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editor’s note
So October is gone and it has been another huge month starting with the Champagne Bureau’s annual South Australian dinner at Windy Point Restaurant. I’ve been cooking for 34 years and can count on one hand the dinners I have walked away from not thinking “why didn’t I do this or that…or this could have been better…or why did I stuff that up?” But, I was very happy with the Champagne matches done in conjunction with Champagne experts James Smith, Kaaren Palmer (Galaxy Guides Chamagne editor) and chef and lecturer Darryl Thompson. This dinner would never have been possible without the very generous sponsorship of the Champagne houses listed on the menu or the fact that Windy Point Restaurant owners Justin Miles and Daniel Sparr took this dinner on knowing there would not be a cent of profit, accepting that doing the dinner was, one, putting Champagne dinners in South Australia back on the map, two, a great learnign experience for their front of house staff who are less experienced in wine dinner service and three, an opportunity for their kitchen team to make and present dishes not normally on their menu.
The dinner was not without moments of complete stress, none more so than when Kangaroo Island scallop and sea urchin diver Paul Polacco rang to say it was too rough to get out. Paul did came good at the ninth hour but it was a reminder of taking the risk to write a menu totally depndant on the weather. A lot of thought did go into having to tell the diners there were no scallops or sea urchins but, luckily it did not come to pass. To see the menu and matched wines please CLICK HERE
There has been much eating out in Adelaide in October. We’ve been to the recently opened Press in Waymouth Street, back to Vincenzo’s Cucina Vera and had two really fabulous lunches at both Celsius and Magill Estate Restaurant and another good simple lunch at the River Café down on the Torrens. I have to have a small (possibly large) bitch because I just don’t get modern desserts. In fact I think Ferran Adria has a bloody lot to answer for. Too sweet, too boring, too mashed up (broken ?? What the f…k is that…)! In 1991 I was lucky enough to eat at the Three Michelin London restaurant Tante Claire under the baton of Pierre Koffmann. His desserts were so amazing, so unforgettable I have been looking for anything that comes close since! But… I just do not get “broken”, a pile of dirt (well that’s what it looks like) on a plate and Jesus flowers were made fashionable by Alice Waters (Ches Panisse) in the late 70s! Yes, everything old is inevitably new again! I certainly don’t in any way get the gluey neopolitan popsicle with supermarket hundreds and thousands and chocolate dipping sauce at Vincenzo’s! Give me a break this is the type of stuff we make for kids birthday parties! What I don’t understand is why broken is just limited to dessert and entrées and mains are artfully plated…I mean why wouln’t you chuck them in the Thermomix, puree it and give the diner a straw! Oops…I forgot we did that in the late 70s but gave them a spoon!
sauchin 2012 a South Australian food, wine and toruism promotion in Shanghai is currently a work in progress to be laucnhed in January 2012. For the first time we will be conducting a wine industry funded estage scholarship competition for a young Shanghainese sommelier, front of house manager or chef to come to South Australia for a month for work experience. sauchin has been supporting these estages since 2005 and we are now opening this to the wider community in the hope that regions may see the sense of doing a region estage and sharing the love. Friendship and respect have always been part of business and we see this education process as one of the most important aspect for the future of South Australian wine and food in China…CLICK HERE to read about past estages and CLICK HERE to read about sauchin 2011.
Whilst is has been very tempting to take funding from other states sauchin continues to be a South Australian only promotion.
sauchin 2012 will be comprised of four major events
- the announcement of the 2012 sauchin estage winner
- a long table dinner in a very prestigious venue with a young South Australian chef heading the team and featuring prestigious South Australian wines
- a week of series of food and wine matching and education for private wine clubs and collectors in Shanghai
- a less formal week featuring South Australian food and wine in a restaurant very supportive of South Australian wine
All of course reinforcing the pleasures of wine and food tourism in South Australia and the possibilities for education at the formal and indsutry level. To have regular updates about sauchin 2012 please join out mailing list by
CLICKING HERE
As a reader of just about anything it is stunning to think that the ABC is considering devoting the Radio national book show to fiction and in their response to my email had the gall to suggest that non fiction could be covered via other programs…“The brief for the proposed new program will focus on fiction, memoirs, literary criticism and publishing news. Non-fiction content is covered comprehensively on a range of programs across the network such as Late Night Live, Life Matters, Breakfast and Saturday Extra. Additionally, we are also proposing to enhance our Book Readings to bring listeners more contemporary releases to listen to and the draft schedule now places the Book Reading in the morning (separate to the new program.”
