I just came back from a quick visit to the Margaret River region of Western Australia and Sydney. I was flying solo and managed to get into a few restaurants. Where possible I always choose the dégustation with wine pairing and have a late sitting so I know the table will not be turned - you can tell a lot about a kitchen as you watch the staff break it down.
As an observation Australian food is not as aggressively seasoned as in the US. The Japanese influence is strong so most of the food is delicate and subtle. Sourdough downunder is not very sour and while the crust is good the crumb is dense. Yogurt is off the charts tangy and good. Most places are serving chilled, on demand, house filtered still and sparkling water - something I would love to see more often in the US.
Another observation (Australia is not Robinson Crusoe here) some plates are Instagram ready, win ingredient/technique buzzword bingo, are impeccably cooked, but lack soul. Just because it can be done, it doesn't mean is should be done.
Vasse Felix; Restaurant attached to the winery, lunch only. Very good, the cured Emu tartar was the best dish and fermented black bean powder is something I need to play with.
Miki's Open Kitchen; Just what you expect in a town of 4,000 in south west Australia in one of the world's premium wine areas - a Japanese tempura bar. The 30 seats fill very fast for a reason and the sake pairing is worth it.
Cape Lodge; Food not as insta ready as other places, but flavour off the charts. Whole roasted Jerusalem Artichokes with thyme jus was the best plate I had in Oz. A 1986 Armagnac was the perfect way to finish the meal - even better it was on the house, as it was the birth year of the French waiter who I had long chats to during the evening. The knowledge and professionalism of the young guy was amazing. It’s a pity other countries do not train wait staff as well as the French. A shout out to Chef Michael Elfwing for having the balls to pair non-wine beverages with the dégustation meal, while located on a winery, in an international renowned wine region.
Wills Domain; A great view while eating. The first half of the menu was lacking soul but the second half was very good. Had a very good chat with Ned and the boys in the kitchen and now I need to find a dry
Scheurebe and
SSBs in the US.
Sepia; Happily shank Grandpa and push Grandma under the bus to get a seat. The restaurant has won a bucket load of awards and deserves them. If you can't get there at least buy the cookbook. A
Tesseron flight at midnight seemed like a good way to finish a meal - just make sure you have little on the next day.
Sixpenny; Amazing lunch and just hope the kangaroo consommé with mussels is on the menu. Great concept of a 30 seater with BOH serving most of the food and FOH serving drinks and bussing. Unfortunately it would not survive will in the US, although Chef Michael Carlson pulled something similar off.
LuMi; Italian staff with an Italian menu with Japanese influence - heaven. Tagliatelle with duck, kombu, umeboshi ragu nothing more needs to be said.
Anason; This time all Turkish BOH, a few more at the front and a Brazilian at the bar. Interesting wine list with many imported from Turkey. Since no other distributor could get the wine, the restaurant formed it’s own wine import company. Veal tongue
İskender kebap washed down with a glass of
Narince is a good lunch.
Yellow; 100% vegetarian dinner service with a vegan option. Well worth it and the biggest carnivore will not notice the lack of animal protein.
