The Good Life Food Wine Travel www.echo.net.au/good-life Advertising: adcopy@echo.net.au Editorial: goodlife@echo.net.au Phone: 6684 1777
Cook. Surf. Love. Susanna Freymark
How not to be a bastard in the kitchen Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has made a name for himself as an angry cook who swears and shouts in the kitchen. Three of the shire’s top chefs prove it doesn’t have to be that way. Darren Robertson from Three Blue Ducks in Byron Bay, Steven Snow from Fins in Kingscliff and Takashi Yaguohi from Doma in Federal believe food cooked with love tastes better, and stress in the kitchen is unnecessary. Surfing is one way all three chefs beat the stress. Snow has cooked with
Ramsay. ‘He’s an extremely rude bucket-mouth,’ were the kindest words Snow could find about the famous hotheaded chef. Snow admits he used to be angry in the kitchen. ‘I learnt to meditate, stand on my head, do anything to stop manifesting into a horrible person because I was such a perfectionist,’ he says. It worked, with surfing providing the greatest outlet of all. ‘No-one is allowed to upset anyone in my kitchen,’ he says. ‘Right now, I have the best kitchen team. For two days
we all went surfing at Cabarita Point. We really like each other. These guys are radical. It’s about respect. I never yell.’ Robertson reveals that he wasn’t the nicest chef in his younger years. ‘I’ve been a bastard. Sleep deprived from long hours. I don’t want to conduct a kitchen like that,’ Robertson says. Now he values the lifework balance for himself and his staff. ‘I’m not a screamer in the kitchen,’ Robertson says. ‘You have to be assertive though. You get more out of people by talking to them.’ Listening is one of the best skills for a chef, he says and after working with renowned chef Tetsuya for eight years,
Byron Bay – food journey now updated Local publisher, Sample Food Festival organiser and foodie Remy Tancred has refreshed her Byron Bay cookbook, a 224-page collection of recipes and photographs from many of the region’s producers, caterers, restaurants and cafes. But the northern rivers food experience is not just about sitting in cafes. The book, which sold 5,000 copies
in its first edition, reinforces the fact that this area is a fertile food bowl, renowned for the quality of its produce and the ingenuity of its growers and producers, and provides three sample foodie trails from Byron for the home cook to follow and discover more about the local area. www.byronbay-cookbook. com
Robertson learnt to keep things simple. He regularly surfs with his four business partners from The Farm. Yaguohi has been a chef for 13 years and was lured from Japan to the northern rivers because he was keen to surf. The range of organic food in the area especially appealed to him. ‘In Japan, since the radiation, people care more about organics,’ Yaguohi says. He has been running the Doma Cafe in Federal for three years after learning from Byron’s O-Sushi owner Dan Regev, who had a favourite saying — ‘Love is the best spice for food.’ ‘When busy waitresses are always smiling, this is love. We all influence each other. I love to make people laugh and create a good mood in the kitchen,’ Yaguohi says. ‘I have to put love into the
food.’ Now, who is going to tell Gordon Ramsay? Darren Robertson from Three Blue Ducks in Byron Bay, Steven Snow from Fins in Kingscliff and Takashi Yaguohi from Doma in Federal believe food cooked with love tastes better, and stress in the kitchen is unnecessary. See the three chefs reveal their secrets on video at http://www.echo.net. au/2015/09/chefs-secrets/
BYRON BAY
BANGALOW
BALLINA
Boardwalk Restaurant
CLASSIC CREEDENCE Dinner & Show on Saturday October 17
at Ballina RSL Club Open Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner – 7 days 244 River St, Ballina. 6686 2544 www.ballinarsl.com.au
Bangalow Dining Rooms
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Bangalow Hotel Open 7 days Lunch: 12 – 3pm Dinner 5.30 – 9pm All day bistro menu
6687 1144
Book early to avoid disappointment! Enjoy our balcony restaurant, intimate dining room and generous bistro food in the pub. With reasonable prices our menu reflects the wonderful local and fresh produce of the region. SMH GOOD PUB Large groups welcome. FOOD GUIDE We also offer off-site catering. 2013 AND 2014 www.bangalowdining.com
St Elmo Dining Room & Bar
St Elmo is a place where you can enjoy great company, first-class food, sophisticated cocktails and an extensive wine list. St Elmo is plating up modern Spanish cuisine to be enjoyed amongst friends and family. Our menus change regularly and feature daily specials.
Mon-Sat: 4pm til late. Sun: 4pm til 10pm. Cnr Fletcher St and Lawson Lane, Byron Bay 6680 7426 www.stelmodining.com
Traditional Thai Dinner every evening 5.30-9.30pm
Here the curry pastes are freshly pounded to leave your palate dumbfounded.
5/2 Fletcher St, Byron Bay 6685 5151
Here the ambrosial meals are cooked to order and the scrumptious cocktails and mocktails thrust you into a land of wonderful tales.
North Coast news daily: www.echonetdaily.net.au
Hog’s Breath Cafe Open 7 Days, 11.30am-2.30pm Dinner from 5.30pm 9/4 Jonson St, Byron Bay 6685 5320 www.hogsbreath.com.au
O-Sushi
Byron Bay Woolies Plaza, Jonson St 02 6685 7103 Coolangatta The Strand Marine Pde 07 5536 5455 Broadbeach The Oracle, 12 Charles Ave 07 5570 2166 www.osushi.com.au
Legend Pizza Open 7 days 9am till after midnight Shop 1 Woolworths Plaza 90-96 Jonson Street 6685 5700 www.legendpizza.com.au
Fishheads Open seven days 7:30am till late Coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, functions and weddings. Fully licensed. 1 Jonson St, Byron Bay 6680 7632
Hog’s Breath Cafe’s menu just got better with some mouth-watering new steaks, salad, pasta and an abundance of delicious dessert selections. As usual, the diverse menu also offers chicken, seafood, snacks, burgers, ribs, kid’s meals, a range of Lite Options, plus their famous Prime Rib Steak – slow cooked for up to 18 hours for maximum flavour and tenderness. Kids eat free Mon – Wed nights and you can grab lunch for just $9.90, so there’s something to please the whole family.
O-Sushi – Since 2004 An award-winning Japanese fusion cuisine Sushi bar, tapas, main meals and delicious chef’s specials
BYRON BAY CONTINUED
Good Taste Eating Out Guide
Eat in or take away, licensed, family friendly Outdoor dining area, easy parking, Open 7 days a week, 11am till late. FRESH PIZZA – BYRON STYLE Check us out on
facebook.com/byron. legendpizza Scan code for our menu! BYO Home delivery 7 days
A range of menu packages for your SPECIAL EVENT Phone 6680 7632 functions@fishheadsbyron.com.au www.facebook.com/Fishheadsbyron.com www.fishheadsbyron.com.au
The Byron Shire Echo October 7, 2015 21