To see the thread of this story please use the following links Ramona Koval in the Sydney Morning Herald CLICK HERE…and Christos Tsiolkas: a slap to the ABC for killing The Book Show CLICK HERE and to have your say to the ABC by CLICKING HERE
Champagne editor Kaaren Palmer is currently in Champagne doing intensive tastings with many houses and somehow in between her hectic schedule is still managing to find time to send back updates CLICK HERE to read more. Kaaren palmer is a very individual creature; the type of woman who takes on a subject and in an incredibly short time becomes an expert…we just love that about our Kaaren. Who else would note that despite the fascination for Champagne there is so little in terms of book references and decided there and then to write a book about Champagne. Not only did kaaren decide to take on the task she immediately hired on of the country’s most eminent editors Clare ?? Many authors fail to understand the necessity of an erudite editor and sadly many publishers no longer find them essential. Even braver kaaren chose to put a chapter of her forthcoming book on line and invite comment from the general public. To read Chapter 4 please CLICK HERE
Often when looking at awardsn EMAL GALAXY GUIDES
We very much appreciate establishments that take the time and trouble to keep their details up to date so if you change your email address, web site, team it is very good for us to be able to keep your entry current.
Lastly thanks to all those people who take the time to write from where ever they might be, to write and share their travels or to send wonderful photos, like those from our friend Mark Doyle who took the wonderful pictures from Barcelona’s famous markets used in this issue. There are many people who help with Galaxy Guides but another I would especially like to mention in this issue is Diana Hetzel who with her avid reading and research is a constant source of new information for Galaxy Guides. Di is a wonderful and generous woman, whom I suspect knows more about food and food history than the sum of the knowledge of all South Australian chefs (including myself) and her generosity is so, very much appreciated for the thought tangents it always provokes!
Ann Oliver
food editor and publisher Galaxy Guides
postcard from Kyoto from Adrian and Mark CLICK HERE to read more about Mizai sounds amazing! 
You can help by sending this to like minded friends and asking them to subscribe. The more traffic we have the better it looks for the future of Galaxy Guides.
what’s hot, who’s hot……
Champagne editor Kaaren Palmer is very hot!!
It’s easy to understand that Kaaren is rushed off her feet. Not only is Kaaren dealing with meetings and tastings in the French language she is hard at work assembling and keeping her notes up to date…yes, anyone who has been on the same journey will know how hard it is!
For just €33 (approximately $44 AUD) you can savour 6 glasses of Champagne (more than a bottle) from different parts of Champagne. I used a spittoon, which confounded them enormously, as most people become quite tipsy.
It's a pleasant way to spend an hour or two. I asked for them to be served side by side, so far so good, so I could have fun with the different aromas and flavours while comparing. But I also asked for less than 100 mls in each glass, so there would be room for aroma development within the bowl of the glass. They couldn't manage that one, though, probably thought that I wanted to pay less as well!
where…Comme is in Epernay. They offer a degustation of 6 village champagnes of either 100 mls or 140 mls per glass. Each week, they change the selection of growers; there are about 4,000 of growers, so plenty to choose from…
CLICK HERE to visit their web site.
Wednesday October 26…Tonight for 12€ about $16AUD, I was served (and enjoyed):
one gougère,
one crispy piece of baguette slathered with fresh salmon, crab and their mayo
A generous plate of 5 different charcuterie, with cornichons etc
Something I love, langue de boeuf, so succulent, so melting mmmm tongue on tongue; really it is a very sensual dish. With fresh beautifully cooked vegetable and one of those just jus sauces which the French are so famous for
4 different local cheeses, all delicious, all at perfect ripeness
Fresh baguette
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little fish…
the differences are obvious! The whitebait has a distinctivesilver stripe on the full length of its body and a definitive black eye liner around the eye. They are also slimmer and flatter than the smelt.
bottom row of images, from the left luscious easy things to do with little fish
- white bait wrapped in pancetta, 4 to 6 minutes in a pre heated 200°C oven; best when they are sitting on a rack, harvest the rendered fat and some sort of delicious mayonnaise to dunk them in…yummo!
- Riga smoked sprats, mayonnaise, boiled egg yolk and white onion, pepper and salt…yummo!
- Our divine new MOLASSES RYE BREAD butter, mayonnaise, smoked sprats, raw white onion, boiled free range egg yolks, salt and pepper…yummo!
