Category Archives: Neil’s Restaurant Stories

There’s yum cha…and then there is yum cha.

 At Spice Temple Melbourne, we are taking it to a whole new level – the country’s best ingredients, cooked with love, passion and a good old fashioned dose of flair. As always, the focus is on the produce – from David Blackmore’s wagyu to Tasmania’s Cape Grim grass fed beef, Wangara Game ducks and Fremantle octopus to the stunning Otway Farm pork.

The menu has been painstakingly created by Neil Perry and Spice Temple Head Chef Ben Pollard – a labour of love indeed, featuring items such as Nanjing salt water duck 南京盐水鸭, White cut chicken steamed bun with salted chilli and pickles 素鸡包, Braised lamb shoulder “pot sticker”  羊肩锅贴 , Steamed pork ribs and black olives on rice rolls  米粉蒸排骨, White Jade rolls with crab sauce  蟹酱白玉卷, Chicken feet with black beans and chilli 香辣凤爪,  Crispy roast pork  香酥猪肉 and 8 Treasure rice pudding  宝饭…and of course a  great selection of teas such as Jasmine Pearls  茉莉珍珠茶 and Dragon Well Lungchin 龙井茶

Word from a few already-satisfied customers…sounds like they’ll be back!

 Absolutely fantastic Yum Cha today @Neil Perry’s Spice Temple at Crown. First day of their Yum Cha Menu and can’t recommend it highly enough. The food is magnificent and not in anyway your ordinary yum cha ….not expensive either…. and what a treat (am a huge fan) to be seated two tables from the great man himself. Treat yourself it’s well worth it!!

Hi Neil. Had the pleasure of being your first covers at Yum Cha @Spice Temple today. Thanks for taking a minute to say hi. The food was brilliant. I love the idea and experience of yum cha esp but so often the food is same old, same old. I guess a lot of the dumplings etc are purchased in bulk frozen. The lightness and balance of your dishes really made them sing. Prices are pretty reasonable too so I cant recommend it highly enough.

 Daily – from 12 midday till 3pm

We look forward to seing you over a dumpling or 2!

Spice Temple Melbourne

Crown Complex, Southbank, Victoria

Phone +61 3 8679 1888

January invariably sees Neil in New York for Qantas cooking duties – Gday USA, a few VIP events and so forth. This year, he took along group Executive Pastry Chef Catherine Adams and Rockpool Bar & Grill Executive Chef Khan Danis (you know them from such popular blogs as “Italy”…one of last year’s best and most stomach rumbling reads that had us all running for the pasta machine, gelato shop and nonna’s slow braises! Here…Catherine shares with us the morning 4 of them decided it was a good idea to eat cake for breakfast! 7 slices between 4 of them no less!!! A warning comes attached to this blog. You WILL need sugar on reading…

Breakfast at Lady M, by Catherine Adams

 

Cake and cream happen to be probably my all-time fav, haven’t quite determined whether it is the cake or the cream I like best, so I was pretty happy with Lady M, loved the austerity of it, loved that nothing was sugary sweet, especially loved that they know how to bake pastry properly, the puff in the banana cream pie was delicious and cooked! If this was within 100 km of where I lived  it would probably be my second home

 Staring at the brekky spread above, on the left front we have banana cream pie. Behind that is crepe cake,vanilla. The table on the right, across the back starting at the left is strawberry shortcake, then chestnut crepe cake, then an éclair. In the front is an apple and vanilla mousse tart and next to that a caramel mirroir. Oh…And 3 cups of mint tea.

 

Banana Cream Pie - a puff pastry tart case filled with cream , banana, and a layer of sponge, topped with pieces of puff pastry. The pastry was amazing, flakey and delicious…

 

Crepe Cake – 20 crepes layered with their special cream filling, keep at just the right temperature so they crepes don’t go cold and hard. perfect balance between filling and crepe…

 

Strawberry Shortcake – three layers of tender light sponge layered with fresh strawberries and cream, simple and delicious.

 Chestnut Crepe Cake – 20 crepes layered with chestnut filling, again yum yum. 

Éclair – dipped in tempered chocolate this éclair had a nice crisp crunch and with my favourite filling of plain cream keeps it from being too rich and heavy. 

Apple and Vanilla Tart – roasted apple topped with a light vanilla mousse and finished with a caramelised glaze. 

Caramel Mirroir - a cakey, fudgy chocolate base with a deeply flavoured caramel mousse on top and finished with a caramel glaze, great balance between the chocolate and the caramel without one dominating the other.

