February gourmet news

SONS OF THE PINES
Our bar of the year now has two appealing offshoots.
When it first opened in 2010, Shady Pines may have seemed like an unlikely success story: a beery barn behind an unmarked door in a Darlinghurst alley. But its peculiar charms have found many fans (us included), and its success has begat two fine new bars. One, the Baxter Inn, is a direct descendant, opened by Pines partners Anton Forte and Jason Scott, while the other, Tio’s, fronted by former Pines bartenders Alex Dowd and Jeremy Blackmore, is more a cousin. The Shady magic is a common factor, though, and each is a large room, shuttered in the case of Tio’s and in a deeply obscure basement location for the Baxter, packed with booze and plenty of places to sit. They’re light-on for food: a ploughman’s is in the works for the Baxter, but it’s pretzels for now, while Tio’s runs to chilli popcorn.The Baxter, which Scott has dubbed a ’60s Boston sports bar without the sport, stocks whiskies beyond counting, while the focus at Tio’s (which Blackmore likens to a “Guatemalan owl bar”) is tequila, mezcal and all things Latin American. Beer and friendly bartending are constants; chalk ’em up as a win. Baxter Inn, 152-156 Clarence St, Sydney, NSW; Tio’s, 4-14 Foster St, Surry Hills, NSW

IS DON, IS BETTER
Dried slowly for better texture and sauce-friendliness, the Don Antonio range of pasta, made in Puglia, is a welcome addition to the market. It costs from $4.70 per 500gm from good delis and providores.

SYDNEY’S FOODAPALOOZA
Break out something with a bit of give around the waistline, folks: Taste of Sydney is upon us once more.
Your new year’s resolutions may be telling you not to overindulge, but with the Taste of Sydney festival around the corner we say forget ‘em. The drill is simple: eat, drink, and shop your way from one stall to the next where a selection of Sydney’s top restaurants will be busting out their most sought-after fare. We like to think of it as the Big Day Out of the eating world (only with somewhat fewer shirtless teenagers using Australian flags as capes). An impressive line-up of talent is all the more reason to book now, with the likes of Martin Boetz from Longrain, Colin Fassnidge from Four in Hand and Eugenio Maiale from A Tavola pitching their tents. In addition to rocking up and eating at their stalls, you can get to know the chefs a little better by joining in on the demonstration action at the Gourmet Traveller Taste Kitchen and the intimate sessions at the Chef’s Table hosted by the GT team. With more than 100 stalls, the Producers Market is another draw, as is a visit to the wine tasting theatre for a chance to taste some of Australia’s finest drops with Gourmet Traveller WINE editor Judy Sarris. With so much gustatory excitement it’s easy to get carried away in the commotion, and Ormeggio’s Alessandro Pavoni has a word of advice: “Take your time. Go for a walk and have a look at everything that’s on offer; this way you won’t be full by the time you reach the third stall.” We’ll take your word on that, big guy. See you there. Taste of Sydney 2012, Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 March, Centennial Parklands. Adults $30, children aged 6 to 17 $15, children aged five and under free. MAYA KERTHYASA

TINY SQUID
You can’t get them fresh in Australia, which makes these tinned Conservas de Cambados Spanish chipirones in ink all the more appealing. They’re $8 from Sydney’s Encasa Deli, while the tuna belly is $9.35.

ON THE PASS: JAMES GULDBERG, SURVEY CO BISTRO
There have been so many openings in Brisbane over the past 12 months, James – would you say the city’s food and drink scene is booming?
Brisbane is really coming along. There are a lot of new places popping up and Brisbane is getting itself on the food map and gaining respect. It’s a great time to be opening a place like this in a Brisbane laneway that’s sort of tucked away and secret.
What’s the story with your location?
There’s a nice grungy feel to it and lots of different areas to suit different moods. It’s cosy down through the laneway (yes, laneway dining in a laneway) which is good for couples, the outside courtyard is nice and light for summer and it’s very relaxed in the bar.
And the food?
It’s all about rusticity – no fuss, using quality produce and local ingredients. There’s a bit of Scandinavian in there as well which reflects my heritage. My father is Norwegian and I love all the hearty dishes. The menu has gravlax and terrines and we make all our own pickles and condiments.
Which dish are you most excited about?
Probably the duck. The menu says duck, orange, watercress, but it’s really a classic duck a l’orange with the confit leg, rare breast, a little watercress and some orange jus. Classic dishes get me excited.
Chefs, they say, dread Valentine’s Day. What’s the drama?
You have to design a menu that’s free-flowing because you get lots of twos. You always make sure you have some chocolate on there and some oysters and keep it quite simple.
Survey Co Bistro, 32 Burnett La, Brisbane, Qld, (07) 3012 8725.

