer Council. Not bad for some tea and cake!

Pink-a-Rama!

My fundraising cupcakes - 

for Australia's Biggest Morning Tea

 

So, what is in store in the coming weeks? Well, tomorrow our bookclub meets and we have decided that instead of our usual Sunday afternoon gathering with coffee and cakes we would do a Saturday version and everyone would bring along a dish so we could have dinner and some wine instead. It's my turn to host so I will have a full house Saturday evening. The weather is quite chilly, so my contribution will be a leg of sustainably produced local lamb from Feather & Bone - my favourite meat supplier here in Sydney. They are fussy about how their meat is raised and produced, and boy does it show in the quality of the produce. I'm thinking I might season the meat with garlic, lemon thyme from the garden and native pepperberries that I brought back from out last trip to Tasmania. If it isn't raining we will cook the lamb over coals outside. Delicious.

Speaking of Tasmania, we are only weeks away from heading back there for a ten day holiday and recon mission. We have completely fallen in love with the place and plan to one day make it our home, where we will grow as much of our own food as possible in that very special and pristine part of the world. As well as having a break there, we are planning to further explore the area where we think we would like to settle eventually. We also thought it would be good to visit in winter so we know what we are in for. I've been watching the weather forecasts and it's going to be freezing. Good thing we both like the cold!

Now you are all up to date, I'm hoping that we will be resuming normal transmission, with more regular Gourmet Goddess installments - so watch this space. The coming weeks look like they are going to be less of a frenzy than most of May has been - thank the Goddess! The weather has really cooled down, it gets dark a lot earlier and that seasonal change just cries out for cosy, comfort food with seasonal ingredients I think. Maybe I will check out out local farmer's market this weekend and see what inspires?

******

Review - Garagistes, Hobart

Hi everyone - things have been pretty quiet here over on the Gourmet Goddess page I know - mainly because I have been everything but! I have been cooking pretty simple meals due to being busy, and nothing particularly blog-worthy I'm afraid. In the last two weeks though, I was lucky enough to take two weeks off work and head off with my lovely husband on one of our favourite pastimes - a roadtrip. Well it ended up being two road trips actually - spanning 3 states - NSW, ACT and Tasmania. The first week was spent with a few days in Canberra, and then the Southern Highlands, including the gorgeous Kangaroo Valley. Wow - what a gorgeous part of the world that is.

Week two was a road trip around Tasmania, starting in Hobart, down to Bruny Island - where we indulged in their famous oysters and stunning cheese from The Bruny Island Cheese Company - including the fabulous C2 raw milk cheese that I can't get enough of - across to Strahan on the West Coast, then up to Cradle Mountain, across to St Helens and down the east coast back to Hobart. It was my first visit to Tassie and it won't be the last. From the pristine wilderness to the magnificent wildlife, beautiful seafood from the crystal clean water and unstaffed roadside farm stalls where you choose what you like and put the money in the tin to pay - it is my kind of place. We noticed lots of folks seemed to have solar panels and water tanks and a real focus on sustainability, handmade, local goods (not just food) and awareness of the environment. It was very inspiring to say the least.

One of the major items on my "To Do" list whilst in Tasmania was to pay a visit to a restaurant that I had been reading and hearing a lot about - Garagistes - named after a group of trailblazing winemakers from Bordeaux in France in the 1990's, who created "Vins de Garage" (Garage wine) a new way of producing the traditional Bordeaux wine style. Needless to say, this place has a pretty damned impressive wine list - 42 pages long and beautifully laid out and categorised. As well as great wine options, they also boast an excellent selection of Sake (my favourite) I just loved the Ota Shuzo that I enjoyed with my meal - a fresh, slight aniseed character to it, dry on the palate and served ice cold on what was an unseasonally hot day. Perfect.

The Front Door
Garagistes - Hobart

Garagistes Chef Luke Burgess comes with an excellent pedigree -  including working at Tetsuya’s in Sydney and at Noma in Copenhagen (currently rated the best restaurant in the world) The small, always changing menu is comprised of dishes designed for sharing, using local ingredients and presented in some really inspired and unusual combinations. The restaurant itself is designed around a large warehouse space with an open kitchen and communal dining area. And it's popular. Garagistes does not take reservations, so a sensible option is to do what we did and be there waiting at the door when they open at 5pm (yes, I know that is a time that your Nanna would eat dinner, but we were only in town for a short time and I wasn't going to miss out) Good thing we did, as by about 5.30 the place was packed.

