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Back in mid April, Rockpool Consulting was proud to play our part in an immaculate gala dinner. Celebrating the new partnership between Qantas and Emirates, the dinner, MC’d by the incomparable Karl Stefanovic was held in Hangar 96 at Sydney Airport, tables laid beneath the mighty wings of the A380. If you’ve never had dinner beneath the wings of a mighty large plane – trust me – try it some time!

The 1000 guests comprised frequent flyers, dignitaries and friends of both Qantas and Emirates.  Our own Neil Perry and the Rockpool Consulting team designed the globally-inspired menu of course and the food was executed to perfection by Stix Catering – we work with these guys a lot on these big gigs and nobody does it quite like them. Our sincere thanks for a fabulous job.

Tina Arena, Sarah de Bono and actor William McInnes provided the entertainment as well as an incredible aerial performance by Legs on the Wall. Alan Joyce and Neil shared their stories with the crowd while Qantas Ambassadors Miranda Kerr and John Travolta added the celeb factor. Qantas staff models strutted their stuff in a display of the just-launched new uniforms designed by Martin Grant, who also attended on the night.

An amazing dinner – an incredible event – to celebrate an exciting new partnership. We are, at Rockpool, as proud as ever to be a part of this amazing extended Australian family and look forward to many more gala dinners to come!

Canapes from around the world

Tuna nigiri
Goats cheese and tea smoked raisin tartlet
Smoked ocean trout crostini
White cut chicken, strange tasting sauce
Wild mushroom arancini
Corn empanada

Entree
Mezze plate

Main course

Slow cooked Murraylands lamb loin, yam and ginger puree, stir fried cabbage and black bean
Salad of baby cos, radicchio, frisee with palm sugar vinaigrette

Dessert

Tiramisu

Gelato bar
Blood orange sorbet

Pistachio

TimTam

Passionfruit pavlova

Vanilla

Salted caramel
Arabic Petit fours and Baklava

with coffee

Breakfast is one of life’s pleasures, Neil picks his top three Sydney cafes for a morning repast in this months column for Qantas’ Australian Way magazine….

  
When it comes to cafe culture, Australia is in a league of its own. Thanks to our multicultural heritage, abundance of quality fresh produce, love of good coffee and emperate climate, we excel at going out for breakfast or brunch. This month, I’m turning the spotlight on some of Sydney’s choice spots for a morning repast.

Room 10 Espresso in Potts Point (10 Llankelly Place, 0425 810 174), is a hole in the wall where proprietors Dan Blackman and Andrew Hardjasudarma work the coffee machine (and the bench they call a kitchen) with panache. There’s not much room to make complicated dishes, so the quality of the ingredients is crucial. They deliver. The menu is mostly open or closed sandwiches, which are superb. Customers can also order breakfast rice or organic muesli, but really it’s all about toasted sarnies – my favourite is soy and linseed toast with mashed avocado and a couple of boiled eggs (extras include ricotta, prosciutto and fresh tomato). Add fresh juice and delicious coffee, and you’re good to go.

Heading south to Redfern, Kepos Street Kitchen (96 Kepos Street, 02 9319 3919) has a Middle Eastern flavour thanks to owner and head chef Michael Rantissi’s Israeli heritage. I can’t go past “Dad’s favourite brekky”, which features felafel, hummus, labneh, hard-boiled eggs and a dukkah-sprinkled tomato salad with bread. Trust me, it tastes as good as it sounds – the felafels are among the best I’ve ever had. Yes, you can order something more traditional – toast, granola – but why would you when a shakshuka of baked eggs with tomato is on the menu? Scrumptious stuff. And if you’re feeling decadent, there’s always the churros with salted caramel. Waistline be damned.

