Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2024 i Gourmet Traveller

SUBSCRIBE NOW magshop.com.au/gmt Details p118 Four years ago, we introduced our first-ever Japan issue and were blown away by the response. It goes without saying, we hope every issue will capture the hearts and minds of our readers – but every now and then, we unlock another level. Since then, the Japan issue has become a regular on the GT calendar, as we continue to dive deeper into the country’s rich history and culture. (And we’re not the only ones – according to JNTO, more Australians are heading to Japan then ever before.) As someone who came late to the Japan party, making my first visit in 2022, commissioning this issue is a personal highlight, as I am introduced to so many intriguing new concepts and experiences. In this…

With origins grounded in ritual, emphasising mindfulness and aesthetics, matcha tea is as beautiful to look at as it is to prepare. The green tea powder comes in three grades: culinary, premium and ceremonial, going from lowest quality to highest. From ceremonial roots to today’s high-end café scene, where the matcha latte is as ubiquitous as cappuccino, matcha exhibits brightness and bittersweet complexity. Here is our pick of the best to enjoy hot or cold. Tavalon This Australian tea outfit scours the world to find the best iterations for steeping and sipping. This larger tin is ideal for regular matcha drinkers. It’s best served hot to make the most of its restorative, antioxidant-rich nature. Brew with water heated to 80°C (not boiling) to maintain its delicate green and floral flavour…

PHOTOGRAPHY FRANCES ANDRIJICH (VASSE FELIX). HEAT WAVE Multi-vintage champagnes are the swill of summer. Champagne Lallier’s new release, Réflexion R.020, sports a 2020 base, blended with 2018 and 2019 reserve wines to balance crispness and salinity with citrus and apricot. champagne-lallier.com HIT THE DECKS Jazz kissa – or listening cafés – continue to fly high. While Sydney has Ante and Melbourne has HER, Adelaide will join the vinyl revolution this summer with Honeydripper. The two-storey lounge is shaping up as a Laurel Canyon dream scene spinning acid jazz through to lounge rock. @honeydripper.hifi SPOTLIGHT ON Richie Harkham, owner and winemaker at Harkham, talks new-wave winemaking techniques and the trends worth following. Minimal intervention wines create amazing, terroir-driven flavours. Wild fermentation is an incredible thing. Wines that are produced in…

AS THE WORLD’S MOST ISOLATED WINE REGION WITH AN Indigenous history stretching back a staggering 40,000-plus years, Margaret River propositions visitors with palpable romanticism and an intrinsic connection to nature. Fringed by the Indian Ocean on three sides with endless pristine beaches, the often-used moniker “paradise” is a laudable one. Wine history is young here; vine planting began in the late 1960s when the area was better known for dairy pastures and iconic surf breaks. Today, there are more than 150 wineries and a budding gastronomic scene to boot. A warm maritime climate verging on Mediterranean has allowed cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay to excel: both have garnered a status for being some of the finest examples in the New World. Add unique ironstone gravels found nowhere else to the equation,…

AN OMOTENASHI HOST ANTICIPATES the needs of their guests with unreasonable attention to detail as each encounter is treated as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is a spirit that is slowly sweeping Melbourne, including Footscray, where chef Hansol Lee (pictured) operates his kaiseki restaurant, Matsu. MATSU At Matsu, a kaiseki restaurant in Footscray, Hansol Lee is a one-man show serving eight diners a night, four at a time, behind a counter on the first floor of a narrow shop lot. On his day off, he returns to the restaurant to prep, before visiting the market to look for seasonal ingredients – perhaps persimmon for dessert, or additional taro and eggplant for tempura, if it’s up to his standard. Behind Lee’s friendly smile and his charismatic jokes, is a lifetime of hard…

EVERY MORNING AT SIX, THE day’s first Kita-Shinano train staggers out of Nagano station and begins its 47-minute, seven-stop excursion into neighbouring Niigata. The winter snow gathers on the land in swells of mochiyuki: ethereal, pillowy forms named for their likeness to Japan’s famous glutinous rice cakes. The bends of the Shinano-gawa, Japan’s longest river, echo those of the track. In the distance, the snow-capped Five Mountains of Northern Shinshu are nature’s own screensavers. The Kita-Shinano is one of my favourite trains on the planet: not just for its views and nostalgic Showa-era - carriages, but because catching it generally means I’m about to go skiing. Although this train services resorts across the Japanese Alps, my last two trips have ended at the same destination: Myoko Kogen, a sprawling ski…

PHOTOGRAPHY DAVE WHEELER (FLETCHER HOUSE). INTERIOR STYLING ATELIER LAB (FLETCHER HOUSE). MERCHANDISING ALEXANDRA HARRIS.…