Dining Room - Garagistes

Although the menu is pretty small, it was really, really hard to choose what dishes to have. We did eventually decide on a selection of seven - starting with a swoon worthy trio of steamed Bruny Island oysters that made my eyes roll back in my head they were so salty, creamy and delicious.

Steamed Bruny Island Oyster

Vinegar Emulsion & Bay Oil

We stuck with seafood for the next dish - beautifully poached spanner crab that tasted sweet and succulent, teamed with slightly astringent braised artichoke and almonds. The addition of fenugreek and buttermilk made it aromatic and almost herbal. And as you can see, the presentation made it look like Spring on a plate. A wonderful dish.

Poached Spanner Crab, Fenugreek and Buttermilk

Braised Artichoke and Almond

Fresh young broad beans are one of my favourite vegetables in the world, and the next dish of baby broad beans, pea custard, asparagus and delicate herbs was clean, green and delicious. The super velvety pea custard was such a great contrast to the crunch of the lightly cooked broad beans.

Baby Broad Beans, Pea Custard, Asparagus

Mixed Herbs

After 3 light courses, it was time to move to a couple of more substantial ones - starting with roasted local pinkeye potatoes, served with a super rich and creamy duck egg, creme fraiche and crispy leaves of native saltbush. The addition of a light shaving of Bottarga (salted, cured fish roe) made this one of my favourite dishes of the evening. When you broke the yolk of the duck egg, the soft buttery yolk mixed with all the other ingredients to create a sauce with a knockout flavour and texture. I seriously wanted to lick the plate afterwards!

Roasted New Season Pinkeye Potatoes, Duck Egg

Creme Fraiche, Saltbush and Bottarga

Next came a succulent, juicy piece of slow cooked pork neck - complimented beautifully by braised lettuce stems (a very French way to cook lettuce) and a tangy, zingy mustard emulsion.

Slow Cooked Pork Neck

 Lettuce Stems, Mustard Emulsion

There were two dessert courses listed on the menu and we decided to try both - starting with a cool and very refreshing dish using cucumber, avocado and sorrel. The addition of a creamy fig leaf icecream and a cool granita of cucumber gave this dessert really interesting contrasting textures and flavours - and made it a great palate cleanser after the richness of the pork neck. The dessert was not really sweet - in fact it could easily have fitted in anywhere else in the sequence of dishes.

Fig Leaf Icecream, Sorrel and Angelica Jelly

Avocado Cream & Cucumber

Then it was time for something sweet - wonderful, sticky frozen yoghurt meringue, rhubarb and chewy preserved and dried berries. Add to this a berry granita and fresh young wood sorrel leaves and you have a dessert to die for. The flavours were all so clean and well balanced - and what a luscious looking plate huh?

Frozen Yoghurt Meringue, Rhubarb

Preserved and Dried Berries, Wood Sorrel

I really enjoyed our visit to Garagistes - it was easy to see why there has been such a buzz about it. (Although be warned - it is like a hipster bomb went off in there! Obviously where all the Hobart "edgy-earnest-young-things" in skinny jeans and "ironic" t-shirts get nourishment) But go anyway. The service was low key but professional and the dining room has a nice, relaxed vibe. I would be keen to go back at different times of the year to see what they do with the local seasonal produce, as the menu is always evolving. Really worth checking out if you ever find yourself in Hobart.

Dining Room - Garagistes

To learn more about Garagistes, check out there website.

Garagistes
103 Murray Street Hobart, Tasmania
Ph: (03) 6231 0558
Website: http://www.garagistes.com.au/
Opening Hours:
Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm
Friday and Saturday from 5pm
No Reservations

******

Review - Iggy's

So, there hasn't been a huge amount of cooking worth reporting since I've been back from Borneo/Singapore, just basic things as I catch up with my work schedule (although I did cater a lovely function on Saturday night and am kicking myself that I didn't get pics - too busy getting the dishes out!) so I thought I would share another restaurant review with you - this time for the much talked about Iggy's restaurant, which I had the opportunity to visit in my recent travels.

Iggy’s is the Singapore establishment of restaurateur and sommelier Ignatius Chan. Recently named as the number one restaurant in Asia, and number 26 on the Pellegrino 50 Best Restaurants in the World list, I was really eager to visit when I travelled to Singapore in July. There is no head chef as such – a team of chefs share the creation of the menu, based strongly on the extensive travel and dining experiences of Iggy himself. The restaurant has a reputation for innovation, so when I visited, I was prepared for something very different. I love having my boundaries pushed, and tasting foods and combinations that are new to me, so Iggy’s seemed like a must do dining experience when visiting Singapore.