Moving a little farther south to Rosebery, another fun breakfast is to be had at Kitchen By Mike (1/85 Dunning Avenue, Rosebery, 02 9045 0910). Mike McEnearney is one of my ex-soldiers and he has assembled a first-rate crew. The cafeteria-style venue is located in the Koskela design store and the catchcry is “sustainable and organic”. McEnearney makes all the bread and pizza in the woodfired oven and even churns his own butter. The coffee is great and fresh juice is available. Go to the counter and choose from fruit and nut loaf, bircher or toasted muesli, a cracking porridge, toast with all manner of condiments, or a killer eggs benedict. It’s unbeatable for a quick business breakfast or lazy weekend treat.

Go Phil! Our very own Boy Wonder, Phil Wood, is fronting up to the Sydney Seafood School at Sydney Fish Market to teach a class on June 17. So if flavour and technical perfection are your aim, we suggest you pop on down and join in. This will be a class not to be missed.

I’d tell you a little more about Phil, but they pretty much have it all in hand, so I think I’ll just hand it over to the Seafood School…and yes, it’s true…he was just 7 years old when Rockpool opened! Bless!

When Neil Perry opened Rockpool in 1989, ‘modern Australian’ cuisine was in its infancy, and many credit Perry with its inception. Since then he’s opened and closed numerous restaurants, currently running seven across three states. You don’t build that sort of empire without a gift for finding the right people to help.

Today the kitchen of the flagship Rockpool, now called Rockpool on George, is headed by the laid back Phil Wood, who was junior sous chef at Tetsuya’s when he won the Josephine Pignolet Award for best young chef in the 2007 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. This gave him the opportunity to work abroad, spending two years at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry. He returned to Sydney in early 2009 and joined Rockpool as Head Chef. Promoting him to Executive Chef in 2010, Perry described him as “one of the best young chefs this country has to offer”.

A meal at Rockpool (on George) is as exciting today as it was in the early days. Stepping through the heavy, heritage-green doors of this discreet sandstone building still has a touch of the special about it. Inside, precisely set double-clothed tables with the signature Bill McMahon-designed chairs and Alessi peppermills testify that good design doesn’t date. The long, light room looks smart but comfortable with forest and earth tones, plush studded banquettes and a dramatic honeycomb lighting installation.

Perry was one of the first champions of premium Australian produce, especially seafood, and Wood adheres to the same mantra. Chirashi zushi of kingfish, snapper, prawn, squid, and scallop is a vibrant combination of flavours and textures – spanking fresh seafood, vinegared sushi rice mixed with black sesame seeds, a creamy, briny, spicy (kimchi), tangy (finger lime) taste sensation. Blue swimmer crab and corn congee with almond tofu, star anise-scented peanuts, fried bread and chilli oil is a similar roller coaster of flavours, textures and aromas. This is food that makes you sit up and take notice … just as Perry’s cooking first did back in 1989!

With Phil Wood (who was just 7 when Rockpool opened) in the kitchen, this iconic Sydney restaurant is set to wow a whole new generation of diners and keep those who’ve long loved it on their toes.

Monday 17 June 2013 | Phil Wood – Rockpool on George
6.30pm – 9.30pm Class Code: PWO $120.00

When Rockpool opened in 1989 ‘modern Australian’ cuisine was in its infancy – and many acknowledge this iconic restaurant as its birthplace. Phil Wood (ex-Tetsuya’s and Josephine Pignolet award winner) has been Rockpool Head Chef since 2009. At this hands-on dinner class you’ll master some of the techniques and flavour combinations that make Rockpool as revolutionary now as it was 20 years ago.

Wine girl extraordinaire, Sophie Otton, recently visited the South Coast of NSW where she paid a visit to the amazing Bay Rock Oysters, a favourite of ours here at Rockpool.  Here is Sophie’s rundown on the trip and a fascintaing insight into Bay Rock (and sea horses)…take it away Sophie…

BAY ROCK OYSTERS – CLYDE RIVER, BATEMAN’S BAY

Bay Rock Oysters is owned by Audrey Thor who supplies us with our superb Clyde River oysters.