Lady M, 41 East 78th Street

 Catherine

Lei Garden

Lei Garden is another restaurant that has been around for many years, serving classic Cantonese food. From humble beginnings they have now expanded to more than 20 restaurants across Asia, with several here in Hong Kong. Besides the delicious food, Lei Garden’s biggest claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of XO sauce back in 1981. We stopped in for some yum cha.

Menu – thankfully with English!

Fresh bamboo shoots with soy sauce – simple, sweet and tasty.

These were really good – flakey pie pastry filled with barbecue pork (I know, pork again..!)

Turnip cakes.

Gelatinous chicken feet with black beans – very succulent. If you’ve never tried chicken feet, I would urge you to give these a go next time you are at yum cha.

Beancurd skins with pork, prawn and some vegetables.

 

Rice noodle rolls with sesame paste and soy. Great texture.

The perfect lunch.

Manor Seafood Restaurant

Last stop on our gastronomic tour was to Manor Seafood Restaurant – but here it’s not all about seafood.

And now you see why! How good does the crispy skin look on that suckling pig? They cut the crackling into squares for you, and then..

They serve you these great little steamed bread circles, which you then..

Top with the crackling, add some shallots, a pinch of sugar and some hoisin sauce. But it gets better – the remaining pig gets whisked away back to the kitchen where the chefs chop it up, then it returns so you can eat all the remaining meat off the bones.

A really great crab and vermicelli noodle dish cooked in the clay pot – it had a nice pepper hit to it.

Crab close-up.

Chicken stir-fried with dark soy and pepper.

This was really good – baby abalone cooked with celery, shallots and spices. I loved the textures.

Pork hock braised with Chinese five spice until the meat falls off the bone and the skin turns soft and gelatinous.

And some deluxe fried rice to finish off our meal.

The end of another great meal, and the last one for our HK trip.

Chong Fat Chiu Chow Restaurant

After venturing out of the great Four Seasons Hong Kong, first place on my wish list was Chong Fat. Fuchsia Dunlop, who has more knowledge about Chinese cuisine than anyone else I know gave Sam and I this tip, so we had high hopes. And they weren’t let down. Chong Fat is a very, very local-type restaurant – there’s not much English on the menu, so for us there was a lot of pointing! But the food was really delicious.

Succulent fried prawns – eaten shell and all.

Really nice sole with ginger and shallot – a classic.

Stir fried garlic chives – really tasty, but not too sure what the carrot was doing in there!

Steamed local crabs.

Tiny little kitchen. They did some vegetable curries take away as well, but we’d definitely had our fill by then.

On our way out they had just taken delivery of some bay bugs, which they took out onto the street and washed off before putting them in their tanks. You don’t see this back in Aus!

Dynasty

Next stop was Dynasty, the Michelin Starred restaurant in the Renaissance Hotel.

I know I said that the char siu in the Four Seasons was the best, but upon reflection I think they may be tied with Dynasty. Soo delicious.

Black fungi and gluten – sounds weird, but a textural masterpiece.

Salt and pepper silken tofu - so good forgot to take a photo of it before we tucked in.

Stir fried razor clams with XO sauce and sugar snaps – tasted as good as it sounds.

Crispy skin chicken – how perfectly golden is it?!

Quite the spread, and it was all delicious.

Yung Kee

Next stop, the one Michelin starred Yung Kee. Yung Kee has been trading for 60 years (albeit in three different locations), and has built up a reputation for its roast goose.

And here it is, mixed with a bit of char siu pork (starting to think that I have a thing for char siu). A very tasty bird indeed.

Steamed pork bun and dumpling.

These were really yummy. Rice noodles with chilli and sesame, I just love the texture of the noodles and the chilli kick was great. Making me drool as I write this.

This was a kind of dan dan noodles, also really tasty. Love the chilli oil floating on top.

In the next post, more yum cha and some amazing suckling pig… stay tuned.

Neil Perry

It’s a tough job, but someone had to do it. Neil Perry nominates the 10 best dishes of 2011.

Meat Fruit at Dinner By Heston Blumenthal
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park,
66 Knightsbridge, London, UK.
+44 2 07201 3833.
dinnerbyheston.com
Heston likes to have a bit of fun. So the parfait is encased in mandarin jelly in the shape of a mandarin, and we were asked not to eat the real stem and leaves – they wouldn’t have been as tasty as the rest. A magical, delicious starter.