SYDNEY In the CBD, four new venues by House Made Hospitality (Lana, Martinez, Promenade Bondi Beach) are now open. The quartet is located within the revamped Sofitel Wentworth, bringing Australia’s original five-star hotel back onto the drinking and dining agenda. The headliner is Tilda, a modern Australian seafood restaurant, that already stands apart in the steakhouse end of town. Tilda showcases mighty mud crabs, dry-aged fish and molluscs (and for carnivores there’s a pork tomahawk, spring lamb and wagyu rib-eye on the menu). Raw seafood comes in grand seafood towers or elegantly and simply, with slices of yellowfin tuna seasoned with native citrus and olive oil. The steakhouse model – de rigueur in this part of town – gets a marine makeover with a coal-fired section featuring fillets of ruby…

One of the many invigorating aspects of my new role at Powerhouse Parramatta is collaborating with erudite, Indian food and cultural guide, Bhavna Kalra Shivalkar. Her deep love and knowledge for her heritage and the local Indian food community is invaluable. It’s a welcome reminder to celebrate the rich and delicious Indian food cultures and traditions in Western Sydney. BHAVNA KALRA SHIVALKAR IS RECALLING memories from her childhood growing up on the outskirts of Mumbai, India. She vividly describes peeling carrots on the back verandah of her family home with her grandfather, who was originally from Pakistan, to make carrot fudge (halwa) in the winter. She fondly remembers her father cooking goat curry on a Sunday and the sound of classical Indian music playing in the background. And she marvels…

Tell us what led you to wine? Kendall: After working in a bottle shop while studying arts and science, I loved connecting with people over a sensory experience and I decided to complete my Master of Viticulture and Oenology at Adelaide University. Alysha studied viticulture after working on her mum’s small vineyard in West Gippsland. We both love the idea of community that wine can bring. Are two winemakers better than one? Moscatt: Most winery and vineyard work is more enjoyable when you’ve got company to banter with as you go. And it’s great having someone to challenge opinions while tasting and making important decisions about blending. What are you making right now? Kendall: The pinot and chardonnay from our West Gippsland vineyard is looking incredible. The canopy is holding…

THE YAMAHAI METHOD OF SAKE PRODUCTION dates back to the early 1900s, when researchers discovered that lactic acid could develop naturally without breaking down the rice, introducing wild yeasts and other bacteria to the fermentation process. Known for its tangy richness and savoury depth, this traditional technique also makes for a formidable cocktail ingredient – and you’ll taste it firsthand in the Kizakura Smash at Shōbōsho, Simon Kardachi’s modern yakitori-ya in Adelaide. “We wanted to elevate sake beyond its usual serving style,” says bartender Hin Ho Tsang. “And yamahai’s umami notes and silky texture are perfect for playful additions.” Those additions are refreshingly straightforward, but together they make for a whole that’s far more than the sum of the parts. Pineapple juice draws out the rice brew’s tropical character, while…

Cherry tomato, mizuna, tofu salad SERVES 4 AS A SIDE // PREP 15 MINS 100 gm mizuna (see note) 200 gm mixed cherry tomatoes, halved ½ salad onion, thinly sliced on a mandolin 250 gm soft tofu PONZU DRESSING 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp yuzu juice 1 tbsp mirin 60 ml (¼ cup) light-flavoured extra-virgin olive oil 1 For dressing, whisk ingredients together in a small bowl; set aside. 2 Combine mizuna, cherry tomatoes and onion in a large bowl; add half the dressing and gently toss to combine. 3 Gently break the tofu into pieces. Arrange salad on a serving platter. Top with tofu and drizzle with the remaining dressing to serve. Note If mizuna isn’t available, substitute watercress, baby spinach, mustard leaves or salad leaves. Pork…

JAPAN’S HOTEL SCENE IS AT FEVER PITCH. AS TOURISM booms (foreign visitors reached record highs of 35 million this year), plush new beds are being made up, pillow menus and all. At the top end, prestige brands are making a play for their piece of the gold rush, fusing their own versions of luxury with Japanese culture and high-spec design values. The result is an overnight experience that confirms you’re doing Japan right. BULGARI HOTEL TOKYO Tokyo’s new jewel box of a hotel occupies the 40th to 45th floors of the Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, one of the city’s tallest skyscrapers. Opened in April 2023, the brand’s first Japanese hotel is an all-frills stay with a 1800-square-metre spa in the city centre. Milan-based architecture firm ACPV, which designs all the brand’s…

