How far are restaurants willing to go for sustainability?
10 // NEWS
The latest openings, books, events, and more.
14 // PROFILE
Shannon Bennett shares his plans for The Belongil Byron Bay.
18 // BEST PRACTICE
Eight fast, practical training ideas for cafes and restaurants in 2026.
30 // DRINKS
Sydney’s distillers are finding their homes in local restaurants.
58 // 5 MINUTES WITH… Paawan Engineer of Mill Place Merchants.
Features
20 // PROTEIN PROS
The proteins chefs are working with this season – and why they love using them.
26 // LUNCH LOCK IN
Dedicated lunch menus helped these venues draw the corporate 1pm crowd.
34 // AUTUMN MENUS
How venues are preparing for the transitional season.
A note from the editor
As the festive season frenzy falls behind us, operators can finally exhale. And while the start of the year can prove stressful in other ways (lower patronage comes to mind), the quieter months can provide ample opportunity for restaurants and cafes to get their ducks in a row for year ahead.
This edition, Ken Burgin provides eight simple tips to make training simpler, smarter, and more approachable for your staff.
We also head behind the scenes with Shannon Bennett to explore his new
PUBLISHER
Paul Wootton pwootton@intermedia.com.au
EDITOR Laura Box lbox@intermedia.com.au
JOURNALIST Maia Hart mhart@intermedia.com.au
$10 million Byron Bay precinct, The Belongil, and delve into why he's feeling reinvigorated to face the industry's problems head on.
Further south, Sydney and Melbourne CBD restaurants with thriving lunch crowds share how they've captured the midday market; and a range of chefs explain how they're preparing autumn menus ahead of time.
Happy reading, and happy New Year.
Laura Box Editor
COMMERCIAL DIRECTORHOSPITALITY GROUP Simon York T: 02 8586 6163 syork@intermedia.com.au
GROUP ART DIRECTOR –LIQUOR AND HOSPITALITY Kea Webb-Smith kea@intermedia.com.au
PRODUCTION MANAGER Jacqui Cooper jacqui@intermedia.com.au
SUBSCRIPTION RATES New Zealand: 1 year (10 issues) = $109.00 Asia/Pacific 1 year (10 issues) = $119.00 Rest of World: 1 year (10 issues) = $129.00
Weighing up waste
There’s always more to be done when it comes to reducing food waste and working sustainably. How far are restaurants and caterers willing to go?
WORDS Maia Hart
PHOTOGRAPHY Andrea Veltom, Steven Woodburn, and Pete Dillon.
From weighing out every piece of rubbish to designing menus that rethink how to reduce food waste, Radish Events has built a brand around sustainable event catering.
Despite this ingrained ethos, Radish Events Managing Director Henri Turra does not believe this is the main reason their customers come to them.
“I think our recurring clients keep coming back because they feel that they can trust us, they know that they get good food, and they know that we’re using suppliers who care about what they do, so the produce is also higher quality,” says Turra.
The B Corp certified catering company has managed to
reduce its landfill waste to less than 8 per cent of its total operation. A figure like that is no easy feat, given even tracking that waste creates an additional process in the kitchen. It’s why Turra doesn’t sugarcoat the logistics, even describing some of their sustainability processes as “unsexy”.
“Sometimes there are very inconvenient things that we have to do,” he explains. “For instance, we weigh all our bins before we put them out to collection. We literally take the bin, put it on a scale and take down the weight, so that we can track what’s going into landfill, what’s going into compost. Adding that task to
an already very busy kitchen, it’s a bit like, ‘oh man, really?’.”
Despite this, Turra is clear on why they continue to put in the effort, even when it adds more steps to an already busy workday.
“We’ve all been in hospitality and seen the ugly parts of what it can be. One of my first jobs was working at big stadiums, you would see trays of perfectly good food going to the bin and just think that wasn’t right,” he says. “For us, the 'why' is that we want to do things differently, we want to do things in a better way. We believe that there are very passionate people in hospitality and there must be a way to still deliver great food and great service without having such a negative impact on ourselves, on our team, and on the environment.”
Radish Events achieves its day-to-day goals through many different streams. Turra says the first thing they must do is understand what their client’s needs are so they can make the right decisions about the amount of food served at an event, and how that will flow around a room.
For example, they would never put a grazing table in a room with 300 people, as it’s either “going to become super ugly and destroyed, and not look great”, or half the room
won’t be able to get to the table and food will be wasted.
“Probably the first step to avoid food waste is to have the right amount of food. When I say the right amount of food, I don’t mean every last little canape is eaten, because that probably means there wasn’t enough,” Turra explains. “We need to have the right amount where what is leftover is manageable, and that we can have a plan for.”
Part of that process also requires making recommendations to the client to ensure they get the right service. From there, they can start creating a “circular” menu.
“For example, we use a Murray cod which is farmed in New South Wales. We order the whole fish, we cut out the loins, and we serve it as a dinner, and then the frames, the heads, and the tails we smoke in-house, pickle the meat from it and then make a croquette, which becomes a canapé.
“Or a focaccia that we sell on the grazing table. Sometimes people don’t go through the whole amount of bread. We will process that, turn it into crumb, and make it into a paste, and that turns into lavosh, which are the crackers that people will eat the cheese on at the next grazing table. It’s feeding into itself as a loop.”
The easiest part to navigate is the customer, he says. “We do sell ourselves as having seasonal menus, and they are subject to change depending on market availability. That’s a conversation that’s not something new for our clients,” he says. “If we call a client and say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to have the salmon’, which has happened, we’ve earned their trust enough and they’re happy to swap it.”
Three Blue Ducks’ sustainability journey goes back to when its first venue in Bronte launched some 15-years-ago. At that time, they only had “a little kitchen garden”, according to CoOwner Darren Robertson.
“Back then it was all the things like minimising waste,
using the whole ingredient, using keep cups, and nonplastic straws,” says Robertson. “I couldn’t even really tell you why, we were just exposed to all of these ideas, so that’s what we tried to do.
“I remember I was getting complaints about serving cardboard straws because they were going soggy. It was like, aren’t we all watching these documentaries on how we’re polluting the oceans and the dolphins are dying? So, it’s definitely become a lot more socially acceptable and a bit of a given now, certainly in hospitality.”
Sustainability has since been central to the Three Blue Ducks journey. They’ve led initiatives such as offering a low-emissions steak with sea-fed Beef, composting
Darren Robertson
“Every bit of money we made was going back into the business to try and reduce our footprint.”
— Darren Robertson.
nearly 49 tonnes of organic waste, and introducing wastesaving systems like wine and milk taps, eliminating more than 260,000 plastic bottles. They’ve even come up with ways to repurpose by-products like spent coffee grounds into products such as soap, and created chopping boards from invasive camphor laurel.
“Every bit of money we made was going back into the business to try and reduce our footprint,” explains Robertson. “Like putting solar power on the roof and buying the machine for our milk which I think reduced four plastic bins a week,” he says. “Then we were looking at composting, worm farms, aquaponics … you name it, we were just doing it.”
Fifteen years later, they’re still trying to improve. Somuch-so, Robertson says it’s almost a question of where to draw the line.
