Gourmet Traveller

It never fails to fascinate me how food trends develop. How different people, in different places, can have near identical thoughts at the same time. One minute, no one will have ever heard of ’nduja… the next, it’s on every menu from here to Fremantle. That particular trend was the result of the 2019 wave of Italian diners that swept the country – bringing with it cacio e pepe-flavoured everything. In 2021, we saw a French revolution of sorts, as a burst of bistros and brasseries took over Australia’s cities. And now, it seems we are drifting south again, this time to Spain, with a raft of new Spanish-leaning openings firing up our tastebuds with their salty, snackable morsels. Of course, Spanish traditions have been influencing Australian food culture for decades. Arguably…

Small Town Food + Wine, Milton The lobster rolls at this 20-seat gem of a venue are a buttery, crunchy, juicy delight. They are the perfect little upgrade to the $95 set menu by chef-owner Alex Delly (ex-Ezard and Circa the Prince). And reason enough to put the NSW South Coast on your to-do list. Anna McCooe, deputy editor Minerva Pool, Wedderburn, NSW The beautiful Minerva Pool is a sacred Aboriginal site located in the Dharawal National Park. Pack a picnic and enjoy the short bushwalk to the pool. As you wander keep an eye out for koalas nestled in the tree forks. Holly Doran, designer Ursula’s, Sydney The art of great hospitality is about being hospitable. Enter Phil Wood, who whipped up this fresh, gluten-free gnocchi to adapt his signature Moreton Bay bug pasta to our…

SYDNEY Sydney institution Golden Century has a new casual takeaway offshoot in Darling Square’s The Exchange. Situated below XOPP, Golden Century BBQ reimagines the late night dining legacy, swapping lazy Susans for grab-and-go Cantonese barbecue. It retains the restaurant’s perfectly cooked golden roast duck, crisp pork and barbecue pork, alongside sides of XO sauce, bright pickles and siu mai. Owners Eric and Linda Wong call upon their original barbecue shop in Hong Kong, which was their first food venture in the ’70s, while son Billy Wong explains, “We want our customers to feel like they’re eating at a restaurant without actually having to dine inside a restaurant.” Sydney’s new age Spanish wave continues with the arrival of Bar Lucia in Potts Point. Bar Lucia is a handsome wine and tapas bar, serving…

1 Perelló Gordal Picante These pitted olives are almost meaty in texture, each being dense, succulent and nuanced. A star solo or ideal for spearing with a toothpick, they won’t last long on any snack plate. $9, drnks.com.au 2 Mount Zero Lemon & Thyme Mixed Olives Along with mastering olive oil, Mount Zero Olives produce these easy-to-serve fresh sealed packs that are a pantry essential for entertainers. A zippy marinade of lemon zest and thyme dials up the flavour. $4.60, mountzeroolives.com 3 Simon Johnson Gordal Olives Gordal olives are also referred to as queen olives, thanks to their fleshy and fruity style. Grown in Andalusia on Spain’s southernmost peninsula, the olives are harvested early in the season resulting in a deeply savoury flavour. $12.95, simonjohnson.com…

Where in Spain are you from? I was born in Oliana, a small village in the Pyrenees in Catalonia, north of Barcelona, south of France. How did your cooking journey begin? Eating and cooking have been big in my family for generations. My grandfather was a farmer. My mother and grandmother had a restaurant together. Since I was little, I spent a lot of time in kitchens and restaurants, and with chefs. The restaurant was built under our home – so there was always cooking and eating. Growing up I learned how to cook over charcoal. That flavour has stuck in my memory. What’s a dish you’re proud of? One of my favourite dishes at the moment is the Murray cod. The fish is cooked on charcoal and then confit in olive…

We all know that winter is the season for pruning fruit trees, right? Well, yes and no. Pruning fruit trees at different times of the year encourages different growth responses in the tree. It can make them grow faster or slower, bigger or smaller, or make them more or less fruitful. We can use this knowledge to manipulate how our trees grow, for their benefit, as well as our own. The end of January until early March (depending on your local climate) is the best time to undertake “summer pruning” of deciduous fruit trees such as apples, pears, plums, apricots, peaches and cherries. Summer pruning has a different effect on deciduous fruit trees, compared with winter pruning. To understand why, we need to think about their annual growth cycle. In spring, as…