Prior to establishing Bay Rock Oysters, Audrey’s first attempt at aqua culture was raising sea horses. Her motivation was the high demand from the Chinese who use dried sea horses in their medicine, fetching $9,000 per kilo! She soon found out the seahorse is notoriously difficult to breed. Interestingly this is because they mate for life and if one partner dies the other becomes prone to annorexia and stops feeding. Eventually she gave up on this idea and decided to switch to oyster farming. That was 20 years ago and today she cultivates five million oysters in her river beds at any one time.

Sydney  Rock Oysters are indigenous to the South Coast of NSW. They are called ‘Sydney Rock’ because they used to be harvested from the rocks around Sydney Harbour. Their shells would be ground and used as an ingredient in lime wash for housing by the early settlers.

The Clyde River is part of the Bateman’s Bay Marine Park. Currently the water is so clean the oysters don’t have a lot of nutrients to feed on. As a conseqence, they take longer to mature in size and struggle to put on weight. The lack of nutrient is due to many years of preceeding drought which means less vegetation and debris flows into the river system. The more debris, the more nutrition in the water, the faster they gain weight.
Rule of thumb: Don’t judge an oyster by its size, it is smell and taste that are more important. The average age of the harvested Clyde River oyster is three years. They are graded depending from A – AA – AAA from smallest to largest. The largest size, however, is the five year old oyster grown specifically for the Rockpool group. Interestingly, however, whilst the shell is bigger, the oyster is not. The key difference is in the flavour which is richer and more intense with age.

Other Oyster traits:

Clyde River oysters can live out of water for up three weeks and remain in perfect condition.

Clyde Rivers can withstand high water temperatures, without damage, even if they are close to the suface.

Clyde River oysters filter five litres of water per hour whilst the bigger Pacifics filter well over twice as much.

Pacific oysters have a very short shelf life and begin to deteriorate once they leave the water.

Pacific Oysters mature in 18 months (as opposed to three years for Clyde River) and are in high demand from the Asian market because of their bigger size.

They Clyde River oysters need protecting from the hardy Pacific oysters which dominate on the South Australian and Tasmanian coasts.

And how do the tastes compare? The Clyde Rivers are explosive! Intense, tangy, salty with long flinty mineral flavours. Amazing….The Pacifics tend to be more creamy and fleshy in texture, less briny and have less mineral than the Clyde Rivers.

Times are a’changing within the Rockpool family. In recent months and in fact, years, a few of our treasured long term staff have moved on – some take a break from the industry, others take up fresh challenges and a handful take the leap and launch into their own businesses. That, as they say, is life in the fast lane. The moving on of integral and often executive staff does, however, pave the way for the next generation to step up. The unsung heroes of the kitchen – the sous chefs – some of the hardest working individuals in any restaurant. We are proud to have some unashamedly great talent handling the kitchen reins at the seven restaurants within the Rockpool Group – and thought it was time we introduced them to you properly. In part one of our introductions, we bring you Phil, Ben and Dan.

Phil Wood
Head Chef, Rockpool on George

Described by Neil Perry as one of Australia’s best chefs, Phil Wood, 31, is Head Chef of Rockpool Group mother ship, Rockpool on George.  Heading a team of 15+ chefs at this multi-award winning institution, Phil has learnt his craft working in the kitchens of Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry and Tetsuya’s.  In 2007, his skills earned him the celebrated Josephine Pignolet Award, which acknowledges the talent of young chefs and aims to inspire them to greater heights.  A star in the making, Phil’s creativity, leadership and unwavering dedication to quality has made him one of the country’s most exciting chefs and one to watch.  Phil oversaw the return to Rockpool on George’s hatted glory when the restaurant received 3 hats in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide last year, after a long absence.

