Lunches
11 March 2025 Bernard Leung
Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran
Food
Chef of the Year 2022 recipient, Bernard Leung, was in the kitchen today in our third “cook off” for 2025. He was assisted by former President and two-times Chef of the Year Steve Liebeskind, so along with Team REX, quite some talent behind the bench. Bernie was reprising his salmon presented in April last year.
Canapés
Crafted by Steve, our first canapé was chicken liver pate with thyme and Grand Marnier on toast rounds topped with a cornichon.
Following this, Bernie gave us Vietnamese spring rolls with sweet chilli sauce. Given that they were factory made; surprisingly good.
Lastly, Steve presented the salmon ceviche he gave us at Bernie’s April lunch last year. Served on a spoon with Asian flavour, they had small cuts of salmon, coriander, onion and jalapeno, the sauce consisting of lime, fish and soy with a little sugar. Lots of flavours.
These were highly applauded by the members, and a good build up to the salmon main.
Main
Wonderfully presented, Bernie served us Tasmanian salmon and pea broth, based on a recipe by Heston Blumenthal of the Fat Duck fame. Bernie used boiling water to remove the salmon skin. He then brined the salmon (5% salt, 5% sugar) for an hour to firm up the fish, then sous vide at 52o, the skin being crisped in the oven for 180o for half an hour. The ham and pea broth was made from a stock of smoked ham hock, leek, onions and carrot, slowly simmered for over five hours. The stock was then blitzed with the peas and put through a strainer, the process retaining the fluorescent green colour to contrast with the pink salmon. The salmon and stock were accompanied by a tarragon and mint oil, orange and fennel salad, some leftover shredded ham from the stock, peas, and some smoked salmon roe.
Only praise from those taking the floor to comment, and little wonder Bernie recently won Chef of the Year.
Cheese
Today’s cheese was Challerhocker, an artisan Swiss cheese from St Gallen in the north-east. Malty and sweet with a spicy finish, Challerhocker is a 21st-century Swiss cheese and was first introduced to the Society at Bernard’s salmon and broth lunch last year.
With a change in regulations during the 90s, the Master Appenzeller Cheesemaker, Walter Rass, created a new cheese using rich pure Jersey milk, and a secret blend of wines, herbs and spices. He aged it for 8 months and named it ‘Challerhocker’, meaning ‘sitting in a cellar’. The washed rind produces a robust, tacky rind and contributes to the nutty aroma of the dense white paste.
The cheese was served with bread and a dressed salad.
Wine
Today we were spoilt by Bernie Leung who produced a superb salmon dish with green pea broth. Truly excellent. I will allow the food reporter to describe this dish in full along with the excellent pass arounds. The Wine list consisted of one red and four whites, details for which are set out below.
First wine of the day was a very drinkable Brian Croser Tapanappa vineyard Riesling 2015, from the Eden valley at 12%. I was very pleased to be able to report that the wine was in pristine condition and drinking beautifully. Clare and Eden Valleys are my two favourite districts for Riesling in Australia. My research tells me that 2015 was rated as a top year in the Eden. Bright and clear, the wine showed still considerable acid for a 10 yo, but this was balanced by terrific fruit showing lemon and lime zest flavours with some floral flintiness. Dry, with firm acidic finish. A really enjoyable wine.
First wine for the main was a Domane Wachau Gruner Veltliner 2022 from Austria at 12.5%. I really liked this wine, so do a great number of Australians, for good reason. A medium bodied wine, with apple and pear flavour overtones. Quite acidic, but in good balance. An excellent partner with the salmon main, that dash of high acidity just cutting thru the slight natural oiliness of the fish and broth. Most enjoyable.
