Sydney Eat Street: Battle of the chefs at Hunter Valley Wine and Food Festival
The annual Hunter Valley Wine and Food Festival hosts a number of tastings, masterclasses and degustation events — as well as a battle between Hunter Valley and Sydney chefs.
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It’s a fine time to visit the Hunter Region for the Hunter Valley Wine and Food Festival, which features a month of culinary events including the Hunter Valley Culinary Association’s annual Food Fight — where two Hunter Valley chefs take on two Sydney chefs for see which chef reigns supreme.
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MUSE RESTAURANT
Things tend to get a bit dramatic at Muse Restaurant, not so much in a reality TV finale sort of way, rather the apparent awe the restaurant experience evokes.
From the moment you walk into the expansive glass and stone structure to the last plate served to a table, chef/owner Troy Rhoades-Brown has created a place that is both majestic in appearance but humbled by the confines of the seasons’ bounty.
It’s a setting that defies a formulaic approach, but head chef Mitchell Beswick is up for the task saying, “My style is a mixture of everything, I don’t set myself to one cuisine”, which is noteworthy as it’s sure to set him up as a fierce competitor in the annual Hunter Culinary Association Food Fight, an event that raises money for the Brett Graham Scholarship which affords the recipient a trip to London and work experience at Graham’s The Ledbury, a two the two-Michelin-star restaurant in Notting Hill — an award that Troy earned in the earlier part of his career.
“My dishes are produce-driven and approachable, but with a little bit of flair,” he says.
“That flair that can come from the way it’s plated or something theatrical being finished at the table, like with liquid nitrogen,” such as one of his signature desserts, Nitro frozen banana, muscovado crisps, macadamia, wattleseed, mascarpone, warm whey caramel or the meticulous plating of the pan-fried blue mackerel with kohlrabi, smoked fish mousse, apple, horseradish, and delicate pea tendrils.
He adds: “I got into cooking not just for the cooking but I really liked the hospitality part too. Flair and hospitality are more than just food on the plate. I think I learned that from my grandmother. She liked entertaining and when she’d throw parties, and she’d always put everything out just so.”
The Food Fight started 10 years ago and has grown to become a celebrated dinner for 350 people, with Mitchell adding: “It all has to come out at the same time. The right temperature and the right look.
“We all get designated a course each, you use the sponsors’ products - meat, seafood, fruit and veg, and of course wine … and hopefully try and win. But at the end of the day, we’re all in the kitchen, and we’re all helping each other out anyway.”
So, what’s Mitchell’s approach to his dish: “To make a dish for it, I guess it’s pretty much what I do for any dish, and that is to find a flavour combination that speaks to everyone; something that’s more-ish and people want to go back for. And since it’s the Hunter Valley, I have to think about matching my dish to the wine as well.”
— Hungerford Hill Winery, 245 Broke Rd, Pokolbin; musedining.com.au
YELLOW BILLY
To say Yellow Billy chef Sam Alexander jumped at the opportunity to plate up at the Food Fight is an understatement.
“Hell yes, of course, I’d love to,” he says when the invite arrived.
Sam is a co-owner of Yellow Billy with sommelier Pat Hester.
Sam reveals: “I like to think that my style of food is like your grandmother prepared for you. It’s got so much love, and you can taste that, so more like your grandmother’s but on a professional level. That’s how I like to think of my cooking. Honest food. Honest good, tasty food.”
He and Pat had previously worked together and looked for their place first in Newcastle when space at Piggs Peake Winery opened up.
“Big thing is we started out looking for a point of difference; there was no one really doing what we were doing (smokehouse). I was lucky enough through my career working over different fire contraptions in Australia -when I had the opportunity to come here, we took it,” Sam says.
“But I’d never cooked anything like this before. In the end, I taught myself I designed and built this contraption. It all comes back to the fundamentals - if you understand heat and heat control and then what the flavour profile is going to be like, the rest comes naturally.”
For the Food Fight, Sam will be cooking his “style of food”, which he considers to be anything Mediterranean.
“My father is from Cairo and the rest of the family is Italian and Greek, so when we’d have progressive lunches it’d be a bit of everything: antipasti, then mezze and always flatbread, plus, I grew up on a nearby hobby-dairy farm so learned the value of growing our own vegetables, processing our own animals develop”, he says.