Culinary heroes?   Thomas Keller, Neil Perry and Tetsuya Wakuda

Best meal ever eaten?   Urasawa, Los Angeles

What inspires you?   All the chefs I work with

What produce are you working with currently that rocks your boat?   Hand dived sea urchin and local abalone

What dish on your menu is your current favourite?   Cuttlefish with Gaian poultry duck prosciutto, ink, crispy chicken skin, carrot leather and furikake

An amazing place you’ve been recently that blew your mind?   Clovelly Beach, Sydney – the best place to swim

What are you looking forward to?   Holidays…

Ben Pollard
Head Chef, Spice Temple Melbourne

32 year old Ben Pollard has been a talented fixture in the kitchens of many Rockpool restaurants since his career commenced in 1997. He started cooking in his hometown of Byron Bay, working for two years with ex-Rockpool Chef Tippy Heng before heading to Rockpool himself where he spent three years as an apprentice. Overseas travel lured Ben to a private resort in the Caribbean where he worked as a Sous Chef for two years with a handful of other ex-Rockpool staff, before moving to NYC to work as a private chef for a year, eventually returning to Sydney and Rockpool on George as Sous Chef.  When Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne opened its doors in late 2006, Ben was appointed Sous Chef, a position he held for the past four years.  Ben jumped kitchens in 2010 to become Spice Temple Melbourne’s inaugural Head Chef.

Culinary heroes?   Thomas Keller, Neil Perry, Fuschia Dunlop, David Thompson

Best meal ever eaten?   Pier was great back in the day, some great desserts by Katrina Kanetani. WD50 in NYC was a big eye opener, awesome

What inspires you?   Beautiful fresh produce, the great stories behind dishes and passionate apprentices!

What produce are you working with currently that rocks your boat?   Organic red jalapenos, fresh bamboo shoots, young ginger

What dish on your menu is your current favourite?   Stir fried prawns with salted duck egg and four chillies brined, dried, fermented and pickled. I love the chillies – they all have such a unique flavour

An amazing place you’ve been recently that blew your mind?   I absolutely love going up to the hills near Lake Eildon, North of Melbourne on my bike…the air is so fresh in the morning up there and seeing the regrowth from the fires from a few years ago is incredible. There are some great little places for lunch too, serving local produce and also some great farmers markets happening

What are you looking forward to?   Weekends with my little boys

Dan Masters
Head Chef, Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth

32 year old Dan Masters started his career in food at the young age of 15, commencing an apprenticeship in Forster on the mid-North coast of NSW. He joined Rockpool’s Bistro Mars in 1998 under the guidance of Neil and after two years left to finish his apprenticeship at Sydney’s Banc.  These were Dan’s formative years where his love of food was consolidated and he made the decision to forge a career in cooking and restaurants. Overseas travel lured Dan to many corners of the globe including the Caribbean, Singapore and London where he spent a year working at the famous Le Gavroche. In 2008, Dan spent 12 months in the kitchen of Thomas Keller’s legendary Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry before returning to Sydney to take up the position of Senior Sous Chef at Rockpool on George. Six months prior to the opening of Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth, Dan moved to sister restaurant, Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney to start training for his role as Head Chef. Dan shares the same food philosophy as Neil Perry in which excellent produce is cooked simply.  He is also passionate about sustainability and hopes the trend to respect and nurture our food supplies continues. Dan is addicted to golf.

Who are your culinary heroes?   Thomas Keller, Neil Perry, Yoshihiro Murata

Best meal ever eaten?   Urusawa, Los Angeles

What inspires you?   Like-minded professionals, beautiful produce and cutting fish

What produce are you working with currently that rocks your boat?   Genoa figs from down south, Yellow Neck clams from Mark Eather, soooooooooooooo sweet

What dish on your menu is your current favourite?   Pulled Jarrahdene pork pie with chipotle sauce

An amazing place you’ve been recently that blew your mind? – Urasawa again

What are you looking forward to?   My daughter gracing this world. (Dan’s first child is due in July)

Still to come…Andy Evans, Corey Costelloe, Brendan Sheldrick and Will Cowan-Lunn…

We are happy to announce a couple of new and exclusive upcoming events…

LUNCH WITH MR FOOTBALL, EDDIE MCGUIRE

ROCKPOOL BAR & GRILL PERTH

Monday May 6, Midday till 3pm

Want to get the inside goss on the life of Eddie McGuire?