Second main course wine was a 2012 Baron de Ladoucette Pouilly Fume at12.5 %, from the Loire. This wine was a straight Sav Blanc, now close to a 13 yo regard being had to the French time of harvest. The wine was a deep yellow colour, indicative of age, but still showed some delicate citrus flavours, a rich mouth filling texture and sufficient residual acid to enable it to finish well. Worlds apart from the Sav Blanc made here and in NZ. This wine seemed to be the crowd favourite amongst the whites, although from my perspective, I could not help thinking that we were seeing this wine 6/7 years past it's prime. Then it would have been a stunner. It was a great example of how French SB can gracefully age.
We then moved onto my traditional foe in the WFS Cellar, Rhone white wines, namely, Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier in whatever combination. We seem to have a bottomless stock of these wines, which make far too frequent appearances at our lunches. Today's agent of evil was a Guigal Cote du Rhone Blanc 2022 at 14 %. The wine was made from all three of these grapes in unspecified proportions. I am a fan of Guigal red wines, always consistent and predictably good value. I wish they would stick to making reds and ditch these whites. Readers of my wine reports over the years will be aware of my long-held antipathy to the wines. The reason, in my view they are oily, unctuous, excessively mouth filling, and lack sufficient acid to finish in any enjoyable crisp fashion. In sum, fat and flabby. Tasting these wines today did not cause me to change my expressed views in any way, however some other members may of course hold a contrary view, which is fine, please feel free to drink my share.
The final wine of the day was the Stella Bella Cabernet from Margaret River 2019 at14.3 %. A really nice wine that went perfectly with the terrific cheese sourced by Cheesemaster Mark Bradford. From the outset the wine showed outstanding Cabernet flavour, blackcurrant, plum, leather and a hint of cherry. Rich and chewy with a silky finish. If you are looking for an example of what a quality Cabernet should taste like, this is your wine. My pick of the wines for today.
4 March 2025 Hal Epstein
Food review by James Hill
Food
Hal Epstein was in the kitchen as our Chef of the Day.
Canapés
Sicilian olives in oil and lemon.
Fresh seasonal figs wrapped with prosciutto.
Mango salsa with a good chilli heat served in pastry cups. Hal said he pulled back on the chilli and most thought it just right.
Melon and bocconcini on sticks with home grown Thai basil (horapa). Hal served this last as a palate cleanser after the mango salsa.
Main
Hal always tries something different when he’s on the hobs today it was pork ribs, those with a long history in our Society couldn’t remember this being served before.
Pork ribs, baked cabbage steaks and beans. Hal kept it simple without compromising flavours. The ribs were served with red cabbage ‘steak’ topped with yoghurt and dill and with green bean with egg and vinaigrette.
They were delicious. Hal got the quantity almost, right down to the last rib, there were those wanting more! Eating them with your fingers was de rigueur.
The ribs were marinated in Serrano sauce from Texas made with cucumbers, garlic and lime and tajin seasoning comprising lime chili peppers and salt. They were baked in foil and flashed on the grill.
Bread country loaf from Baker Bleu, a white sourdough with a chewy caramelized crust and moist crumb.
It was a success, canapés and main greatly appreciated by members today.
Thanks Hal.
Cheese
Our cheese Master, Mark Bradford, presented a white mould cow’s milk cheese from France “Ferme de la Temblaye
It came to the table in perfect condition room temperature,runny initially some ammonia on the nose but none evident on the palate
Traditional-style French brie produced on the farm and presented in a wooden box. Ferme de la Tremblaye are located southwest of Paris and produces a range of goat’s and cow’s milk cheeses. With a focus on environmental responsibility, the B Corp approved farm has adopted the agroecology model of sustainable farming that works with nature.
A traditional-style brie with a soft, buttery paste and complex savoury flavours contained within a delicate, thin rind.
Wine
We are missing Steven O'Halloran's inspiring wine prose as he did not attend this lunch. The Cellarmaster is writing this but not taking his place.
