Upcoming events: Gastronomique | Piper Street Food Co | Melb Wine Awards | Spins & Spritz | Project Botanicals | Peter Gilmore’s App | Heartattack and Vine

Over 25 of Victoria’s finest chefs will unite under one roof for Gastronomique, Anglicare Victoria’s gala food and wine charity night which supports vulnerable children to create a unique evening of food and wine.

The chefs will be donating their time, produce and expertise to cook for over 500 people at the Peninsula, Central Pier, Docklands on November 12.

Chefs taking part include: Adam D’Sylva from Coda and Tonka, Scott Pickett from Estelle, Joe Grbac from Saint Crispin, Gabriele Olivieri from Bottega, Oliver Gould from Stokehouse, Perry Schagen from The Graham, Colin Wood from Cumulus Inc, Tony Twitchett from Taxi Kitchen, Olimpia Bortolotto and Daniel Kranjcic from Cecconi’s Flinders Lane, Barry Davis from Montalto, Mathew Macartney from Eleonore’s at Chateau Yering, Nicky Riemer from Union Dining, Ludo Baulacky from Oscar W’s, Daniel Wilson from Huxtable, Stuart Bell from Ten Minutes by Tractor, Geoff Lindsay from Dandelion, Sonia Anthony from Masons of Bendigo, Andy Harmer from The Point, Matt Germanchis and Emma Bottos from Pei Modern, Brad Simpson from The Smith, Matt Dempsey from Gladioli and Donovan Cooke from The Atlantic Restaurant. 

Gastonomique is a special event where Victorian chefs unite for Victorian children. It is an unmissable night for people who love food, wine and want to support the State’s most vulnerable children.

Gastonomique is Anglicare Victoria’s major annual fundraising event and one of Australia’s biggest charity nights. Previously known as Dinner with the Angels, the gala evening includes signature dishes, fine wine and entertainment. 

What: Gastronomique

Date: Wednesday 12 November 2014

Time: 6:30pm – 11.45pm

Venue: Peninsula, Central Pier, 161 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, Melbourne
Costs: $300.00 AUD per person

Public enquiries: www.anglicarevic.org.au

Phone: (03) 9412 6157
BOOK NOW
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Piper Street Food Co. has expanded

Kyneton’s award winning charcuterie Piper St Food Co recently announced it’s brand new expansion.

After nearly 4 years of creating an award winning range of pates, terrines, rillettes, pies and sausages for top restaurants, delis, food stores and caterers, Damian & Bryanna Sandercock are officially launching their 7 day a week café, sourdough bakery, picnic shop and cooking school.

Their award winning range of charcuterie will take pride of place alongside:

• our purpose built cooking school – featuring a brand new AGA!
• a range of traditional sourdough breads
•  a 7 day a week café
• new kitchens including a temperature controlled butcher’s kitchen and a baker’s kitchen

For more information visit www.piperstfoodco.com.

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Melb Wine Awards - Uncorked Friday 24th Oct

Melbourne wine enthusiasts will have their chance to taste their way through the best wines in Australia at the RMWA Uncorked.

Uncorked is the only event where the public can taste medal-winning wines from the 2014 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards (RMWA) in one place, just one week after the winners are revealed.

Winning wines from regional Victorian wine shows will also be on offer.

The RMWA, conducted by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV), promotes excellence in winemaking and recognises outstanding achievement in the pursuit of quality. The rigorous judging process is conducted by a panel of local and international judges, sommeliers, writers, buyers, retailers and media. With more than 3,000 entries, winning an award at the RMWA establishes a wine as one of the very best – making for an easy consumer guide in wine selection.

Entry includes unlimited tastings and a take home Riedel wine glass as well as the most recent edition of James Halliday’s Wine Companion magazine.

Participants will enjoy discovering the best wines in the country accompanied by live music and delicious street food, delivering a Friday night drinking and dining experience like no other.

Taste your way through Australia’s best wines by varietal, journeying through the spectrum, from Australia’s best Chardonnay and Riesling right through to Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz and everything in between.

Well regarded sommelier, wine writer and RMWA Committee Member Matt Skinner says, “For the last 130 years the Royal Melbourne Wine Awards have showcased the diversity and excellence of Australian wines. Uncorked allows the public to taste what our judges have had the privilege of tasting and awarding and celebrate all of the winners in one fantastic public event.”

Regional wine shows taking part in this year’s Uncorked event include Geelong, Heathcote, Gippsland, Rutherglen and the Victorian Wine Shows.


What: RMWA Uncorked
When: Friday, October 24th 6pm-10pm
Where: Collins Place, 4/45 Collins Street Melbourne
Cost: $50
Buy tickets: www.dashtickets.com.au/event/g1pqz5cw4

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Spins & Spritz Launch Party @ Royal Saxon

The warmer months are coming up fast and Saxon Sundays are back...