Then join The Sunday Times and Crown Perth for lunch with Mr AFL at Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth. We will be serving a sensational 3 course lunch complemented by wines from Cape Mentelle, as Eddie shares the secrets to his success.

Tickets are$195 per person and limited, so please book now to avoid disappointment.

To book, call Rockpool Bar & Grill on 6252 1900 or email reservations@rockpoolperth.com

A GOURMET WEEKEND ON LIZARD ISLAND WITH NEIL PERRY, WOLF BLASS AND QANTAS EpiQure

It doesn’t get much more fabulous than this.  A Rosetta-inspired menu by Neil – cooked by Neil – with Q&A by Neil, a tasting of rare Wolf Blass wines and a few days in one of Australia’s most exotic locations – the incomparable Lizard Island!

This will be a food and wine weekend like no other, and not to be missed. A collaboration with Qantas EpiQure, it will take place over the weekend May 24 to 26.  Neil is joined by Wolfgang Blass himself along with Wolf Blass wine maker Chris Hatcher – one of Australia’s most respected.

You can expect intimate Q&As with these 3 industry experts, wine masterclasses, and of course outstanding food, wine and accommodation, not to mention all those added benefits of existing in tropical luxury – azure waters, spa treatments, snorkelling, sunsets and more.

Each guest attending this exclusive weekend also will receive a take-home memento – a limited release gift boxed bottle of Wolf Blass Platinum Label Medlands Estate Barossa Valley Shiraz 2009, signed by Wolfgang Blass Chris Hatcher, and a signed copy of Neil’s book, Easy Weekends.

Book now through Lizard Island http://www.lizardisland.com.au/gourmet-weekend.aspx

We first did this one in Sydney last year. It succeeded, massively. The punters were as happy as punters get and it put a spicy smile on our faces to see our customers get such a kick out of great food delivered with a hint of nostalgia and humour.

Last night, at Spice Temple Melbourne, the team delivered again. Ben Pollard and his talented crew pushed the 80’s boundaries with one customer commenting…” I don’t remember prawn toast being filled with so much fresh prawn and the chicken and sweet corn was the best I have ever tasted”. That’ll do!

Staff were clad in silk, carnations adorned the tables and lanterns were at their ambient best. A highlight of the previous dinner – the rocking 80’s soundtrack specially prepared by the wonderful Anton Monsted was a huge hit.

The lucky diners dined thus…

DINNER BANQUET SPECIAL

 虾片…………….…Prawn Crackers

春卷………………..…….Spring Rolls

炸虾托………………….Prawn Toast

蟹蓉玉米汤…….Crab & Corn Soup

生菜包……………….San Choi Bao

柠檬鸡…………….Lemon Chicken

富贵炒饭………..Deluxe Fried Rice

咕咾肉………….Sweet & Sour Pork

蒙古羊肉……….. Mongolian Lamb

油炸冰淇淋 Deep Fried Ice Cream

There were rumours of guests fighting at the end for the caramel and chocolate sauces in which to smother their deep-fried ice cream.  Fortune cookies rounded it all off perfectly, with some very special messages….

That wasn’t chicken.

Stop procrastinating – start tomorrow!

Ask not what your fortune cookie can do for you, but what you can do for your fortune cookie.

About time I got out of that cookie!

Today may or may not be better than yesterday

Please don’t eat me!!!

Marriage allows you to annoy one special person for the rest of your life.

Just what IS dry ageing? We’ve all heard the term, many of us have eaten the beef, know that the flavour is intense, incredible. Let’s talk the benefits. And how?