“There are so many ethical questions — things like organic over local, or grass-fed and grain-fed, free range. But we still seem as passionate as ever before, and I feel like it’s probably easier now through innovation. I hope every industry is trying to improve their footprint. I feel like it became a real source of problem solving. It really evokes creativity.”
Someone who knows all too well about that creativity is Elias Salomonsson, executive chef at Circl in Melbourne. The restaurant, which serves up European-inspired cuisine with Scandinavian finesse, uses Natoora to source a lot of its produce.
Salomonsson explains that Natoora buys produce direct from farmers, which means the ingredients are not changing hands several times before they reach the restaurant. He says
this is important because it’s helping to contribute to the overall long-term sustainability of the farms.
“They change what they offer all the time, they keep it fresh, so to speak, and buying directly from the farmers through Natoora gives back to them [farmers] as well,” he says.
He says Natoora keeps Circl in the loop about what is in season and what produce is likely to be available, which helps him to plan their menus accordingly. It means the focus is on using the most local and seasonal produce possible, which reduces their environmental impact.
“You’re paying for quality as well, because you’re
buying from somebody who is biodynamic, or all organic. The way these farmers treat their produce, you can taste the difference. I think that’s important,” says Salomonsson. “I think if you are paying a little bit more for your produce, it benefits your cooking because some products you can do so little with, because it’s already such a great product.
“Focusing on sustainability and really making sure the next generation of farmers has what they need is really important and the better it will be for the industry. Because if everything goes down to the big bulky farming, we won’t have the versatility.” ■
Entrée
The latest openings, books, events and more.
EDITED BY Laura Box
Restaurant Botanic: A Year in the Life
Jamie Musgrave and Restaurant Botanic team
Super Studio, $130
Don’t expect recipes to be the main focus of Restaurant Botanic: A Year in the Life
Instead, the book takes readers on an intimate journey behind the lauded Adelaide restaurant's pass to hear stories and witness the creativity of Executive Chef Jamie Musgrave and his team over the course of a year. The book is jam-packed with Jonathan van der Knaap’s photography, which encompasses everything from the surrounding gardens and restaurant décor to chefs in action and flat lays of kitchen equipment. “Our restaurant is a love letter to Australian ingredients and the Adelaide Botanic Garden,” says Musgrave. “This book is a celebration of everything that makes cooking in our corner of the world both a privilege and a joy.”
Sydney loses Quay
The Fink Group's Quay, one of Australia’s most celebrated restaurants, will close on 14 February. “Quay has been part of my life’s work — a place where creativity, hospitality, and the beauty of Sydney Harbour come together,” says Fink Founder Leon Fink. Executive Chef Peter Gilmore led restaurant since 2001, earning 23 consecutive Three Hats from the Good Food Guide and appearances on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. “I am immensely proud of what we have achieved alongside Peter and the incredible teams who have shaped the restaurant’s legacy,” said Fink. Australian Venue Co. will take on the restaurant space.
Lunar New Year
The annual Chinese celebration falls on Tuesday 17 February and runs for about 16 days. This year marks the beginning of the Year of the Fire Horse. Distillers like Lark are gearing up for the celebration with the launch of limited-edition whisky with a label created in collaboration with Sydney-based artist Chris Yee. Meanwhile, restaurants and bars are announcing special menus. Spice Temple’s Sydney Lunar New Year seafood banquet features the likes of pink snapper yu sheng and steamed coral trout with longevity noodles, while its Melbourne counterpart will offer greenlip abalone with black Oscietra caviar and Berkshire pork belly with fermented bean curd and house-made gua bao.
Darling Glebe
Acclaimed chef and restaurateur Jeff Schroeter is returning to the historic sandstone walls of the former subterranean Darling Mills venue. Schroeter co-founded the venue’s current restaurant, Beckett’s, in 2021, and operated it for three years before selling to pursue other interests. Now, he’s planning to open Darling Glebe in the site this February. “This space is an heirloom to Sydney diners,” says Schroeter. “It’s always been one-of-a-kind and we’re proud to be its new custodians.” Sarah Biswas (Odd Culture Group, Restaurant Hubert, Banksii) will join the team as venue manager, alongside former Australian Bartender of the Year Charlie Ainsbury who is leading the venue’s martini concept.
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Shannon Bennett and The Belongil
With four distinct dining experiences, Shannon Bennett shares the magic behind his latest venture in Byron Bay, The Belongil.
WORDS Maia Hart
PHOTOGRAPHY Jamie Green
“I think it’s my throw of the dice at doing something fun. I don’t need to do it, I don’t have to do it, I just want to do it,” says Shannon Bennett. It’s a remarkably casual way for the renowned chef and restaurateur to describe his new Byron Bay hospitality precinct — The Belongil — especially given investment has already topped $10 million.
But despite his relaxed attitude, the actual execution of the project, which opened in December, is perhaps anything
Cory Campbell, Head Chef Ryan Henley, Group General Manager and Partner Steven Kirkpatrick, and Master Sommelier Carlos Simoes Santos – joining Bennett on the opening.
Bennett tells Hospitality he knew upon seeing the site for the first time what he wanted to do with it. “I’d been through the site a couple of times, so I knew that having a bistro, a kiosk, and a fine dining restaurant was crucial to what we wanted to do.
“We’re putting hospitality back on the fore of everything that we do across the whole precinct,” he says. “I think that it’s enough of saying no to customers. It’s about saying yes, and pleasing everyone, and having something for everyone.”
The Bistro
The Bistro, a produce-forward offering, is about doing things simply but beautifully, says Bennett. “We’re using the best quality fish from local fisherman who are going out and catching amazing quality produce,” says Bennett. “It’s harvested from the area and it’s all single line caught out on a dayboat.”
but. Bennett has partnered with his neighbour Glen Norman to bring the precinct to life, in the first project he has embarked on since Vu de Monde.
The Belongil, about 900 metres from the Byron town centre, features four distinct dining experiences, ranging from a kiosk for grab-and-go cafe goods, to a bistro, a fine-dining restaurant, and a members’ bar. Collaboration on the venture has been key, with four Vue de Monde alumni — Group Executive Chef and Partner
Most of the time, locally caught fish like this doesn’t stay in the region, he says. “From my understanding there are a couple of other venues that get the seafood, but the rest of it goes to Sydney. Which is strange.”
The opening menu features snacks such as green melon with wasabi; potato rosti with tuna tartare and Kaluga caviar; and a Clarence River prawn dog with burger sauce. Entrees include vegetable tarte tatin; smoked beef tartare; and zucchini flowers stuffed with flame tail snapper crudo.
For the mains, Bennett says they are using a couple of different cooking methods for the seafood, including poaching
and grilling. There are also plenty of steak cuts for the grill.
“That’s The Bistro. It’s a fun vibe, barefoot, and you can come in off the beach,” says Bennett.
Feu
“Feu is a bit more fine dining,” explains Bennett. “Using charcoal and grill, but with the same ingredients and a bit more theatre to what we’re doing, and a bit more purpose to the idea of the food hitting the plate.”
Even the actual plates have been carefully considered, having been hand fired in the ground in “the old Aztec Mexican way”.
“We’ve got a lot of little surprises and little elements everywhere which is brilliant and exciting. It’s al la carte as well, not a degustation menu.” But guests also have the option
to form their own menu, picking from three, five, or seven ingredients, and leaving room for the chefs to design the dishes from there.