The guys at the Saxon will buy your first Spritz for the season if fedoras and sunshine aren't enough reason!

Read more about Royal Saxon here. 

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Bombay Sapphire’s Project Botanicals

Project Botanicals is a celebration of Australia’s continued love affair with gin, presented by Bombay Sapphire.

Project Botanicals is a distinctly different pop-up bar, which launched on November 19, 2014. Inspired by the world of gin botanicals, Bombay Sapphire Brand Ambassador, Sean Forsyth and Chef Gary Mehigan have crafted a unique bar and dining experience for Melburnians, pairing botanically led cocktails to gastronomy.

The menu at Project Botanicals will feature 10 botanically inspired Bombay Sapphire cocktails with 10 matching tapas style dishes.

• Open for three weeks only from 19 November through until 6 December
• Sittings available from 6pm-1am Wednesday to Saturday evenings 
• Held at the newly established warehouse location of 64 Sutton Street, North Melbourne
• Tickets are $35 per person (plus booking fee) and include two cocktails and two  matched dishes.

Visit www.projectbotanicals.com.au for further details and to purchase tickets.

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Peter Gilmore’s new App for iPad now available in the App Store

Peter Gilmore’s new App for iPad is now available in the App Store.

The app is a rich digital extension to his new book, Organum and explores the stories behind 8 handpicked dishes through Peter's network of producers and unique ingredients, from concept to finished plate. Told through stunning layers of interactive visuals and audio.

The project is a joint venture between digital agency Pollen, award-winning creative director Reuben Crossman, photographer Brett Stevens and Peter Gilmore of Quay Restaurant.

Learn more about the app here. 

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Heartattack and Vine launches

Gastrology recently attended the launch of Heartattack and Vine, the new restaurant venture from the team behind Wide Open Road and A Minor Place (Hootan Heyderi and Jono Hill) and two of their long-term employees (Nathen Doyle and Emily Bitto) . 

Unlike their cafés, Heartattack and Vine will be an all day operation – from 7am to 11pm, seven days a week – and will offer a contemporary take on the Venetian cicchetti bar. Think a light breakfast with excellent espresso; a quick, hearty lunch of traditional Roman street food (porchetta straight out of the oven served on a warm ciabatta roll); and long, relaxed evenings over aperitifs, good wine and cicchetti, the Italian-style bar food traditionally served in Venice, made fresh from local ingredients daily. 

Restaurant Review: Mr Carsisi

Location: 37C Piper Street, Kyneton
Phone: 03 5422 3769
Link: http://www.mrcarsisi.com/
Cuisine: Turkish, Middle Eastern
Overall Impression: 8/10

Turkish cuisine, in all its’ delightful glory has made a debut in Kyneton with the presence of Mr Carsisi on Piper Street.

The menu places emphasis on fresh vegetables, fish and lean meat that are prepared with a myriad of aromatic spices like fresh mint, sumac, cumin, cinnamon, oregano and allspice. 

Chef Matthew Fegan and his wife, Clare, travelled to Turkey and fell in love with the flavours and simplicity of the food. More travels through Syria confirmed their affections with the Eastern Mediterranean influences and after returning to Australia and manning the stoves at Kyneton's Royal George Hotel and tossing pizzas at Pizza Verde, they took over the lease of what was then Slow Living on the edge of St Paul's Park. 

Cleverly named after Istanbul's Misir Carsisi spice bazaar, their new venue in a former iceworks is cavernous like a bazaar but kept minimalist in decor. 

Top left: House-made bread

Top right: Grilled lamb cutlets, harra sauce, Turkish tabouleh

Bottom left: Fried salted fish potato cakes, tamarind & tomato sauce

Bottom right: Hommus

We were delighted by their banquet menu. The entrees were a delicious, mouth-watering smorgasbord of Turkish staples including a beautiful chickpea based hommus, charcoal-grilled lamb cutlets and fried salted fish potato cakes, with each dish offering zesty, delicious flavours and tastes. 

Roasted stuffed Port Phillip calamari, Persian Gulf rice, dried Iranian lime butter, herb salad

The calamari was beautifully cooked and stuffed with a medley of exciting flavours and textures. This dish was full of flavour and was perfectly seasoned. 

Confit Milawa duck leg, barberry & orange pilaf, pomegranate & walnut sauce

The duck leg was tender and bursting with flavour. The combination of sweet pomegranate with creamy walnut sauce, fresh coriander and almond slivers did wonders to flavour the pilaf. 

Vanilla halva ice cream sundae, almond mahmoul, tahini butterscotch, vanilla Persian fairy floss

The vanilla halva ice cream sundae was stunning. Each layer had a wonderful flavour intensity that worked beautifully together. We savoured every spoonful.

