bell's at killcare

Now that the rumours are true - that Stefano Manfredi is officially on the high calibre list of celebrity chefs opening a restaurant in the new Star City development, does it mean there'll be a little less sparkle at central coast gem Bell's at Killcare? Not likely, if this closely knit team have anything to do with it. 

There are pros and cons to working in food, and receiving invitations to fantastic food-related experiences are definitely a perk of the job. So when one arrived a few weeks ago, inviting me to check out what's happening at this secluded central coast gem, who's complaining, really?

Polpettine di melanzana

This past weekend, a handful of unfortunate food peeps, including Inside Cuisine's Rebecca Varidel, Good Living's Carli Ratcliff, Gourmet Rabbit's Denea Buckingham, Open House's Ylla Wright, Gosstronomy's Michael Shafran, the guys from Tasted By Two and myself journeyed to the central coast to check out what Stefano and his team have been up to in Killcare.

Pomodorino primavera, carciofi, crema di cannellini

2 hours, a car crash on the F3, a few newspapers and a very patient driver later, we arrive in the lush coastal surrounds of the Bell's property and greeted by gracious host Julie Manfredi-Hughs. We're told that a tour of the grounds with Mr Manfredi is in order, but not without sampling the menu and some spectacular Italian wines first.

Calamaretti insaccati, polenta di Storo

8 acres of property means that unlike urban restaurants, Bell's can grow a large proportion of the produce that ends up on the table right there on the grounds, thanks to plenty of sunshine, lush soil and a group of dedicated gardeners and chefs who gather fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs within steps of the kitchen's back door.

Sacchetti d'agnello

We start with polpettine de melanzana - tiny, crisp-crumbed globes of eggplant and melty pecorino, served with salsa verde, and pomadoro primavera, carciofi, crema di cannelini - a dish of fragrant spring tomatoes, braised artichokes and cannellini cream, all a testament to the beauty of fresh produce and the fact that vegetarian dishes can be substantial, flavoursome and entirely whole without meat.

Petto d'anitra arrosto, rapa all'agro, cime in padella

Next, a little frutti di mare - calamaretti insaccati, polenta di Storo - soft calamari tubes stuffed with minced prawns, fresh tomato and creamy polenta, sacchetti d'agnello - parcels of tender lamb, encased in pasta, as well as roasted duck breast with pickled turnips and braised turnip tops, the latter extolling that the nose-to-tail philosophy can (and should) extend to vegetables.

Torta di ciliegie, gelao di pioli e rosmarino

Before we head to the garden, the baked cherry custard tart with pine nut and rosemary gelato tops off our seasonal Italian meal - the richness of the custard tart, offset by new season cherries and praline crumbs topped with the herbal tones of rosemary in the gelato.

Steve shares some gardening tips

A spare set of chef whites, for safe keeping in the garden

Stefano's keen to show us what's happening outside of the restaurant though - plans for the kitchen gardens are in action, with everything from onions, asparagus, garlic, rainbow chard, radishes, zucchini and other Australian and Italian varietal crops grown from seed and harvested in view of hotel guests each morning. We're told a new greenhouse is in development to nurture seedlings, as well as a series of new guest houses down by the new garden site. 

Artichokes

In the garden, the artichokes and onions are flowering and we're invited to pick our own radishes and onions to take home...if we can handle the array of bugs hanging out in the veggie patch (we can). As with any garden bed, there are plenty of new bug friends to find, including several thousand snails, but they seem to be pretty happy to be picked off and popped back in the foliage (although we're told they make great canapes for the ladies in the chicken coop).

Onion flowers

The ducks by the dam were not harmed in the cooking of our lunch

Ladies in the hen house

The Bell's chicken coop is slightly larger than your average studio apartment back in Sydney, so it's no surprise to hear it provides the kitchen with over a dozen eggs daily, and with a protein-rich diet including the vegetable garden's resident snails, they ought to be pretty good. 

Italian garlic, rudely awoken by our mid-afternoon harvesting effort

Several hours in the bus, a case of Peroni and a few sleepy foodies later, our day trip to the coast is over, but probably not without a few personal notes to return with friends to share this weekender escape sometime soon. I wonder if the team will exchange a few hours work in the garden for room and board...

food with a view

Blue skies, great company, food and wine...what more could you need? An unparralelled view of the ocean and the possibility of the all important post-lunch dip, of course. There are plenty of beachside dining options to choose from, and there's nothing wrong with a good old fish'n'chips session (only if followed by gelato), but if the sound of suckling pig panini or crisp salted cod fritters and a killer negroni sound more your speed, here are a few places to check out.