The opening menu features about 30 ingredients, ranging from the likes of caviar, spanner crab, oyster, blue mussels, maron, mud crab, flame tail snapper, and tuna, to duck, emu egg, and wagyu, alongside rice and cheese.
Bennett says the concept allows the team room to explore. The opportunity is likely to be a welcome creative challenge for ex-Vue de Monde Head Chef Cory Campbell.
“I think we’re much more relaxed in our approach and collaboration now. It’s definitely a much easier, freer expression of what we want to do,” he explains. “Cory and I enjoy the
two hours that turn into fourhour sit-down sessions and just getting to create. We go, how are we going to tell this story on the plate without looking too contrived, but also showing some beautiful skill and finesse?”
The chef spent around 12 months learning about local produce, with the team travelling from the bottom of Victoria to the top of Queensland, meeting
those who grow, fish, and farm along the way.
“Chefs like Peter Gilmore, Matt Moran, Neil Perry, Hugh Allen, Andrew McConnell, Ben Devlin –they’ve all been amazing. I rang them and said, ‘Hey, where do I start?’. They’ve all been amazing in terms of sharing where great produce comes from.
“There are so many people wanting to give you information.
We’re just curators of great ingredients, that’s what we are. And all those years of experience, techniques, and being able to cook that story on a plate is what summarises where I feel we are at.”
Letting guests pick their ingredients is “finally saying, let’s get some adrenaline into service”, he says. “I want the menu to rotate nearly fully every six to eight weeks. So as a guest, when you come back in three months, the menu is 100 per cent different, and the ingredients in the box that we give you are 100 per cent different. To me, that’s exciting.
“The team are pumped about that, but I do think I’ve got a little bit of trepidation in the fact that there is a lot of creative space.”
The Kiosk
Bennett says the Kiosk is “a fun little project that brings back my cafe times”. The small streetfacing space aims to serve locals, dog walkers, the surfing community, and backpackers.
Bennett crafted the simple concept as a space to quickly grab coffee or snacks like breakfast jars, grain and salad bowls, burgers, and sweets.
“I just think that it’s enough of saying no to customers. It’s about saying yes and pleasing everyone and having something for everyone.”
The build
Prior to opening, the team described Feu as a "total work of art, where the line between architecture, cuisine, and emotion disappears".
So how did they execute this concept? Beyond the food and beverage offerings, the team has meticulously thought through every corner of the venue — from AI-enabled toilets, to the timber repurposed from a 300-year-old Japanese temple that Bennett has held onto for a decade. And while the actual construction came together quickly (Bennett says he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro on 29 September, at which point there was still an open roof back in Byron), some of the art and collaborations are
the consequence of many years of friendship.
“We had a saying each week from Muhammad Ali, that the word impossible doesn’t exist. It is a word that’s thrown around by small-minded people,” he says. “I think the key is to have the vision. Make sure your documentation is amazing. Work with an architect that you really love and respect.
“I want to work with people who I’m mates with. I’m not going to listen to an architect with ego and do something minimalistic with no personality. This has got personality everywhere.
“If you work with a builder and have a great relationship, you can open some amazing magic things that don't inhibit you, and it’s not stressful. It’s exciting. I woke up every day here wanting to get out of bed, run to the lighthouse, and then just get straight to site to work with the team.”
Bennett has also banned the word uniform. The Belongil has collaborated with the team from Australian designer Songs for the Mute to provide staff members with “capsules”. “Everyone gets a capsule of a certain amount of time. I love the fact that Song for the Mute is a brand that manufactures here. In an incredibly challenging industry, they’ve decided, ‘No, we’re not going overseas,’ even though it would be cheaper.
“I want my team to speak
through fashion on the floor. I want them to be involved in choosing their capsules, choosing the pieces, and making sure they fit right.
“For us, the important part of what we’re doing is creating an aspirational experience, not just for our guests, but for our team members, and I just want our team members to feel special.”
As a seasoned pro known for pushing boundaries, Bennett says he is feeling reinvigorated for the next chapter.
“I was the first restaurateur to charge a cancellation fee, and that was back in 2006 … I lay claim to the fact that we did that. I think we only charged it three times in that first year. But it set the right tone. Guests knew that we were serious. We wanted to please everyone, and a lot of work went into that,” he says.
“I look at problems in the industry now, and I think there’s probably a dozen to solve that are just like that. I feel like I’m reinvigorated and I’m ready to solve a lot of these problems and make it easier on the industry. We all need to stand up as one.”
Judging by the extensive collaborations between artists, potters, alumni, designers, and everyone else in between on display at The Belongil, Bennett and the venue appear well on their way to acheiving this unified goal. ■
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Training Tips
Eight fast, practical training ideas for cafes and restaurants in 2026.
WORDS Ken Burgin
We all know training matters. The problem is time. Long training sessions get cancelled, staff switch off, and managers feel guilty for not doing enough. The answer is not more training. It is shorter, sharper training that fits into real service, using tools you already have in your pocket — phones and iPads are some of the best training tools in hospitality. Here are eight ideas you can start using straight away.
1. Two-minute video demos.
Ask a senior staff member or manager to record a quick video on their phone showing how something is done properly. This could be plating a popular dish, setting a table, making a coffee, or handling a complaint. Keep it under two minutes and store it in a shared folder. New staff can watch it before or after a shift instead of waiting for someone to explain it again.
2. One-question training moments.
Use your phone notes app or a shared document to create a simple list of short training questions (ChatGPT can be a big help with this). For example: ‘What would you say if a customer complains about waiting time?’ Ask one question during a quiet moment and listen to the answer. Correct gently and move on. This works well one-on-one and feels more like coaching than training.
3. Photo standards, not long docs.
Take photos of what ‘good’ (and ‘bad’) looks like. A clean pass, a properly stocked fridge, a perfect takeaway coffee lid setup. Photos are much faster than written instructions and much harder to ignore. Keep them on an iPad in the kitchen or behind the counter so staff can quickly check expectations. You can also add a requirement to photograph the space at the end of the shift and share it in the group WhatsApp or Slack.
4. Micro refresher videos for compliance.
For food safety, workplace behaviour, or responsible service, record very short refresher videos every few months. One topic at a time. Two or three minutes is enough. This shows you are serious about standards without turning training into a lecture or a compliance nightmare.
5. End-of-shift voice notes.
Ask supervisors to record a 60-second voice note at the end of a shift. What went well, what needs tightening up tomorrow, and one reminder. Share it with the team chat. This keeps training current and linked to real service, not theory.
6. Individual skill challenges.
Give one staff member a small skill focus for the week. For example, upselling desserts,
improving coffee speed, or greeting tables confidently. Capture feedback using a quick note or voice memo. Individual training is far more effective than group sessions, especially for confidence and communication skills. This is not just a job for supervisors or managers.
7. Small group huddles with a phone. Occasionally, pull two or three staff members aside for five minutes to watch a short video or review a standard photo together. Ask a couple of questions and finish. This works especially well before busy periods and avoids the chaos of full team meetings.
8. Let staff create training.
Ask experienced staff to record their own short training tips. This builds pride, spreads knowledge, and reduces pressure on managers. It also shows newer staff that good performance is recognised and valued.