We started off Hal's lunch with a Nicolas Bergaglio Minaia Gav del Commune di Gavi Roverto, which is a long way of saying a delicious Gavi from Piemonte made from the Cortese grape. Every time I serve this wine to accompany our appetisers, I hear only positive comments. It is certainly a crowd pleaser although many seem to view it every time as a newly presented wine. Fortunately they are consistent in their praise on each occasion.
For his main of pork ribs, Hal requested a chardonnay and a lighter red. The Chardonnay that we had was a 2022 Oakridge Hazeldene Chardonnay. Although more an entry level wine for this winery, it is well balanced with an appropriate oak treatment and more than sufficient body to cope with the pork and spice of the main course. The second wine was an Austrian blend of Blaufrankisch and Zweugelt from the 2014 vintage made by Pittnauer. The years have been kind to this wine which still retained much of its linearity and fruitiness while possessing a good weight. Once again, a good match for Hal's dish.
To accompany the cheese, as is rapidly becoming a tradition, we had a white to start, in this case a 2019 Hugel Classic Gewurtztraminer. The grape was meant to be a spicy, tropical fruit, and acidic accompaniment to the brie. Some appreciated it with the cheese, while others don't really like Gewurztraminer in any form so it got mixed reviews on the day.
After the plethora of whites and light reds, I then presented something that could best be described as a wine match to the coffee. A 2007 Wynn's Coonawarra Shiraz. While possessing some Shiraz characteristics, this wine was rather tired after spending so much time lying down in our cellar. I am pleased to announce that this was the last of this vintage in the cellar.
25 February 2025 Peter Kelso
Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran
Food
Becoming a tradition, former President, Chef of the Year and Alexiou Trophy winner Peter Kelso was in the kitchen for the first Society Wine Lunch for the year today. Peter was presenting duck, always a society favourite. Paul Thorne assisted Peter with the canapés. Despite being the funeral today of wine icon and longstanding Society member Ray Kidd, who passed away on 14 February aged 98, the numbers for lunch were good.
Canapés
First to appear was Peter’s daikon patty, accompanied with a miso mayo dipping sauce. Plenty of serves - to appear at least twice - and a good match with the NZ Chardonnay accompanying the pass arounds.
The next was Paul’s blinis. These were topped with crème fraiche, mixed with wasabi and lemon juice with a fresh white anchovy on the top. Again, good with the chardonnay.
Main
Today’s duck was a Maryland, roasted with potatoes and served with an orange-based sauce with pan residue. This was accompanied by a bitter leaf salad that was lightly dressed. Favourable comments from the floor, noting the benign flavours with the semillons and reds alike.
Cheese
The Cheese Master presented a King River Gold log, a washed rind cheese from the Milawa region in Northeastern Victoria, renowned for its wine, produce and snowfields. Inspired by European methods, this surface-ripened cheese is regularly washed with a brine solution and matured in the former butter making room. The microflora there, combined with that of the local vineyards, imparts a slightly yeasty character, lingering savouriness with nutty notes and creamy texture. Peter accompanied the cheese with pears and toasted walnuts. Comments were favourable for this excellent Australian washed rind.
Wine
Today was the Festival of Tyrrells, save for an interloper from NZ. It was a wonderful chance to indulge with some of Tyrrells jewels from the Hunter ranging from 2006 to 2018 vintages. A rare treat, thanks to Nick Reynolds for his work in putting the show together.
The interloper was the aperitif wine a 2022 Kumeu River Chardy from NZ. An entry level Chardy, second behind their premium and more expensive Estate Chardy. With that in mind, the wine presented as a sensible, affordable drink to go with the pass arounds. Now 3 years old the wine showed some pleasant aspects, clean and crisp on the palate. Restrained stone fruit on the mid palate. I think the trick is to not expect too much from wines in this "good value" category. Just accept the wine for what it is, a drinkable, commercial Chardy to drink with the pass arounds, before moving on to the quality stuff.
We then moved onto the wines forming the Festival of Tyrrells. six of their best and fairest spanning 19 Vintages. 3 Semillon, and 3 Shiraz. Dear reader, please note that of these 6 wines 4 were from vintages that rated 10/10, according to Langtons.