Pilu at Freshwater
On The Beach Moore Rd
Harbord 2096
(02) 9938 3331
piluatfreshwater.com.au

As far as chefs go, you'd have to be pretty happy to be Giovanni Pilu. Take an acclaimed chef, known for his modern, fresh approach to Italian cuisine and a landmark restaurant location, perched above Freshwater beach and you have dining synergy. There's the more formal restaurant, boasting a menu that includes Sardinian-spiked dishes of quail wrapped in a blanket of pancetta, stuffed with chicken livers, potatoes and tarragon, served with figs, and Pilu's signature slow-roasted suckling pig with its delicate crackling....but if you're after something more casual, Pilu's kiosk boasts the same million dollar views, with a shoestring budget menu. Grab a suckling pig panino, a blanket and chow down, picnic-style on the headland, or sit in at the cafe's beach-chic digs.

North Bondi Italian
118-120 Ramsgate Ave,
North Bondi NSW

(02) 9300 4400

northbondiitalian.com 

Any closer to the beach and you'd be dining waist-deep in the brine. Wedged beneath North Bondi RSL, North Bondi Italian has become a summer afternoon ritual for locals and a must-do for visitors to the area. Balmy afternoons in the summer see the balcony crowded with punters sipping prosecco or the restaurant's killer version of the negroni before tucking into a seasonal menu of relaxed Italian dishes including dad's zampone (pig's trotters stuffed with cottechnino, marjoram, celery and spinach), baccala (deep fried salted cod fritters) or a seriously good steak. 

Honorable mentions in the area: Sean's Panaroma, Icebergs Dining Room

Jonah's at Whale Beach

69 Bynya Rd
Palm Beach NSW 2108
(02) 9974 5599

jonahsatwhalebeach.com.au 

If you're up for the drive, nothing quite says 'summer by the beach' than Whale... Beach. Past the weekender homes, you'll find Jonah's at Whale Beach - home of one of the best renditions of pannacotta in the state, with its pointy boob-jiggly texture, crowned with burnt lavender honey and pomegranates (who care's aboutt the passage of food trends, when it's this good?). Preceed it with a plate of seared Palmer's Island mulloway, lobster, scallop and prawn boudin, served with ruby grapefruit and crunchy school prawns and enlightenment can't be far away. 

Breakfast is nothing to snip at either, check out the huevos con chorizo: fried eggs with chorizo, capsicum, tomato salsa, corn tortillas and sour cream. Worth the drive, and then some.

Other visits worth the drive: Stefano Manfredi's Bells at Killcare, Rick Stein's Bannisters in Mollymook.

new sydney eats

Sydney's seen a slew of new, exciting places open up in the last few months. So it's time to recap where's hot to trot at the moment.

Porteño
358 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills 2010
(02) 8399 1440

Sydney's favourite rockabilly chef duo, Elvis Abrahanowicz and Ben Milgate have done it again, working their own brand of cool on the old Dimitri's restaurant on Cleveland Street, Surry Hills - it's only claim to fame was a sign that sat outside for years saying 'official wrap party location for Moulin Rouge'. Um, ok.

Abrahanowicz's Argentinian heritage and the duo's ballsy style has transformed this sprawling location into hacienda cool, with marble-topped tables, rendered walls and black accents. The crowning glory here is the asador, a South American torture chamber-looking device that's responsible for the toothsome, smokey, bbq smells that pervade the restaurant.

Order the suckling pig: the head of which is served to the table with a knife through the eye. Other wins include veal sweetbreads - sticky, salty and tender pieces of goodness, fried Brussels sprouts - caramel golden on the outside, with a nutty texture that dares you to rethink everything you know about this largely misunderstood vegetable. Wash it all down with a jug of sangria or a Spanish apple cider. 

Bar H
80 Campbell Street, Surry Hills 2010
(02) 9280 1980

Hamish Ingham and his partner in crime Rebecca, have taken over the well known location that once was The Wall, on Foster Street, Surry Hills. Not just a place to grab a great coffee, the entire site has been overhauled, all moody and dark blue with it's long bar and cosy booths and golden vintage sourced features. 

When it comes to the food, Ingham's deft hand and elegantly subtle style pervades the menu, highlighting the quality of the produce. There's an oyster menu and these guys need to be tasted to be believed, so start your meal by throwing a few of these babies back. 

There's a degustation option which will allow you to sample the best of the hard-to-choose menu,  but if you're going ala carte, the picks here would have to be the Mulloway sashimi with pickled beetroot salad - fresh, light, perfect for this time of the year. Fashion plate ox tongue makes an appearance here too, with cute lil' breakfast radishes and zingy touches of ginger and citrus.

Love Tilly Devine
91 Crown Lane, Darlinghurst 2010

There are small bars and there are small, awesome bars. This is the latter. The namesake may have been a razor-toting gangland mama from the bad old days around these parts, now, Tilly represents an appreciation for great wine and atmosphere. Loved by wine industry peeps and locals alike, this blink and you'll miss it new comer has been scoring points with Sydney for its winning combination of shabby chic, great service and a cracking wine list...300 wines. Yep: read it and weep with happiness, vino overs. 

