Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i Gourmet Traveller

One of the most disconcerting travel experiences of my life began with being told I should not – under any circumstances – leave the property without a driver and a guide. It threw me completely, as I had envisaged arriving at said hotel, dumping my bags and heading outside to wander the city streets and get my bearings. From Port Stephens to Manhattan, this is how I start any visit to a new destination – learning the tempo of a place, looking for landmarks to help navigate, and scoping out what looks delicious and could be worth closer inspection. You can tell a lot about a place by simply wandering the streets. It’s where you get to experience the scenes, smells and noises that define a place. It’s where you…

LA BANDERITA These petite street-style rounds are flour-based rather than made with corn, which makes them a little softer and stretchier (but not gluten-free). La Banderita also does large flour tortillas, which are ideal for filled-to-the-brim burritos. $7 for 20, harrisfarm.com.au DOÑA CHOLITA Sold frozen to capture the sweet, nutty flavour of blue corn and made in NSW’s Northern Rivers, these tortillas offer a well-balanced flavour and texture. Founder Jefte Juarez had trouble finding tortillas as good as the ones he had growing up in Mexico, so he set about crafting his own. $10.79 for 12, organicdeliverysydney.com.au LA TORTILLERIA This Melbourne-based artisan uses Australian-grown corn and sea salt for its masa (dough) and nothing else. Used by the likes of Frankie’s Tortas and Tacos and Rico’s Tacos, these malleable, soft…

I’ve always admired Tony Albert. Through his visually compelling and beautiful art practice he is able to raise awareness around difficult and essential subjects. Like his creativity, Tony’s depth of humanity knows no bounds. He makes a profound and positive contribution, not just to the art community, but the community as a whole, and takes everyone along with him on his journeys. It’s October 2023 in Mayfair, London. First Nations artist and curator Tony Albert has a hammer in hand and is nailing bits of vintage “Aboriginalia” to the wall of No. 9 Cork Street gallery. He hangs a colonialist painting upside down and emblazons it with skull and crossbones. An old tourist shop map of Australia is painted with a target. And among “Dreamtimey” teaspoons, coasters, and factory-produced boomerangs…

What was the backdrop to your childhood? I grew up in Quezon City, north of Metro Manila, Philippines. Born to Kapampangan parents from the rice growing provinces of Pampanga and Tarlac, two regions which hug Mount Pinatubo – an active volcano which last erupted in 1991. The Kapampangans north of the Philippines are like the Basque people of Spain, an anomaly to the neighbouring languages and a gastronomic centre for both countries. What were the flavours and aromas that shaped your childhood? My “food library” of references was deeply ingrained in me and developed from a young age by “sittings” with my lola (grandmother). She taught me to smell my food, and taught me the art of sangkutsa, preparing ingredients and marinating to create flavours. What was your first impression…

I’ve been a flâneuse all my life. That’s the female equivalent of flâneur – a stroller, a saunterer, one who “wanders with no purpose,” according to the word’s origins. The flâneuse loves nothing more than a boulevard where she can roam and observe the passing crowd, where she can peer into shop windows, unhurried, resting occasionally at a well-placed café to continue the observation with a coffee or an aperitif. Window shopping is a pastime loved by the flâneuse, because it’s something that can be done on a whim, according to mood, and even when shops are closed. It involves no commitment. As an inveterate stroller, I’m an expert window shopper. I’ve often wandered the world’s best avenues and shopping streets without buying anything, except perhaps the odd accessory or…

There’s a warm coastal breeze in the air and tourists walk around in the heat, clad in shorts and singlet tops that stick to their sides. Signs along the beach promise poke and acai bowls in Russian, and bars blast Bob Marley and house music to lure holidaygoers. The last place you might imagine this scene is the beachside town of Mirissa on the island of Sri Lanka, but this is what tourism gentrification looks like in a small town. It might sound harmless, but tourism gentrification is insidious when left unchecked. It strips communities of their identity and dilutes it in favour of the Western palate, making a place like Mirissa just another beach town with no personality. Travel further inland, and you will see locals in the village,…