I’m not going to examine each of the wines in detail, as frankly reviewing wines of the same variety is a challenge to say something different about each wine. Not like comparing a Malbec and a Sav Blanc!
Dealing with the whites first, they were all in great shape and testimony to the Hunter's ability to produce Semillon that is virtually bullet proof. None of the wines showed any sign of age and will seemingly go on forever. Of the three, my pick was the 06. Still gleaming and bright, showing all the classic Hunter aged Semillon features, waxy, lanolin and toasty. The 17 and the 15 are brilliant wines still going thru the development process. Great expectations are in store. The 3 reds on display were the 2018 4 Acres, the 2018 Vat 9 and the 2014 Johnno's, all straight Shiraz. Three terrific wines, hard to select a favourite. The 4 Acres came from a vineyard planted in 1879, one of the oldest in the Hunter. A medium to lightish weight wine, very typical Hunter Shiraz. Great fruit, well balanced, delightful, a joy to drink, strong fruit, great finish.
From the same year the Vat 9 was a softer style of wine, medium body, very elegant, superb integration of oak/tannin/acid.
Now at 7 years post vintage the wine has huge potential to develop into a Hunter classic. All the structures are in place.
My pick of the trio was the 2014 Johnno's, from a vineyard planted in 1908. Regarded by many as the best vintage for decades in the Hunter, the wine just exuded class from the outset. A bigger wine than the other two, clearly denser with more body.
Wonderful fruit, perfect balance, everything in harmony. Drinking now as a 11 year old, one can only see a virtually unlimited future of wonderful drinking ahead. Would love to see this wine in say 10 years time. I'd put my house on the wine still being magnificent.
In summary, a rare treat, we are indeed fortunate.
18 February 2025 Nigel Burton
Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran
Food
Nigel Burton was our Chef of The Day for the second “cook off” for Chef of The Year 2024 assisted by George Winyard and Greg Brunner.
Canapés
George started us off with some puff pastry topped with Parmesan, olives, prosciutto and rosemary.
Greg up next with Brandade de Morue on baked toasts. One topped with tomato and parsley olive tapenade.
Plentiful, great flavours and textured in both canapés.
Main
Nigel reprised his Marseilles Bouillabaisse. The name for this dish is derived from two actions bouillir (to boil) and abaisser (to reduce or simmer).
The stock was made up using the bones of fish blue eyed cod, barramundi and fennel to impart an anise flavour. To these fish, prawns, pipis and mussels were added to make up the Bouillabaisse.
The Rouille was made using traditional ingredients of saffron, chilli, egg yolks and white vinegar, served on a slice of baguette.
It’s no easy feat to serve different types of seafood and have them come to the table with the integrity of the flesh preserved. The stock had a great depth of flavour. Nigel advising that it was reduced from 15 to 12.5 litres. It was poured at the table to ensure a perfect temperature
A lot of effort evident in today’s lunch and Nigel brought it together with success. The number of different ingredients in today’s dish and salad totalled 38!
Our meal was made complete with a serve of fries for each table.
Thanks Nigel.
Steve Sparkes assisted with prep today with our head chef away.
Nigel sourced the ingredients of today’s lunch from ‘Get Fish’ at the fish market. A good reminder that society members get a discount when buying restaurant quantities.
Cheese
Our Cheesemaster Mark Bradford selected a Marcel Petite Comté for our enjoyment today, an unpasteurised hard cow’s milk cheese from France.
Marcel Petite was an affineur who specialised in the cool, slow maturation of Comté. Petite wanted his Comtés to be aged in their natural environment, near the mountain cheese dairies where they were made. In 1966 he discovered a defunct military fort in a forest of Haut Doubt, known as Fort Saint Antoine. The fort’s structure of cut and vaulted stone, covered with a thick layer of soil, provided the ideal conditions for “Affinage Lent” (Slow Maturing). Today, over 100,000 wheels are ripened for 10 to 20 months, in the Cathedral of Marcel Petite Comté.
