Year of the Foodies

Those who know us well will gladly testify that Garry and I are passionate foodies. Over the years we’ve been progressively ticking restaurants and memorable dining experiences off a forever-expanding bucket list. The last year or so has been filled with plenty of new foodie memories.

For the last seven years, we’ve gone to Melbourne on business twice a year. Each time we spend a week exhibiting at a major trade show by day before booking ourselves into some of the city’s finest restaurants at night. Over the years these culinary highlights have included Kobe Jones, Dinner by Heston (since closed and relocated to London), and Vue de Monde. Without a doubt, Vue de Monde remains one of Garry and my greatest culinary hits of all time.

This year we made the most of our return to Melbourne after a COVID-induced absence of more than 2.5 years. We finally got to sample the Teppanyaki grill at Koko in Crown Casino and spent a memorable evening at Attica. Attica was particularly interesting. For many years it was considered Australia’s best restaurant. It reimagines a range of recognisable dishes using native Australian ingredients.

For example, when we dined at Attica, we enjoyed pastrami made from Emu (it tastes like regular New Yorker pastrami), and crispy snacks made from saltbush. While the experience was unique, I personally found it a little underwhelming. The restaurant itself is rather spartan and the concept of regular food made differently wore a little thin as the evening progressed.

For me this year’s Melbourne highlight was Koko. I love the theatre of Teppanyaki and the chefs at Koko delivered in full. The menu was also peppered with plenty of unexpected flavour bombs. I’d have to say it was even better than the Melbourne institution, Kobe Jones.

This year we’ve also enjoyed lunch (twice) at Mimi’s in the Coogee Beach Pavilion, including a farewell meal for a departing staff member. On both occasions the food was superb. Caviar and Dom Perignon are always a match made in heaven, and nothing beats a towering platter of crispy Pommes Allumettes. We also enjoyed the theatrical unveiling of a neighbouring table’s salt dome baked Mud Crab. One, I’ve never seen a crab so big, and Two, I’ve never seen a salt crush so thick and hardy!

However, my ultimate foodie experience of 2022 has to be Margaret, the new Neil Perry restaurant in Double Bay. Garry and I enjoyed a memorable belated birthday dinner for myself in early November. Every dish we sampled was heavenly, including Neil’s almond-based Wedding Cake dessert filled with layers of fluffy Swiss Meringue. I subsequently attempted to recreate this dish for Garry’s birthday a few weeks later

My new EO Forum group also enjoys a meal together once a month at one of Sydney’s many reputable restaurants. To date, this has included the highly rated Botswana Butchery, Hubert’s, and the Menzies Bistro at Shell House. Garry and I have also found time to entertain a key customer at Cottage Point Inn, a waterside venue I last visited in 1998.

Finally, before I sign off, a shout-out to Automata. We enjoyed its degustation menu over winter last year before the city went into total lockdown for four soul-destroying months. The restaurant has subsequently announced it’ll be closing in early 2023. However, the meal Garry and I enjoyed was a genuine treat from start to finish. No wonder we’re constantly doing battle with an expanding waistline.