The key rule is simple. If training takes more than five minutes, it probably will not happen. Short, regular training beats perfect training every time.
If you are not sure where to start, pick two ideas from this list and trial them for two weeks. You will usually see better confidence, fewer mistakes, and stronger service without adding stress to your day. Good training should fit into service, not fight against it. ■
Protein pros
Culinary colossi from across the nation weigh in on the proteins they’re working with this season — and why they love using them.
Head Chef Saki Yamamoto, Oden
Japanese-born Saki Yamamoto brings a wealth of international clout to Melbourne’s Oden. The chef has two decades of experience in kitchens around the world, including in tenures at Michelinstarred establishments such as Gordon Ramsay and the two-starred Spanish restaurant, Zurriola. She previously worked as head chef at Conrad Tokyo and Hilton Okinawa Sesoko Resort, and as sous chef at Melbourne restaurant Society.
One protein I particularly enjoy working with is duck. What draws me to duck is its versatility and depth. It works not only as a main protein, but also as a foundation for flavour through its bones and fat. The balance between the richness of the meat and the aroma of the fat allows it to perform multiple roles within a menu, which is something I value highly when building dishes.
On my menu, duck is used both as an ingredient and as a base, particularly in our oden. I use duck to build the soup base, taking stock from the bones and trim. This broth has a clear, defined umami and integrates very well with traditional Japanese ingredients such as kombu and katsuobushi. The duck adds depth and structure to the dashi without overpowering it, giving the oden a stronger backbone of flavour.
Duck is also featured directly in the oden
menu as a protein. It performs well across different cooking methods: when simmered, its flavour enriches the broth, and when grilled or roasted, its fat brings aroma and richness. Having worked extensively with duck in Western cuisine, I have found that it adapts naturally to Japanese flavours. Ingredients such as soy sauce and Japanese citrus complement the meat and fat particularly well. Duck fat is another important element in my cooking. Rather than using it simply as a cooking oil, I treat it as a flavour component. Whether used to cook vegetables or added at the finishing stage, it enhances aroma and adds cohesion to a dish, reinforcing the presence of the protein without heaviness.
In the past, I have mainly worked with duck through a Western culinary approach. More recently, I have been exploring how to position duck within a Japanese framework. By combining it with kombu, katsuobushi, soy sauce, and Japanese citrus, I have discovered new ways to express the ingredient while respecting its character. Moving forward, I would like to continue developing duck as a core ingredient that is fully utilised, including the meat, bones, and fat. By treating duck as a natural part of Japanese cuisine rather than a Western import, I aim to create dishes that are cohesive, purposeful, and deeply connected to the structure of the menu as a whole.
Co-Owner and Chef Karena Armstrong, The Salopian Inn Chef and produce advocate Karena Armstrong co-owns the Salopian Inn in McLaren Vale, South Australia, alongside Alex Marchetti. Armstrong’s creativity and respect for local, high-quality produce are signature aspects of her menu.
We have had Paroo kangaroo on the menu for 12 years. We also have wild shot venison, wild boar, carp. We use some crazy ingredients here and it’s with a waste reduction and sustainability practice in mind.
I worked for Kylie Kwong in Sydney for a few years and she did a beautiful version of red braised oxtail. Red braise is a Chinese soy-based aromatic braising broth that you keep. It’s a bit like a sourdough. You keep it and you refresh it every time you use it, and you can cook all sorts of meat in it. All over China there are different ways of cooking in them, but I transferred that philosophy of red braising meat to kangaroo tails, which we braise in this mother stock that’s now 15 years old. We simmer it super gently in there, bring it out, cool it down. And then we make a chilli caramel with some chillies from the garden, lots of vinegar, lots of sugar, some sourness, and that might be some tamarind or some lime or lemon if they’re in season, and then lots of salt. It’s super punchy. We fry the kangaroo tails through rice flour and Chinese five spice
Saki Yamamoto
so it gets a lovely crust, then we douse it in the chilli caramel and serve it with pickles from the garden. The dish has been on for a long time. People love it. They pick up the bone and suck the meat off it. When you think about it anatomically, it’s an amazing animal. The tail does the work of the balance. And it has all that connective, fibrous tissue. And of course, it has all the bone connections. So it’s very gelatinous. And the meat is distinctly different. It’s really gelatinous, lovely, incredible meat.
When I first put kangaroo tail on the menu here, it was about 12 years ago, and people wouldn’t order it. They would actively say they don’t want to eat it. I think people have started to become more interested in kangaroo because it’s on more menus now. The Macro Meats (Australian Meats) team have done a great job of getting kangaroo into the supermarket, so it is accessible for people to try at a really reasonable price point. And it’s been on MasterChef, so it’s been demystified. People understand how to use it and they’re cooking with it more confidently.
Trying to get it right, for me, has pushed me into a space of exploring Indigenous culture around this meat and how it’s cooked and how it’s culturally viewed. The tail is really highly prized, which I love. We’re lucky to have this meat that is truly Australian. We are reducing the amount of beef we serve at the restaurant, and we’ve put the price up to reflect what it actually costs to produce grass fed, local dry aged beef. It is an expensive product. These wild meats, they’re far more economical, they’re delicious, and people are getting used to them.
Executive Chef Adam Burke, Epula
Adam Bourke (ex-Nola Smokehouse, Busta, Sunset Sabi) is known for his produce-forward cooking and creative restraint. At Epula, he blends European classics with modern Australian elements. The chef joined Owner Frank Dilernia to launch the restaurant in Sydney’s iconic GPO Building in October 2025.
I like to use a lot of proteins through my cooking, and we cover many at Epula, but I do like the humble chicken. We have a chicken dish on our menu, served as a Roast Breast, with a chicken and porcini press and sauce Robert. It’s incredibly versatile and very easy to use in all cuisines of which Epula covers many, including French, Italian, and Spanish. We use the whole chicken for multiple elements on one dish: we use the bones to make a sauce and then a jus, we use the chicken leg meat to make a mousse with porcini, which we then put between the chicken thighs and sous vide, and then we roast the chicken breast.
Head Chef Yammi Cheung, Talk Shop at Caption by Hyatt Central Sydney Yammi Cheung specialises in Western cuisine with an Asian twist. The chef brings over 11 years of expertise along with her signature cooking style to Talk Shop at Caption by Hyatt Central Sydney, which opened late last year. Now she’s serving up a range of dishes that harness a playful “healthy vs indulgent” food philosophy, with the likes of a Me So Salmon bowls, Hong Kong-style egg waffles, and matcha soft serve sundaes.
The pork wonton is a dish that’s incredibly personal to me. It’s inspired by a family recipe I grew up with, one that has always represented comfort, familiarity, and home. The flavours come from simple aromatics, scallions, garlic, and ginger paired with a “secret” stock we use to marinate the pork. It’s not about being elaborate; it’s about balance, restraint, and letting honest flavour shine.
I wanted to bring this recipe to Caption because so many of our guests are travellers or people living away from home. This dish is my way of offering a sense of warmth and nostalgia through food; a small moment of home, wherever you are.
For wontons, texture is just as important as flavour. Pork, especially cuts like shoulder or leg, has the ideal balance of muscle fibres and fat. That composition allows the filling to bind beautifully, staying smooth, tender, and juicy after cooking rather than becoming dry or grainy.