Today, the practices of Maison Petite remain true to its founder’s innovative philosophy of simplicity above all things. The aim is to always offer a simply authentic product, deserving of the name Marcel Petite. When selecting Comté, the Marcel Petite cellar Master considers four key criteria: Delicacy, subtlety, intensity and depth of flavour. The ripening age is an indicator, but not the main criterion of selection.
Comte AOC Regulations
- Delimited area of production: Doubs, Jura, Ain, elevation 1500-4500 ft.
- Milk must be produced by local cows of the Montbéliarde (95%) and Simmental (5%) breeds. There are approximately 112,000 Comté cows.
- Minimum of 2.5 acres of natural pasture for each animal.
- Cattle feed must be natural and free of fermented products and GMOs.
- Each fruitière must collect milk from dairy farms within a 17-mile diameter maximum.
- Milk must be made into cheese within 24 hours maximum of the earliest milking.
- Only natural ferments must be used to transform the milk into curds.
- Wheels must be aged on spruce boards. Minimum ageing is 4 months, generally 6-18 months and sometimes even longer.
Green V Brown
Each wheel of Comte is graded before sale. Grading is based on appearance, rind quality, internal appearance, texture and taste. The best wheels are awarded a green label with the iconic green bell featured. The next tier is awarded a brown label. Any wheels that do not make the cut are not allowed to be sold as Comte.
A dressed butter lettuce salad with pickled shallots and herbs accompanied the cheese, loved it.
Bread rings from Raffael Bakery at Haberfield.
During lunch we marked the passing of former President Ray Kidd, an icon of the wine industry, well remembered by many members. Hilton Chapman and Phil Laffer shared memories of Ray’s long term membership of our Society and his many achievements and innovation in the wine industry. We then had our traditional toast of Chartreuse to Ray.
Wine
The theme for today's gathering was a Bouillabaisse prepared by Nigel Burton. An excellent meal thank you Nigel. See full Food Report.
In so far as wines were concerned we kicked off with a first-rate Hugel riesling from the Alsace region, 2022 12.5%. This was a perfect example of a quality riesling by Hugel, always consistent, you know what you're getting. Great fruit/acid balance with a crisp finish. A taste of residual sugar on the back palate, but not in any way cloying. A great wine with the pass arounds. Next on the list was a Ch d'Aqueria Tavel Rose 2022 14%. A grenache blend from Southern Rhone.
This was in my view a much more austere wine than the French rose from the Provence district we are used to drinking. Very dry, and somewhat tense in its make up, this was a restrained wine showing hints of raspberry and cherry. Finish was crisp. A much sterner style of Rose, but yet enjoyable.
Hot on the heels of the rose was another serious wine, the Bouland Morgon 2023 14% from the much acclaimed Corcelette vineyard in the Beaujolais region. This old vine Gamay vineyard produces one of the most popular Beaujolais in the Morgon which we are drinking today. A very different wine from the light bodied, fruity, flirtatious Beaujolais that is intended to be consumed within a year or two of release. The Morgon is much heavier, more intense and a more powerful wine, reflecting spicy, deep flavoured red fruits and a hint of meaty, earthy undertones. Powerful, yet elegant the wine demands attention. A most enjoyable drink. My pick for the wine of the day.
The second last wine was the 2016 Yves Cuilleron St Joseph Lyseras Blanc at 12.5%. A blend of Marsanne and Roussanne from the Northern Rhone district. I did not enjoy this wine at all! Perhaps it was my long held antipathy towards Rhone white wines which had coloured my assessment, or was it the fact that this wine was simply poor. It took only a few sips to lead me to think that the wine was flabby, lacking in acid and as a result, listless and tired. No joy here. Perhaps 9 years in the bottle was just a bridge too far for this wine.