Turkish delight semifredo baklava sandwich, cinnamon doughnuts, rose petal ice cream

This visually attractive dessert of Turkish delight semifredo baklava sandwich, cinnamon doughnuts, rose petal ice cream was decadent and absolutely delicious. The fragrant rose petal ice cream and fluffy doughnuts concoction, together with the crumbly “sandwich” and creamy semifredo produced a balanced and delectable dessert. 

Mr Carsisi is a self-styled and unique eatery which serves modern Mediterranean meets Turkish cuisine and promises to be a feast for the eyes and palette.

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Mr Carsisi.

Restaurant Review: Annie Smithers Bistrot & Produce

Location: 72 Piper Street, Kyneton
Phone: 03 5422 2039
Link: www.anniesmithers.com.au
Cuisine: French, International, Modern European
Overall Impression: 9/10

Iconic Annie Smithers Bistrot was recently taken-over by passionate Tim and Michelle Foster, bringing about a brilliant modern twist to the menu whilst retaining the métier and the spirit of the bistro, in one of Piper Street's most beautiful spaces. 

 Tim & Michelle Foster

Under Tim's guidance, the kitchen offers high-quality cuisine in a relaxed setting. The highlight of the cuisine served is seemingly simple but carefully prepared dishes; the fruit of Tim and Michelle's expansive experience in the world of hospitality. 

Tim was most recently the Executive Chef at Healesville Hotel Group, and prior to that was Head Chef at Hollicks Winery Coonawarra. Whilst his wife Michelle is a qualified Chef, she now works as the front of house Manager. 

House-made sourdough

The dining room combines an atmosphere that is warm, welcoming, modern yet rustic and relaxed.  From the kitchen flows a careful selection of healthy, seasonal gourmet cuisine in the traditional bistro style. 

Amuse bouche - Cold tomato soup with ricotta and bacon

What we experienced was sensational. The menu is based on two central elements: top-quality ingredients from local producers and a strong  European influence. This enables the bistro to offer its guests the best meats, fish, vegetables and fruit available in Victoria. 

Left: Pan seared scallops, confit free range chicken wings, Jerusalem artichoke puree & chips, fresh asparagus, pickled kohlrabi

Right: Grilled partially de boned quail, buckwheat polenta, broad beans, prosciutto, peperonata, jus

Tortellini filled with cauliflower & comte cheese, roast cauliflower, golden raisons, pickled walnuts, sage, brown butter

Our favourite entree, the tortellini was exceptional. The filling of deliciously savoury and melt in your mouth cauliflower was encased in al dente pasta. The accompanying roast cauliflower, raisins, pickled walnuts and stunning brown butter sauce made this a perfectly executed, expertly balanced and intelligent dish.

Left: Aged Sidonia Hills beef, fondant potatoes, grilled asparagus, horseradish creme, beetroot jus

Right: A side of salad from local growers' garden

The steak was beautifully cooked and arrived cooked medium as requested. Perfectly seared on the outside and beautifully juicy and pink on the inside. It was evident that the meat was sourced from a quality producer and great care had been taken in its preparation.

Confit free range duck leg, brined & smoked breast, eggplant puree, beans, cherry jus, fat hen

The slices of duck breast were cooked to a rarely found perfection with the subtle smokiness allowing the rich flavour of the duck to shine through. The accompanying confit leg was tender, the skin crisp. The sweet and sticky cherry jus provided the crowning element to a luxurious dish. 

Consistent with our savoury courses, the desserts that followed were superbly executed, well balanced and fresh.

Left: Rich chocolate delice, strawberries, blueberries, cumquat brandy, lavender honeycomb, pink lake salt meringues, Redesdale estate olive oil ice cream

Right: Lemon verbena poached yellow peach, white chocolate mousse, summer berries, pistachio dacquoise

The rich chocolate delice was, as its name suggests, decadently rich. The lavender honeycomb added a lovely textural element.

The lemon verbena poached yellow peaches exhibited a vibrant combination of flavours. 

Buttermilk panna cotta, new seasons rhubarb, shortbread, strawberry sorbet, rose

The panna cotta was smooth and well crafted, the rhubarb was cooked to perfection. The sorbet had a bold fresh strawberry flavour and the melt-in-your-mouth texture of the shortbread accompanied perfectly. 

Of particular note is that despite the complexity of the dishes crafted by Tim Foster, each element on every plate was cohesive and necessary, and when eaten together were stunning.

Under Tim and Michelle, Annie Smithers brings traditional, classic dishes bang up to date using local and seasonal produce. The reputation of Annie Smithers appears to be in safe hands. 

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Annie Smithers Bistrot.