GT Food News | Gourmet Traveller

The three-Michelin-star British restaurant L’Enclume begins its five-week stay in Australia

One of the world’s top culinary talents – Simon Rogan – comes to Australia for a five-week takeover by the sea in Sydney. The British chef is one of the leading figures in farm-to-table dining, which has now grown into a widespread global movement, and his flagship restaurant, L’Enclume, embodies his passion for the connection between nature and food.

Last year, in the restaurant’s 20th year, L’Enclume was awarded three Michelin stars as well as one Michelin green star, which recognizes restaurants at the top of the industry in terms of their sustainable practices.

This winter, Rogan is bringing his award-winning restaurant from the northern English village of Cartmel to Sydney’s Balmoral Beach with a five-week residency at the Bathers’ Pavilion.

Rogan will oversee the kitchen at the North Shore venue, reinventing L’Enclume’s farm-to-table ethos with an Aussie lens. The eight-course tasting menu will adapt some of L’Enclume’s famous dishes to use local and indigenous ingredients from sustainable farmers and producers in New South Wales. Snacks and petit fours are also served off the menu, which costs $420 per person. Also, bespoke wine pairings are available for $190, $290, and $750 per head.

The L’Enclume residency at the Bathers’ Pavilion runs from Wednesday 19th July to Sunday 20th August. During the five-week run, it will be open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and Tuesday through Saturday for dinner, with a capacity of 80 people per session. A private dining room for 12-15 guests will also be available.

Bookings are possible on Tuesday 14 February at 10:00 am via the bathing pavilion website.

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival unveils its exciting 10-day programme

Three decades later, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is still firmly positioned as Australia’s premier event on the international food and wine calendar.

During the jam-packed 10-day program, Fed Square is transformed into a culinary mecca with celebrity-inspired sausages, one-off markets celebrating Melbourne’s best bakers and pastry chefs, a pop-up bar and the return of the popular convenience store – a part Tokyo Mart and part Brooklyn Bodega featuring Slurpee cocktails, Victor Liong and Shannon Martinez sandwiches and a curated selection of gourmet foods.

International chefs are also on the agenda with the Signature Chef Series, where top Australian talent will work alongside international stars. Highlights include London Ikoyi chef Jeremy Chan at Vue du Monde; US chef Danny Bowien (Mission Chinese Food) teams up with Melbourne’s own rock star chef Shannon Martinez; and Yoshihiro Imai, behind Monk in Kyoto and famous for Chef’s Table, makes his Australian debut at Embla.

Enter Via’s chef Helly Raichura also hosts an intimate cooking school; Drewery Lane becomes the Bangkok Street Food Party; and Maker & Mongers Cheese and Wine Party after dark at Prahran Market.

Tickets go on sale for subscribers on Tuesday 31st January and for the public on Friday 3rd February via the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival website. For more information on the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival click here.

Reservations are now open for Josh Niland’s new restaurant, Petermen

Sydney’s seafood king Josh Niland and his wife Julia are showing no signs of slowing down. Late last year, the duo announced their fifth venture, Petermen, to open in St. Leonards, a North Shore suburb. Now we have an opening date – Thursday 23rd February.

The name of the 60-seat restaurant comes from the 14th-century colloquialism when fishermen were known as Petermen in the tradition of their patron saint, Saint Peter. The ethos behind the new North Shore restaurant is to champion local breeders and producers, with a menu that highlights the best in Australian fish and vegetables – think smoked Tathra oysters, manjimup chestnuts with curry butter and John Dory Eden caught with the line.

From the end of next month, Petermen will be open for dinner Monday and Wednesday to Saturday and for lunch on Saturday. It will also be open for Sunday brunch with a more concise menu.

Reservations are now available through the Petermen website, while there will be limited space for walk-ins at the bar. For more information on Petermen click here.