The final wine was the Guigal Cote Du Rhone GSM 2010 at 14% from the Southern Rhone district. I have long been a fan of this wine, consistent, predictable, well made and good value. The Coca Cola of French red wines in my view. You always know what you will get. This wine was in my view a standard Guigal, but was being drunk way past its use by date. Still holding up reasonably well for a 15 year old wine, still drinkable but should have been drunk 6/8 years ago.
11 February 2025 Paul Thorne
Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran
Food
Paul Thorne was in the kitchen as Chef of the Day for our first ‘cook off’ for Chef of The Year award 2024.
Canapés
Yours truly assisted with a riff on traditional ‘Gildas’ today they were made with pickled celery, guindillas peppers and anchovy paste stuffed green olives.
Gary Patterson up next with a warmed Spanakopita and got the third degree from our Greek president Bill on the ingredients which were English spinach, cinnamon, dill, Dondoni goat and sheep feta and filo pastry.
James Tinslay followed with baked chicken tenderloins marinated with garlic, ginger, date syrup and maple syrup and served with a dip of chilli jam.
A lot of effort evident in the canapés today which were well received by members and a good match for our canapé wine.
Main
We were lucky with the weather today, not too hot, as our main was more a winter dish. Paul served us wagyu beef cheeks on a bed of potato mash and pea purée. The pea purée was made with some Japanese chili.
Such is the dedication of our chef, Paul was up at 4.30 am to cook today’s meal! The cheeks were marinated for 24 hours with a mixture of onions, garlic, celery, carrots, bay leaves, star anise with lots of red wine and duck stock. This was then cooked low and slow, at 160C for one hour then for three hours at 140 C.
The beef cheeks were perfectly cooked with the silky mash and pea purée perfect to mop up the red wine sauce made with Tempranillo.
Lots of hearty flavour, good textures and presentation with many favourable comments on the meal with members commending the portion size.
Today we saw why this dish was nominated for contention, thanks Paul.
Cheese
Our cheese master Mark Bradford presented a Fromager D’Affinois Florette a white mould cheese from France.
Florette is a hexagonal-shaped goat’s milk cheese with a silky consistency made near Pelussin in the Rhone Valley. As it ripens, the cheese becomes quite runny retaining its delicate creamy goat’s milk flavour.
Members readily guessed the cheese today it came to the table in very good condition and not showing any ammonia that we often experience.
This was served with a well-dressed salad of iceberg lettuce, spinach, pear, pomegranate seeds, walnuts and blue cheese.
Bread from Haberfield Bakery, a Society favourite when it was the only good bread available in Sydney. Good to see evoo and balsamic as an option to butter.
Wine
Lunch today saw our Chef du Jour Paul Thorne produce some very flavoursome beef cheeks along with some delicious pass-arounds. See Food Report for full details.
The party got started with a very agreeable WA chardonnay, Folklore by name, produced by the wine making genius Larry Cherubino. 2022 at 13%. I moved around the room seeking opinions from a good number of members about the wine, and it is true to say there was uniform agreement that the wine was most enjoyable with no faults. An excellent food wine, with good balance and a clean finish. More please Mr Wine Master.
The first red for the day was the Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2023 at 13.5%. A very young wine, just an infant, but already showing signs of great future potential. Light to medium weight, vibrant crimson colour with abundant tannin and acid on show. Good spicy, peppery flavours. Should be drinking very well in 5/6 years when the acid and tannin mellow and soften. Keep an eye on this one.
The second red was the Yves Cuilleron Syrah 2014 at 13%. A Northern Rhone wine. Medium weight and in my view beginning to show some signs of ageing. Acid dropping off a little leaving the wine a bit flat and listless. This wine is in my view a definite drink now proposition.
