The Asian food century begins in Sydney

Almost ten years ago much fuss was made of the rapidly looming 'Asian Century', full of challenge and promise. I was working in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet at the time as Director of the National Cultural Policy Task Force. The discussion White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century being developed at the same time seemed part of a similar big picture approach to Australia's future. Today it seems even more relevant than in those times of more strategic governments. In Sydney you get a much sharper sense of the Asian Century – and its culinary reflection, the Asian food century.

In Sydney, you get a much sharper sense than in Canberra that we are part of the Asian Century. I always say though that the Asian Century began for Australia much earlier - when ancient Yolngu peoples in what became East Arnhem Land started trading with Macassan seafarers, long before Europeans ever appeared over the horizon. 

Dive into the Asian food century
On a quick visit to Sydney our dive into the Asian food century started on a Sunday, straight from the train from Canberra, at Lankan Filling Station. Nearly 50 years ago in Adelaide I was taken to a place that would have been the very first restaurant I ever ate in. It was a Sri Lankan restaurant called the Ceylon Hut, tucked away in a grey basement, and it was an Adelaide institution. To me, someone who had grown up in Tasmania in the 1950s and 1960s, it was a revelation.

Lankan Filling Station interior

On this occasion I ate in another Sri Lankan restaurant and had a contemporary version of that eye-opening moment. Lankan Filling Station, tucked away in Riley Street, East Sydney, a few steps from major thoroughfare William Street, was a pleasure from start to finish.

For some inexplicable reason, the feel of the space reminded me of a tiny restaurant in Glasgow called Fish Shakk, impossibly crowded and incredibly exciting - though Lankan Filling Station was much more appropriately socially distanced than that fabulous Glasgow memory.

Predilection for strange spirits
To start we tried a few drinks from the compact bar tucked away in the interior of the tiny restaurant. I had a straight Ceylon arrack, which no-one else at the table liked, but with my predilection for strange spirits I enjoyed it immensely. My dining companion chose a gin and tonic made with Colombo 7 Gin.

I have always had a weakness for a good pickle - Lankan Filling Station has every kind.

Booking from a distance we had chosen the Sunday banquet menu, which had the advantage of giving us a good overview of the cuisine, but the disadvantage of being more food than we needed for a Sunday lunch. We started with acharu, a slightly pickled and slightly sweet mix of pineapple, carrot, onion and cauliflower, accompanied by tapioca chips and pan rolls, a spicy crepe-wrapped filling, crumbed and fried. With this I had a glass of La Violetta 2019 ‘Nova Syrova’ Grenache, Pinot Noir and Mataro from Denmark, Western Australia. My fellow diner chose a Leko Chardonnay 2017 from the Adelaide Hills.

Cabbage mallung with turmeric, mustard seeds and coconut

The serious stuff
This was followed by the serious stuff, starting with a mixed sambol plate – green pol sambol, fresh and aromatic with coconut, coriander and lime; pol sambol, fresh and hot with coconut, Maldive fish, chilli and lime; seeni sambol, sweet and sour with onion caramelised with jaggery (lightly refined sugar with its molasses), tamarind and sweet spices; and katta sambol, hot and sharp with onion, chilli and vinegar. I have always had a weakness for a good pickle and Lankan Filling Station has every kind.

'It was all served with egg and plain hoppers. The hoppers are the signature dish of the restaurant, versatile crisp, bowl-shaped pancakes made with fermented rice flour, eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner.'

This came with cabbage mallung, shredded cabbage cooked with turmeric mustard seeds and coconut, along with dhal and mixed curries. These included two curries – a potato curry, a white curry with turmeric, green chilli and Lankan mustard; and a chicken curry, a hot red curry with tomato, accompanied by a herb and onion salad. It was all served with egg and plain hoppers. The hoppers are the signature dish of the restaurant, versatile crisp, bowl-shaped pancakes made with fermented rice flour, usually eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

To accompany this mix of flavours I had a vibrant and rich glass of Koerner ‘The Clare Red’ 2020, with more varieties of grape than I could count – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Grenache, Carignan and Sciacarello from the Clare Valley. The friend we were catching up with had settled for Gingerella to start, but happily moved onto a glass of Garden of Earthly Delights 2019 Riesling from Tooborac in Victoria.

We finished with a superb trio of sorbets and gelato – a subtle and refreshing king coconut sorbet, fresh and tropical mango gelato and a creamy and gently flavoured ginger and turmeric gelato.