Maccaronara with Ragu alla Napoletana at A16
2355 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, USA.
+1 415 771 2216.
a16sf.com
Simple, with a perfect balance of taste and texture. The springy, handmade pasta has a wonderful bite, the tomato sauce is enlivened by the complexity of pancetta and pork. Salty cheese provides the perfect finish. Heaven.

Oysters and Pearls at Per Se
Level 4, 10 Columbus Circle, New York, USA.
+1 212 823 9335.
perseny.com
Everything is incredible, from the service and wine list to the view over Central Park. And, the supreme cooking. Oysters are poached in a butter vermouth sauce and textured with tapioca before a great big dollop of caviar is spooned on top. An all-time favourite.

Wagyu Beef Sukiyaki at Azuma
Level 1 Chifley Plaza, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney, NSW.
+61 2 9222 9960.
azuma.com.au
The wagyu beef is so melt-in-the-mouth it could be eaten raw, but it’s lightly cooked in a broth seasoned with soy and mirin, then dipped in a beaten raw egg. Vegetables and noodles are added and the last of the stock can be drunk like soup.

Fillet of Sole Daumont at Next
953 West Fulton Market, Chicago, USA.
+1 312 226 0858.
nextrestaurant.com 
The menu of historically accurate cuisine changes every three months. I was there for its Escoffier-inspired Paris 1906 period and it was a knockout. The fish, rolled in a crayfish mousse, is served with various stuffed crayfish garnishes and a gratinated crayfish sauce.

Veal Sweetbreads at Noma
93 Strandgade, Copenhagen, Denmark.
+45 3296 3297.
noma.dk
Cooked to perfection and served with peas and gathered herbs. The sweetbread texture is nothing short of melting; perfect balance to the dressing’s deep herbaceous flavour.

Tranche of Turbot at The River Café
Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, London, UK.
+44 20 7386 4200.
rivercafe.co.uk
I order this every time I visit. Wood-fire roasted to perfection, the fish is succulent and gelatinous on the bone.

Pork Jowl with Liquorice Root at The Ledbury
127 Ledbury Road, London, UK.
+44 20 7792 9090.
www.theledbury.com
A fabulous tasting menu, and then the pork jowl came out stabbed with liquorice root and cooked until the flesh was melting and the skin crisp and shattering.

Mud Crab with Ginger and Egg Noodles at Flower Drum
17 Market Lane, Melbourne, Victoria.
+61 3 9662 3655.
flower-drum.com
One of the great Cantonese restaurants and it’s in Melbourne – how lucky are we? The breast meat is mixed in with the noodles while one of the claws is left whole to perch in all its glory on the side of the plate. The sauce is simple – ginger, spring onion, master stock – and the noodles freshly made.

Vacherin of Pandan Custard, Coconut Parfait, Jasmine Sorbet and Lime Granita at Rockpool
107 George Street, The Rocks, Sydney, NSW.
+61 2 9252 1888.
rockpool.com
My favourite dessert of last year, offering a complexity of flavours and textures. It also looks good – all those clean lines and light shades. It tastes like a very grown-up and wickedly delicious Pine Lime Splice.

Source Qantas The Australian Way January 2012

As another year wraps up and we’re all saying ‘I can’t believe this year has gone so quickly’, we thought we would give you a quick recap of the best bits from our blog… 

January 

Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth Opens

The year kicked off with the opening of our newest restaurant, Bar & Grill Perth at Burswood. Who would have known back then that RB&G Perth would be awarded 17.5/20, 2 Chef’s hats, Restaurant of the Year and Winelist of the Year in the WA Good Food Awards 8 months down the track… well, if you ask Neil he will probably tell you that he thought it was a lock.

February

Rockpool Floodlight Dinner

Straight off the bat for February was our Floodlight Dinner to raise money for the devastating Queensland floods. A combined effort between Phil and The Four in Hand’s Colin Fassnidge, it was a truly great evening.

Rose Bay Flood Relief Dinner

Later on in February was the epic Rose Bay Flood Relief Dinner – 5 restaurants set up along the Rose Bay promenade to serve 1000 guests. Over $850,000 was raised for the QLD flood victims – an amazing effort. And really – could you ever ask for a better table than that?

March

The Ultimate Dinner

It doesn’t get much better than this – Neil Perry, Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck), Thomas Keller (The French Laundry), Andoni Aduriz (Mugaritz), Guillaume Brahimi (Bennelong), Phil Wood (Rockpool) and Catherine Adams (Rockpool) cooking you dinner. Well, maybe if they’re raising money for charity as well… This year’s Ultimate Dinner was the best yet, with over $280,000 raised for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

April

Ultimate Food!

