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FIRST BITE JOHN LETHLEAN Boetz to part ways with Longrain LONGRAIN founding partner and executive chef Martin Boetz is quitting the business after nearly 13 years. There has been persistent speculation about Boetz’s future with the restaurants during the past year. Boetz has decided to concentrate on his fledgling Cooks’ Co-op produce business centred around a rural property he lives on near Sackville, on the Hawkesbury River (The Australian, September 7, 2012). Longrain partner Sam Christie gave First Bite a ‘‘no comment’’ last week but later issued a press release confirming the rumoured defection. Boetz is expected to stay with Longrain until after the Noosa International Food & Wine Festival in May. He tells us us: ‘‘I’m still very much involved with Longrain at this point . . . Sam and I are friends, there’s been no rift.’’ It’s understood Longrain Sydney head chef Louis Tikaram will step up to the role of executive chef for both Sydney and Melbourne. IN a move that may or may not be connected with the Boetz story, it seems Melbourne’s John Van Haandel is thinking about getting back into the restaurant game at the Beach Hotel he operates in Byron Bay, NSW. And might he be thinking about hiring chef Andrew Gimber, now at Byron’s Rae’s and before that opening chef at Melbourne’s Chin Chin? ‘‘So far it’s a maybe only, and then probably not till next summer within the Beach Hotel,’’ says Van Haandel. ‘‘Not a story so far.’’ The restaurant space at the Beach is run by outside operators. Previously, the Pacific Dining Room, as it was then known, was in-house, with chef David Moyle at the helm. WHERE’S IshmailIsmail Tosun, the chef- restaurateur who until 10 days ago was at the helm of the much-loved Collingwood gastrobar Gigibaba? It’s a question a few of his suppliers have been asking since the place closed its doors suddenly, with several staff unpaid and at least two suppliers wondering what will happen to their invoices. First Bite hasn’t been able to track down the chef, with mobile numbers disconnected and an answering machine on the Gigibaba number. No Facebook or Twitter presence, either. A sign on the front window last week said the landlord had changed the locks because of unpaid rent. The place is in the hands of an estate agent. EVERYBODY’S doing it. Opening bars with good food, that is. The latest restaurant with plans to go beyond wine bar is Adelaide’ s Press Food & Wine, which is building a bar with proper food intentions — working title: Proof — behind its premises in Waymouth Street. Executive chef Andy Davies, in Melbourne on a research mission with his team and boss Simon Kardachi last week, says the opening is about 10 weeks off. For Adelaide, this should be a reason to be cheerful. SUBALPINE sushi? Northeastern Victorian sashimi? You’d better believe it. After about four years consulting to the restaurant at Boynton’s Feathertop Winery near Bright, chef Ikuei Arakane, known to many as Kin San, has joined the restaurant as full-time chef. Arakane made many friends during his time at Taxi Dining Room. ‘‘I’ve never seen somebody so happy in a vegetable garden,’’ says Janelle Boynton. ‘‘We’ve even planted daikon.’’ MILDURA’S regional champ Stefano de Pieri may have come from politics to cooking but it is brewing that is dominating his agenda. De Pieri has just purchased the Mildura Brewery at the Grand Hotel from his father-in-law, Don Carrazza, and intends to focus his energy there. The restaurant that bears his name, in the hotel’s basement, is largely under the control of head chef Jim McDougall, a Vue de Monde alumnus who has taken the food in a different direction, with de Pieri’s blessing. De Pieri says some kind of Melbourne retail ‘‘hole in the wall’’ for his beer brands is not out of the question. LET’S face it: we all enjoy a savaging on the restaurant review page. And over in New York, Masaharu Morimoto’s Tribeca Canvas is easily the worst-reviewed New York restaurant since Guy’s American Kitchen and Bar. Morimoto- san was a top chef with the Nobu group until he opened Canvas, a move he may just be rethinking. Typical of the tsunami of critical outbursts was this, from the New York Posts’s Steve Cuozzo: ‘‘The place isn’t quite as awful as Guy’s American Kitchen — but Guy Fieri had little reputation to ruin.’’ Ouch. For an entertaining selection of critic highlights, we thank our friends at Eater: ny.eater.com/ archives/2013/02/the-worst-lines-of-the- tribeca-canvas-reviews-with-cats.php [email protected] PERSONAL OZ FOOD & TRAVEL BAG LADIES HOW TO TAKE IT WITH YOU IN PERSONAL OZ TOMORROW: FASHION Where to go and why in 2013 SUSAN KUROSAWA LUXURY FEVER From top, Rogue River blue cheese; a helicopter lands at Kauri Cliffs Lodge, New Zealand; Ume black vinegar; and Koko mirin LUXURY FEVER Our rising appetite for the high life NECIA WILDEN AUSTRALIANS have caught a bad case of fever. Luxury fever, that is. We’re lusting after the best clothes, handbags, shoes and watches. We’re thirsting for the most exclusive beers, wines and spirits. And we’re eating up. And up, and up, and up. ‘‘Premiumisation’’ is the mar- keting buzzword for the condition. You and I might just call it paying more for higher quality. So you want to buy a bottle of vodka? In the past, your choice of the most expensive brand might have been called extravagant, even profligate; your reasons for buying it mere snobbery. Today, you’re a connoisseur, your choice reflects good taste, and the big interna- tional luxury brands are rushing to capitalise on this shift in the national attitude towards how you spend your money. This month, Sydney specialist consulting company MO Luxury is holding Australia’s first global luxury forum in response to the strength in the market: in 2011, demand for personal luxury goods (fashion, handbags, shoes, jewel- lery, pretty much everything luxe except cars and alcohol) grew 11.2 per cent in Australia, compared with 8.9 per cent globally. ‘‘Australia’s very robust,’’ says MO Luxury’s Melinda O’Rourke. ‘‘We are under some pressure financially, but not to the same extent as Europe or the US.’’ And while statistics for food and drink are not available, all the evi- dence points to comparable growth. You don’t have to look far: we’re turning into a nation of syb- arites, or should that be sybareats? Damian Pike sells fresh truffles from his stall at the Prahran Mar- ket in Melbourne. This year, he sold 15kg of Australian (Manjim- up) truffles and 5kg of Perigord black truffles. In both cases, sales were up 25 per cent on last year. And in December last year, he took a deep breath and offered Alba white truffles – about $120 for a 30g truffle – for the first time. He sold 2.5kg and reckons he could have sold double that. ‘‘That top end is really healthy,’’ he says. ‘‘I’m noticing the young- sters are having a go now.’’ At beer specialists The Local Taphouse (Melbourne and Syd- ney), co-owner Steve Jeffares says his customers are regularly spend- ing between $20 and $50 on a bot- tle of quality craft beer such as Birra del Borgo from Italy or 8 Wired from New Zealand, re- flecting a big surge in demand for premium beer. Vodka? Sales of Ciroc — at $81.99 for 750ml, one of the priciest around — rose 109 per cent in the past year. The trend has wider impli- cations for a new era of conspicu- ous consumption. Five years ago, would Crown have dared to have a crack at making the world’s most expensive cocktail — using a bottle of 1858 Croizet cognac — and then offered a modified version in one of its bars for $12,500 a pop? Would Penfolds have cobbled together a full set of Grange and stuck a price tag on it of $1.8 million (free home cellar thrown in)? Associate professor of market- ing at Melbourne Business School Mark Ritson says premiumisation strengthens in difficult economic times. ‘‘It’s known as the bifurcation of the market,’’ he says. ‘‘People are either going to head down to bargain prices, or move upwards to premium brands. The implication is that the brands in the middle will struggle. ‘‘Champagne is a classic exam- ple — the middle market is a very tricky place to be right now,’’ he says. ‘‘That’s not to say everyone’s drinking Krug. But a generation ago, very few people had even heard of Krug. Now everyone knows the brand.’’ Part of Australia’s attractive- ness to high-end overseas compan- ies is our low price sensitivity, says Ritson. In other words, we don’t get sticker shock as easily as other markets and are prepared to pay over the odds. Here’s a quick look at three new super-premium food and drink offerings: a cheese, a luxury food- and-wine travel experience, and a pair of Japanese condiments. 1. Rogue River Blue Cheese The world’s most expensive blue cheese has just been released in Australia following more than two years of negotiation by interna- tional cheese expert Will Studd. Rogue River comes from an 80-year-old dairy in the valley of the same name in Oregon, US. The cheese is made with late-season, high-butterfat milk and wrapped in syrah grape leaves that have been soaked in local pear brandy and then wrapped by hand around the wheel. The RRB cheeses avail- able here are aged a minimum of 15 months and are made from pas- teurised milk; the original is made from raw milk. PRICE: $140-$160/kg. 2. The Tiger Tour 2013 Were they open to the public, the restaurants at New Zealand’s lux- ury lodges would be on the must- do list of every travelling foodie. Here’s your chance to tick off three of the best in one trip covering the North and South Islands: The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers and Matakauri Lodge. Following a sellout tour in 2012, The Tiger Tour 2013 (named after the US hedge fund that en- abled the lodges’ founder, Julian H. Robertson Jr, to build them) is open to four couples only and in- cludes accommodation, all meals, some drinks and transport in private jet or helicopter. There is one spot left for the March tour, which kicks off next Monday (March 11). PRICE: $25,000 per person. 3. Koko Mirin and Ume Black Vinegar One taste of these premium Japa- nese condiments and you’ll be ruined for anything inferior. The mirin tastes like PX sherry (but bet- ter, if you ask me) and in Japan is also enjoyed as a drink. It is aged for 10 years and used in top Japanese restaurants such as Kitcho. Price: Koko Mirin costs about $38/500ml, around six times the price of standard mirin. Also used for medicinal purposes — reputed- ly excellent for hangovers — Ume Black Vinegar is made from or- ganic Japanese plums soaked in water from world heritage site Na- chi Falls and then brewed in a method unchanged for the past 130 years. PRICE: about $35/300ml, around eight times the price of the stan- dard product. Both products are being imported into Australia for the first time by Chef’s Armoury within the next couple of months. THE FAB FOUR Hotels with altitude Q1 RESORT AND SPA GOLD