I’m watching night swallow up the day. Moonless, the darkness seems magnified by the electrifying light show. Each and every audacious neon starburst and revolution dances and fights for my dollars. All recklessly glowing until the sun clocks on for the day shift. When it does, early morning machines wash the streets and nearly all traces of the night before. Day does the grunt work to re-supply the city and ensure each nightly show is brighter than before. As sure as night follows day, Las Vegas’ essential promise has always been reinvention, from casinos and hotels to the latest street hustle. Old neon doesn’t get to retire; it’s repurposed and works every night at downtown’s Neon Museum, only in Las Vegas. But there’s a new light show, a new face…

Between polished brass and black and white photographs, nostalgia clings to the air in the lounge bar at the Gran Hotel Bolívar, Lima. On its outside balcony, I sit drinking their Pisco Sour Catedral beside one of Peru’s busiest squares to a choir of car horns in the street below. This scene has undoubtedly changed over the years compared to when aristocrats, artists, and diplomats would come here in their droves to swill the same cocktail a century ago — but the taste hasn’t. Nor has the size. As the story goes, a notable businessman of the 1920s would visit the bar and request a hefty double-sized sour before attending Sunday mass. The name stuck, and the smooth yet lusciously tangy cocktail has been served in hefty pear-shaped vessels ever…

HOME INSPIRATION 1 Saguaro cactus potted plant, $400, James Lane. 2 A Colourful Yarn vessel, $246, Formantics. 3 Large Paradis mirror in Rosé, $1990, En Gold. 4 Muuto Ambit pendant light, $339, In Good Company. 5 Reggio room spray, $310, Trudon. 6 Anthea vase in Chalk, $259, Domayne. 7 Marlow Curve 3-seater sofa, $3597, Castlery. 8 Rinnai inbuilt gas log fire, $5299, Home Gas. 9 HK Living chest of drawers in Camel, POA, House of Orange. 10 Dulux Wash&Wear interior paint in Tan Wagon, from $59.50 per litre, Dulux. 11 Mika Burl Wood side table, $799, Castlery. 12 Driade Roly Poly Armchair in Peat, $1585, Hub Furniture. 13 Luma coffee table, $1190, En Gold. PHOTOGRAPHY LISA COHEN. STYLING BREE LEECH. MERCHANDISING ANNA MCCOOE.…

1 Rose-coloured eyes in matte, shimmer, and glitter finishes. Fenty Beauty Snap Shadows Eyeshadow Palette, $46, Sephora. 2 A palette to take you from a pretty pink to smudgy 1990’s eye. Huda Beauty Pretty Grunge Eyeshadow Palette (Limited Edition), $119, Sephora. 3 Warming the complexion with a rose or coral flush. Roses Coquillage Blush Duo, $110, Chanel. 4 A burst of sheer colour for that just-pinched look. Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush in Big Melons, $35, Sephora. 5 A rosy creme blush to bring a bloom into play. Kevyn Aucoin The Color Stick in Awaken, $94, Mecca.…

Quay, Sydney “Whisky pairs with food; the food just has to be rich enough to hold up.” This is according to Peter Gilmore who designed a bespoke menu around Lark Distillery’s grain-based drops. To finish, this dreamy dessert with whisky-soaked panettone, morello cherries and pulled butter toffee. Anna McCooe, deputy editor Restaurant Botanic, Adelaide Even the most seasoned diner might blanch at the thought of 31-courses but rest assured, the journey is never less than enchanting. This scallop with seaweed and samphire is a prime example of how delicate each course is as you eat your way around Adelaide Botanic Garden and its bounty. Joanna Hunkin, editor Bobby’s, Sydney Cronulla’s latests seaside diner amps up the yum factor with double seafood pasta, with delicate cuttlefish and sweet prawns. Head here…