 

Armed with our professional photos, we took an in-depth look at the Ultimate Dinner – the Chefs, the action, and most importantly the food… 

May

Noma, Copenhagen

Whilst we were nose to the grindstone here at Rockpool, Neil was off on his Northern Hemishpere holiday. He kindly sent us photos of all the nice places he was eating at, just to remind us that he was indeed “working” whilst away… Noma, in particular, looked amazing. Probably why they’re rated the best restaurant in the world..

Rockpool 1989 – 2011

We love nostalgia here at Rockpool. That’s quite lucky, because we’ve got plenty of it! When we came across some old photos, we didn’t hesitate at putting together a little photographic journey into the past.. I still can’t believe that this is the upstairs dining room Rockpool!

Burger Wars!

Organised by Time Out Sydney Magazine, Burger Wars pitted 6 of Sydney’s best burgers against one another… Pickle, or no pickle? Sesame seed bun, or no sesame seed bun? Whose burger would reign supreme, and which Chef would be crowned the burger master???

Saturday Afternoon at the Borough Markets

 
 

On what appeared to be the best summer’s day in London history (what? Blue sky?), Neil spent the afternoon casually wandering the amazing borough markets.. By all accounts, this is one of the best markets in the world. And after seeing this, we believe it.

The River Cafe, London

Neil’s gastronomic tour of London continued with a trip to the iconic River Cafe. This food made us all drool over our keyboards..

June

The Best Feedback Letter… Ever!

Yeah, so no photo for this one, but I guarantee that you will not read a better feedback letter in your lifetime! If only they were all like this…

Making Butter by Hand - Rockpool Sydney

Butter. It comes from the dairy section at your supermarket, right? Ever wondered how hard it would be  to make it yourself? Read on….

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

 

 

Neil popped in to Heston’s newest restaurant in London, where he’s been turning long-forgotten recipes into modern day classics. Love the Meat Fruit c.1500.

Buvette, West Village, New York

Across the Atlantic and on to NY, Buvette is one of the cutest restaurants we’ve seen – and the food looks pretty damn good as well! Neil was given the tip by US Chef magastar Mario Batali, who joined he and Sam for lunch.

Making Bread by Hand – Rockpool Sydney

When the kids down at Rockpool decided that they would start making their own sourdough in-house, we had to get down there and blog it. Making bread is a true labour of love… If you’ve ever wanted to know the effort that goes into making your own sourdough, take a look right here.

July

Eataly, New York

After returning from his holiday research trip, Neil handed over the rest of his snaps which included his trip to Eataly – 20,000 square feet of Italian gastronomic goodness in the heart of NY. The photos don’t do it justice – the place is huuuge.

The Sorrentine Peninsula, Italy

As if we weren’t feeling a bit left out of the whole “eating our way around the globe” thing yet, B&G Head Chef and Pastry Chef Khan and Catherine sent us snaps of their Italian holiday. The first edition sees them travelling through the Sorrentine Peninsula, a place of incredible beauty and delicious food… 

Naples, Italy

 

Part 2 of Khan and Catherine’s journey was up the coast to Naples, and then on to the outskirts of Rome to the Osteria di San Cesario, and the kitchen of the legendary Anna Dente.

Rome, Italy

 

The final installment of Khan and Catherine’s journey, where it’s all about pizza and gelato. If that’s not heaven then I don’t want to go!

August

Rockpool Menu Circa 1996

 

Remember I told you we love nostalgia? When we found an old menu in the attic at Rockpool it brought a tear to our eyes, and not just from all the dust we also uncovered in the process. Stacked with Rockpool classics, the prices are practically bargain basement for a 3 hat restaurant nowadays..

Rockpool’s City 2 Surf Wrap Up

Ah, yes, Team Rockpool’s finest hour – well, actually only a couple of us managed to crack the hour mark, but we all tried our hardest and in the process raised a whopping $206,262.00 for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. Apart from raising money for our favourite cause, it was a pretty fun day after we got to the finish line. Bring on 2012!

Rockpool Truffle Dinner Teaser

 

 

So when Neil and Phil decided to go all out and serve more truffles that we’ve ever seen to just 15 lucky diners, we pulled out our iPhones and got snapping. With the pro photos ‘being developed’, we gave you a little tease… who was that masked chef?