Located within The Hilton Hotel on Orchard Road, the entrance hidden behind a sliding screen accessible only by buzzing the intercom and being let in by the wait staff, there was certainly a sense of occasion and expectation on arrival. Led down a stylishly dimly lit corridor, I was a bit let down when all that build up led into quite a bland looking dining space with some decidedly 1980’s looking back lighting. But still, for me, it’s all about the food so a bit of décor letdown wasn’t going to get in the way of a fabulous food experience.

The ten course degustation menu began with an interesting twist on sushi – beautiful fresh fish, with the rice component being a savoury rice meringue that dissolved in your mouth. The textures worked really well and quirky twist on the traditional sushi.

A deconstructed molecular version of Nasi Lemak, the classic rice dish was a real surprise – and one of my favourite dishes of the night, with aromatic pandan and coconut teamed with a gorgeous steamed fish base and toasty topping that was just delicious.

Deconstructed Nasi Lemak

The following dish of langoustine, watermelon and tomato jelly was fresh and pleasant, although not outstanding, and from here I’m afraid that the meal pretty much stayed at this level. The sea urchin and abalone dish failed to wow us (although to be fair to Iggy’s, the week before I had eaten Tetsuya’s sublime sea urchin dish at Waku Ghin and comparisons were going to be inevitable) A pork belly, sweet pea and fig course was enjoyable, although I have eaten far better pork belly dishes and the conger eel with yuzu and spring vegetables was crispy and pleasant – but again, there was no wow moment. Throughout the savoury dishes, which included lamb and black truffle courses, I felt there was something lacking that I just couldn’t put my finger on. The produce was top notch, the presentation was nice enough, but there was just no excitement there for me. Technically well done, but with absolutely no heart. It kind of just left me cold.

With the arrival of the dessert courses however, things really picked up. Not being a big dessert person (I am almost always happy to forgo dessert for some good cheese!) I loved the dessert of peach, yoghurt and elderflower – the peach component in particular was so fragrant and beautiful. But surprisingly, the dish of the night went to the final dessert of bitter araguani chocolate, banana, hazelnut and espresso. Texturally it was brilliant – combining chewiness and crunch, creaminess and crispness. Great flavours, a texture surprise and looking just beautiful on the plate. If only every dish had succeeded like this one.

Araguani Chocolate, Banana, Hazelnut and Espresso

It would be wrong to suggest that the Iggy’s experience was bad. There is so much about it that works in theory, the wait staff is friendly and professional, the produce is of excellent quality and what arrives on the plate is nice enough, but the experience fell way short of expectations, and to be honest I can’t imagine that I would be returning. Does it deserve its rating as number 26 in the world? Look, this stuff is all totally subjective, but for me it doesn’t come close to being in that league. Reading some other accounts of this restaurant, I'm left wondering if maybe they were off their game the evening I dined there, or if I'm just missing something here. I’m also a bit confused about Iggy’s reputation as a culinary innovator. I saw very few examples of innovation in the ten course menu – for the most part I felt that it was treading pretty familiar ground, and not hugely successfully, given the restaurant's reputation for excellence and the big price tag.


Iggy’s
The Hilton Hotel – 581 Orchard Road, Singapore
For reservations phone: +65 6732 2234
$275.00 per person (Singapore dollars, food only)

Review - Waku Ghin

Hi everyone - well, we have returned from what was an amazing trip to Singapore and Sabah in Borneo. Must say that going from 95% humidity and tropical weather to an especially cold and wet Sydney winter is taking some getting used to. Hard to believe that only a day ago I was swanning around in my leopard print swimsuit drinking Sake cocktails by the pool at the Mandarin Oriental in Singapore - now I'm wearing a hoodie, tracky-daks and fluffy socks and drinking a mug of hot chocolate.  Not quite as glamorous I can assure you! One of the reasons we decided to stop over in Singapore on the way to and from Borneo was to experience two restaurants that I have been dying to get to - Tetsuyas's Singapore restaurant, Waku Ghin - and the Singapore culinary icon, Iggy's. Both have stellar reputations, and both have been named in the influencial San Pellegrino list of Top 50 Resturants in the World for 2012. Reservations secured and airline tickets confirmed, we flew to Singapore to experience these restaurants for ourselves. In a few days I will post my review of Iggy's - but today it's all about Waku Ghin.