MIXING IT WITH THE BEST OF THEM
Fever-Tree is the killer-app of the tonic water world, hands-down, and now it expands its line to include a new version, the Mediterranean, formulated specifically for drinking with vodka. Gin drinkers may scoff and suggest that the added botanicals (thyme, geranium, lemon and rosemary among them) are there to replace exactly the flavour they think vodka is missing, but hey, it works. Fever-Tree Mediterranean is $8.95 per four-pack from better bottle shops.

RESTAURANT NEWS
QLD
Speaking of Burnett Lane, above, craft beers are the focus at Super Whatnot, a hip bar just opened in the same Brisbane alleyway. There’s not a trace left of the old beauty school that used to occupy the site. Instead, architects Marc & Co have come up with a cool, low-key interior replete with mandatory raw bricks, four-metre-high ceilings and polished industrial vibe. Alex Dobson is wrangling drinks, and owner Simon Martin plans to install a chef to expand on the possibilities in the 60-seat space, but for now it’s strictly bar snacks.

VIC
The restaurant formerly known as Maze (and formerly associated with Gordon Ramsay) has reopened at Crown’s Metropol Hotel with a new look (courtesy of architects Bates Smart) and a new name, Mr Hive Kitchen and Bar. John Lawson, the young Gordon Ramsay alumnus who headed Maze over the past few months, is staying on as executive chef and brings a strong modern British feel to the menu. The new restaurant features a dessert bar (overseen by pastry chef Daniel Fletcher) and a revamped, more casual bar and lounge area.

The latest outpost of Phillippa Grogan’s baking empire is in the CBD, and, besides bringing good bread, pastries (the pear and oat slice is a chewy-textured winner) and other provisions to a grateful populace, has a changing menu of rolls and sandwiches (dill omelette and smoked trout), salads (such as pancetta, pea, mint and chilli) and muffins. Phillippa’s, 15 Howey Pl, Melbourne, (03) 9671 4030

The owners of this cavernous café/coffee roaster/coffee retailer in Hawthorn, Dave and Zoe Makin, have a shelf full of barista trophies, and the coffee here – obsessively sourced from growers in Africa and South and Central America – is topnotch, whether it’s espresso or pour-over. The food’s good too, with all-day breakfasts (spicy baked eggs), sandwiches and hearty meals such as slow-cooked Scotch fillet. Axil Coffee Roasters, 322 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn, (03) 9819 0091

The 2010 Gourmet Traveller Bar of the Year, Sydney’s Eau de Vie, has opened a Melbourne branch, using a similar template of secretive speakeasy and brilliant cocktail skills but adding a food focus that includes dégustation dinners with matching cocktails. Ex-MoVida chef Mark Favaloro is in the kitchen and the dinners are held at a 16-seat communal table with a built-in ice well to keep things chilled. EDV Melbourne, 1 Malthouse La, Melbourne

NSW
Cronulla edges closer to becoming a place of culinary renown with the appearance of The Old Library, a new Italian restaurant in (yes) the old library. Danny Russo consults on the menu, while Buon Ricordo sommelier Nick Caraturo is responsible for the wine list. In other news, Sixpenny, the Stanmore restaurant from highly regarded young chef Dan Puskas and James Parry, opens this month, offering the bold likes of sand crab with macadamia nut milk and chamomile.

Good news, Cookie Couture fans: Nadine Ingram has put down roots and opened Flour and Stone, a new café-pâtisserie on the former Sweet Infinity site in Woolloomooloo. Exquisite pastries, gingerbread to kill for, refreshing ginger-snap iced tea and excellent sandwiches are just a few of the highlights. Flour and Stone, 53 Riley St, Woolloomooloo, (02) 8068 8818

Nok Nok: who’s there? Interesting Thai food in the new Darling Quarter development at Darling Harbour, that’s who. The look is vivid and polished, while the eats run from standard offerings to the more unusual likes of a plate of well-made kanom jeen noodles with fish curry sauce, hard-boiled eggs, fish dumplings and pickled mustard greens. Nok Nok Thai Eating House, Shop 9, Darling Walk, Darling Quarter, 1 Harbour St, Sydney, (02) 9267 7992

Anyone saddened by the departure of Torres Deli will be gladdened to see the new Encasa Deli filling the gap in the CBD Spanish-stuff market. Jamón, chorizo and other smallgoods are here in abundance, as are grocery goodies from all over the Spanish-speaking world, plus bocadillos (calamari, say, or sobrasada and queso fresco) worth going out of your way for. Encasa Deli, 135 Bathurst St, Sydney, (02) 9283 4277

WA
Perth CBD dwellers, say hello to The Trustee, a two-storey homage to food and wine opening in April. Owner Scott Taylor, Beaufort Street Merchant proprietor and grape zealot, will be driving the wine program, with former St John assistant manager Matthew Ousley in charge of service. To eat, expect plenty of rustic peasant dishes, thanks in no small part to consulting chef Ian Curley of The European in Melbourne.