Modern Bangkok
The following night our food excursion continued at David Thompson's restaurant Long Chim at Angel Place, billed as 'Modern Bangkok'. Thompson is the legendary godfather of Thai in Australia, who departed for Bangkok ages ago, after opening the much-feted restaurant, Darley Street Thai. I can't believe this restaurant marked his return to Sydney way back in 2016 and we didn't realise. It seems he also has a restaurant in Perth.

'Thompson is the legendary godfather of Thai in Australia, who departed for Bangkok ages ago, after opening the much-feted restaurant, Darley Street Thai. I can't believe this restaurant marked his return to Sydney way back in 2016 and we didn't realise.'

Eggplant with pork, prawn, yellow bean, thai basil and chilli accompanied by soft shell crab and green mango salad with palm sugar, fish sauce, cashews and chilli.

We started off with crispy prawn cakes with Thai basil and coconut cream served with plum dipping sauce, with a glass of Lightfoot and Sons ‘Myrtle Point’ Chardonnay from Gippsland and one of a Maison de Vigneron Grenache from the Vaucluse region of France. Then we followed up with a serve of Nong's eggplant with pork, prawn, yellow bean, thai basil and chilli accompanied by soft shell crab and green mango salad with palm sugar, fish sauce, cashews and chilli. With that we drank Granite Hills Pinor Noir from the Macedon Ranges in Victoria. To finish we shared a serve of coconut icecream with a macadamia nut crust.

Coconut icecream with macadamia nut crust.

To cap it off we had lunch the next day in Centrepoint at Din Tai Fung, the Taiwanese dumpling and noodle chain we adore. We first discovered it here, but in more mobile times it has always been part of our affection for Singapore. I've eaten in two or three different Din Tai Fung outlets in Singapore.

Getting serious at Din Tai Fung, Singapore.

We certainly made the most of our first Sydney visit in years, though it did seem to involve quite a bit of eating. Oh well, Canberra is good but it can't match this variety. The march of the Asian food century will have to be a multi-city affair.

See also
 

‘tableland’ on Facebook – life on the land and at the table
‘Life on the land and at the table, the companion Facebook site to this blog, for brief and topical snippets and vignettes about land to table – the daily routine of living in the high country, on the edge of the vast Pacific, just up from Sydney, just down from Mount Kosciuszko’, 'tableland' on Facebook.

 

Food and culture in the neighbourhood – culinary love letter from the South Pacific
‘Our near neighbours in the vast Pacific are often overlooked by Australia in its slavish focus on America, Britain and Europe. Yet this is our own backyard. The lack of knowledge has ranged across many aspects of the culture and history of the Pacific, including its culinary traditions. Yet, behind the scenes over more than a decade, a culinary revolution has been underway. This is the story of New Zealand chef, Robert Oliver, his fascination with the traditional food of the Pacific Islands, and an internationally award-winning cookbook, described as a ‘culinary love letter from a smattering of islands in the South Pacific’, which has developed a life of its own’, Food and culture in the neighbourhood – culinary love letter from the South Pacific.
 

In search of wild mushrooms
‘Growing up in the Central Highlands of Tasmania, foraging for wild mushrooms was a regular part of life. Now living in Canberra, a landscape markedly similar to where I grew up, mushrooms have an altogether more deadly reputation. However, it all comes down to specialist knowledge about the subject, as I discovered on a chilly evening with one of Canberra’s mushrooming experts’, In search of wild mushrooms. 

 

Returning to the city while the coast is clear – Raku serves up Japanese seafood with style

‘While I was in the city recently I noticed that Raku restaurant was open. It’s an old favourite and we’d looked at takeaway from there in the midst of the first lockdown, when everyone was ordering from their favourite locals to help keep them afloat. However, we hadn’t been to the restaurant since the pandemic struck. Since we needed to grab some lunch, we thought why not go there and support one of our local businesses while the coast is clear since the hospitality sector has been the only one to be harder hit by the pandemic shutdown than the creative sector. A stream of Japanese dishes seemed a suitable way to enjoy the charm of a local restaurant that serves up seafood with style’, Returning to the city while the coast is clear – Raku serves up Japanese seafood with style.