Perhaps we should start with how beef is aged when it is not dry aged, to give us some perspective on the topic. Wet ageing (or cryovacing) works simply to preserve the meat – hold it safe for a certain length of time, but that’s where it stops. Dry ageing, on the other hand, not only preserves the beef but allows it to improve in flavour during the process.

Dry-ageing beef is the process of drying and dehydrating beef in a controlled environment. During the process, the flavour improves. A controlled environment means a constant 0C temperature, humidity at 85%, a fierce air flow and UV lighting. These are the perfect conditions for creating perfect dry-aged beef. In the first 14-20 days enzymes that naturally occur in the beef break down the protein and fat strands, making them smaller – this assists tenderness. They also give off gas as a by-product – this improves the flavour. At this point the enzymes work is done; the beef sits quietly and dehydrates…this part of the process is vital as this is the concentration of flavours and creation of great taste. It also makes the meat denser, thus giving it a wonderful richness and intensity.

It all started for us at Rockpool when we opened our first restaurant in Melbourne, Rockpool Bar & Grill. We were committed to the meat program, the dry ageing room was in, we took delivery of our first stock. We aged our first beef to 28 days. That seemed right. And it was delicious! Following that though, through the sheer logistics of managing stock we suddenly found ourselves with some beef aged to 35 days.

Neil recognised that they had created a superior flavour – greater intensity. In Neil’s words, it was “a better eat”. With 35 days dry-ageing nailed, soon we got to 50 days, then 80…and eventually we got to 120 days.

We still age many of our steaks to 120 days now, years later – and with 3 Rockpool Bar & Grill restaurants operating across the country – each beef ageing room (Melbourne, Sydney and Perth) holding $150,000 of dry-ageing meat at any time.

What do we consider the optimum? Between 50 and 70 days. This is beef at its optimum – the flavour is complex and the juiciness perfect. Which is not to say 28 day dry aged beef is not fabulous or 120 days too much – each to their own as they say and our regular customers certainly have their favourites.

We only use premium cuts of beef in the restaurants – those suited to a fast cooking method, such as grilling. Dry-ageing does not really suit secondary cuts – the slow cooking methods render the meat too dry – best cuts are those such as sirloin and rib eye and preferably on the bone. We prefer not to cook the steaks beyond medium rare and we don’t rest them too long. The less juice in a dry aged steak means we need to break the rules a little…

Neil’s favourite when it comes to dry-aged steak? Rib eye on the bone, anchovy butter…and a side of mac and cheese

AGED BEEF RIBS BARBECUED WITH ANCHOVY BUTTER

Serves 4

4 x 260 g aged beef ribs

Sea salt

Extra virgin olive oil

4 slices or spoonfuls of anchovy butter

Freshly ground pepper

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator 2 hours before cooking and season with sea salt.  Preheat the barbecue to hot and make sure the grill bars are clean. Drizzle the steaks with a little extra virgin olive oil and shake off any excess. Put the steaks on the grill at a 45 degree angle to the grill bars. When halfway through cooking that side, turn the steaks 45 degrees in the opposite direction. When done, turn them over and cook the other side. Put the steaks on a plate, cover with foil and keep them near the barbecue in a warm spot to rest. You can use a meat thermometer to test for doneness if you like but the residual heat does have quite an impact when cooking small cuts of meat at a high heat, so the other theory and one used by chefs is the touch test. A rare steak will be soft to the touch and will spring back when pressed. As it cooks, the steak will become firmer and firmer to touch. If you see the juices come to the surface as red droplets, your steak will be medium rare, probably heading to medium after resting, and if the juices are pink to clear you have a well done steak.

Place one steak on each of four plates. Pour the juices that collected on the resting plate over the steaks and add a spoonful of the anchovy butter. Add a grind of fresh pepper and serve immediately.

Anchovy butter

8 large anchovy fillets

Sea salt

1 lemon, juiced

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

Freshly ground pepper

To prepare the butter, place the anchovies and a little salt in a mortar and pound with a pestle until they start to break up. Add the lemon juice and butter then plenty of ground pepper. Mix completely. Put to the side until ready to plate the steaks.