Cooking for a child has forced me to get creative with food… Figuring out all the ways I can sneak vegetables into his diet has become a fun little game. One of my fondest memories with food isn’t a childhood memory. When I was a young adult, my late grandmother, who was just the most loving and wonderful grandmother you could ever have, would always have fresh, fragrant oregano wafting around her kitchen from her own little garden. She would make these simple but gorgeous salads by tossing that home-grown oregano through tomatoes and red onion with a squeeze of lemon. And she’d always set some leaves aside for me because she knew how much I loved it. She’s passed now, but every time I catch even a little whiff…

QUICK LOOK 308-310 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst, NSW thewaratahsydney.com CHEF Lewin White OPENING HOURS Lunch Sat-Sun; Dinner Wed-Sun PRICE GUIDE $ BOOKINGS Recommended VERDICT Tastes like home Sydney Warrang One way or another, almost everything at The Waratah interrogates the notion of what it means to be Australian. Native ingredients are a constant on most plates and in every other glass. All the craft beers, low-input wines and the lion’s share of small-batch spirits are homegrown. Nearly a quarter of the name-checked farmers, producers and suppliers are Indigenous. On paper, this might sound like a premise better tailored to a highfalutin fine diner than a local hangout. In reality, the most Australian thing about this comely two-storey corner spot in Darlinghurst, which opened last December, might be its easygoing and egalitarian…

Peering out the window of a tiny prop plane, the beauty of the Limestone Coast region takes hold. So awe-inspiring is the vast landscape below, it overshadows the terror of feeling every bump, jump and shudder of turbulence on the 45-minute flight south from Adelaide. The Limestone Coast is an emerging wine region steeped in Australian wine history – a contradiction in terms I know. Home to the famed Coonawarra, with its first vineyards planted in 1890 and Australia’s two newest GIs (Geographical Indicators) for the vineyards planted in Wrattonbully and Robe in 2005 and 2006, respectively. So, when the region is so varied, spanning multiple very different GIs across a vast land mass, how to you charachterise its agriculture, farming, and winemaking? “You build stories on truth and science,”…

V VEGETARIAN GF GLUTEN FREE DF DAIRY FREE COOKING TIP After assembling prawn toast, refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. Chilling helps the prawn mixture set, making it easier to handle and prevents the filling falling apart while frying. SERVING SUGESTION For added texture, sprinkle with chopped peanuts or cashews. FLAVOUR TIP If you have time, marinate the lamb the day before to allow the flavours to develop. ORIGINS This recipe is inspired by Bombay Aloo, a popular Indian dish where boiled potatoes are paired with a fragrant mix of onions, tomatoes and spices. USE IT UP Leftover butter can be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to six months. Defrost and use as desired. MIX IT UP Get creative with shapes. You can make classic straight churros or try…

When Sydney’s Soul Dining opened in Surry Hills five years ago, it did not snap to people’s expectations of a Korean restaurant. “Where is the rice, where are the chopsticks?” guests asked. The banchan (complimentary side dishes) were absent, too – but husband-and-wife team Illa Kim and Daero Lee never claimed their venture to be traditional. Yes, there was rice, but sculpted into angular cubes of bread and cleverly made from makgeolli (Korean rice wine). Likewise, their beef short rib was nothing like what sizzled at Korean barbecue joints. “Daero cooks it in three different ways,” says Kim. “It takes about two-and-a-half days to make one portion.” It draws on flavours from wide-ranging influences (American barbecue, French techniques, Korean marinades) and speaks to Soul Dining’s blending of culinary styles and…