September

Rockpool Sydney Winter Truffle Dinner

  

With pro photos in hand, we could really delve into what was without a doubt the most extravagant dinner we’ve ever seen. 1.5kg of Tasmanian truffles for just 15 lucky diners… the smell in the kitchen was intoxicating!

Truffle Hunting in the Southern Highlands

You’re probably think that chef’s are obsessed with truffles, right? Correct! Whilst some of us were punishing ourselves by running to Bondi (all in the name of charity), some lucky staff from B&G Sydney took a trip to the Southern Highlands for a spot of truffle hunting..

Spice Temple Melbourne Hunan Dinner

The first of the Spice Temple Melbourne Regional dinners was the Hunan dinner – and it was a great success. Rather than the usual spectrum of cuisines at ST, Neil focused in on the Hunan Provence – think spicy hot, home-style cuisine without the Sichuan numbing.

October

Spice Temple Melbourne Imperial Dinner

 

Spicy T’s second regional dinner was the Imperial Dinner – dishes from between 221 BC and 1911 AD. With colourful names such as ‘Playful Dragon and Phoenix’, ‘The Most Delicious Dish under Heaven’  and ‘First Ranking Official Pork’, the question we had was would these dishes stand the test of time?

November

Victor Churchill, Woollahra

  

  

We took a look at one of our favourite shops of all time – Victor Churchill, where meat is taken to a whole new level. Vegetarians be warned – clicking through may turn you back into an omnivore..

per se, New York

Another stop on Neil’s culinary tour was at per se, one of the worlds greatest restaurants. These guys are at the pointy end of fine dining, and the food looks incredible.

Next, Chicago

 

 

The final post about Neil’s 2011 trip was from Next, the new restaurant by Grant Achatz of Alinea fame. What these guys to is pretty unique – they choose a theme (at the time Neil visited it was ‘Paris 1906′, an homage to Auguste Escoffier), cook the same menu for 3 months (they refer to it as a ‘season’), and then go back to the drawing board and come up with a brand new theme. We loved their Next Opening video… oh, and you buy a ticket as if you were going to the theatre – so if you don’t turn up, you miss out and pay in full…

December

Rockpool Pop-Up Lunch – “Cafe 1989″

 

Rockpool swung its doors open for lunch for the first time in almost 3 years with a $75 3-course menu inspired by the food of Chez Panisse. Prawns, suckling pig, cherries.. can’t go wrong!