- sardines in crunchy coats
CLICK HERE to go to the recipe, and yes …yummo!
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reviewed by David Hay
Thorn Park by the Vines
Comerç,24
08003 Ciutat Vella,
Barcelona
telephone +34 93 319 21 02
email info@comerc24.com
web www.comerc24.com reservations can be made on their web site
open Tuesday to Saturday 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm and 8.30 pm to 11.00 pm
FOOD on our second to last night I decided we had been such good chappies and lived within our somewhat elastic budget and as Barcelona is very cheap by European standards we deserved to try a ‘good’ restaurant. I had a note about Comerç,24 and also a few guide books gave it the thumbs up, but nothing really gave the impression that it had a real WOW factor. So we donned ironed clothes (no mean feat, given that the flat had a Mickey Mouse iron and a Mini Mouse ironing board) and headed for number 24 Comerç Street Barcelona.
We got in for a 10.00 pm table, suited us as that has been our preferred time of dining for some time now (yes me who always does the 9.30 fade…) and turned up to a sort of hip, slightly industrial deep brown/grey interior with STYLE. The place flows around a bar; kitchen which you can see into and then another large room where we were seated at a very nice table with great linen and napery (greeny/grey and heavy weight). We ascertained that they do so a set menu (A la Carte is also a goer), either a 7 or 12 course option, being restrained (yes I can do it) we opted for the seven which really meant we had 16 dishes…! They also do a sort of wine by the glass, silly wine boy thought four would be suitable, himself just looked at him, so we had seven or was it eight, different wines.
“Ok”, I said “just go for it!”… to read the full review please CLICK HERE
Author’s note — Our last night was also an experience, our waiters at the much visited Bar Lobo told us to try Cuines Santa Caterina. Situated in the Mercator (market) Santa Caterina, a city market set in an amazingly contemporary building with an undulating multi coloured tile roof structure. It has the feel of a warehouse (which it sort of is) and offers different products and different cuisine types with different cooking times which more or less means you get your food when it’s cooked. He was in seventh heaven with the slow cooked lamb and potatoes and I loved the Catalan Sausages with baby white beans and foie gras, followed by…,…oh just save us from ourselves!
Well this week in Paris we have Molecular cooking schools, lunch at Jules Verne at the Eiffel tower and to finish, Jan’s birthday dinner at Paris’s 3 star la Cinq Restaurant at Hotel George Fifth, the dinner suits will get their second airing…
Much love from us! In our August 2011 what’s hot David Hay reviewed The Fat Duck CLICK HERE to read this marvellous romp of a review!
to read more recommendations for Barcelona’s famous market CLICK HERE and scroll down. These recommendations kindly given to us by Ferran Adrià when Marian Clarkin interviewed him for Galaxy Guides have been used and enjoyed by many people. Expect some challenges and expect some traditions.
above from top to bottom at the barcelona market…the offal sellers and tomatoes and strawberries, no shifty hydroponics tomatoes there!
…photographer Mark Doyle
fermentAsian…
the delicious cooking of Tuoi Do in combination with the fabulous wine list of Grant Dickson…a tremendous combination. The cooking of Tuoi Do shows a commitment to local producers but most fascinating is that her food, which is really her own, is so wonderfully balanced as to be perfect with wine CLICK HERE to read their full Galaxy Guides review and CLICK HERE to check out their menus and wine list
above left to right, top to bottom…Tinh Phung (mother of Tuoi Do and chef owner Tuoi Do…Nem Ha Noi Hanoi spring rolls with salad of fresh herbs and classic Vietnamese dipping sauce…Tom sao ot Stir fried SA squid with chilli jam and Thai basil …Ca ri vit
Red duck curry with lychees and pineapple |
We are utterly blessed scallops live from nearby Kangaroo Island fished sustainably by local boy Paul Polacco. You can find Paul at the Adelaide Showgrounds Markets where he doesn’t just sell amazing scallops and sea urchins he also shows the general public how to clean and cook them…yes, we wish a few chefs would queue up to learn and buy and stop using that frozen tasteless crap from God only knows where!!!!!
