Sydney food forecast for 2011
It started in the back end of 2010 and this year the trend towards restaurant-juggling chefs looks set to only get bigger. Nowadays you're nobody if you're not running between at least a few restaurants. This year we'll see expansions from Balmain's Kazbah, not to mention Bentley Bar's Brent Savage in his eagerly-anticipated first foray into casual dining, but it's safe to say that all eyes will be firmly fixed on the international line up headed for Star City as the casino tries to rebrand itself as a dining destination. Fittingly for a city still enamoured with all things New York, David Chang's Momofuku will be leading the charge of the $860 million redevelopment. Chang's sixth instalment of his noodle bar empire will also be accompanied by openings from Teague Ezard (Ezard, Gingerboy), Chase Kojima (Nobu), Stefano Manfredi (Bells at Killcare) and long term midnight shifter Golden Century. Sydney is also set to get a taste of Cuba, with the opening of a Sydney branch of the famous La Bodeguita del Medio. The famed "home of the mojito" now has outlets dotted throughout the world, from Havana to Macedonia, and now it's Sydney's turn to get a taste of Hemmingway's favourite tipple. In domestic restaurant news Justin North has announced that his Clarence Street fine diner Becasse will go the way of his new Charlie & Co burger franchises, opting for shopping mall surrounds. North plans to move his twin-toqued restaurant to the new Westfield complex in the CBD, but whether this is a stroke of genius or jumping the shark, only time will tell. Speaking of North and his fledgling franchise, it's a fairly safe bet that 2010 will go down in the record books as the year of the burger. From Becasse burgers evolving to Charlie & Co, the Hong burger at Lotus, Jeremy Strode's effort at Bistrode CBD to Phil Wood's cracker at Rockpool Bar & Grill, it seemed like every chef in Sydney had their own thoughts on the best way to serve mince in a bun. 2011 now looks set to be the year of the sandwich, with plenty of chefs already in the running. Reubens, Cubans, BLTs, Clubs and even a New York deli-style pastrami on rye courtesy of Jeremy Strode are just the beginning of this latest food fad.
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- Sydney food forecast for 2011
It started in the back end of 2010 and this year the trend towards restaurant-juggling chefs looks set to only get bigger. Nowadays you're nobody if you're not running between at least a few restaurants.
- Bumpy ride for Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay's father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson, has resigned from his position as CEO of Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH) after 12 years at the company.
- Shewry shows Sydney how it's done
Fresh from his crowning as The Age Good Food Guide's Chef of the Year, Ben Shewry, of Melbourne restaurant Attica (this year named the 73rd best restaurant on the planet in the S. Pellegrino list of the world's top 100), recently made the trip to Sydney for the Crave Sydney International Food Festival and spoke to yourrestaurants.com about his cooking, food fashions, and saving the world through cooking.
- Night noodle markets inject new life into Hyde Park
Making its triumphant return as part of the Crave Sydney International Food Festival, Hyde Park's night noodle market has been injecting new life into the city with its fairy-lit wonder and coinciding happily with a bout of Spring weather, to huge success. But its time is almost up, so wander in before the end of the week to get a fix of some of this city's best international food in a street-market style atmosphere, then find a patch of lawn and settle in for the night with a beer or glass of wine.
- Be at the Helm for a taste of the good life
For lovers of fine wine and great cheese, here's one for the calendar. A food-lovers event that shouldn't be missed, the Waterfront Wine and Cheese Experience is a wine and cheese appreciation night to be hosted by Helm Bar and Bistro on Tuesday November 9. Giving everyday punters a chance to enjoy the million-dollar Darling Harbour views the venue boasts, as well as some expertly matched tasty morsels, the night will be hosted by cheese expert Claudia McIntosh and wine guru Damian Monahan, and costs $20 a head.
- Sharpen your knives for battle
Meat-lovers, your dream competition is now under way, giving you an excuse to go forth and eat all the steak you can get your hands on.
- All is not quiet on the Northern front
With a throng of new restaurants boasting serious food cred opening of late in the already-spoiled-for-choice north shore, the area is shaping up as quite the foodies' mecca of the moment. While there are plenty of dependable old favourites (the always amazing Sails on Lavender Bay boasts some incredible seafood to go with those views, and Firefly in Neutral Bay is a master of tapas with style to spare), the new kids on the block are shaking things up in an environment that's so tasteful and well-heeled that things may have become a little, well, staid. Here are a few of our picks - the best of a ridiculously good bunch.
- Sydney becomes New Zealand Town for September
Douse all images of rugby, "fesh and cheps", long white clouds or that episode of Flight of the Conchords with Gary the sheep - as usual, our collective one-track minds stray little further than food and wine here at yourRestaurants.
- Jacques chalks up another victory
Melbourne fine diner Jacques Reymond has cleaned up at the 2010 Restaurant and Catering Victoria Awards for Excellence, winning not one but three categories.
- Perry empire expands
Neil Perry has put his controversial MasterChef comments behind him after criticising the show's contestants and calling them "nobodies" last month, and is steaming ahead with plans to expand his food empire. With four hugely successful restaurants already running - the flagship fine diner, Rockpool, and the modern Chinese eatery Spice Temple, both in Sydney, and a Rockpool Bar and Grill each in Melbourne and Sydney - the top chef and entrepreneur has his hands full preparing for another Melbourne spin-off and a brand spanking new Perth addition to the family.
- Horse meat stumbles at last hurdle
After growing pressure from consumer groups and activists, head chef and owner of Embrasse Nic Poelaert has decided to remove horse meat from his restaurant's menu.
- Four'N Twenty's Angus beef pies set for big things
McDonald's make a mint out of their "little bit fancy" Mighty and Grand Angus burgers, and now a true-blue Australian icon, Four'N Twenty pies, has joined the Angus club.
- Coffee, chatter and crochets at Newtown's new knitting cafe
Sydney's first knitting cafe, A Coffee & A Yarn, combines the best things in life: coffee, pastry, and a social pastime that never goes out of fashion.
- Warm up your winter with Italian cooking
Sharing the secrets of regional Italian cuisine, nine of Sydney's most renowned Italian-Australian chefs are running a series of cooking classes to beat off the winter blues with their robust and rustic recipes.
- Justin North heads north to paradise
Fresh from his appearance on MasterChef Australia, Justin North is set to get more than a few tongues wagging when he hosts the second Great Barrier Feast chef's table dinner in Hamilton Island in July.
- Almond season goes fashionably nuts
Carmen Miranda wore fruit, Lady Gaga wears bubble wrap, but this lovely lady pictured prefers to throw on a dress made completely of almonds. It's all in the name of the new season of fresh almonds, available now.
- Tony Bilson celebrates his Masterchef showdown
To celebrate the screening of his Masterchef appearance with fellow culinary legend Michel Roux Snr, Tony Bilson will be holding a special dinner at his newest restaurant this Wednesday, May 12.
- Aussie restaurants shine in S.Pellegrino's top 100
Sydney's Quay, Tetsuya's and Marque, and for the first time Melbourne's Attica, have been recognised in the prestigious S. Pellegrino World's Best 100 Restaurants list, announced by the UK's Restaurant magazine in London on Monday, April 26.
- Food bible's racial slip
A minor editing slip by Penguin Books Australia has forced the company to do a very public reprint of one of their cookbooks, at an estimated cost of $20,000.
- Alio celebrates 10 years with pasta-making classes
Ten years is a long time in the restaurant industry, especially in the competitive city dining scene. That's why modern Italian diner Alio's 10th anniversary in June is a cause to celebrate for head chef Ashley Hughes, who is holding a series of hands-on pasta-making master classes to mark the occasion.
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