Home Grown

AT CHARRED KITCHEN & BAR, LOCAL SUPPLIERS, A SKILFUL TEAM AND THE DISTINCT SEASONS OF THE CENTRAL WEST KEEP LIAM O’BRIEN’S PASSION FOR INNOVATIVE CUISINE FUELLED.

Words: Lisa Doust. Photos: Emma Lois.

Freshly picked carrots had a role to play in luring chef Liam O’Brien and his wife Samihla back from the Thai city of Chiang Mai to the Central West of New South Wales.

“Three years ago, we were in Orange on a family holiday and one afternoon my Dad picked some Dutch carrots from a friend’s garden and threw them on the fire,” Liam recalls. “Samihla was pregnant back then and as we sat in the garden with our family eating seasonal produce straight from the fire, something clicked and we both decided it was time for us to make the move back to Australia.”

Although the pair arrived at their decision quickly, the seed for change had initially been planted when Liam found himself having to use carrots imported from China while cooking in Thailand. “It’s just wasn’t natural to be importing produce, plus I was really missing having four seasons,” adds Liam, who was born in Orange but grew up in Bathurst and developed an interest in fresh produce by watching his agronomist father, Peter, teaching people to grow potatoes. Despite the move, Liam’s connection to Thailand will always be strong. As well as Samihla being Thai, Liam first lived in Chiang Mai at the age of 14. His family had moved there so his father could share his agronomy skills.

“I literally got a taste for Thailand’s sweet, salty and sour food flavours, and knew pretty quickly that I wanted to cook,” explains Liam, who undertook his apprenticeship back in Australia with French chef Philippe Legall, who has since converted his former restaurant on Bathurst’s Keppel Street into the renowned Legall Patisserie Café.

After completing his apprenticeship, Liam worked with several outstanding Australian chefs, including David Thompson, globally lauded for his Thai cuisine expertise, and Brent Savage of Bentley Restaurant + Bar, who is widely admired for his experimental approach to food.

“David taught me a lot about balancing flavours, and Brent really encouraged me to think completely outside the box,” says Liam. “I have learned so much from everyone I’ve worked with.”

Having opened the doors to Charred Kitchen & Bar in Orange two-and-a-half years ago, Liam is now able to bring all the elements gathered from his training and global travels under one roof.

“At Charred the menu is constantly changing and is dependent on what’s growing directly around me,” he says. “This week it’s mostly French or English with twists, but next week I could be inspired by Moroccan or Thai flavours. I never fuse cuisines but what ties everything together is the charring, smoking and grilling.”

Bijay Kunwar is in charge of controlling ‘Lucifer’, a wood and charcoal fire oven that measures two-by-one metres and serves as the heart of the restaurant. As well as inspiring the restaurant’s moniker, this multi-purpose fire box allows meat, fish and fresh produce to be smoked, charred and dry grilled to perfection.

“Kunwar brings amazing skills from his homeland of Nepal, which are needed when you’re dealing with something as temperamental as Lucifer,” says Liam. “We put anything and everything in the fire box – we bake eggs, smoke chilli, fire-roast seafood stews and char everything from sirloin and lamb rump to corn, eggplant, mushrooms and flatbread.”

Charred’s inventive desserts are courtesy of Korean-born pastry chef Hyeonju (Ju) Jeon, who spent 10 years working in Brisbane before seeking out a more relaxed lifestyle in Orange. “Ironically, Ju is probably busier than she’s ever been,” says Liam. “She is extremely talented and creative and has free run when it comes to the dessert menu. We always talk concepts but the rest up to her.” The beverage menu is in equally capable hands, with Sommelier & Restaurant Manager David Collins showcasing the artistry of local producers while also sourcing fine wines, beers and spirits from around the country.

“Thanks to David being passionate about both wine and beer, we won the Gourmet Traveller WINE ‘Best Beer List’ in the country during our first year and were the runnersup in 2018,” says Liam.

Liam is now able to bring all the elements gathered from his training and global travels under one roof.

Dining at Charred sends your tastebuds on a regional tour – meat and produce is sourced from as nearby as possible and Liam delights in working closely with his suppliers. “Greg Kocanda at Block 11 Organics is a third-generation farmer and an amazingly knowledgeable seasonal grower,” says Liam. “He grows a lot of certified organic produce for the Sydney market but I am lucky enough to get first pick.”

Other local and regional food heroes Liam relies on include Aunty Rinn’s Free Range Eggs, Millthorpe Saffron, Farmer Doug’s Gourmet Potatoes, Fourjay Farms, Thornbrook Orchard, Morganics Farm, Robanco Wholesale Meats and The Second Mouse Cheese Company.

“It’s very inspiring to be so close to all of our suppliers and to our local winemakers,” says Liam. “Having those supportive relationships makes all the difference when you’re running a restaurant in a regional centre – it’s hard to beat the generosity and warm-heartedness that you get in the Central West!”

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Charred’s Hummus with Sucuk & Guandillias

When making hummus, Liam uses the finest-quality chickpeas and olive available. He recommends using either organic or good-quality garlic and says to avoid pre-peeled garlic. Sucuk (Turkish sausage) and guindillas (pickled long green chillies) are placed on top for extra flavour and texture. INGREDIENTS 2 cups chick peas, soaked overnight 150ml quality olive oil 100ml grapeseed oil 6-8 cloves organic garlic Ground cumin, to taste Lemon juice and zest, to taste 100g of sucuk 3-4 guindillas

METHOD 1. Discard the water the chick peas have been soaking in then place in a pot and cover with fresh water until covered by an inch or so. Bring to the boil then simmer for an hour, or until chick peas are completely tender. 2. Strain chick peas into a blender and keep the water they were cooked in. Pour some of the liquid into the blender until chick peas are half covered. 3. Blend until quite fine then add the garlic, cumin, lemon juice and zest. While the blender is still going, slowly pour in the olive oil and grapeseed oil – just like making a mayonnaise, this is the process of getting it smooth. 4. Check seasoning then place broken and cooked sucuk and guandillas on top. Serve with flatbread.