Takeaway takeover – steering a course through an unfolding pandemic
‘Local fine dining restaurant, Pilot, is tucked away in the back corner of the Ainslie shops in a quiet suburb of North Canberra. Over the last five months, Pilot has steered a course through the unfolding pandemic, as the changing relationship between diners and the restaurant has mapped the meandering trail of the COVID-19 pandemic through lockdown and easing. We’d been to Pilot to sample their long Sunday lunch in late February before the world fell apart. Then the pandemic struck and the lockdown began. Stuck at home our minds turned to the fine dining of the new era – takeaway. Then in July, as the lockdown finally eased – at least for a while – we found our way back to Pilot’, Takeaway takeover – steering a course through an unfolding pandemic.

Flour and eggs and happiness
‘The Easter holiday was fast approaching and due to the pandemic lockdown, no-one could go away. For years I'd been saying about Easter that it's a great time to go away, but it's also a great time to stay home. What better way to enjoy it than by marking a return to a habit from decades past – making my own pasta’, Flour and eggs and happiness.

Unexpected surprises in unusual places – Bar Rochford ticks many boxes
‘One of the pleasures of living in a city is the unexpected surprises in unusual places. Tucked up at the top of a stairway in the Melbourne Building in the heart of Canberra is a terrific bar that ticks many boxes. Whenever I go to Bar Rochford I feel happy. It has interesting wine and thoughtful food, so I’ve been there quite a few times – and I’m likely to go many more times’, Unexpected surprises in unusual places – Bar Rochford ticks many boxes.

Better and better – a cold night in at Pulp Kitchen

‘After a regional road tour through Victoria to Adelaide and back – packed with produce of every kind – the best recipe for happiness at home was a quiet spot in the corner at local restaurant Pulp Kitchen, enjoying a very different meal in a very different restaurant, after almost two weeks of very good – and sometimes exceptional – food and drink’, Better and better – a cold night in at Pulp Kitchen.

Dispatches from the Royal Mail – Wickens restaurant delivers the goods

‘I’ve always been interested in the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld, at the southern tip of the Grampians, and its varied offerings. It’s been one of Australia’s best regional restaurants for many years and I am particularly attracted by regional restaurants. I took advantage of a regional road tour through Victoria to Adelaide to update my first visit from several years before. In every respect the experience was worthwhile. The attention to detail and focused application was apparent, from the signature restaurant to the wider range of services it provides’, Dispatches from the Royal Mail – Wickens restaurant delivers the goods.

Travelling overseas in your own country ­– Austrian winter lunches in the high country
‘The pay off for cold Canberra mornings is that with no cloud during the night the days are clear and blue and brilliant. That’s when Canberra comes into its own. That’s the time to enjoy a long luxurious lunch with friends. The ACT is so tiny that is doesn’t take long before you have to cross the border in your quest for food and drink and spectacular landscapes. These outings are the slices of life in between the restaurants and bars where you go out in public. This is where the farmers markets and the home-grown produce and the local vintages come together in the privacy of your own home. With moments like this, even winter starts to look attractive’, Travelling overseas in your own country ­– Austrian winter lunches in the high country.

Eating out in the cold country – Grazing at Gundaroo
‘In winter your mind turns to food - well, it turns there anytime, but perhaps more so in winter. I can’t remember how many years I have been coming to Grazing restaurant, in the tiny historic town of Gundaroo, just outside Canberra – it seems like forever. In the time I’ve been coming here Prime Ministers have risen and fallen, Governments have teetered, illusions have shattered. On a Sunday recently, I ventured out from the cold of approaching winter on a clear, blue day and went there one more time for food, wine and firewood. I wasn’t disappointed’, Eating out in the cold country – Grazing at Gundaroo.

Mezzalira Ristorante – the Italian empire strikes back
‘I seem to spend a lot of time in the small Italian and Sons restaurant in hipster heaven in downtown Braddon, with its equally small bar annexe, Bacaro, at the rear. It’s so good and so pleasant that it’s easy to forget the other parts of the Italian empire. The flagship restaurant, Mezzalira, is across the the city, near the National University. It’s in the fabulous but somewhat neglected though stately Melbourne Building, with its Italianate arches and colonnades. I sometimes think that if suddenly the world was about to end (a bit like contemporary times) and I was offered the choice of only one cuisine until the crunch, I’d have to choose Italian. That way I could die happy,’ Mezzalira Ristorante – the Italian empire strikes back.