Here, there are salumi plates and a highly rated brushetta, in the company of other solid bar staples. and with a wine list this big, you'd better order something to soak up the alcohol.

[TOYS] collective does melbourne

[TOYS] collective Issue #4: Water

Announcing our plans for world domination expansion: [TOYS] is heading to Melbourne in early December.

Introducing Nic Poelaert (Embrasse), John Paul Twomey (Cutler & Co), Daniel Wilson (Huxtable) and Aaron Turner (Loam).

Date: Tuesday December 7, 6.30pm
Venue: Embrasse Restaurant 312 Drummond Street, Carlton, VIC
Cost: $180 (plus booking fee). Includes matched wines and cocktails





…alongside Morgan McGlone (Flinders Inn) & Darren Robertson (The Table Sessions)

Issue #4 also showcases the talents of Sonia Bandera (Donovan’s), Hannah Green (Attica), Kirsikka Herrald (Embrasse), Liam O’Brien (winemaker) and Dante Ruaine (Huxtable), Kylie Javier (Duke Bistro), Luke Ashton (Duke Bistro, The Ivy) & Banjo Harris-Plane (Est.)

You can follow us on twitter: @TOYScollective or  join our mailing list.

shopping centres go gourmet

If you haven't heard about the latest developments rocking the Sydney City shopping district, then you've probably been living under a rock for the past few weeks. With phase one of Westfield's uber shopping complex just open, it's not just shopping that's lifted its game in this part of town.

Last night, I was lucky enough to be asked to MC the re-opening of one of Sydney's favourite yum cha restaurants, Sky Phoenix (gentlemen, prepare to queue), but that's not all that's worth visiting. Here are three places you should check out if you happen to require retail refreshment.

Charlie & Co

Justin North - he of Becasse, Etch and Plan B fame, has opened his latest food venture, Charlie & Co. We already know this many knows his way around a good burger (Plan B's version winning hearts and stomachs across the city), and now he's branching out.

Selling over 600 burgers in its first weekend, you'll not only find his famous Wagyu version but an entire range of gore-met varieties including a Hand-crafted Chilli Crab Burger, featuring a Thai infused crab cake with Asian salad, lime mayonnaise and sweet chilli jam on a sesame bun. You can also meet  Hamburger Charlie, filled with Italian meatballs, tomato salsa and olives on a toasted Parmesan bun. They're not cheap, but with produce this good, it's worth the $13-17 price tag. Read up on the menu here.

Cloudy Bay Fish Co

The 'Co's don't stop at Charlie. Seafood industry legend John Susman brings his own brand of humble fish & chippery to the people, with flippin' fresh seafood sourced from quality Australian and New Zealand sources, prepared simply so you can appreciate the calibre of the produce. Try the plank-roasted New Zealand king salmon or go all retro-like with a classic prawn cocktail.

Sky Phoenix

Back in its lofty perch at the top of the new retail mega-mall, everyone's favourite city yum cha hang is back, with a brand new 500 seater restaurant (Less waiting? Or will it just be more popular than ever?).

Grab a table by the window and watch shoppers scurrying around below, while you chow down on dim sum like nobody's business. All the regular favourites are here, including plump steamed har gao and crisp, salty spiced squid. It's good to see an old friend return.

Check out the schmick website.

brasserie bread giveaway

Christmas Puddings, Fruit Mince Pies and Gingerbread – yep, X-mess is looming on the horizon.

Want to lean how the pros do it?

Thanks to Brasserie Bread, fooderati has 2 places to give away for a special Christmas baking workshop on Fri 26 Nov, 10am -1pm.

Details: 

Learn how to prepare and bake these scrumptious and ever-popular seasonal treats just in time for the holiday season. To spice things up, we’ll show you how to decorate your own Gingerbread, which makes for a great gift to that special someone. Take a guided tour of the Bakery and Brasserie Breaducation accompanied with a wine and cheese tasting to finish off your experience. From rolling, baking, filling and finishing – this class is the perfect Christmas activity to kick-start the merry season!  
Valued at $130/person

Simply email gimme@fooderati.com.au with the subject header 'Brasserie Bread Competition' and tell us in 25 words or less, which Christmas dessert you're most like and why.

Other Workshop dates:
 6.30 – 9.30pm: 2 Dec, 9 Dec
1.30 – 4.30pm: 18 Dec

omertà gets porked

Omertà has joined forces with Urban Food Market to present a 7-course degustation of piggy proportions. Eugenio will create a nose-to-tail feast showcasing one of the only true free range pork producers in the country, Esk River Free Range Pork, from Tasmania.