COAST AT 323m and 80 floors, the Q1 residential tower (526 apartments and guest rooms) all but collides with the clouds. It feels so very George and Jane Jetson, with space-agey white guest rooms and seagull’s-eye views. The soaring architecture is said to mirror elements of the Sydney 2000 Olympics torch. From the public observation decks on levels 77 and 78 you can see for up to 80km on a clear day — to Brisbane and Byron Bay. More: q1.com.au. SK RITZ-CARLTON HONG KONG LOOK out your guest-room window at the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong and don’t be surprised if there’s a helicopter flying below eye level. The 312-room property is in the upper floors of the 118-storey, 490m-tall International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon. The decor is all onyx, marble and shiny oriental bling, and there are restaurants and drinking spots, including Ozone, with the world’s highest bar terrace. More: ritzcarlton.com/hongkong. SK ARMANI HOTEL DUBAI WITHIN the 160-storey Burj Khalifa Tower, which soars to 828m, the 2009-opened Armani Hotel has 160 guest rooms and suites. Staff glide with catwalk ease in black Armani uniforms. There are 11 categories of guest room but all have the latest techno-wizardry, and bowls of white roses (Giorgio’s favourite flower, apparently). If you’re game you can whoosh up to the Burj Khalifa’s observation deck on level 124. More: dubai.armanihotels.com. SK JW MARRIOTT MARQUIS DUBAI DUBAI boasts the world’s tallest building and is about to build the world’s largest shopping mall, so it’s no surprise it has just nabbed the title of world’s tallest ‘‘dedicated’’ hotel, at 355m. The first of the Marriott’s twin towers opened last week, with 804 rooms over 72 floors. It has 10 restaurants, five bars, two ballrooms and 24 meeting rooms. Another 804 guest rooms will be added when the the hotel’s second tower is opened later this year. More: marriott.com. MR SUSAN KUROSAWA MICHELLE ROWE 2011 KALLESKE MOPPA SHIRAZ, BAROSSA $28 THE MAX FACTOR WHAT happens when a cool, wet vintage collides with a producer of full-bodied wines? The answer is this super-spicy Barossa shiraz. The Kalleske family are renowned for making dense, ripe purple shirazes from their old vines in Greenock, in the region’s northwest. But the rain-drenched cold of the 2011 growing season gave no chance for the grapes to attain quite the usual sugar levels. As well as trademark sweet black fruit, there’s also heaps of atypically restrained, cool, savoury character — aromas of dried porcini and pepper, and flavours of roasted game. The price quoted is what you’ll pay ex- cellar and in independent stores. The markup: in some restaurants for between $45 and $65 a bottle. kalleske.com 18 THE AUSTRALIAN, TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013 www.theaustralian.com.au FOLLOW THE READER The very big bash CRAIG SHEATHER ALBURY, NSW CRICKET is played in many countries, often in exotic locales, but a group of English players cer- tainly raised the bar in 2009 when they took to an unlikely pitch at the base of Mount Everest. The setting for ‘‘the world- record Twenty20 bash’’ was the sprawling ground of Gorak Shep on a frozen lakebed covered with sand at an altitude of 5164m. The village, in the most inhospi- table environment imaginable, is the final acclimatisation stop on most treks to Everest Base Camp. It was sheer coincidence that my three-week trek met the tour- ing cricketing party. After a week of solid walking, I was craving for a break so the cricket game provided the perfect opportunity to kick back and relax. The teams were suitably named Tenzing and Hillary after the first two men to conquer Everest. After days of trekking, the players had grown impressive facial hair that would have made Merv Hughes, Dennis Lillee and David Boon proud. The game was set amid snow- capped mountains to rival the world’s most scenic cricket ovals. Just to reach the ground the players had had to cope with concerns such as altitude sickness, hypothermia, gastro, dehydration and exhaustion. The carpet pitch was rolled out in the middle of a small clearing and the rocks in the sandy outfield were removed. Large boulders embedded in the ground and yak dung provided constant obstacles to the fielders. The game was extremely enter- taining. However, there were no short singles or bowlers coming off their long run. The physical exer- tion at such a high altitude left both teams gasping. The strange sight attracted a small crowd of vil- lagers, sherpas, a Buddhist monk and passing trekkers on their way to base camp. Play was briefly interrupted when a young village girl wandered on to the pitch. However, there were no secur- ity chaps to whisk her away or impose a lifetime ban. When the game finished, the lo- cal yaks strayed back on to the pitch and the players retired to the teahouse for celebratory drinks. Surely the great commentator Richie Benaud would have been extremely impressed if he’d been there. ‘‘It really was a marvellous effort, that!’’ RANT OR RAVE Send your 400-word contribution to our Follow the Reader column. Published columnists will receive a Griffin + Row starter kit of travel-sized skincare products made with Australian plant extracts plus a full-sized antioxidant night cream in a ziplock bag (total $71.49). More: griffinandrow.com.au Send your contribution to: [email protected]. Follow the Reader also appears in Travel & Indulgence in The Weekend Australian