This he ultimately defines as a “very mixed background”. But it’s that eclectic background that has helped him to create one of the dishes that has been on the menu since day one.
“Orange and almond cake with chocolate curd and saffron syrup - our take on an Arabic style cake. It’s a syrup cake. Flavoured like Jaffa - chocolate cream and orange, that mixture is classic, but it also reflects my background,” he says.
“There’s always a story and a memory with food. Everything I try to do relates to a memory somehow - whether it’s’ from childhood, the past year, or the last week, and then I just try to put a twist on it.”
So, what’s Sam plating up? He’s tight-lipped on the specific, but it’s sure to be memorable.
— 697 Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin; yellowbillyrestaurant.com
BISTRO MOLINES
It’s the vibe, declares Robert Molines, chef/owner of Bistro Molines.
“Everything in the place has its own history. It’s an amalgamation of everything - flowers, food, the guests. It’s elegant. The naturalness of this place speaks for itself. The colours of the season,” Robert says.
He explains how he and his wife, Sally created this chic French restaurant, transforming a tight and tired space into something “marvellous”.
“It used to be a closed function room with plastic sheeting for windows”, but over the years, they’ve done extensive modifications to expand the space - both indoors and out - opening it up to a sweeping view of the valley and vineyard below,” Robert says.
“The thing about this place, … it’s not about us, it’s about the customers who are all there within their own company, so it’s not about the chef and the restaurant.
“The beauty of this place is that everyone here turns up, and honestly, all the guys in here - kitchen and floor - come here with the intention of being creative, not to demonstrate their own ego, but come here with a real joy for doing what they do with love - that love is felt with the dishes that come out.”
Head chef Garreth Robbs relies on seasonal produce to determine the menu such as the braised artichoke dish.
“As soon as artichokes hit, that dish comes on and there’ll be variations throughout the season (top of specials board),” he says.
Another feature is the eggplant stacked salad - fried eggplant, tomatoes and roast capsicum - the same dish Robert made when he and a few chefs and wineries representing the Hunter Valley went to San Francisco and prepared a meal; a picture of the dish made it into American cooking and travel magazines.
Garreth also notes that regardless of seasons, they “can’t take the twice-roasted duck off the menu”, though the accompanying vegetables change with what’s in season. Oh, and of course the Crème Brulee has to say - it is a French restaurant after all.
— 749 Mount View Rd, Pokolbin; bistromolines.com.au
WANDIN KITCHEN
While its name rides off the back of Aussie soap opera, A Country Practice’s fictitious location, The Wandin Valley, these days it’s Wandin Estate Wine and Wandin Kitchen taking centre stage, and to showcase this huge property and all its offerings (including cricket grounds), they’ve put together a special lunch menu featuring classic Hunter Valley food and wine pairings: Seafood & Semillon - locally sourced seafood accompanied by three Semillon styles, and Steak & Shiraz – Wagyu matched with three Shiraz vintages.
“We all can do high-end - and often complicated pairings, but there is a point where, with all we’ve dealt with in our houses of late, we just want things we can trust,” says Wandin Estate general manager, Manda Duffy, and often that’s just your classic and comfortable things, thus the menu’s name: “The Classics Make Us Happy - wine and food pairing we love”.
And it won’t be just any red meat /red wine pairing, as head chef John Rutherford has prepared premium Jack’s Creek Wagyu which will be paired with a real treat - a glass of their $120/bottle Shiraz. That’s the culinary equivalent of a warm hug. (Available lunch Wednesday- Sunday through to June 27).
— 12 Wilderness Rd, Lovedale; wandin.com.au
JOURNEY OF CHARDONNAY AT ÉREMO
A little knowledge goes a long way, so imagine what you’ll learn - and taste - at this Chardonnay masterclass, shrewdly disguised as an engaging five-course long lunch on June 26 at 12.30pm.
Hosted by First Creek Wine’s Lisa Silkman, a prominent Chardonnay maker she’ll take you through a “Journey of Chardonnay” with wine matched to a delectable Italian meal curated by Michael Elfwing, Executive Chef of Spicers Guesthouse’s éRemo Restaurant.
Tickets are $165pp.
— Spicers Guesthouse, 57 Ekerts Rd, Pokolbin; eremo.com.au
1813 CELLAR DOOR AT TINONEE ESTATE
When it’s cold outside there’s no better place to be than fireside with a good meal, good wine, good friends.
