Moving home
January 6th 2011 11:29
Apparently some of my readers have had trouble accessing my log here, so I have moved to a new space. Follow me there!
The NEW Capital Gourmand
The NEW Capital Gourmand
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Tom Hoschke
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, AUSTRALIA
Joined March 18th 2010
Number of Posts:
25
Number of Comments:
3
Karma:
9
- http://twitter.com/FreeHugsTommy
Recent Posts Years end, and the GormiesDecember 30th 2010 11:10
So 2010 comes inevitably to its end, putting behind us a year of political turmoil, crazy weather, multiple grand finals, and, for me at least, a lot of excellent food.As the turning of the year often makes us do, it is time to look back at the past 12 months, at the highs and the lows of my culinary adventures.
Actually, ignore that. Its not a time to talk about the lows. This was my first year of food writing, coupled with the first time I have really seen what Canberra dining can offer. And, in what was a surprise to me, it can offer some wonderful things. In order to honour the impressive quality of capital restaurants I would like to present, for the very first time: The Gourmie Awards. The Gourmies are my choices for the best dining in this fine city. Now, I must make the disclaimer that these are entirely my own opinions, made from eating this year. I have eaten at 30-something Canberra restaurants, and reviewed about half of them. Unfortunately I have missed a few notable institutions (Ottomans and Courgette being the most apparent), but nevertheless these awards are from a reasonable range of establishments. The Gourmie for Best Restaurant There have been a few places that have really stood out this year. Italian & Sons is a strong concept and a solid night out. Onred was plush and comfortable, and an incredibly enjoyable evening. But in the end, there was one place that really rose above the rest: Dieci e Mezzo James Kidman and his team have set up a winner with this inner city dining joint. Fresh, simple, nominally Italian food, I have enjoyed every dish I have had here. On top of the exceptional rabbit and chestnut papardelle, and the unbelievably good pork belly, their constantly changing menu has also included a surprisingly light but still meaty roll of oxtail. Their service is top class, their wine list well designed, and their desserts are arguably the best around. Add to this their excellent, and cheap, breakfasts and there is no competition. In my review earlier in the year I told everyone to go, and the go again. I am not sure that everyone has yet, but they are busy every night, and getting busier by the week. Dieci e Mezzo gives you an exciting night out, and they deserve, without hesitation, to be called the best restaurant in town. The Gourmie for Best Dish It would be so easy to give this to Kidmans team again for their pork belly. That dish was brilliant when I tried it in early autumn with baby onions, quince, and Brussels sprout leaves. The current iteration has cauliflower puree, and both fresh and preserved cherries. It is an amazing dish, but I want to spread the love. Instead, the Gourmie for the best dish is going for an entrée that was an unexpected highlight of the year: Sautéed baby calamari, sumac, almonds, green olive, parsley and amaretto from Sage This dish had exceptional quality calamari, a complex mix of flavours and textures, and olives so good that I was compelled to ask where they came from. It was a clear standout from a very good dinner. It is sadly no longer on the menu at Sage, but hopefully they have other dishes as accomplished. The Gourmie for Best Wine List I dont have as good a wine knowledge as I would like, so a well-designed wine list is important for me, especially when combined with a skilled sommelier. So what makes a good wine list? It needs to have balance between local, national and international wines, and between favourites and less known drops. It needs to have a great selection of wines by the glass. A few lists around town have done this well, such as Onred and the wonderful long list at Locanda. But the best list of the year, for me, was: Thirst Wine Bar and Eatery Thirst has won this Gourmie for the thought that has gone into their list, and into how it is written. Thai food is not the easiest food to match, so the effort taken to find a selection of mostly aromatic whites is well appreciated, including some that I would never have thought of. But they go past just excellent wines, and more important is the inclusion on the wine menu of tasting notes and suggested matchings. For the inexperienced, this is a brilliant way to get to understand the mind of the sommelier. At Thirst, wine is front and centre, and they do it very well. So, there are my picks for the best of Canberra this year, and big congratulations to all the winners. It was a strong year for Canberra eating, and I can only hope that next year continues this trend. With a few openings at the end of the year exciting me, I am sure it will. There are a few other things I hope for next year. I hope that the rumours that the third McConnell brother (Sean, the younger of Andrew and Matt) does come and open a place in Canberra. I hope that someone follows the global zeitgeist and starts cooking along the idea of terrior. I hope that some people come and eat with me. And, mostly, I hope you all continue to read my blog. So come back next year! I may be moving to a new home, too. Happy New Year everyone! Eat up well.