Having dined a few times now at Tetsuya's in Sydney, I have to say I had huge expectations about Waku Ghin. I call going to Tetsuya's "going to food church" - such is the verging on spiritual quality of the experience for me. Here you have a chef who not only puts his obsession with premium produce, taste, texture and respect for the raw product on the plate - but also precision, artistry and a whole lot of love on it too. Although this is a top of the line fine dining experience, it is devoid of an ounce of stuffiness or pretention.  Walk into Tetsuya's and you feel warm and welcomed - and there is a vibe that you know you are about to experience something special.

Waku Ghin (Japanese for "silver knives") is located in the massive Singapore Marina Bay Sands Hotel complex. Finding the very discreet resturant takes a while as you cross various lobbies and networks of lifts and walkways- if you are going be sure to allow time to get orientated! We were ushered to the bar on arrival and enjoyed what were easily the best cocktails we have ever tasted, sitting up at the counter. The design fit out of the restaurant will knock your socks off - lots of wood and stone, beautiful fabrics and textures - and clean and modern without being cold. As we sipped our cocktails anticipating the menu to come, I nearly fell off my bar stool as Tetsuya Wakuda himself, wearing chef's whites walked across the room heading toward us. Now understand that there are a handful of chefs that inspire me and this guy is right up there - so what followed was a giddy fangirl moment for me as Tetsuya personally welcomed us. He was warm and humble and slightly shy. I was starstruck. Thankfully I managed not to embarrass myself in front of one of my culinary idols (although my heart was beating at 1000 miles an hour and I couldn't wipe the big dumb smile off my face!) Look, I know as adults we are supposed to be uber cool and aloof in such situations but it was such a buzz to meet someone I admire so much. I was totally thrilled about it and I'm owning it!

The Bar/Lounge Area @ Waku Ghin

The restaurant seats a maximum of 25 diners per sitting (there are two sittings each night) and is divided into a number of intimate rooms designed to seat a small number of diners around a central preparation area. We booked for the late sitting and shared our dining room with two other guests. The majority of the food is cooked and plated in front of you. It was an absolute joy to watch the dishes come together before your eyes. The skill, precision and attention to detail of the chef was the best kind of intimate theatre. The degustation menu comprised of  10 courses, with the savoury courses eaten in our private dining room, and the sweet dishes savoured in a second, more open dining room with a stunning view of the lights of the Singapore waterfront. I liked the idea of different venues for the different components of the meal - different atmospheres, different taste experiences.

Chef shows us some of the seafood we are about to enjoy.

The abalone and lobsters were still alive - fresh huh?

I managed to document almost all of the dishes, however I did miss a couple due to getting a bit over enthusiastic and devouring the dish before the photo opportunity moment! So, what did we eat? We started with Tataki of Bonito (one of my very favourite fish, so we were starting well) served with soy caramel - smoky and sweet that was a gorgeous contrast to the beautiful, fresh raw fish that tasted of the sea.

Next was Waku Ghin's signature dish - Marinated Botan Shrimp with Sea Urchin and Oscietra Caviar. My first experience of raw sea urchin (have only ever eaten a dried version before) Firstly, it looked stunning on the plate - amazing colours and textures. The taste completely overwhelmed me in the best possible way. Salty and sweet, a silky luscious texture and those little black pearls of caviar popping and exploding in your mouth. The flavours were pure and clean - yet completely sensual and decadent. One of the best dishes I've ever eaten in my life. I will dream about this one.

Marinated Botan Shrimp

with Sea Urchin and Oscietra Caviar

The next dish, Pan Fried Fillet of Ayu (a Japanese species of fresh water fish) with Daikon Radish and Fennel was delicate and beautifully cooked. I had never eaten Ayu before, and the flesh was succulent and super moist, with a very light crisp coating from the pan frying. The combination of the daikon radish and the fennel got me thinking about how I could pair these ingredients at home. Think I will be trying that combo again in my own kitchen very soon.

Pan Fried Fillet of Ayu

with Daikon and Fennel

The central ingredient of the next course came from somewhere very close to home - abalone from Tasmania. Our chef explained that the abalone is shipped live a few times a week for the restaurant, so that is absolutely fresh when it arrives on our plate. The seared abalone is served with a delicious tomato broth and al dente fregola. Savoury and delicious.