“MAC AND CHEESE”

400g dried macaroni

Extra virgin olive oil

3 rashers smoky bacon, diced

500ml pure cream

125g Cheddar cheese

250g Gruyere cheese

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

80g fresh breadcrumbs

100g grated parmesan cheese

Cook the macaroni in a saucepan with plenty of boiling water until al dente.  Drain and refresh in iced water, then drain again. Heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook until golden.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Add the cream to the same pan, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove the cream from the heat and gradually mix through the cheeses until they are melted. Combine the crushed garlic, paprika and Dijon mustard to form a paste. Stir the paste through the cream and cheese. Season and add the macaroni and bacon.

Place the macaroni mixture into four bowls or one large gratin dish. Sprinkle the parmesan over the macaroni, then the breadcrumbs.  Grill until golden.

You know us at Rockpool. We are all about the produce and the provenance. We believe in a happy and healthy life for the animals, organic where possible and just general good will all round. Neil has always championed the philosophy “The cornerstone of good cooking is to source the finest produce.” And so we do…

We’ve had a love affair with Feather and Bone for a while now. We dig the way they do things. The way they do their research and the way they care about us, about the animals, about the small producer and the earth. And they point us in the right direction a lot of the time, supplying us with lots of good stuff! 

So, just who are Feather and Bone? They are Grant and Laura, and in their own words…

“We believe there’s a fundamental link between the way an animal is raised and the way it tastes on your plate. Where you find passionate, intelligent farmers who put the welfare of their land and animals first you will almost certainly find exceptional produce…Our business is built around the desire to ‘open up the line of sight’ between the farm and the consumer so that every decision all of us make is as informed and considered as possible.”

You don’t have to work in a restaurant to get the goodness from these guys – they do the markets and they do delivery to your home if you wish. We propose you go in and take a look for yourself. Their site is chockers full of great information – you’ll never look back! And sign up for their weekly newsletter while you are at it. I wait for mine to land every Monday – a balanced mix of product info, exploration of current industry issues and a solid dose of side-splitting humour. Enjoy.

YUM CHA BEGINS

 Neil Perry and the team from Spice Temple Melbourne will launch a brand new yum cha menu on Wednesday 8 February 2012.
 
Regarded by Perry to be one of the city’s best quality and freshest yum cha offerings, the menu will feature a selection of over 40 dishes and the who’s who of high quality suppliers.
 
“Everything on the menu will be sourced from our line up of reputable suppliers and made in our kitchens – from the delicious ‘sriracha’ style chilli sauce and the paper thin cheong fun (rice noodle rolls) to the variety of classic dumplings such as har gow and wu gok. 
 
“We will also be using the wood fire grill upstairs at Rockpool Bar & Grill to make our delicious BBQ pork buns and the char siu pork for our cold cut plate,” says Perry.
 
Spice Temple Melbourne will also offer a selection of other larger style dishes using outstanding produce such as Spencer Gulf prawns, tripe from Greenhams in Tasmania, export quality chickens’ feet, mussels from Kinkawooka in SA and octopus hands from Fremantle in WA.
 
Some of Perry’s signature yum cha dishes on the menu will include:
Har gow
King prawn and bamboo fresh rice noodle
White jade rolls with crab meat sauce
Lamb and salted chilli pot stickers
Pork curry puffs
Crispy pork, pickles and salted chilli sliders
‘World’s best’ egg tart
 
“We consider Spice Temple to be one of the best examples of modern regional Chinese cooking in Australia and we’re excited to be presenting this new yum cha menu, which will demonstrate the skill and diversity of our chefs and give our customers more reasons to return,” he says.
 
Yum cha will be served daily from 12 noon – 3pm Monday to Sunday.
 
For bookings or further details contact Spice Temple Melbourne on (03) 8679 1888.