Christmas and YipDecember 16th 2010 12:58
Name: The Chairman & Yip
Address: 108 Bunda Street, Civic, Canberra ACT 2601 Ph: (02) 6248 7109 Web: www.thechairmanandyip.com Hours: Lunch Tuesday Friday 12.00pm 2.30pm. Dinner: Monday Saturday 6.00pm 10.30pm. Sunday: open for bookings for 30 people or more December is crazy. So many of us spend the month lurching from Christmas party to Christmas party, passing cheap, tacky presents to people we dont know all that well, eating and drinking too much, while trying not to embarrass ourselves in front of the boss. As a public servant, my experiences of Christmas party food has been very basic, and often quite average, roast dinners in a club or a function room with copious amounts of basic alcohols. Others have more luck, as demonstrated by the vast array of paper crowns adorning the heads of customers at Chairman and Yip. These loud partiers, with their crackers, hats and gifts mixed with the Christmas decorations to further confuse the already muddled décor of the place. A beaten metal wall and canvass tents hanging inverted from the roof dont scream coherence even before you add in stars and Christmas trees. It adds character to the place, but exactly what character is more of a question. Yet, thankfully, the food and service is a lot more together than the design. There is a reason that the Chairman and Yip holds such a place of respect in the Canberra restaurant scene. After a lone spare table was found in the fully booked room, I received service tailored to a solo diner. Usually restaurants dont know how to deal with someone sitting alone. Many seem to speak to the customer a little more, but a lot of waiters dont know how to do this more than ask how the dish was. Here, thought went in to how to treat a singleton. The tasting menu, normally limited to a minimum of two people, was altered to be suitable for one, which was well appreciated. Also, at one point, they offered a magazine, just to give me something to do. Modern Chinese cuisine is a concept that so often falls over. Yet at the Chairmen they have the touch required to balance the disparate flavours in the food, vital for any cuisine, particularly one prefixed by the word modern. A moist, meaty pork cake served with fresh, crisp cabbage leaves and sharp red wine vinaigrette had a touch of each of the five tastes, melding together in a way that lifted it above just a pork meatball. A dish that combines sesame, cinnamon and soy with ocean trout is simple but so well pitched. Crisp pieces of lamb in a Shan-Tung style is spicy and rich, and a pleasure to eat. These dishes were so accomplished. Simple, yet exciting, and as good as anything you can get in Canberra. Not every dish was quite so well delivered, however. The seafood let the team down, in particular. A lackluster steamed scallop was saved from absolute boredom by some gorgeous ginger, and dish of spicy salt and chili calamari was wonderfully spicy, but spoiled by tough, flavourless squid. I understand that it is difficult to get good seafood in Canberra, but sometimes you have to persevere. A roasted duck and shitake pancake, a take on that most classic of Chinese dishes, was just off target. The pancake was a touch too thick, the duck a smidgen too bland. Not bad, but just not up to expectations. Rare for Chinese, modern or otherwise, was an interesting dessert menu, without a hint of cliché. A surprisingly smooth carrot and saffron halva, topped with vanilla ice cream and roast almonds. It was nice, and different. Not the greatest dessert ever, but a step above deep fried ice cream. A series of wines were matched beautifully, a tour around the country, and all excellent wines. And all good value, with the food and drink coming to a respectable $110. The Chairman and Yip is an institution for a reason, and as long as it continues to serve food as good as the trout or the lamb, it will continue to be, whatever the time of year. Even sitting alone, it filled me with some Christmas cheer.
Nonsense on a bunDecember 9th 2010 08:30
Name: The London Beer and Burgers
Address: 121 London Cct, Canberra ACT 2601 Ph: (02) 6262 5591
Sunday spiceDecember 2nd 2010 10:44
Name: Blu Ginger
Address: 5 Genge Street, Canberra City Canberra ACT 2600 Ph: (02) 6247 2228
Theatre of the AbsurdNovember 25th 2010 10:13
Name: The Hermitage
Address: North Building, 170 London Cct, City 2601 ACT Ph: (02) 6230 0857
Pure FireworksNovember 18th 2010 09:35
Name: Quay
Address: Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks, Sydney 2000 Ph: (61 2) 9251 5600
Worth a thoughtNovember 11th 2010 08:27
Name: Marque
Address: Shop 4/355 Crown Street, Surry Hills Ph: (02) 9332-2225
Thai by the glassNovember 4th 2010 11:17
Name: Thirst Wine Bar and Eatery
Address: 20 West Row, Canberra, Australia, 2601 Ph: 02 6257 0700
Morning characterOctober 21st 2010 08:31
I like going out for breakfast. I would like it even more if it werent so early in the morning, but anyway. There is something great about getting up, leaving the house, sitting at fairly plain tables, surrounded by bustle while drinking hot liquids and eating something with eggs.
But every breakfast haunt has its own character. The food, the chairs, the staff, even the other customers all contribute to the feel of a breakfast place
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