Ester – the sweet smell of success
‘Because the high country is adjacent to the low country, it takes only three hours to drive from the nation’s capital to the nation’s financial capital. In the early to mid 1990s Chippendale in Sydney was a suburb you travelled through to get somewhere else. All that is changing in a big way, with plenty there to explore. A sure sign of these times is eatery Ester, a restaurant that reflects the focus of its name on the science of food with some intrepid experiments in the culinary arts’, Ester – the sweet smell of success.

In a corner with a cake (or two) – the hidden attraction of local hangouts
‘Tucked away in a corner at the Ainslie shops where it’s easy to miss entirely ­– in the heart of the suburb know as the Red Centre for it’s exceptionally high Labor vote – is an unexpected delight. The location has hosted a series of less than successful ventures but this most recent has been an unqualified success. Who would have thought that a cafe hailing from Brittany could attract such a crowd. The secret of success is that it focuses on what it does and it does it well. You can park yourself inside the small venue or outside if the weather is fine and pick from some unexpected sweet pastries, throw down the odd glass of French wine or eat buckwheat pancakes or baguettes. The cafe also runs to daily specials that can be very unexpected. Long may it reign over us – Rule Brittany rather than Rule Britannia’, In a corner with a cake (or two) – the hidden attraction of local hangouts.

We all scream for icecream – cooling down in a cold climate with Frugii
‘I realise I may have just become a statistic. I have a suspicion that I have eaten more sorbet, gelato and icecream since local Canberra icecream outlet Frugii opened in Canberra’s Braddon perimeter than I have eaten in my whole previous life. Tucked away in hipster heaven, it keeps churning out flavours, in an ever changing smorgasbord of coldness’, We all scream for icecream – cooling down in a cold climate with Frugii.

A bustling Friday night in hipster heaven

‘On a bustling Friday night in hipster heaven, I popped into my favourite Canberra restaurant, Italian and Sons, planning for little more than a quick bite to eat. I managed to get my favourite spot – when I’m not settled comfortably in Bacaro, the adjoining bar out the back, that is – sitting in the window, watching the action on the street. I headed straight for a real blast from my Adelaide past, part of my earliest discovery of Italian cuisine – saltimbocca. Then I beat a path down Lonsdale Street to Frugii, Canberra’s own dessert laboratory. What is happening to this city? It’s getting cooler by the minute and it’s not just the icecream or the approach of winter’, A bustling Friday night in hipster heaven.

Vitello Tonnato for a life well lived in hipster heaven
‘It had been quite a week and I had been crushed by too many encounters with the crazy world of Centrelink as I fulfilled my long list of aged care responsibilities. I needed cheering up so last night ate out at the venerable Italian and Sons, the very first of the many funky venues which now enliven Braddon. My attention was drawn to the rare appearance of vitello tonnato. My imagination had been captured decades ago when I was a young boy by seeing the recipe for the dish in Margaret Fulton’s classic cookbook. I finally tried it in a tiny restaurant in Florence, during my first visit overseas, after a stint at the massive Frankfurt Book Fair in 1989. This most recent one was the best I have ever eaten outside my own home – well, perhaps the best anywhere. This is a favourite place, probably my most favourite in Canberra. Coming here always makes me feel happy and what more can you ask?’, Vitello Tonnato for a life well lived in hipster heaven.

Eating out in a cold, funky city – Canberra comes of age in the Asian Century
‘On a day and night which was bitterly cold – as cold as Canberra has been this year, with the hint of snow clouds overhead – I was reminded why I live here. As we wandered along after a full day of cultural institutions and design events, looking for somewhere to eat we impetuously popped into Restaurant Eightysix and even more impetuously were able to get a table. I had forgotten reading somewhere that famed long-former Adelaide chef, Christine Manfield was here for the month, cooking up an Asian-inspired menu. How much better could it get?’, Eating out in a cold, funky city – Canberra comes of age in the Asian Century.

Provenance - knowing where good things come from
‘It took me only five years but I finally found my way to Provenance, the legendary regional restaurant established by chef Michael Ryan in Beechworth in 2010. Provenance is widely considered one of the best restaurants in regional Victoria, in a tiny state that contains many good regional restaurants. I had been meaning to eat there since it was established and given how regularly we travel to Beechworth and its surrounds I was amazed I hadn’t been earlier. It took some time but it was worth it’, Provenance - knowing where good things come from.