Degustation de Maiale

Crostini, lardo, figs, chestnut

Trotter jelly, braised stuffed pigs head, caper berries, fresh almonds, dragoncello

Shoulder -8 hours slow cooked in milk “encassata” , peppers, polenta ,marsala

Confit cheek triangoli, cherry, sage, poppy seeds

Luganica “alla brace”, radicchio, mustard pear

Porchetta, faro, celeriac, heirloom carrots, salsa verde

Sorbeto di mela

Cremino al cioccolato nocciola

Where: Omerta 235 Victoria St Darlinghurst NSW 2010

When: Monday 6 December, 7pm

How much: $69, $95 with matched wines

Secure your place by booking here.

fried chicken

Sydney is most definitely not on a diet. At least, that's what the chefs of this great city intend for us, if they have their way. With dishes like fried chicken coming back into fashion and on the menus of some of the coolest eateries in town, it's time to pick up the pace on your weekly run or add a few extra laps in the pool...because it's finger-licking good (and we even hear THAT purveyor of fried chicken made The Bentley Bar change the name of one of their bite-sized chicken dishes).

There's pretty much a fried chicken in every cuisine, from karage to southern-fried, ayam goreng tulang lunak and more, so here are three great examples to try. BYO defibrillator.

ATL Maranatha
61 Todman Ave, 
Kensington NSW 2033
(02) 9663 3410

A favourite with the local Indonesian population, 'ATL' is famous for its deep fried soft bone chicken. 
$8 will buy you a plate of Oscar golden, juicy chicken, with a crunch any sound stage foley artist would be proud of. And yes, the bones are so soft you can eat them - courtesy of overnight pressure-cooking that happens before the poor sods are deep fried the following day. When it comes to fried chicken, there's no doubt the maryland is best (fat = flavour), that that's just what you'll get at ATL. Choose from original recipe, salted egg batter, or turn up the heat with chilli sauce for extra bite.

District Dining
17 Randle Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
www.districtdining.com.au

We hear District Dining's co-owner and head chef Warren Turnbull is not adverse to indulging in a bit of junk food from time to time. A contrast from his fine diner Assiette, the bistro serves up shared dishes including a wooden breadboard of crisp fried chicken pieces served with coleslaw and lime aioli, $24. More heavily breaded than ATL, DD's chicken is more Southern USA style in flavour, but the fundamentals remain: golden crunch outside, tender inside.

Arisun
1 Dixon Street 
Haymarket, Sydney
(02) 9264 1588


'K' may normally stand for 'Kim Chi', but at this Korean joint in Dixon Street, it stands for 'Korean Fried Chicken'. Arrive early to nab a spot in the courtyard and order a beer while you wait for your basket of golden-fried bite-sized pieces of chicken joy to arrive. Choose between original deep fried or the spicy version (resplendant in sticky glaze), either way, the batter is crisp, the meat is tender and really, the only downside is having to wait until it's cool enough to consume. $30.

Honorable Mentions

- Duke Bistro (L1, 63 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst) - served with coleslaw milk and hot sauce spray, $10
- The Eathouse (306 Chalmers Street, Redfern) - ok, so it's Jamaican jerk-style, but it's still lip-sticking, aromatic and moreish..all valid criteria when it comes to this kind of food.

duke bistro arrives in darlinghurst

A new member of Darlinghurst’s Flinders Hotel family has moved in. A contrast to the grungy, L.A dive-bar style of the downstairs pub, Duke Bistro is about shared plates and global flavours.

Offering bistro dining in a relaxed environment, the atmosphere takes cues from British colonial style, pulled together in a way that only Melbourne designer Michael Delaney (Honky Tonks, Sorry Grandma! Third Class), can create. 

 

Kylie Javier (Tetsuya’s, The Bentley Bar) heads up a motley crew including chefs Thomas Lim (previously at Tetsuya’s) and 2010 Young Chef of the Year Mitch Orr, who have been busy developing an eclectic tasting menu that hone their diverse culinary backgrounds. Self-admitted fans of culinary humour and irony, expect to see dishes like kingfish G&T, tater tots, oxtail and bone marrow gravy with edamame and tendril as well as fried rabbit with celery, thyme, malt and mayo among the seasonal menu.

Cocktail bartenders Charles Ainsbury and Andy Penney bring over twenty years of local and international experience to the game and they take their craft seriously, so you don’t have to.  Sip from an evolving list of seasonal cocktails, as well as a wine list spanning a moving feast of alternative varietals, artisan producers and natural wines, orchestrated by Joel Amos.

Whether it’s cocktails and snacks at the bar, or a more substantial bistro experience, Duke is open till midnight most nights, and 2am Fridays and Saturdays, making this newcomer a welcome addition to Sydney’s late night dining scene.

Open Tue-Thur 7pm – Midnight, Fri-Sat 7pm – 2ish

Book  9332 3180, reservations@dukebistro.com.au

Interwebs: www.dukebistro.com.au | @dukebistro