Sydney Eat Street: The New Year’s taste resolutions have begun

From Brussels sprouts to beetroot, instead of trying something new, why not give an old foe a second chance – you just might like it after all, as these famous chefs and sommeliers will attest.

Instead of trying something new, why not give an old foe a second chance in 2023 – you just might like it after all, as these famous chefs and sommeliers will attest.

CURTIS STONE

Standing in the kitchen at his grandmother’s side, a four-year-old Curtis Stone wasn’t a fan of Brussels sprouts.

“As a kid, I didn’t really fancy Brussels sprouts,” the celebrity chef, tv personality, author, and restaurateur said.

“My mum cooked them by boiling them, and they always smelled a little farty, and I just didn’t love the flavour. What I’ve later learnt is by roasting them, caramelising them in butter and even deep-frying Brussels sprouts, they can actually be really delicious.”

Stone then revealed the secret. “When the leaves come away from the sprout, they become crispy, golden and sweet, and have a real umami and pack a punch with flavour.”

Chef Curtis Stone long had a hate-hate relationship with Brussels sprouts.

But now he claims he’s found the secret to turning them into a delicious meal.

Curtis now lives in Los Angeles but has just returned to Australia with his wife to rediscover Sydney and Australian culture.

The couple’s adventures, which include a bush tucker excursion in the Royal Botanic Gardens, a visit to The Fish Butchery where owner/chef Josh Nyland explains his no-waste approach to fish and seafood, culminating with a yellowfin tuna cheeseburger and Murray Cod smoked “bacon”, and a sweet experience with the Dessert King Reynold Poernomo at KOI chronicled in an eight-part web series, Carry On with Curtis and Lindsay.

LARISSA TAKCHI

Between her family’s stone-fruit farm, her mother’s Dural eatery, Wildpear Cafe, and her Lebanese background, Larissa Dominello (nee Takchi) garnered the experience that would lead her to not only take home the MasterChef Australia’s 2019 trophy but also be crowned the youngest winner in the show’s history.

Beetroot wasn’t a popular choice for Lairssa Takchi.

But she too has reformed her take on the offending food.

Ironically, her winning dish, Szechuan Pavlova, a dessert that features beetroot and blackberry sorbet, is made with an ingredient she avoided growing up.

“My mum used to straight up serve boiled beetroots to add to our hamburgers, and I used to absolutely hate them! They were always so bland and watery. It was not until I got on to MasterChef that I was forced to face all my weaknesses, that being beetroot! I played around with it a bit and found that after indeed boiling the beetroot, I roasted it in the oven, and it caramelised beautifully!”
“Just the smell out of the oven…right then and there was enough to convince me: this was going to be bloody good. And it was.”

MATT MORAN

As a champion of “paddock to plate”, famed chef, author, and restaurateur Matt Moran features fresh and seasonal menus at his award-winning restaurants, but growing up on a dairy farm, he admits that that wasn’t always the case.

“When I was young, I hated seafood,” he revealed.

Matt Moran now runs a seafood restaurant even though he hated the cuisine as a child.

“We lived on a farm, miles from the ocean, and I thought the full extent of fish was fish fingers. And then, I started my apprenticeship and tasted fresh fish, prawns and oysters in a proper restaurant and never looked back.”
“We have the best seafood in the world, so the best thing to do with them is as little as possible. Now I run a seafood restaurant by the beach (North Bondi Fish), so I guess you could say I have come a long way!”

REYNOLD POERNOMO

Reynold was dubbed the Dessert King almost immediately after making his first appearance on MasterChef in 2015 thanks to his ornate, intricate, and innovative cakes and pastries, but it was his shy yet charming personality that won him a legion of fans and the confidence to open KOI Dessert Bar along with his mother and two brothers.

Following the success of the first bar, they’ve opened more outlets.

Reynold continues to appear on tv, has written a cookbook, and has even given TED talks. Ever the innovator, he challenged himself not only to revisit foods he’d avoided as a child but also to embrace them.

Reynold Poernomo's Magic Mushroom dessert. Picture: Supplied

He explains: “As an Asian kid growing up in westernised society, I used to really dislike eating mushrooms; the texture and flavour had always made me feel so put off by it because they were always grey or have that stale taste (like dried shiitake).”

Reynold Poernomo has gotten past his hatred of mushrooms.

“Now, as a chef, it’s essential to use the right mushrooms for specific purposes, such as dried forester mushrooms to flavour any deep meaty sauces and fresh to create a magnificent entree or dried porcini powder to bring a creamy earthiness to my desserts”.

Don’t just take his word for it; rather, head into KOI and try his Magic Mushroom dessert – a clever concoction of hazelnut, chocolate, matcha, and porcini gelato.

CHRIS MORRISON

As the saying goes, if you assume you make an …well, you know.

Enter sommelier and QT Hotels beverage director Chris Morrison, who, as it turns out, wasn’t always a fan of fermented grapes.

Chris Morrison, sommelier of QT Hotels. Picture: Supplied

“In my 20s, I hated fortified wines,” he said.
“I found them too sweet, alcoholic, and wines my grandfather would drink. That was until I realised that Australian fortified is a very special part of our wine history, and now a few times a year, I really enjoy it at the end of a meal with cheese and appreciate the flavours beyond the sweetness”.

Proof positive that a bit of insight, education, and willingness to give it another go, that fresh perspective can change things for the better.