When handled properly, pork gives wontons that silky, delicate mouth feel
Frank Dilernia and Adam Burke
people associate with a truly exceptional bowl of wontons.
I love working with pork in slow-cooked preparations, particularly braising. One of my favourite techniques is braising with soy sauce and warm spices until the meat becomes incredibly tender. After braising, we rest and shape the pork before finishing it, which helps the flavours deepen and the texture become even more refined. It’s a humble style of cooking, but deeply satisfying. The kind of dish that stays with you long after the meal.
Executive Chef Jamie Musgrave, Restaurant Botanic
Jamie Musgrave began working at Restaurant Botanic in 2021, after time at acclaimed international restaurants including Vasse Felix, Rockpool Bar & Grill, and Hong Kong’s One Star House Party. Restaurant Botanic, which is nestled among native flora in the Adelaide Botanic Garden, aims to honour the richness and diversity of native Australian produce. Working closely with local producers to highlight rare, native ingredients, Musgrave has been pivotal to the restaurant’s success.
I first set up a meeting with Macro Meats (Australian Meats) about two years ago and they invited us out to their processing facility in Athol Park. They took us through how and where the roos are shot, to how they’re transported back to Adelaide. The traceability of it all was really impressive. They showed us how they break them down from a whole carcass into the primal cuts and things like that. It was great to go out there because there were so many
things that we were able to learn from them. They’re obviously experts in game meat and especially kangaroo.
There a number of things that make Macro Meats appealing to us. The way their team works is very responsible, very sustainable, and the traceability behind it is excellent. They harvest across South Australia and a little bit of New South Wales, so it has low food miles for us being here in Adelaide.
At the moment we have Paroo loin and tail on the menu at Restaurant Botanic. We serve a nice portion of the loin. You don’t really need to do too much to it. It’s like any fillet – it’s pretty lean and very tender. So we simply grill it and serve it quite rare. We’re serving it with some native fruits at the moment. We work closely with Something Wild, which is an Indigenousowned native ingredient supplier here in Adelaide. They’ve been supplying us with some nice Muntrie Berries, which is a small native berry that kind of looks like a currant has an apple-y flavour. We serve some of those pickled, we grill some, and we make a little jam from some. Because we’re in the Botanic Gardens, we try to use things that come from the gardens too. There’s a big macadamia tree that is fruiting at the moment, so we make a macadamia puree for the dish too.
Most restaurants you go to, you’d always be served Wagyu, which is delicious. But we feel good about being able to serve something that is equally delicious, but also interesting and from Australia. Being a restaurant that likes to showcase Australia as much as we can, I don’t think we can go past kangaroo. ■
Yammi Cheung
Jamie Musgrave
Lunch lock in
As costs continue to rise and people hold their wallets closer, designing a dedicated lunch menu has helped these venues draw in the corporate midday crowd.
WORDS Maia Hart
PHOTOGRAPHY Steven Woodburn, Maydanoz, Yusuke Oba, and Trent van der Jagt
When Bistro Ebony opened in Sydney’s Angel Place building, they quickly made their goal to capture the surrounding corporate crowd clear. So-much-so, the restaurant decided not to open on the weekend, and Owner Joey Commerford declared their intention to make locals and city workers feel comfortable enough to dine regularly. The 100-seater restaurant promises fine-dining without the price-tag, emphasising that most dishes come in under $50. But even more affordable is the express lunch menu, a
refined offering with five dishes to choose from, priced between $24 and $26.
Commerford tells Hospitality that being in an office building naturally lends itself to the corporate crowd, but he wanted to “casualise” the venue. “My initial thought when we opened was, ‘Wow, we look really fancy, and maybe people think that we’re a special occasion venue’,” says Commerford. “Although we’re in this kind of wealth pocket and there are a lot of people with money around, people still want
Joey Commerford
value, right? I wanted to have something that was more approachable, that would bring people in to try what we’re doing.”
So the express lunch menu was born. It features the Ebony beef burger, with red onion, provolone, spicy sauce, and skin-on fries; casarecce pasta with veal osso buco ragu and parmigiano reggiano; and chargrilled skirt steak, with skin-on fries and green salad. The final two options include grilled fish of the day with skinon fries and green salad; and the Mediterranean grilled chicken salad with tomato, cucumber, onion, avocado, and yoghurt dressing.
“The initial idea was to get more eyes on the brand and make people understand that we’re polished, but we’re not out of reach if you want to come and have a casual meal,” says Commerford.
But what he did not expect was demand for the express lunch to flourish in the way that it did. Lunch covers in opening week back in October 2025 went from 40, to 80, to 100 in the space of days. “It just took off. So, it did end up being a really good way to get people in the venue initially. Now I’m never going to be able to get it off the menu because everyone loves coming in and having it,” he says.
While the lunch menu looks to be a mainstay for the restaurant, Commerford says he does want to make some slight tweaks to “polish” it. “The food at this stage is beautiful. It’s very classical and simply made. We’ll add a couple of sauces, a couple of unique styles of pasta — that kind of thing. But I definitely will keep it because I really want our restaurant to be something for everyone,” he says.
Of course, pulling together a menu like this
means the service has to be quick. “Not everyone has an hour and a half or two hours to spend at the table. We had to look at the cook time,” he says. “The whole menu is geared like that. We aim to get all the food out in 15 minutes. Imagine 80 people in the restaurant all getting food in basically half an hour. That’s what we must achieve.”
Commerford says it feels like “two different restaurants”. “The lunch is hard and fast, and the kitchen is well oiled and well-versed. The only potential issues are when you’ve got 50 per cent of the restaurant doing that [express lunch] and then 50 per cent going al la carte,” he says.
The restaurant sets out to deliver European style dishes, mainly French and Italian fare, with Italian-born Alessandro Mandelli (ex-Alpha, Grana) on board as executive chef. That al la carte menu features the likes of WA marron wrapped in kataifi pastry with fermented chilli mayo; wagyu short rib agnolotti in saffron butter with celeriac cream and aged Parmigiano Reggiano; and a veal Milanese cotoletta with pomme noisette and veal jus.
“During the day, it’s a bit lighter. People obviously have less time to spend at the table. So, you have a lot covers that want something very quickly, and then at night, it really slows down.”
Maydanoz, a Turkish Restaurant and Bar on Carrington St in Sydney, has also designed an express lunch menu to appeal to city workers. It features stone baked bread; whipped feta with pistachios and sweet and sour grapes; chicken with bulgur pilaf; and a fresh mevsim salad. Efendy Group General Manager Fatih Kulle tells Hospitality most of the demand for the service comes from people that are stopping in for short work meetings.
“Obviously within the CBD there are so many office people, they want a quick and great tasting lunch,” says Kulle. “When we came up with the menu we considered the volume and
FEATURE // Lunch lock in
Fatih Kulle
how we can execute it. People are coming for their quick meetings, so the turnover time is around an hour. Also, some people are just coming in for the deal. It’s quite fair and affordable.”
Kulle says one of the priorities for the menu was the price point. “Because so many people are on a budget,” he says. “You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to experience our venue. We want everyone to be able to come.”