Eating out in Hong Kong pt1 

Part 1 of Neil’s Hong Kong blog was all about yum cha and Chinese barbecue – two of our favourite subjects. Throw in a five star hotel and we’re hooked!

~~~

All this plus recipes galore, Qantas stories, awards, Neil barbecuing a Kiwi in the name of national pride, photo shoots, more travel stories, random videos, a new book, a few give-aways, a master class or two… it’s been a big year for the Rockpool blog! Looking forward to 2012, bigger and better, and we’ve got some veeery big news to break just around the corner.. Stay tuned!!

A few weeks ago I managed to slip away to Hong Kong for a few days, call it part holiday/part research. With some great inside tips from a few friends, we had some of the most incredible meals. We were staying at the Four Seasons, which has now become one of my top 3 hotels to stay at. Read on and you’ll find out why…

A little treat waiting for us when we got to our room.

And a few more teats!

This was a fantastic Bircher muesli - and I’m a Bircher muesli freak! Travelling around the world, I’ve eaten some pretty ordinary Bircher mueslis, many loaded with too much dried fruit. This was made with quick oats and super finely grated peeled apples, so the texture was a bit finer than I’m used to. Really, a better start to the day you could not ask for.

The kitchen at the Michelin 3 star restaurant Caprice in the Four Seasons. What a beautiful setup. Caprice serves classical French cuisine, so not really what we went to HK for.

Nothing like a shiny kitchen to get a chef excited.

We did eat Lung King Heen, the other Michelin 3 star restaurant in the Four Seasons (the 4S HK is the only hotel in the world to contain two 3 star restaurants). These first few shots are from our dinner there, above is a beautiful dumpling soup we had.

Super crispy roast suckling pig and char siu pork – both delicious.

This was pretty yummy – double boiled chicken broth, with a thick layer of chicken fat on top – this might sound weird, but it enriched the soup and gave it more flavour.

This was an interesting dish, black cod with a sort of sweet/sour sauce, really reminiscent of the miso-marinated cod a Nobu.

The next day we went back to Lung King Heen for yum cha. I was immediately impressed just by their steamer baskets – the sturdiest I’ve ever seen, really well woven together. We’re going to try to get some shipped here to use at Spice Temple.

This was great – a beaten out piece of lettuce, stuffed with lobster mousse and a piece of steamed lobster on top.

A couple of my favourites here – on the left was a squid dumpling with squid mousse and chopped squid, the texture was both crunchy and soft. On the right at the front is everyone’s favourite – xiao long bao, the pork and soup dumplings.

Especially love the handles so you don’t accidently spill the soup out on the way up!

Yum! Their version of a pork bun – but with bun pastry on the bottom, and flaky pie pastry on top. Taking it to a whole new level! 

Besides being a marvel to look at, these pork and vegetable dumplings were delicious!

Some of the best fried rice I’ve eaten anywhere in the world. I guess you would expect that from a 3 star!

We also managed to get a look behind the scenes in the BBQ kitchen a the Four Seasons.

The suckling pigs in this shot have been dipped in the maltose marinade, and await the bbq pit. 

The bbq pit where they cook the pigs, shame they weren’t cooking them at the time I was in the kitchen.

Ducks that have been coated in the maltose marinade and are about to go into the giant ovens.

And here they are – beautiful roast duck. The large silver things in the background are the duck ovens – they have a large burner in the base that generate a great amount of heat, and you hang the ducks on a rail just on the inside before closing the lid to cook them.

Chef proudly shows us some char siu pork that has just come out of the oven – he gave me a piece to try and this was seriously the best char siu I’ve ever had. It was like I had died and gone to heaven.

And all this happened just within the hotel we were staying in! In the next post I’ll show you where we ate around Hong Kong.

Chicago is serious town indeed. It is serious about a lot if things – baseball, basketball and gridiron are like a religion in this town. But it is also a very serious food town. I find it so beautiful, the amazing blend of early 20^th century sky scrapers and the most modern buildings all winding round the river and the great lake.  Its physical beauty is second only to the wonderful diversity of great eating one can do in this town.

It is also home of what might be a new type of restaurant to sweep the globe. Welcome to Grant Achatz’s newest restaurant – Next. Grant is the owner and chef of the famous Alinea restaurant which is one of only two Michelin 3 star restaurants in Chicago. To say that his new restaurant is different is an understatement.

It is in both its philosophy and execution a new breed of modern eating house. For one, you don’t make a reservation at Next; you instead buy a ticket online, as you would for the theatre or a concert. It started with a bang and so much so that the second ‘season’ of Next sold out over the internet in 90 minutes. What do I mean by ‘season’? Every 3 months the restaurant moves from one cuisine to the next – firstly it was French, then went to Thai, and now their serving ’Childhood Memories’… How amazing is that?! It’s popularity is partly due to Grant’s incredible stature in America and Europe, and also very much due to how good this restaurant is. What I love about it is the charge for food, drinks and the tip is all rolled into one. There are no hidden extras, and most importantly from a restaurateur’s point of view, there are no no-shows.

