The Forager: A rare taste of the Philippines
In this week’s column: The flavour of Hill of Grace food and wine, learning the art of permaculture, and a season of South Australia’s best gastronomic celebrations.
Dinner with Dennis
Not many people can say they have eaten Filipino food at a restaurant in Adelaide, because there are so few such restaurants here.
Adelaide chef Dennis Leslie has taken the exotic flavours of his Filipino heritage and – using the French cooking techniques he acquired as an apprentice with Raymond Blanc and Bethany Finn and the daring he gained from working alongside Cheong Liew and Simon Bryant – has combined them with Australian native ingredients to produce a fine-dining experience like no other.
“When I took on the role of head chef at Hill of Grace Restaurant, the dining concept was completely open,” says Leslie.
“I don’t like to use the word ‘fusion’, but I wanted to combine Filipino flavours with South Australian produce, Australian native ingredients and French cooking techniques as a culmination of my culinary experience.
“I was very nervous, because I was introducing something new – knowledge about these foods and the flavours and aromas aren’t so well known here – but the Henschkes loved it.”
Hill of Grace Restaurant opened at Adelaide Oval last year to showcase more than 160 of South Australia’s super premium wines, including a priceless collection of Henschke wines which comprises the world’s only display of a complete Hill of Grace museum range from 1958 to the current release.
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Leslie works closely with the Henschke family on the menus, taking inspiration from the wines and using the bold flavours of the Filipino and Australian ingredients to play with and find balance on the palate.
“The Philippines have been ruled by several countries – the Chinese, Portuguese, Americans, Spanish – and you see a lot of those influences coming into the food,” explains Leslie.
“The menu includes a lot of Filipino and Spanish words, such as ‘adobo’, ‘inasal’, ‘calamansi’ and ‘bistek’ – people are intrigued about something that’s new.
“The Henschkes have travelled, so they know what these flavours are, and appreciate what I’m doing at Hill of Grace, so that’s enough of an assurance for me.”
For the Hill of Grace/InDaily Wine Dinner at the Oval on April 23, Leslie has planned a special menu for InDaily readers as an exclusive preview of the new autumn/winter menu, matched to premium and museum Henschke wines.
“I have extracted five dishes from our new degustation menu – Kinilaw lobster (a version of a Spanish ceviche served with soy and cane vinegar gel and a sweet chilli cracker), Ginataan quail (roasted quail breast served with a coconut cream meringue), Grilled Betamax (pork blood pudding served with soy-infused glaze, bacon consommé, chocolate custard and shaved chocolate), Sous vide Angus beef flank, dry rubbed with beetroot and herbs, cooked for 10 hours, and served with a beetroot glaze, beetroot gel and Kangaroo Island native cranberries), Barossa cheese served with vanilla and pineapple gel, and petit fours and Hill of Grace chocolate boxes.
“We’re still in the process of finalising the wine list – the Henschke family has to come in for a tasting and to decide on the wine matches.
“The Hill of Grace InDaily Wine Dinner will be an opportunity to dine in a unique location, to be a little bit daring and taste something different, and have the chance to taste a small collection of Henschke wines.
“For me, it will be interesting to see what comments come out of the room.”
The Hill of Grace InDaily Wine Dinner will be held at Hill of Grace Restaurant at Adelaide Oval on April 23 at 7pm. The event will be hosted by InDaily editor David Washington and publisher Amanda Pepe, with dishes personally presented by Dennis Leslie. Tickets are $195 per head for a five-course menu with matched wines. Individual and group bookings are welcome. Numbers are strictly limited. For bookings, call 8205 4777 or email here.
The Food Forest open day
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There’s much buzz about sustainable living, but it’s not always accompanied by practical advice for making the eco dream a reality.
The Food Forest permaculture farm and learning centre at Gawler is hosting an open day this Sunday which promises to show participants how to turn their home into a “powerhouse of productivity”.
The event will begin with a session on building with straw bales, while the afternoon will be devoted to permaculture, with a tour of the property and advice on organic gardening, compost making, food preservation and drought-resistant orchards. Visitors can also watch a permaculture movie, with organic produce available to sample and buy.