Restaurants wanting to order telephone +61 401 287 109 leave a message and he’ll get back to you and… only a few more weeks for the South Australian scallop season.
to read more up–to–the minute
dining, drinking and cooking news and see forthcoming diary dates come back to Galaxy Guides every week. Content always updated by end of Friday (restaurant end of day) with direct links from the front of the site www.galaxyguides.com to news, new recipes and events or click here
citi zen moves across the road
Well, of course the first question that came to mind was ‘they will upset a lot of people if the don’t still serve green beer on St Patrick’s day!’ Then maliciously since I can’t stand beer I thought beauty gumbai with a green spirit be a perfect replacement.
But, the point is, like it or not, the Brecknock Hotel, as South Australians know it is gone for ever and in its place we have the first big posh Chinese restaurant in Adelaide and all I am hoping is that one day it might have a wine list as fine as Sydney’s Golden Century.
Unable to attend the official opening (always a big event for superstitious Chinese business owners) I ducked in to take a look and have a quick lunch. Service at Citi Zen has always been playful and prompt, mindful of the fact that there was nearly always someone waiting for the table it could even be a little brusque especially on Sundays…but the food always seemed worth it! Having lived through some very disastrous opening experiences I am always sympathetic to everything that can and does go wrong and it is why with very few minor exceptions Galaxy Guides has a three month rule for new establishments and/or change of chef or owners before they are reviewed.
Well my quick lunch (that actually took a very long time) made Faulty Towers look like a well run establishment. Three yum cha items (you know the smallness of the serves) were ordered and came in staggered intervals of 30 minutes, 15 minutes later and another five after that. The ordered Chinese broccoli was in fact spinach and the requested water straight from the tap…a neat trick also used in another new Adelaide restaurant to force you to cough up for water instead of having the pleasure of spending your dosh on wine! Having eaten my way through the streets of Shanghai and been lucky enough to be taken to some of China’s most famous traditional restaurants I appreciate that no restaurant in Australia ever has the luck or money to spend a couple of weeks practicing getting service right before they open. Why might you think am I am bringing the change of venue to your attention? Well, other regulars have been to an evening service and not suffered the same fate and it has to be said that at my visit long term restaurant manager Amy was having a day off. This is a woman who manages a floor with a sidelong look and a blink of an eye so we suggest that regulars should cut them a couple weeks slack until they get used to being double the size!
to read their old review (menu appears to be exactly the same) with updated venue images CLICK HERE |
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galaxy guides events
hot news!
October 30, 2011
CLICK HERE to jump to the index
yes…I’ve given in and Galaxy Guides is now on bloody facebook…please become our friend it’s completely embarassing we only have 15 friends!!!
Ann Oliver, food editor and publisher
what’s hot index!
- we take a look at Adelaide’s two best lunches Celsius and Magill Estate RestaurantREAD MORE
- more from Champagne editor Kaaren Palmer currently in Champagne and doing intensive tastings…READ MORE
- the preliminary notice for Galaxy Guides South Australian food wine and tourism promotion in Shanghai sauchin 2012…CLICK HERE
- postacard from Adrian and Mark from Kyoto…READ MORE
- the South Australian Rocklobster season, restaurants that do and links to fabulous recipes, storage information, green meat extraction and more…READ MORE
- Diana Hetzel, the queen of finding all things culinary alerts us to the fabulous Sydney shop
CHEFS ARMOURYserious seduction for all things Japanese…READ MORE
- in October one of our COOKS’ CLUB cooking classes little fish turned into something quite unexpected. A lesson about the difference between whitebait and smelts (very obvious) and delivered by Laura the Explorer and the money raising team for the Variety bash at Atlanta Oysters. The reserach also led to the discovery of some excellent canned small fish preserved in very decent oil. Unusually the best was not the most expensive. Utterly delicious smoked sprats, yes a few food miles from Latvia for about $4 AUD from OMEGA Foods. To be fair the best are all imported
to read more please CLICK HERE
new recipes
Most weeks depending on our schedule there are new recipes on Galaxy Guides and new or not there are dozens of kitchen tested recipes on Galaxy Guides. We don’t write dumbed down recipes and if the recipe has 40 ingredients that’s what you’ll get! Bread and yeast baking is an obsession of ours and our search for the perfect rye bread is on going. However…we think we are very close. This molasses rye bread is utterly divine! Click on the image to go straight to the recipe.
november what’s hot
- 100 things to give a food wine, champagne and travel obsessed person for Christmas
- Links to great recipes to make your Christmas fab! (Even if you are an aethiest like me!!)
- best Champagne buys to see the new year in!
- all I want for Christmas is…:??
- special subscribers wine buys
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