Hello, world Flavour hopping in Mauritius, a pisco-led tour of Lima, Bangkok’s best street food, a luxury hotel opening in Perth, and living large on the Las Vegas Strip. Anna is a travel and lifestyle journalist, and author of the travel memoir Departures. @annadothart This month I am in Madrid, famed for its “vibrant street life”, a city where “life is lived on the streets,” according to every guidebook and parroted by every traveller. This street life stuff sounded enticing, having just endured a soggy Christmas in Belfast. In Ireland, we try to get off the streets as soon as possible, before we die of the cold or get stabbed. I associate streets more with potential death than vibrant life. So the promise of “vibrant street life” reeled me in.…

1 Laminate in Steel Blue Natural, from $142 per square metre, Laminex. 2 Tiered sconce, POA, Sarah Nedovic. 3 Zanotta Quaderna cupboard, $20,750, Cult Design. 4 Arute Kohsuta mosaic tiles in Kohsuta Mustard 1442, from $118, Artedomus. 5 Large Earth bowl in Lemon, $300, Dinosaur Designs. 6 Raku Open vessel in Natural, $280, Jardan. 7 Bialetti Venus Induction espresso maker, $58, Espresso Connect. 8 Artie buffet in Powder Blue, $4100, Globe West. 9 Stelton Foster vacuum jug, $275, HardToFind. 10 Normann Copenhagen Dit side table in Grey, $850, Arrival Hall. 11 Jim High outdoor stool in Yellow Ochre, $775, Koskela. 12 For Good Measure cup, $30, Lightly. 13 Cotto Manetti floor tile in Litos Tobacco, from $191, Artedomus. PHOTOGRAPHY DEREK SWALWELL.…

Polycarbonate cross-body bag, $1870, Rimowa. Fife texture phone crossbody, $199, Oroton. Apple Watch Hermès Series 9 case in stainless steel and single tour band in Gold/Ecru, $1899, Hermès. In-ear headphones, $405, Montblanc. Beoplay HX headphones in Gold Tone, $950, Bang & Olufsen. Beosound Explore portable speaker, $400, Bang & Olufsen. Summit 2 stainless steel and leather watch, $830, Montblanc. Beoplay EX earbuds, $700, Bang & Olufsen. PHOTOGRAPHY WILL HORNER. STYLING SAM YATES.…

HOT TO TROT Australian chefs overseas, new restaurants across the country, a delicious new deli, and exciting openings in Aotearoa. THE LATEST FROM CHEFS AND RESTAURANTS AROUND AUSTRALIA RESTAURANT NEWS MELBOURNE Moving into a building steeped in hospitality history can raise certain expectations, but for the team at Brico – a CarltonNorth restaurant and wine bar that’s opened in the footprints of Little Andorra and Tansy’s – it’s a badge of honour. “This building is famous for anyone that’s ever been in the Melbourne industry. It’s got such rich heritage,” says Brico co-owner Josh Begbie. Paying tribute to the iconic Melbourne venues that came before Brico, was just part of the inspiration for the team. They also drew on their love of European wine bars, as well as their collective…

The banana is nature’s ultimate street food, courtesy of its convenient natural packaging. However, bananas are associated with the street in more ways than one. Slipping over on a banana peel on the street is a trope of slapstick comedy so recognisable that viewers can see the gag coming a mile away. The soft, sweet flesh is palatable to almost everyone, and it’s arguably one of the few natural convenience foods still enjoyed in Western countries. The fruit’s origins are obscure. Current thinking suggests that it was domesticated on New Guinea (coincidentally also the home of sugar cane) between 7000 and 10,000 years ago. The original domesticated variety hybridised with other wild species in Southeast Asia, before travelling to East Africa and Polynesia with waves of human migration and trade,…

Dining out This month, we visit Thai hotspots in Brisbane and Adelaide, a native-focused pub in Sydney, and a new Fitzroy diner that heroes the flavours of Kerala. Adelaide Tarntanya QUICK LOOK 73 Angas St, Adelaide, SA kiinrestaurant.com.au CHEF Ben Bertei OPENING HOURS Lunch Wed-Sat, Dinner Tue-Sat PRICE GUIDE $$ BOOKINGS Recommended VERDICT Thai with a twist Anyone who’s explored the bustling backstreets of Bangkok will know the chaos of street vendors touting bowls of steaming khao gaeng, flame-licked meat on sticks, and weathered hands shredding papaya destined for spicy som tam salad. Sensory explosions like these are difficult to re-live on home turf, even for just a moment. Yet Kiin, which means “eat” in Thai, does exactly that. Traditional Thai is the inspiration, but executive chef Ben Bertei applies…