Tasmanian Abalone

with Fregola and Tomato

The next dish was gorgeous sweet Canadian lobster claws, braised in a rich tarragon sauce. The lobster flesh was particularly sweet, and the flavours were robust and rich. You would expect such a bold sauce to drown out the flavour of the lobster, but it didn't at all - just acted as a great foil for the sweet lobster flesh.

Braised Canadian Lobster with Tarragon Sauce

The next course saw us move from seafood, to food from the land - Pan Seared Squab Pigeon Breast, served with duck liver, sauteed mushrooms and risotto. I am a big fan of game, so I particulary loved this dish. The squab was cooked perfectly and the rich flavours of the duck liver and the dark mushrooms made for an almost smoky, dense and earthy combination. Just beautiful.

 Pan Seared Squab Pigeon Breast

with duck liver, sauteed mushrooms and risotto

The next course was all about beef - Japanese Ohmi Wagyu Roll with Wasabi and Citrus Soy. Thin slices of beautifully marbled Wagyu were rolled and seared very quicky, then sliced and presented with freshly grated wasabi (grated on a traditional sharkskin grater by our chef), garlic chips and super finely sliced spring onions. Young, mild ginger and citrus soy made a lovely dipping sauce that still allowed the amazing flavour of the Wagyu to come through - buttery, beefy, delicious.

Japanese Ohmi Wagyu Roll

with Wasabi and Citrus Soy

I wish I could have access to the following dish every day - one of those simple, comforting, pure tastes that make you feel like all is well with the world - Consomme with Rice and Snapper. The consomme was so clear and pure tasting, the rice slightly chewy the way it should be, a perfectly sliced piece of snapper cooked by the heat of the consomme. So simple and a pleasure to the very last spoonful.

Consomme with Rice and Snapper

Following the consomme dish, it was time to move to another dining room - a more open and public feeling space, overlooking the sparkling lights of the Singapore waterfront - to enjoy our dessert courses. On the way though, we were given the chance to take a detour via the kitchen, where we not only got to see behind the scenes at Waku Ghin - but also got to meet and chat to Tetsuya once again. I was really interested in an electric charcoal brazier that he was using in the kitchen and we discussed the use of different kinds of charcoal and the effect this has on flavour. Fan girl moment number two. Talking cooking with Tets. Wild.

Unfortunately there is no photo of the next course - Cold Soup of Dates with Tonka Bean Ice Cream and Orange. Fragrant and swoon worthly - and already dispatched before the camera made it out. It was gorgeous, I swear :)

It had been my birthday the day before we visited Waku Ghin, and when Tetsuya asked earlier in the night if we had visited the Sydney restaurant before, we had told him that it had become a bit of a tradition to visit his restaurant for my birthday every year and that it was a special place for us. We were preparing for the next dessert course when this arrived - a culinary birthday card from Tetsuya, just for me. Chalk that up to fangirl moment number three!

Happy Birthday from Tetsuya

Salted Caramel, Ganache and Silver Leaf

The final dessert course arrived -  a Sable of Pistachio, with Pistachio Icecream, Raspberry and Chantilly. Two of my favourite ingredients on one plate - pistachio and raspberry, and a match made in heaven. There were various textures of pistachio - the crisp sable, then a sticky/crunchy pistachio praline, a velvety rich icecream and a smooth pistachio emulsion. Add to that the tang and sweetness of the raspberries - in fresh and gel form - and you have a dessert to die for.

Sable of Pistachio & Pistachio Icecream,

with Raspberry and Chantilly

Despite having very high (and possibly completely unrealistic) expectations, Waku Ghin delivered in every way. Like Tetsuya's namesake in Sydney, it is a complete dining experience - so much pleasure in every dish, in the simple beauy of the presentaton, the choice of flatwear and decor and of course, the sublime artisty of the food. Waku Ghin is however, an experience of it's own. It is no carbon copy of the Sydney restaurant - the menu is entirely different, and it has it's own unique atmosphere. The opportunity to watch many of the dishes being created in front of you is very special, and one that I will remember. The whole experience was heightened for me of course, by getting to meet one of my culinary idols, such a talented and humble man who brings such love to what he does. It shows in his dishes, in his restaurant and in his staff - who are just exceptional. Waku Ghin truly deserves it's reputation as one of the great restaurants of the world.

Waku Ghin

Executive Chef: Tetsuya Wakuda

Casino Level 2

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

For Reservations :  +65 6688 8507

Dinner Daily : Two Sittings - 6pm & 8.30pm

Cost: $480pp (Singapore Dollars) food only

******