Wine number three was the wild card of the day. A rich mouth filling Pinot Gris from Scorpo wines sandwiched between a tiring Syrah and a huge Dolcetto set to the background of fully flavoured beef cheeks. What was going on here? My taste buds were scampering in all directions. The beef was strongly flavoured and spicy, the Pinot Gris was crying out to be paired with a cold Lychee. I kept some in the glass to pair with the cheese and indeed that was a better match. Nothing wrong with the PG, a very nice wine, just placed in an awkward position.
Final wine of the day was the Paolo Scavino Dolcetto d'Alba 2017 at 14.5%. Whatever happened to the "little sweet one", as Dolcetto is translated. I have enjoyed many Dolcettos over the years and have found them to be medium weight, soft and round and fruity made for early consumption. An ideal wine to go with a pizza or steamed mussels in a rich tomato sauce to be glugged down and enjoyed for the fun of the moment before tomorrow catches up with you. So, it was with these thoughts in mind, I was confused when confronted with a huge, heavy, muscular Italian red much more like a Barbera. The wine itself was enjoyable, well balanced tannins, oak and acid dovetailing into a rewarding finish. Enjoyable, but what happened to my "little sweet one"? Looks like I will have to wait till next time.
4 February 2025 James Hill
Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran
Food
Our first lunch of 2015 saw, yet again, James Hill in the kitchen. It’s the 13th consecutive time that James has presented the opening lunch and, unsurprisingly, a full house today. This is always a keynote lunch for the year ahead, cooked to the impeccable standards for which James is renowned. COTY finalist Rob Guthrie assisted with canapés and Madan, acting as Head Chef at the REX for a while, assisted in the pin boning filleting of the fish and in general preparation.
Canapés
Rob started us off on pastry with mushroom, goat's cheese and an olive, topped with thyme. Very good and enough for two rounds.
Next was James’ take on a Damien Pignolet simple country terrine with fresh herbs with a morello cherry atop, all on oven baked white bread toast.
The final round was Rob’s skewers of haloumi, pesto and basil, wrapped with bacon.
Canapes were aplenty and all a good match for the McWilliams Elizabeth Semillon, as well as a few more odds and ends that ended up in our glasses.
Main
James served us Liam Tomlin’s recipe of blue-eyed cod fillet with prawn colcannon and red wine sauce, topped with crispy pancetta and with sugar snap peas on the side. The colcannon contained savoy cabbage, spring onions and parsley. Beautiful presentation, given the numbers in the room, and a wonderful juxtaposition of flavours on the plate.
Cheese
In theme with the colcannon, the Cheese Master selected a Cashel Blue cow’s milk cheese from Ireland, named after the Rock of Cashel in Country Tipperary. A raucous table of gravelly baritone voices – all out of tune – reminded the room that it’s indeed a long way to Tipperary!
The cheese is firm yet moist, with a hint of tarragon and white wine. With age, its true character emerges, with blue marbling through the buttery yellow paste.
James accompanied the cheese with a refreshing salad of fennel, apple, celery and cucumber with a dressing of apple cider vinegar and EVOO.
A wonderful start to our 2025 Tuesday lunches.
Wine
We had a very healthy turnout for our first lunch of 2025. Our Master Chef James Hill with some help from Rob Guthrie on the pass-arounds put on a superb lunch, which was received with uniform approval and gratitude by the room. See the Food report for more details.
With regard to the wines, the printed list contained five wines that everybody had and there were a few random bottles thrown in, both with the aperitif wine and the main course.
I will restrict my report to the wines as advised, which we all enjoyed.
The first cab off the rank was a delightful McWilliams Elizabeth Semillon 2018 12.5%. An inspired recent purchase by our Wine Master. This was my favourite wine of the day!
To my taste this was a very different wine from previous Elizabeth Semillons we have all had over the years. The wine was fresh and lively, great fruit and well balanced with sufficient acid to ensure a clean crisp finish. 2018 was an 8/10 year in the Hunter and this wine now 7 yo is drinking at near its peak, still quite delicious and full of life. My pick of the litter for today.