With “so many great restaurants” in the CBD, he says their aim is to make their mark “in terms of pride and the food offering”. That same ethos has been driven into their lunch menu. “Our role
is to make sure people come and have a good experience no matter how much they spend,” he says.
At Juni, a modern Asian restaurant in central Melbourne, it’s a similar story. “We’re surrounded by corporates. We’ve got bankers, lawyers, and everyone wants to go out for lunch. But everyone is busy, everyone has a time constraint,” says Chef and Owner Michael Lambie. “I think there’s always going to be a certain demographic that go out and have sandwiches every day. We’ve got to be able to offer something that’s innovative and quick. That’s what people are looking for.”
Juni, on Exhibition St, has introduced a $42 express lunch — a “straightforward” four-dish menu with a drink included, aiming to give office workers a quick, well-priced option for weekday dining. Guests can expect pickled wood ear mushrooms; salmon tartare; duck larb san choy bao with roasted rice and crispy fried chicken, all served with either a glass of wine or beer.
“It’s interesting and innovative, and it’s light, which lends itself to what people want to eat for lunch,” Lambie explains. “The thing is, if you’re working in an office and you’re going out for lunch every single day, you want to have something interesting. I’m a great believer that people
“You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to experience our venue. We want everyone to be able to come.”
— Fatih Kulle
like innovation, but they also like comfort. We try and make our lunch menu something that’s comfortable so that people can go, ‘Oh, yeah, that sounds lovely’.”
He thinks there is a proportion of people who come in specifically for the lunch menu. “We try to be a one-stop shop, so we’ve got something for everyone. We make sure that the dishes can be served really, really quickly,” he explains.
From a service point of view, that also means watching to make sure the food is served and can be consumed within an hour.
But Lambie isn’t shy about voicing some of the challenges. “People are looking for value
for money, but it’s the only industry where people don’t want to pay,” he says. “When I came to Melbourne, which was 25 years ago, $40 for a main course was considered unacceptable and expensive.
“Now 25 years on, it still hasn’t really changed that much. $45 or $50 for a main course is still expensive and people still want to go out and have lunch or have dinner and not pay the money. It’s really difficult. All the costs have really increased, but everything else hasn’t.
“What we try and do is we don’t go to the level where it’s wagyu beef or really high-end produce, but we use really good produce and we cook it really, really well.” ■
Perfect pairing
Sydney’s distillers are establishing symbiotic relationships with local restaurants. What’s the benefit of these pairings, and how can they meet their perfect match?
WORDS
Laura Box
PHOTOGRAPHY The Dry Dock, Red Mill Rum, and Studio AHWA
A stone’s throw from Balmain’s shoreline is The Dry Dock, an almost 170-year-old pub where the echoes of countless evenings hosting rum-swigging sailors still ring in the walls. But in recent years, a shift has taken place. Under the exacting eye of Peninsula Hospitality Operator and Balmain resident James Ingram, the pub has undergone a renaissance. Now, in honour of the venue's maritime past, he's bringing back the rum.
Since the reopening in late 2023, Ingram has focussed on providing patrons with a high-quality experience, while acting as a custodian of the venue to ensure its longevity “for another 100 years or more”. The pub's renovated bar is warm and moody, with rich, welcoming interior finishes that have seemingly spared no expense. But it’s at the back of the venue where the atmosphere has truly taken a turn. In a large, bright room, checkerboard green and white tumbled marble tiles march across the floor under a lofty white steel-trussed roof. The dining room is the Dry Dock’s crowning jewel, and it represents the venue’s movement into gastropub territory.
And while the team has placed significant focus on elevating the food and service, they've been careful to honour its past. The Dry Dock is steeped in history, much of it centred around (as the name alludes to) its location by Australia’s first dry dock,
James Ingram and David Fesq
“We’re both reinvigorating heritage brands to a degree, but we’re trying to reimagine them for the future generations and not just focus on the old heritage brand.”
— James Ingram
Mort’s Dock. Established in 1857, the venue played a significant role in Balmain’s shipbuilding and maritime heritage.
In honour of this, Ingram recently reestablished The Dry Dock's relationship with Red Mill Rum, a local distillery which bottled its first rums back in 1933. George "Bunny" Fesq trademarked the name that year, but he eventually sold the brand, and it eventually closed in the mid-1980s. In 2020, David Fesq — the original founder’s great grandson — decided to re-establish the name, and filled his first barrels in 2021. Since 2024, Red Mill Rum has made its home in White Bay, just a few minutes’ drive from The Dry Dock.
The relationship between The Dry Dock and Red Mill Rum is likely to have spanned over a century, says Ingram. “The Dry Dock has been there since 1857 and was the shipbuilder’s pub and there would have been a lot of rum consumed. Probably in the 1930s and onwards, it would have been Red Mill,” says Ingram.
But the relationship is also personal for Ingram, who has known the Fesq family for decades, having first met David’s father Mark over 30 years ago. When Ingram acquired The Dry Dock, he began talking to David, and eventually visited Red Mill Rum. “I was really impressed by David’s vision and the way he was putting together the Red Mill brand and bringing it back to life. I feel like there are lots of synergies in the way we think,” says Ingram. “We’re both reinvigorating heritage brands to a degree, but we’re trying to reimagine them for the future generations and not just focus on the old heritage brand. It really resonated with me.”
Dry Dock now serves three Red Mill Rum varieties that the distillery created specifically for the venue. The first is a classic rum, which speaks to the sailing community that has historically — and still is — at the heart of Balmain. “We lean into the maritime history of Sydney for this blend. It comes from a base of
our house rums, elegant, rich, versatile, but has an extra element of rums aged in Madeira, Port, and Sherry casks — all great maritime places, just like Sydney,” says Fesq.
Alongside the classic rum are two amari. Ingram had been looking for a digestif that they could give away or sell to customers at the end of a meal. “I had been looking for something that we could own, to a degree, and offer as a surprise to delight our guests at the end of the meal,” says Ingram, who noticed that amari like Montenegro typically work well and have a broad appeal. So when Fesq approached him one day and said Red Mill had been experimenting with some bespoke amari, Ingram jumped on the concept.
“We’ve worked on a lot of recipe development that includes flavouring our rums with herbs, spices, sugars and more. Our Spiced, Coconut, and Christmas rums are versions of this,” says Fesq. “For the amari, it was quite a natural extension, especially as we have many restaurant customers. In this case, it offers a different style of rum to share with consumers in the dining room. Something more related to the dining table than the front bar.”
The Amaro Tropicale is fragrant and lifted, and features dried orange paired with bitter herbs and botanicals. The Caffe Amaro uses Little Marionette coffee from Rozelle roaster Ed Cutcliffe alongside a hint of citrus.
The benefits of the relationship extend beyond serving up delicious drinks. The collaboration also builds on the intangible sense of history and narrative within the venue that acts to enhance customer experience. “Our customers are really delighted to hear the story and then taste the product,” says Ingram. “I’m always looking for an opportunity to bring an experience to our customers, and this is just this is a great way to do it … It’s an opportunity to connect with our customers at a different level.”
Fesq says that from a branding
perspective, The Dry Dock aligns with Red Mill in countless ways. “Let’s start with the fact that countless bottles of Red Mill would have been drunk at The Dry Dock back in the day. Even without that, we are peninsula friends, neighbours, and lovers of all good food and drink. We have a commitment to quality, storytelling, and creating something for the local community to be proud of. Because of that, our customers are their customers, and vice versa.”
