Gourmet Traveller July 2021

BEN WILLIAMSON chef Where there’s smoke Brisbane-based chef Ben Williamson has always had a knack for cooking over fire, and his modern Australian grill restaurant Agnes has helped him realise the full potential of flame-kissed cooking. In this issue, he shares recipes that harness the flavour of fire, from subtly smoked labne to ember-roasted chicken. “It sounds like a cliché but cooking with fire really does tap into your DNA in a way,” he says. THALIA HO photographer and writer Smoky sweets Award-winning food blogger Thalia Ho has forged a career centred around decadent recipes matched with her own poetic prose and photography. In this issue, we share recipes from her new book, Wild Sweetness, and its enigmatic smoke-themed chapter, which sees sweet treats imbued with subtle smoky flavours. “It’s intense and rich, wintered, and the one…

Trudon boutique Trudon candles have been lighting Europe’s grandest residences for nearly 400 years. Now, Australia has welcomed its first boutique in Sydney’s Paddington, just next door to Santa Maria Novella. trudon.com.au Coravin Pivot There’s no excuse to drink bad wine with the new Coravin Pivot making it even easier to savour a glass of something special. The compact system can be used on cork or screw-top bottles, keeping wine fresh for up to four weeks. coravin.com.au The Caley Speaking of special, Yalumba has released its fifth vintage of The Caley, capturing the very best of Coonawara cabernet and Barossa shiraz. At $365 a bottle, it’s one to cellar for a special future occasion. yalumba.com Manta La dolce vita vibes are high at Manta on Woolloomooloo’s Finger Wharf, where the seafood arrives fresh from Port Stephens daily,…

Let’s be clear: we know cooking with fire is nothing new. It is as old as humankind itself; the very reason we have survived and evolved to the point we’re at today. But while many societies have kept fire at the centre of their food culture, burning bright, others have turned their backs on it, favouring more efficient, convenient methods. Because while it may be the most primitive method of cooking, to do it well can prove quite the challenge. Which is part of the reason cooking with fire is experiencing such a resurgence. For many, there is enormous pleasure to be found in building the perfect fire; in experimenting with different types of wood and the subtleties they bring to a dish. It can be a laborious process – with…

MELBOURNE Despite a 14-day lockdown Melbourne’s hospitality troops are firing on all cylinders, with new openings still coming through. One of the most hotly anticipated arrivals is Aru, the latest venture from Sunda’s executive chef Khanh Nguyen. The menu rests on the flavours of south-east and east Asia, remixed for the modern Australian restaurant scene, underscored with fire, smoke, fermentation and curing techniques, all overlaid with Nguyen’s Vietnamese-Australian heritage. Take the bites and snacks: a Vietnamese-Bunnings sausage sanga hybrid, which sees a duck sausage glazed with leatherwood honey, and served on soft white bread with caramelised onion and hoisin sauce. Potato wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce? They’ve shape-shifted into hasselback potatoes with a spiced herb sauce and a dressing of Laughing Cow cheese, and a potato-peel miso from their…

CRUNCH TIME What started out as a passion project for Barrie Seldon quickly turned into a business prospect after winning gold for this heat-driven, pangrattato-like topping at a Western Australian chilli festival. Made from an intensely textural combination of oats, chillies, coconut, onion, sesame and garlic, this fiery condiment brings life to the simplest of salads, soups and pastas. Try adding to roast vegetables or fried rice for extra crunch, too. krunchilli.com.au LIGHT IT UP Adelaide continues to live up to its “festival state” moniker, with the arrival of Illuminate Adelaide. For 17 nights the city will be aglow with light installations and interactive art pieces. The star attraction of the music program will see The Avalanches joined by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, to celebrate 21 years since the release of their seminal…

How did you get into cooking? My mother-in-law used to own a hawker stall in Penang, which specialised in char koay teow. When she came on holiday here, she bought her special sauce to do her char koay teow, and that’s when the idea popped into my head to bring her char koay teow to Melbourne. I started selling dishes online, and then in June 2019 I had a pop-up in the Hawker Hall. Eventually I found my own shop in Hardware Lane in May 2020. Can you tell us more about your signature dish? It’s a street food dish that’s very popular in Malaysia. The Penang char koay teow is a bit different from the other states in Malaysia – this one is more on the savoury side, a little…