It’s an incredible challenge for the chefs and the service staff, but how beautifully they pull it off. Sam and I ate there in May when the theme was ‘Paris 1906’ – an homage to August Escoffier, and it was a standout. The food and wine-matching were simply as good as it gets. And the service – the service is a tribute to all involved and their love of Grant’s philosophy. You are served by people who are proud of their restaurant and love what they do. If you do manage to get a ticket to Next, you will have the most wonderful well-crafted food, and the experience I promise you will be worth the trip abroad. It will be amazing.

 

Has Grant created the restaurant concept for the future? Will people buy a ticket and pay for it upfront? I’m not sure… the only thing that I do know is that Grant has created a wonderful oasis for food, drink and enjoyment and I can’t wait to get back! Here is a run-through of the dinner we ate there…

Hors d’Oeuvres

Cheese Gougères

The most amazing selection you have seen:

Oefs Benedictine - a truffle crème with really light salt cod brandade underneath
Smoked salmon mousse in pate brisee
Rabbit boudin blanc with strawberry jam
Foie Gras in brioche – really delicious with a fruit chutney
Pork rillettes
Anchovy with soft boiled quail egg
Leek and mushroom duxelle that was so flavoursome with the mushrooms

Potage à la Tortue Claire
907

A really nice, simple turtle consommé with vegetables, served with a Vin Jaune from the Jura.

Domaine De Montbourgeau l’Etoile Cuvee Spécialé’ Jura 2003 

Fillet de Sole Daumont
1950

This was a nice dish – sole fillet, a crayfish head filled with crayfish mousse, crumbed crayfish roe, a stuffed turned mushroom and a delicious crayfish sauce. I loved the technique involved, the different textures and how beautifully the dish came together.

Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine Clos du Four 2006

Suprêmes de Poussin
3130

Really lovely chicken breast cooked sous-vide, covered with a foie gras galze. On the side is a chicken mousse, encased in cucumber then wrapped in salt pork. The chicken had a great texture to it, very delicate and perfectly cooked.  

Domaine Leon Barral Faugères 2009

Carré d’agneau
3476

Rack of lamb, lamb sweetbreads and lamb rillette served with crispy onion rings, a rich lamb jus and sauce Choron – not often seen nowadays but still great.

Michel & Stephanie Ogier, ‘La Rocine’ Syrah, Rhone 2005

Caneton Rouennais à la Presse
3476

This dish was as much about the theatre as it was the finished product. The duck is roasted, then carved and the bones are transferred to a large press. All of the flavoursome juices are pressed out of the bones, then they are added to a reduction of cognac, red wine and jus and reduced further to make an amazingly flavoursome sacue. True classical cooking.

The reduction is started on the stovetop…

The meat is carved, then the carcass is cut up with scissors and transferred to the press.

The resulting juices from the duck bones, which is then added to the reduction. Pure flavour.

Gratin de Pommes de Terre à la Dauphinoise
4200

Classic dish.

Domaine Brusset Gigondas Les Hauts de Montmirail 2005 

Salad Irma
3839 

A nice, light way to finish the savoury courses, with asparagus tips, radish and nasturtium flower.

Sorbet Sauternes

This was an incredible palate cleanser. De Bortoli Noble One is frozen in liquid nitrogen (about the only way you could ever freeze it) at the table and scooped into a beautiful antique coupe. It was so cold that it felt like it was going to burn my tongue, but instantly melted away into delicious ice-cold dessert wine.

Bombe Ceylan
4826

Coffee & vanilla ice cream on a chocolate cookie base, all encased in a chocolate shell and dusted with cocoa, served with some rum soaked cherries. Perfection.

Dow’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port

Mignardises

A really elegant way to finish the meal, with salted caramels, nougat and almond stacks…

Sam and I – can’t wait to go back!

 

Thomas Keller is in my opinion one of the greatest chefs on the planet. I’m sure it is his sense of generosity and drive that allows him to run so many amazing restaurants. His ability to build a team, share with them his philosophy and watch it rub off onto them is wonderful.

It is also his amazing attention to detail that drives his greatest restaurants – The French laundry and Per Se. They share much more than just the famous Blue Door and it is his overriding push for perfection that make it all go round.

On my last trip to New York I was lucky enough to dine at Per Se. It is such a wonderful restaurant and this is something you feel as soon as you walk through the door. The service and attention to every aspect of the dining room is truly amazing.

I have said it more than once to as many people who will listen. I think the service there is the best in the world, with all the professionalism of Europe and the approachability of the States. The perfect combination.

Sam and I were so lucky to sit there and watch the sun going down on Central Park as we ate a procession of wonderful dishes and great wine served by the most delightful front of house you would want to meet anywhere.

The key to Thomas’s food is amazing produce, grown, fished and gathered by people who understand his philosophy and try to deliver the best they can each day. Then the great craft of cooking kicks in, and add brilliant service and you have one of the world’s finest restaurants.