A word Ingram uses often when describing his relationship with Fesq and Red Mill Rum is "synergy", and it’s clear to see why. “When the essence and soul of the partnership is natural, true and unforced, it makes everything work easily,” says Fesq. “For us, we get to present our rums in the most perfect of venues for them. For The Dry Dock, I hope it showcases their commitment to bringing a dynamic, historic and high-quality experience to their customers.”
For local restaurants (which don’t always have the benefit of shared histories like The Dry Dock and Red Mill Rum do) Inner West Sydney’s abundance of craft distilling provides the perfect opportunity to discover new brand alignment. At doilyladen Marrickville darling Baba’s Place,
rakija takes centre stage.
It’s rare to see the spirit – which is often associated with Balkan home brewing –given precedence on a local menu. When cousins Monique Sutevski and James Projcevski began DNA Distillery, they wrote a list of businesses that they’d like to collaborate and work with, and Baba’s Place was at the top. But before they even had the chance to begin business outreach, Baba’s Place got in touch with them through Instagram.
“[They] found us on socials and sent us a DM. It was right at the end of Covid when they were about to open and they said, ‘Hey guys, we’d love to have a chat about your rakija because you seem like a really good fit.’ We couldn’t believe it,” says Projcevski.
The collaboration made perfect sense, with both brands drawing on family nostalgia and cultural heritage. Baba’s describes itself as an “Inner West restaurant which explores suburban cuisine and the ‘Wog’ experience”. The
restaurant draws inspiration from the owners’ immigrant backgrounds with nostalgic decor and beautiful food.
Sutevski and Projcevski’s family have been making rakija for five generations. When their family moved to Australia, they brought their grandfather’s “famous” recipe with them to make in Sydney — the resulting liquor they would share with friends, slip to neighbours, and sneak sips from “when baba wasn’t looking”.
“We’re aiming for the same thing, in multiple ways,” says Projcevski. “That nostalgia, that connection of culture. But also blending it with the purest ingredients and sourcing directly from farmers. We were really aligned on a lot of things.”
And so, the restaurant quickly became the first stockist of DNA Distillery.
The partnership soon led to a deeper understanding of how diners wanted to consume DNA Distillery's product.
“A lot of the learning curves came through connecting with
“You can’t be all things to all people. As long as you know what your brand stands for and what you’re trying to achieve, the right people will come.”
— James Projcevski
places like Baba’s. We thought we would know what the customer wanted when we were preparing a spirit and the cocktails that they would like. But teaming that up with the knowledge that bartenders in the industry have was really valuable,” says Projcevski.
Because rakija is traditionally consumed neat, Projcevski assumed this would be how customers would want it.
But with bartender feedback, it shifted to being a staple ingredient in cocktails that paired well with Mediterranean or European food.
Projcevski points out that bartenders are on the front line, talking with customers every day and seeing how their tastes are evolving. “As soon as we gave the raw ingredient to the bartenders, who are masters and artists, it opened
our eyes to the versatility of what we could do with the rakija,” he says.
DNA Distillery is now stocked in the likes of Hubert, Margaret, and Icebergs. "Having those institutions and powerhouses back us was amazing for a young brand,” says Projcevski. “It really helped us build relationships with other bars and restaurants where they said, ‘Well, if you can be stocked there, then we’re happy to look at you because those guys go through a rigorous process’.”
For distillers and restaurants looking to collab, Projcevski recommends writing a list of businesses that align with your values. “You can’t be all things to all people. As long as you know what your brand stands for and what you’re trying to achieve, the right people will come.” ■
Autumnal staples
Chefs are always looking ahead. With autumn fast approaching, here’s how venues are crafting menus to align with the transitional season.
WORDS Maia Hart
PHOTOGRAPHY Sala, Pip Farquharson, Jason Loucas, Jiwon Kim, House Made Hospitality.
When Sala Chef and Owner Danny Russo considers autumn produce and the flavours of the season, his mind goes to figs. “Figs for me just bring back childhood memories because my mum used to have a fig tree in the back garden. We used to climb the trees and eat them,” says the chef. “I always love to have figs on the menu in autumn because it just brings back nostalgia. Childhood memories that you can’t read from a book, you need to experience it and live it.”
It’s for this reason that Russo says planning an autumn menu for his Italian venue in Pyrmont starts with looking at what’s in the backyard. “You need to understand what is quintessential in not just Italian cuisine, but all cuisines,” he explains. “Which basically means whatever
is in the back garden goes onto the plate. Whatever is best, that’s what you use,” he says. “When you’ve got that philosophy and you’ve got that mantra, it just makes life so much easier. This is how you start to build.”
Russo says he generally starts planning for the next season about eight weeks out, which — as echoed by other chefs — begins with talking to suppliers about what produce will be available. He also likes to find out if those suppliers are growing anything special, specific, or new.
“It then allows the imagination to run wild,” he says. “Our job as chefs is to respect what the farmer and producers have brought to market. They’ve done the hard part. Our job is the easy part: we need to respect it and cook it to the best
of our ability with all our heart and soul, which is very easy to do.”
Recipe testing is particularly important, he says. “Even for an experienced chef, it’s not because we’re doubting our skill set, it’s got nothing to do with that. It’s just that every season, every batch is different. Like the pH levels in something can be different, and you might need to adapt and adjust your recipes,” he says. “It always shows the respect and pays homage to what you are doing, because one of the things that is very important is that when you are doing a menu, you need to build
Danny Russo
Sala
“Our job as a chef is to respect what the farmer and producers have brought to market. They’ve done the hard part.” — Danny Russo
the story around it. That’s paramount, because people love stories.
“Also, you’ve got to try out those recipes with the waitstaff and the other chefs and get some feedback. Because what you might think is an absolutely amazing idea might not sell, so then it’s not going on the menu.”
For Russo, produce like figs and pine mushrooms are archetypal markers of the autumn season, and he's not alone in this sentiment.
Alex Wong, executive chef at Lana and Grana in Hinchcliff House, says autumn is his favourite season for produce. “Autumn is a very comforting season when it comes to food for me. The food starts to become a little bit richer,” he explains. “There are a lot of figs, and chestnuts start coming in, and persimmons,” Wong says. “But it’s a short season, because you’re basically caught between two seasons.”
Being caught in between summer and winter means restaurants need to adapt quickly. For Hugh Piper at Hey Rosey in Orange, last autumn felt like it came later than usual because of a dry season which
extended from the end of summer and into early autumn.
Piper says that meant it wasn’t damp enough for the mushrooms to grow, which led to a later season. “I think last year we ended up running tomatoes well into autumn because they were still going quite strong out here and the weather hadn’t quite cooled down yet,” Piper says. “So, we don’t necessarily say, ‘Oh, it’s autumn now. Let’s put pumpkin on the menu’, it just comes down to what I’m being told is available and hitting its peak.”
He says every year he looks forward to when the Jerusalem artichokes are ready, something he gets from one of his local growers – a relationship he says helps to put together the strongest menu possible. The importance of those relationships with growers is echoed by Bistro George Head Chef Steven Sinclair. The chef says he will typically start designing and working on an autumn menu as early as the start of January.