SPIRIT WORLD New releases, Filipino sips, exploring the wines of the Limestone Coast, trends to know and how to make Long Chim’s Rich Boi cocktail at home. SPOTLIGHT ON Michael McDonald, wine director, Aphotic, San Francisco, aphoticrestaurant.com My childhood was a standard suburban upbringing in Fremont, California. Chain restaurants, fast food and candy were always on tap. I’ve sustained my sweet tooth to this day, so it’s not uncommon for me to throw out candy descriptors like Red Vines and Swedish Fish. What led me to wine? I was working at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in Times Square, and overheard two managers talking about having just sat for the Court of Master Sommeliers introductory exam. I was at a point of giving up the dream of becoming an actor, so…

Much like David Thompson’s high-octane cooking, the cocktails at Long Chim in Perth take their cues from the flavours and characters found on the frenetic streets of Thailand. The inspiration for the sherbet-based bracer dubbed the Rich Boi, however, isn’t a boy or a man. It’s a feisty canine that beverage manager Matt Bodycote met in Sukhothai, the ancient Siamese capital. “Near the end of my visit to the village,” he says, “after befriending the owner of a local bar and what I thought to be his dog, I said to the owner: ‘It’s cool that your dog can come to work with you and sit on the stools with your guests.’ The owner looked at me, confused, and replied: ‘This is not my dog, this is just a rich…

When chef Josh Lewis noticed his hometown of Brunswick Heads, NSW, was missing a classic chicken shop (and he had some downtime from running his fine diner Fleet) he took matters into his own hands. Years in the making, Birds of Paradise is a quintessential takeaway chicken shop reimagined for the Northern Rivers. While rotisserie chooks spin every day, occasionally, Lewis will do his version of a Portuguese-style bird. “Whenever I put something like this on, I tend to use our same brined birds we cook day to day. Then we just marinate them in the fridge for a further 12 hours before cooking,” he says. He recommends cooking over coals in a basket or skewered, or directly on a barbecue. Ask your butcher to butterfly your chicken for you.…

Shell and coral crackle beneath my step, the fossiled fragments of Mauritius’ fringing reef brought ashore by the gentle tide. I’ve learned my lesson from previous barefoot strolls along Trou aux Biches and, this time, stride along well-shod, with all the confidence of a local. This coconut palm-lined stretch of coastline is our familial favourite; we’ve stayed here time and time again. And, though my mum’s family come from sugar cane country in the island’s south, our relationship with Mauritius is now entirely to do with the north, where extravagant resorts and everyday life co-mingle, a taste of the real Mauritius just at the end of the gated driveways. Trou aux Biches’ bay is peppered with dozens of moored fishing boats, unmoving on the ocean’s mirror-like surface. Fishermen return from…

The best food cities are ungraspable: their appeal is generated by energy that refuses to be harnessed and change that occurs at a belting pace. But there’s also depth to a great culinary destination. Unshakeable tradition sits alongside innovation, seasonal rhythms and pride in sharing culture and flavours. On any of these measures, Bangkok – an ever-expanding megacity of more than 11 million people – is unbeatable. Being food-obsessed in Thailand’s capital is an adventure restricted only by time and eating capacity. With that in mind, here are some current favourites. We’ve focused east of the Chao Phraya River that bisects Bangkok, in the old city that centres on Chinatown and in the buzzy Thong Lor neighbourhood, which is delightfully walkable. CLASSICS Soei Bangkok insider Zenon Misko (Roaming Bangkok on…