GODS’ GIFT Gorgeous to look at and exquisite to use, the finest Japanese cut crystal heightens the ritual of serving and sharing sake. Rule number one of sake: never serve yourself. Rule two: use both hands when pouring and drinking. The protocols keep coming: no one drinks until everyone’s cup is full; sip slowly and reverently (sake is a gift from the gods) and, actually, never talk about sake (it goes by nihonshu in Japan). Unofficially, the canon is to serve this sacred brew in the finest vessel you can. For that we look to Edo Kiriko, the glass craftwork tradition of Tokyo’s Edo period (1603-1868). From Kagami, the Imperial family’s crystal supplier, this set is an enviable example. The simple cut and gorgeous green hue are designed for heightened…

WHEN FIREPOP SLIPPED INTO a slim, two-storey site across from the Enmore Theatre back in March, it arrived with an enviable asset: a loyal following. Its owners, wife and husband Alina Van and Raymond Hou, hatched the idea in the form of a Chinatown market stall they built in 2019, hawking three different f lame-kissed skewers. And it wasn’t long before those “pops” became the talk of pop-ups all over town. It is not hard to understand why. Charry nuggets of New England lamb speckled with cumin and sesame dukkah, an OG signature, answer almost every question you could ask of meat impaled on a bamboo stick: smoky, musky, zealously spiced. Rugged swatches of Bangalow pork belly follow suit, sheathed in garlic, fermented chilli and house spice mix. Gently fried…

SOMETIMES, THE SIMPLEST things are the most beautiful; a tiny manicured Japanese garden, a bijou kitchen in the backstreets of Paris, sweet carrots plucked from the earth during winter, or a bread oven full of tomatoes softening in heat left over from long baking sessions. When planning the menu and space home to new Adelaide Hills bistro Thelma, chef Tom Campbell took inspiration from time spent working in Japanese and Parisian kitchens. He and co-partners Olivia Moore (LOC Bottle Bar) and James Spreadbury (Noma) chose this small, leafy Hills nook as the place to build community. The tiny space, formerly home to Brid Space, still feels familiar. The fit-out was crafted using the previous café’s timber benches and décor, while new blue windowsills, country-cottage white walls and curtains (made by…

WHILE YOU’D BE FORGIVEN FOR THINKING JAPANESE DRINKS ARE LIMITED TO light and delicate sake, premium whisky, and a crisp Sapporo beer on a warm summer day, the reality is that Japan’s beverage culture offers a far more diverse and intriguing selection. Japan’s drink scene is evolving from the delicate and often floral noted native-Japanese grape koshu to the zesty, aromatic essence of yuzu-infused drinks and the bold flavour of shōchū. Kenichi Ohashi, the sole Master of Wine (MW) in Japan, says that the current state of play for Japan balances ancient techniques with modern tastes. “The younger generation is innovative,” he says, “but our innovation is relatively gentle compared with the Australian market.” JAPANESE WINE: KOSHU Evolving over the centuries, Koshu is Japan’s only known indigenous grape variety. Its…

ONIGIRI CAN BE SIMPLY DESCRIBED AS A RICE BALL, WITH ORIGINS dating back more than 1000 years to the Heian period, it evolved as a portable meal for travellers, warriors, and farmers. These days it can be found in konbini (convenience stores), onigiri-ya (specialty shops) and cafés across Japan, and now increasingly in Australia. “Many people might confuse it with sushi, but sushi is made with vinegared rice, while onigiri uses regular rice,” says Parami chef Mica Kazato. Shaped into triangles (to imitate mountains) or spheres and typically wrapped in nori, onigiri are beloved for being easy to eat on the go. As the filling is seasoned, unlike sushi it’s not served with soy sauce, making it the ultimate all-in-one snack. REQUEST A RECIPE To request a recipe from Australia’s…

SERVES 4 AS A SIDE DISH “This wonderful, nutritious vegetable (actually it is technically a fruit) is much-loved in Japan,” says Davies. “You can make this with spinach, green beans or asparagus if okra is not your thing.” “THIS IS THE FOOD THAT I GREW UP WITH, THE FOOD that I get nostalgic for and that I still request my mother to make whenever I get a chance,” says Emiko Davies in Gohan, her ode to Japanese home cooking. Davies is an Australian-Japanese food writer, photographer and cookbook author based in Italy for the past 20 years. Her latest tome takes her back to her childhood to the food she likes to make with and for her family – “the everyday meals that you find in the homes of the…

PHOTOGRAPHY DAVE WHEELER (FLETCHER HOUSE). INTERIOR STYLING ATELIER LAB (FLETCHER HOUSE). MERCHANDISING ALEXANDRA HARRIS.…