I love this place so much, here is a photographic rundown of the marvellous diner we had.

The door replicates the entrance to The French Laundry, Thomas’s 3-starred restaurant in Yountville, California

Filtered water by Fresh

The wine list on an iPad… The wine list app was designed by Apple themselves, so you can imagine how user friendly it is. Thomas really thinks of everything.

Butter salted and unsalted, by his small producer in Vermont

Six different types of salts

 

The famous salmon tatare cone

Gougeres

Soy Bean “Panna Cotta”
Yuzu Granité

Carrot “Velouté”
Hadly Orchards’ Medjool Dates and Madras Curry

“Oysters and Pearls”
“Sabayon” of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and Tsar Imperial Osetra Caviar

Grilled Spanish Octopus
“Piperade”, Picholine Olives and Parsley Shoots

“Deviled Egg”
Tsar Imperial Osetra Caviar, Cucumber Gelée and Old Bay “Mousse”

 “Torchon” of Êlevages Perigord Moulard Duck Foie Gras
Slow Roasted Ruby Beets, Brooks Cherries and Belgian Endive served with Toasted Brioche

Broiled Japanese Aji
Koshihikari Rice, Kanzuri, Broccoli and Pickled Ginger

Morel Mushroom Tart
Horseradish Crème Fraîche and Watercress

Australian Abalone “Poêle”
per se Falafel, Roasted Eggplant Puree and Cilantro

Heirloom Asparagus
Smoked Ham, Young Onions and French Pickle Sauce

Fillet of Atlantic Halibut
Vallarta Bean “Soffrito”, Haricots Verts, Garlic Confit, Arugula and Armando Manni Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Butter Poached Nova Scotia Lobster
Mango Relish, Preserved Green Tomatoes, Pickled Ramps and Cilantro Puree

Four Story Hill Farm’s Poularde
“Paella” Rice, English Peas, Moroccan Olives and Crispy Porchetta

100 Day Dry Aged American Wagyu
Spinach Gratin and “Escargots à la Bourgogne”

“Champagne and Roses”
Cream Cheese “Panna Cotta”, Pink Champagne Granité, Strawberries and Rose Sorbet

“Blueberry Short-Stack”
Macerated Blue Berries, Blis Maple Syrup and Custard Ice Cream

“Chocolate Milk”
Dark Chocolate Torte, Caramelised Milk Jam, Toasted Hazelnuts and Battenkill Farm’s Milk Ice Cream

Calera, Pinot Noir, “Selleck Vineyard”, Mt. Harlan 2006
Domaine Jen-Marc Morey, “Les Ciallerets”, Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru 2008
Trimbach, Riesling, “Cuvée Frédéric Emile”, Alsace 1990

Kongsgaard, Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2008

Chateau Pajzoz, Aszú, 5 Puttonyos, Tokaji, Hungary 1993

White Chocolate Truffles

Platter of Chocolates

Dark Chocolate Truffles

 “Mignardises”

Awesome kitchen, awesome staff, awesome meal.

Neil Perry

In Chicago, a new restaurant turns dining conventions upside-down while playing musical chairs with the tastebuds.

A culinary time machine has sprung up in Chicago and it could well revolutionise the world of fine dining. At the helm is molecular gastronomy whiz Grant Achatz, whose first restaurant, Alinea, was named America’s best in 2006 by Gourmet magazine and is one of only two in the Windy City to enjoy Michelin three-star status. His second venture, Next, is something else again, a radically new kind of eating house in both philosophy and function.

Instead of making a reservation by phone, diners buy a ticket online, much as they would for a concert. The cost includes food, drinks and tip, all rolled into one. From a diner’s point of view, there are no hidden extras, and from the restaurateur’s point of view, no late cancellations or no-shows. Having been open only since April, Next has already proved a huge hit – it sold its second season of tickets in just 90 minutes. This is partly because Achatz has a formidable reputation and partly because Next is very, very good. I say “season” because the restaurant moves from one cuisine to the next. From French to Thai, for example, every three months. 

Not only that, but it also shifts time periods, from past to present to future. So it’s difficult to recommend one dish or another, because the landscape is constantly changing. It’s a huge challenge for the chefs and service staff, but they manage beautifully. When I ate there a couple of months ago the menu was Paris, 1906, and the inspiration was Auguste Escoffier at The Ritz. A plate of hors d’oeuvres included truffled egg custard, an intense mushroom duxelle tart and quail eggs topped with anchovy. A turtle consommé was matched with a glass of 2005 Domaine de Montbourgeau l’Etoile Cuvée Spéciale from the Jura, which had just the right amount of oxidation for the soup. But my favourite dish was a gratin of sole served with stuffed crayfish and washed down with a glass of 2009 Olivier Merlin Mâcon La Roche Vineuse.

Even the palate cleansers were incredible. Achatz’s very modern interpretation of sorbet entailed mixing Noble One Semillon with liquid nitrogen to freeze the alcohol at -212°C. What resulted was a creamy sorbet that almost burnt my tongue upon contact, before melting away to become a glass of very cold dessert wine. It was just one surprise in an evening crammed with memorable moments.

Speaking of memorable, the service is as good as the food and wine. The staff are proud of the restaurant and their enthusiasm is infectious. Add period-authentic interiors and tableware to the equation and you can see why this 62-seat restaurant is unique in bringing food destinations to glorious life. Scarcity of tickets notwithstanding, Next is definitely worth crafting a trip to the US around.

Source: Qantas The Australian Way October 2011