Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2010 wrap-up

They came, they saw, they cooked, they ate. There’s something of a pattern developing here, what with the world’s greatest chefs descending on Victoria for one week, a whirl of Aesop-scented, Campari-splashed, laneway-digging, black-clad, pure-Melbourne goodness, and then leaving, kicking themselves that they had known so little about so much that was going on way down under. With so much talent – local and international – and so much going on in the action-packed festival, it’s all a bit of a blur of good eating, cross-cultural pollination and good times, but here are some of the things that stood out for the GT contingent, as they laid waste, like nattily dressed Godzillas, to the city of Melbourne.

1. The Momofuku rage at Cumulus Inc
Judging from the buzz at Cumulus Inc the day David Chang rode in to call the shots, the lucky few who scored tickets to the Momofuku dinner were savouring their good fortune in simply getting a seat. And then the food came out, and from the single piece of “chicharrón”, the crunchy fried pork rind that served as an amuse-bouche, to the bo ssäm, the shredded slow-cooked pork shoulder and freshly opened oysters with lettuce, kimchi purée and ginger-spring onion sauce for rolling, which was the height of the menu’s crescendo – there was no doubting that it was the real deal. With Peter “the food ninja” Serpico, the head chef at Momofuku Ko, banging out dishes alongside Chang and Cumulus’s Andrew McConnell and Josh Murphy, the likes of the Pixies and Tom Waits pumping on the stereo, and the beer and sake flowing, it was the rare guest-chef dinner that nailed the feel of the restaurant as well as the flavour. “A dinner like no other,” as McConnell put it.

2. Washing your mouth out at the Royal Mail Hotel
A solid-gold sold-out event in its own right, The Origin of Things, a celebration of “the spirit of Mugaritz”, also created magic on the plate and off. An immersive experience, it kicked off with drinks and a cellar tour, with sommelier Jeremy Shiell, winemakers Viv Thomson of Best’s and John Thomson of Crawford River busting out aged vinous goodies against a backdrop of towering shelves of Bordeaux and crates of Burgundy. Then came a ramble through the kitchen gardens with young chef/gardener Damien Neylon to examine the towering Jerusalem artichokes, boisterous horseradish and delicate hothouse fenugreek cress. The walk took in some wondrous plantings, and paused for tastings of oil in olive groves, of exquisite quince and fig sweetmeats amid beautifully shaped trees abuzz with honey bees and groaning with fruit. A quick refresher of plum sangría in the shade of the orchard preceded a civilised break, and then dinner was on. Little pan-fried pork sandwiches, crisp “caviar on toast” canapés and bowls of Mugaritz’s signature pebbles – potatoes cooked in clay served with a cream of egg yolk and confit garlic – kicked off a magic mystery tour in which even the butter on the table had been smoked. The Mail’s Dan Hunter and his mentor Andoni Luis Aduriz enchanted the crowd with everything from the elegance of a tranche of lobster with the brine of sea lettuce, the salt of prosciutto and the earth of quinoa to a remarkable pre-dessert of a “prune” fashioned by alchemical means from a beetroot, of all things. But the undoubted bobby-dazzler of the night was the dish that followed the prune: soap, a frozen cake of hazelnut, flour, Iberian pork lard, olive oil and cocoa butter pressed into the shape of a bar of soap, replete with Mugaritz lettering and garlanded with a cloud of glistening honey bubbles. Aduriz said the idea came from staying at hotels and realising that the cosmetic industry was using more and more edible ingredients in their products – for example, oat shampoo and honey soap. He thought he’d play with this idea and create an edible soap to claim back those ingredients. All this, three hours west of Melbourne? Now that’s real magic.

3. Porridge for dessert, Danish-style, at Circa, the Prince
And then there was the utterly charming Mads Refslund, of Restaurant MR, proving that Copenhagen is no one-restaurant town. Over the course of a menu both earthy and elegant (hosted with aplomb at Circa, the Prince), he wove a spell of nasturtiums, forest mushrooms and oysters, but again, dessert knocked the collective socks off. “Porridge” doesn’t really do the “øllebrød” justice; to quote one guest, “caramelly rye bread and chocolate goodness is more like it”.

4. Cyclone Massimo
Quay’s Peter Gilmore had people holding their breath as he delicately assembled the last pieces of his sublime signature snow egg; Chang got a roar for his brief dip into profanity and his vegetarian-baiting; and Manhattan’s modern-Greek master Michael Psilakis had the room amused with his story of cracking the big-time thanks to an out-there all-offal menu. But it was Massimo Bottura who everyone was talking about as they left the masterclasses and the Theatre of Ideas. Chef and owner of Modena’s Osteria Francescana, Bottura talked about jazz and rock’n’roll, Joseph Beuys and Mick Jagger in the same breath as balsamic vinegar and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and it became clear why he has come to be regarded as a compelling (and in some quarters controversial) figure. His Magnum ice-cream of foie gras parfait covered in Piedmontese hazelnuts and Sicilian almonds contained a liquid centre of balsamico so ancient it was syrup-like. And then, on the spur of the moment, he made a go-Aussie green-and-gold saffron and asparagus risotto, cheering the crowd as he bubbled over with that most vital quality in a chef, however artistic and cerebral: the overwhelming desire to feed people.

5. The unofficial canteen
South Yarra Chinese favourite Dainty Sichuan proved to be the surprise hot pick among international foodists. Festival creative director and GT contributor Tony Tan turned Chang onto it, and Chang in turn got his fellow chefs fired up for the likes of the Sichuan-pepper-doused spicy chicken and amazing eggplant hotpots, with everyone from Wahaca’s Thomasina Miers to Claude Bosi of Hibiscus getting on board. Pim “Chez Pim” Techamuanvivit, meanwhile, was moved to tweet that it might have been the best Sichuan she’s eaten outside China. And then there were the unofficial watering holes. City favourite Siglo and Gerald’s Bar, the pride of Carlton North, now clock so many international chef hours that it’s time they were on the festival program. Stay tuned.

This article is from the May 2010 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.