Find out more on The Food Forest website.
What else is on?
Star of Greece Dinner – April 17
Join restaurateur Doug Govan as he delves into the cellars of the Star of Greece Restaurant at Port Willunga to present a journey across the country featuring premium wines paired with dishes from the land and the sea. Tickets are $150 per person. For bookings, phone 8557 7420 or email here.
Festival Fleurieu – April 11 to 19
Formerly known as the Leafy Sea Dragon Festival, Festival Fleurieu now promises more than 90 events in 50 venues across the Western Fleurieu region under the leadership of Greg Mackie. Starting with Fiesta Fleurieu, a street party at Normanville, the festival will see poets, painters, photographers and “posers du-culinaire” presenting events as diverse as “High Camp – gourmet grazing at the Jetty Camp Kitchen” (booked out) and a beer-matching degustation at Smiling Samoyed Brewery.
Barossa Vintage Festival – April 15 to 19
The 2015 program for the Barossa Vintage Festival offers 95 events celebrating the region’s rich heritage and gastronomic pleasures over five days.
A highlight of the festival will be a pop-up restaurant and bar at Seppeltsfield’s 70-year-old oak barrel cooperage.
On Thursday, April 16, from 6.30pm, the third instalment of the unearthed@seppeltsfield food and wine event series will play host to chef Owen Andrews’ “Chef’s Table Degustation”, as well as a public wine bar and street-food lounge.
“Past events have seen us smoking seafood with old port-barrel shavings and even picking dates sourced from the iconic Seppelsfield Canary Island palms,” says Andrews.
Bookings for the Chef’s Table Degustation and public wine lounge are essential. Phone 8568 6200 or contact Seppeltsfield here.
Another Barossa Vintage Festival event to book for is the The Feast of the Harvest on Friday, April 17, at 7pm, when the Tanunda Show Hall will be transformed into a feasting hall of true abundance by caterer Ellie Beer. There will be local wine, pigs on spits, terrines, braises, roasted butternuts and buttered corn, antipasto and Barossan chicken, and cheese and chocolate. Tickets are $100 per person.
Bottega Rotolo Cheese Experience Evenings – April 16 & 30
Let fine-cheese purveyor Rosalie Rotolo-Hassan and Bottega Rotolo’s resident sommelier take you on a journey around French and Italian cheeses with matching wines at the King William Road store. Cost is $50 per person and seats are limited to a maximum of 12 guests per experience. Private tastings can also be made by arrangement. Bookings 1300 2688 3422
The future of food – April 22
Some of the world’s greatest thinkers on food and food innovators will converge on the Festival Centre on April 22 for the Food South Australia Summit: Looking Ahead to discuss emerging food trends and how they can be converted into new food products and business models. Local food identities will examine the latest trends in the food industry and how they are affecting the future eating habits and choices of Australian consumers. The annual event attracts more than 200 participants and offers an excellent networking opportunity as it runs back to back with the Think Food trade show.
Coriole Autumn Degustation – May 1
Join Coriole head chef Tom Reid for a six-course degustation from the Courtyard Restaurant autumn menu matched to Coriole wines. Canapes of sour kohlrabi, puffed pork skin and wild radish rabe will be served with 2013 bottle-fermented Prosecco from 6pm, followed by kingfish and 2010 Optimist Reserve Chenin Blanc, smoked tommy ruffs served with 2013 Barbera, Coorong Angus Brisket served with 1990 Shiraz, boudin noir served with 2007 Vita Sangiovese, and iced white chocolate parfait with 2013 Mistelle fortified Chenin Blanc. Tickets are $125 per person. For bookings, phone 8323 8305.
How to make table olives with Rossa Matto – June 14
Following on from her Tasting Olive Oil workshop last year, chef Rosa Matto is running part two of the olive oil story – how to make table olives. The workshop will cover curing, pickling and cooking with olives and will be held at Angas Street WEA.
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