The
Good Life
Gastronomic Impressionism
McMahon’s Apples Victoria Cosford
Simon Haslam An iconic Claude Monet ‘Haystacks’ painting Meules, milieu du jour, 1890) will be exhibited at our local Tweed River Regional Art Gallery in Murwillumbah from this month, providing yet another reason to visit this excellent free gallery. Monet, a key Impressionist painter, devoted about 18 months in 1890 and 1891 to capturing the very act of perceiving nature, creating 30 paintings of the haystacks in a field near his house at Giverny, and this is a wonderful opportunity to see this work with your own eyes. In response to the upcoming exhibition of the Monet work, Apex Dining, the new bistro at Tweed River Gallery, will serve a French-inspired menu and will even feature a dish called ‘Haystacks’. Also reflecting Monet’s themes of landscape, Apex has an elevated perspective with picturesque views that sweep right across the Tweed River Valley to Queensland in the north and Wollumbin (Mt Warning) in the southwest. The cafe has plenty of ‘plein-air’ dining space on its open decks to soak up the landscape as well, the dining room is largely open and breezy and easily captures the stunning vista. The fare at Apex are small works of art, Red Wangara iced tea, made from local hibiscus, star anise, peach and lime, is a deep claret colour and is
Above: the view at Apex. Left: Claude Monet Meules, milieu du jour (Haystacks, midday) 1890, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/ Canberra, purchased 1979.
served in a large, stemmed balloon glass with garnish and straw. There are equally admirable cocktails and mocktails as well. New operators Toby and Hannah Bamford are experienced Tweed foodies, they’ve been involved in many of the region’s premier dining destinations for over 20 years, and they own the bakery Baked at Ancora, so the delicious bakery and dessert items you see in the cabinet are freshly baked by their own team. The current menu is a treat as well, new head chef Andelson Dela Vega has curated an Asian fusion menu from our regional produce. The ‘Baingan’ masala – a curry of eggplant, garam masala, tomato, cumin, coriander and with warm paratha bread was absolutely more-ish and pan-fried fish fillet of the day, with roast cauliflower cream, bok choy and sesame soy was delicious! This menu has plenty of scope for a return visit, with: panko crumbed prawns with spicy mayo; two Korean chicken dishes; and kare kare peanut pork belly. Twice-cooked pork belly, lemon grass, bok choy, green beans and peanut coconut are also eye-catching menu items. There’s also a cabinet menu available, with a selection of
bred. We did manage to menMore SMH hats tion two-hatted Raes Dining In our rush to inaccurately mention SMH Good Food Guide 2024 hat winners recently, we inadvertently omitted Pipit in Pottsville, who received two hats again, for the second year, holding one previously. They were finalists for Regional Restaurant of the Year, and have been winners of the title twice before. Well done chef and owner Ben Devlin, who is Byron born and
www.echo.net.au
Room and Bistro Livi. Other notable omissions, gaining a hat each, were: You Beauty in the main street of Bangalow, led by chef/partner Matt Stone; Paper Daisy in Halcyon House in Cabarita (chef Jason Barrett); Frida’s Field (chef Alistair Waddell ); and waterfront restaurant Beach Byron Bay (Karl and Katrina Kanetani). We did manage to mention Bar Heather.
fresh local ingredients that include salads, toasties, loaded croissants and other pastries like the spanakopita, or sweet potato roll or their signature sausage roll, with pork, fennel and apple in flaky pastry. The Northern Rivers Rail Trail has a Gallery stop, with easy access to the gallery and Apex Dining via stairs. Cyclists pop in for a refuelling bite or a performance-enhancing coffee or other refreshing beverages, whether they make it to their next trail stop… that can be decided later. The only thing better than dining at Apex and taking in the view would be indulging in this during a glorious sunset over the valley. Apex is hosting Twilight Series over the warmer months, featuring relaxed Asian street food, happy hour and live
Vanessa – favourite apple, Pink Lady – has a wide white smile which dazzles each of the steady troop of customers who come to buy apples. For three years she’s been there, selling the Pink Ladies and Granny Smiths and the roughand-ready juicing apples produced at the McMahon family orchard up near Stanthorpe. These are certified organic apples devoid of waxes and sprays, picked just within days of going to market themselves. ‘People’, she tells me, ‘know me as the Apple Lady – it’s so sweet!’ As sweet as those apples you crunch into. Only picked when they’re ripe – unlike supermarket apples that are picked well before their prime, gassed, stored for months – McMahon’s have a texture and a flavour altogether superior. Eating one, I’m transported instantly to a Canberra childhood and an eccentric grandfather whose backyard housed his own apple orchard. A man juggles two handfuls of very small apples; another woman thoughtfully selects lime-green Grannies – but most seem to come for those Pink Ladies. ‘They’re the most popular’, says musicians – book online. Dining at Apex is such a pleasure, it is a beautiful sojourn up to the Tweed and to the gallery and to add a pause on the decks of the dining room with truly enjoyable food and drink is a gift that allows us to reflect and really appreciate the sensory wonders of life.
Bookings: apexdining.com.au Phone 02 6672 5088
Vanessa, who herself eats ‘a lot of apples!’ She and I discuss recipes – she usually makes a gluten-free apple cake, apples both grated and chopped into a buttery eggy almond meal batter. With the kilo of Grannies I take home, I decide on the simplicity of an apple pie; a shortcrust pastry and a Karen Martini mix of finely chopped apples, grated lemon rind, ground cloves and caster sugar piled in to the base and
COFFEE SH
sealed w with d slashes l h to its llid, let the steam out, a good long bake till golden. But before I leave the stall I ask Vanessa if she has a littleknown fact about apples for me. Her face brightens. ‘I do!’ she says. ‘Apples come from the same family as roses. I love that!’ McMahon’s Apples are at Mullumbimby Farmers Market every Friday from 7 to 11am.
OP
Open 6am – 12pm Monday – Saturday Shop 6/108 Stuart Street Mullumbimby. #ELPELBFRσHHBVKRS ALLPRESS ESPRESSSO
R iver
Coff ee Beach
Fo o d
OPEN 7 DAYS FROM 7AM 38 SOUTHBEACH RD, BRUNSWICK HEADS (beach end of the footbridge)
#URVHȴQDVBSODFH
mşưĕŔćĕſ ǯǽ ǩǧǩǪ The Byron Shire Echo 33