Even better when you’re at a table in the Manhattan-chic lounge of 1813’s cellar door located on the Tinonee Vineyard Estate, sipping on single vineyard wines, while dining on delicious dishes made with local seasonal ingredients and prepared by award-winning chef, Thomas Boyd of Boy & Co catering.
The Fireside Lunch begins with roaming canapes before sitting down for the delectable experience. Should you wish to make a full weekend of the affair, Tinonee Vineyard Estate also offers accommodation — a house with six bedrooms and a spacious 2-bedroom cottage both with the warm and welcoming features of Hampton’s decor.
The Fireside Lunch takes place on Sunday, June 20, from 12pm-3pm. $150pp)
— 1813 Cellar Door, 1273 Milbrodale Road, Broke; 1813.com.au
HUNGERFORD HILL EPIC TASTING
Yes, you can indeed have the best of both worlds, just head to Hungerford Hill for their “Epic Tasting”, a mini-degustation featuring Hungerford Hill wines and bite-sized dishes from Muse, the two-hatted restaurant adjacent to the cellar door.
Nick Williams, Hungerford Hill cellar door manager explains that the tasting consists of “five dishes that walk patrons through the introductory steps of food and wine pairing. Is it mild or flavourful? Is it fatty or lean? Is it rich or acidic? These questions are answered with each bite and then expanded upon with the flavours in the degustation”.
Muse head chef, Mitchell Beswick’s food will help better illustrate the pairing, says Nick.
“Acid with acid, tannins with fat … experience how the acid of Semillon compliments the flavours and acid of the market fish dish. Each of the five accentuate specific flavours, aromas and aspects of the wines.”
This delicious and educational experience is available Tuesday, June 15 to Saturday, June 19 from 11am to 3pm, $60pp.
— 2450 Broke Rd, Pokolbin, hungerfordhill.com.au
MARGAN
As if making award-winning wines weren’t enough, Lisa and Andrew Margan have turned their expansive estate into a true Hunter alley institution, exemplifying the best that this wine county has to offer.
While their wines are worth a visit alone, they’ve created events and initiatives that showcase the region’s abundance of local produce and meats in such special sessions as the Wines Grape, Garden & Graze Experience which starts with a Vermouth cocktail and a stroll through the one-hectare kitchen garden.
Along the way, you’ll learn how their sustainably farmed wines are made from vine to glass then graze on a selection of locally made cheese, cured and aged meats (vegetarian or vegan, on request) and garden condiments while enjoying a structured tasting of select Limited Release wines.
The experience runs Monday, June 21 to Thursday, June 23 from 11am-12.15pm, $70pp.
For the epitome of local produce, check out their 100m Meals where everything on the menu - from drinks to dessert is made with ingredients that are within 100m of the restaurant. Now, that is the true definition of “Shop Local”.
— 1238 Milbrodale Rd, Broke, NSW; margan.com.au
THOMAS WINES
Basic wines are a dime a dozen, but on Saturday, June 19, Andrew Thomas, of Thomas Wines will be bring out the best dressed for the Distinguished Dozen, with a masterclass and lunch experience featuring twelve outstanding Thomas Wines.
While the wines may be regal, the event is less so, making it the perfect setting for informal discussions around the wines with Thommo (Andrew Thomas) himself. After that intro, you’ll get an exquisite lunch by chef Andy Wright, a Hunter Valley local who has helmed the kitchen of many of the area’s premium restaurants but has since ventured out on his own as Pokolbin Catering.
So, settle in on Saturday, 19 June at 10.30am for some fabulous food and 12 vintages of Thomas Kiss Shiraz. ($195pp)
— Mistletoe Ln & Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin; thomaswines.com.au
RIDGEVIEW WINES
With a close-up view of the vineyard, the beach may be back of mind, that is until you indulge in RidgeView Ocean to Paddock Lunch.
Using produce grown on-site and sourced locally, such as nearby salmon farmers. Start with canapes and bubbles on the verandas before moving on to a seven-course degustation with matching wines including their current and museum wines.
Of those seven course, three will be seafood-based dishes, and three will be meat-based dishes. (Saturday, June 19, 6pm. $150pp)
— 273 Sweetwater Rd, Rothbury; ridgeview.com.au
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