“Usually with any menu change, I’ll speak to my suppliers and producers to get a feel and understanding of what we could expect that’s coming into the season or something that’s new and exciting,” says Sinclair. “Sometimes I’ll take trips to the farmer’s market for inspiration. Or a supplier or producer could even come to the venue, and we like to do tastings with certain ingredients from a producer.”
“Once I have certain ideas, I like to draw it down on paper, and then between myself and my senior team in the kitchen, we look to create the recipes and we test the dishes over and over.”
Sinclair thinks autumn is a great time to incorporate more native ingredients, like herbs and fruits, into the menu. “I want to focus a lot on that,” he adds.
“As the weather starts to slightly cool down, you tend to go for a bit more comfort warming dishes. For example,
something slow-cooked, like a slow-cooked osso buco pasta dish. Some spiced, baked desserts are always a great option, like a spiced apple or quince tart.”
Given Australia’s tendency to import produce, there’s always the potential for venues to access certain ingredients, even if they are not in season. But Sinclair says he prefers not to do that.
“Take fresh tomatoes, I would only use them in the spring and summer season. Come autumn time, then they would be completely off the menu,” he says.
Staying ultra-seasonal has its benefits, according to Erik Ortolani, executive chef at Ito in Surry Hills and Sydney rooftop venue Joji. The Italian chef thinks the Autumn season in Australia is much more mellow than it is in Italy or Japan, where Ito draws a lot of its inspiration from. Consequentially, he likes to be intentional about any menu changes.
That attention to detail can be beneficial from a pricing point of view, he says. “From an operational point of view, it’s important to have a good relationship with suppliers and get them to prompt you. Then once you’ve prepared your menu, the produce becomes more available, and cheaper,” he says.
“Creativity goes a long way, I think. You really need to understand what’s available
Erik Ortolani
Hugh Piper
and what can be financially doable for the business.” At Ito, Ortoloni thinks he will explore more dishes that are individual portions, rather than share-style plates. He also expects to lean into flavours like miso and maple, which he describes as rich but warming and therefore appropriate for the time of year.
“I think you can use the rich flavours to complement the produce that’s around,” he explains. “I always keep a lot of seafood on the menu which traditionally you would probably associate to summer, but you always have those tables that people expect that,” he says. “I think I will explore more in terms of soups, which are harder to share.”
At Ito in particular, Ortolani will look to switch up some of the menu when the season changes. “I never do a complete menu change. We always keep signature dishes on the menu, and I generally introduce things little by little,” he explains.
“As the weather starts to slightly cool down, you tend to go for a bit more comfort warming dishes.”
— Steven Sinclair
For Billy Hannigan, Executive Chef at The Charles Brasserie and Bar and recently opened Osteria Luna, a complete menu flip for the season won’t be the case either. Hannigan says the first signs that the summer produce is past its best is when tomatoes start to “go a little bit floury”.
“Once the stone fruits, like the yellow peaches and nectarines start to come from outside the country, and they feel like cricket balls, I’ll start to transition into autumn produce,” he explains. “Coming into autumn, the brassicas, for example, is something that I really get excited about. Whether its broccolis, beautiful little kales, or brussels sprouts. And Jerusalem artichoke is one of my favourite vegetables.”
Despite the produce changing, there are areas of the menu that will always stay the same. “There are some things that I would absolutely love to take off [the menu]. But we’re smack bang in the middle of the city. If I don’t have something as generic as a chicken breast, people will be asking me why,” he says.
In the beginning of summer, that chicken was paired with the likes of garlic spinach, globe artichokes, broad beans, tarragon, and lemon. Come autumn, it might start to look like roasted brussels sprouts, or some Jerusalem artichokes.
Having now been open for multiple autumn seasons, Hannigan says they have a pretty good understanding of what works and what doesn’t. “I do think Sydney is becoming a bit more casual. We’re starting to see a lot less fine dining restaurants opening, and a lot less restaurants doing degustation menus,” he explains. “To use The Charles for example, when we opened, we had caviar on the menu, we were doing a lobster, and we carved a lot of beef tableside. We were almost too fancy for our location, so we’ve worked really hard to tone it down a little bit and make it more affordable.”
It means you won’t find any caviar on the menu anymore, and there’s less wagyu in place of “a few more grass-fed beefs”. But one thing’s for sure, the chicken breast will stick around, no matter the season. ■
Steven Sinclair
Alex Wong
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Paawan Engineer
The owner of Melbourne’s Cuff, Mill Place Merchants, and an upcoming Japanese restaurant shares how he moved from hotel operations into the F&B space.
Please introduce yourself, your professional background, and your current businesses.
I’ve been in the industry for 27 years. I started in ’98 and did a three-year diploma in hospitality. I then worked with the Hyatt in India and in Melbourne and then with Rosewood Hotel Group, a very high-end international luxury chain. My job was to set up the hotels and make sure they were operational and that the concepts were all followed. I came back to Melbourne in 2017 and started a cafe on Flinders Lane called Cuff. It’s in the old Customs House. In the last year and a half, I opened Mill Place Merchants.
Why did you move from hotels to cafes and bars?
I was supposed to transfer from Rosewood in Beijing to open Rosewood in Bangkok. That’s when I decided that it’s probably time to go back to my roots. Before I went to all these postings, I had decided that when I came back [to Melbourne], I would start my own business. So I returned and took over Cuff. The same people who own the building that Cuff is in also own the building that Mill Place Merchants is in. They approached me and asked me if I wanted to do something
there. It’s a 200-year-old building with very old bluestone walls and old timber beams. I got really attached to the place and thought it could be something really amazing.
The food and beverage industry is quite different to hotels. What have you learnt?
Running a business is way more challenging than working in a hotel. Fortunately, Hyatt was a management company … so when we were running hotels and restaurants, we were responsible for everything that happened in the venues. That set me up quite well to open my own business. But I was aware that running a small business is very different, so I made sure that the first business I got was an existing venue rather than a ‘from-scratch’ set up. It’s easier to learn from an existing business when dealing with things like councils and liquor licencing authorities.
What are your tips for creating a quality customer experience?
It’s extremely important to narrow your focus. I’m always focused on two things: One is getting the basics right, and the other is once I’ve got the basics right, to keep it consistent. Basics include the food, the beverage, and then the soft element, which is the service.
Most of the customers who come to the cafe, I know their name, where they work, what coffee they’re drinking, and what they order. I don’t force myself to do that. It just happens after you’ve worked in the industry for so long. If you take care of that part, you don’t have to worry about reviews. You worry more about what you can control. In our industry, we’re not selling food and beverage. We are selling hospitality. We are selling service. We are selling an experience.
What’s coming next for you?
I’m working on a Japanese restaurant which is in a small laneway very close to the bar. It’s an old ramen place that’s been established for about 12 or 14 years. I know the owner very well. He wants to move back to Japan, so he approached me to see if I was interested in the space. I really love that space, it’s a very beautifully designed, small place with about 38 seats. We want to cook authentic Japanese food that Japanese people would eat. I’m travelling to Japan soon to visit some restaurants and look at the service sequence and style, what music they are playing, the lighting, and the equipment, so we can dish out something that is as close to authentic as possible. We’re hoping to open at the end of the first quarter of 2026. ■
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