The next wine was the Tapanappa Picadilly vineyard Chardonnay 2021, a Brian Croser wine. I have the greatest respect for Mr Croser, but being honest, as I always try to be I did not enjoy this wine. Not sure why, but there was something in the aftertaste that put me off this wine. If one were to compare the aftertaste of this Chardy with say, something equally prestigious say a Pooley from Tas, there is a world of difference on the back palate. This wine did not have to me at least, the usual signature of a top Chardy, richness with stone fruit flavours and a lingering sensual finish. Others in the room enjoyed the wine, so perhaps it was me having an off day with my Chardy palate. Perhaps the bottle our table had was just a little off the pace, or perhaps the wine needed more time in the bottle.
The next wine was the Willunga Trott Vineyard Grenache 2021 14.5%. As soon as saw the Trott name, Wirra Wirra came to mind, Greg Trott being the founder of Wirra Wirra. Then in a split second, my mind was transported back to one of my earlier lives decades ago, when an old girlfriend loved Wirra Wirra late picked riesling as her drink of choice. I had to overcome my dislike of late-picked Australian riesling to ensure harmony! Ah, the memories! But getting back to the Grenache, it was a dry grown, bush vine wine packing a punch at 14.5%, as usual with this type of Grenache, it was a real fruit bomb, with lots of spice, tannin, acid and overtones of strawberry, blackcurrant and pepper. I was inclined to think that the wine would benefit from another 2/3 years in the bottle. Nonetheless, an enjoyable feisty drink.
We then moved on to the Wines by KT, a Watervale riesling from the Peglidis vineyard 2017 at 12.5% made by the very talented winemaker Kerri Thompson. This wine ticked all the boxes for a riesling!
Crisp mouthfeel, excellent balance between high quality fruit and a firm acidic finish. Now at 8 yo drinking at its peak. A lovely, chilled wine to be consumed with a peach on a hot afternoon.
The final wine for the day was one of the Society favs, the Wynns Black Label Coonawarra Cabernet 2019 at 13,8%. Another Sue Hodder triumph! This wine is in my view our answer to the Guigal Cote Du Rhone reds. With both wines you know what you are getting, consistent quality and good value for money. Today's wine was a very typical Coonawarra Cab, rich and intense, oak, tannin and acid all coming together for a perfect, powerful finish. Plenty of time to fully develop into a Coonawarra Classic.
10 December 2024 Steve Sparkes
Food review by James Hill
Food
The last hurrah for 2024 with a Christmas-themed lunch with Foodmaster Steve Sparkes and his band of merry men Steve Liebeskind, Nick Reynolds, Bernard Leung and President Bill Alexiou-Hucker assisting in meal and canapés prep today.
Steve advised that lunch was a way of thanking all for the continuing support of our Society, those who cooked through the year and importantly our kitchen brigade.
Canapés
Steve Liebeskind - Bacon-wrapped veal, pork and pistachio terrine topped with relish on white bread toasts. Big favour depth in the terrine. Very moreish.
Bernard Leung - Siu Mai with pork and prawns. Steamed for 15 minutes and rested for 5 minutes so they don’t burn the mouth. Served with Siracha for those who want more punch, or sweet chilli for those who don’t. Did I hear that he raided his mum’s freezer? They were special.
Nick Reynolds - Lime marmalade, sour cream topped with prawns sitting on homemade mini sourdough crumpets on homemade mini sourdough crumpets. Great balance of flavours , delicious.
Main
A traditional meal of moist turkey breast off the bone with cranberry sauce.
Stuffed loin of pork with chestnuts and cranberry. It was aged in the fridge resulting in a perfect crackling when cooked.
The vegetables, served in bowls, cooked by Bill were al denté carrots in butter and honey, then peas, sprouts and bacon. Finally, Hasselback potatoes in duck fat.
Gravy to die for.
A great meal applauded and much appreciated by the members and guests today.
Thanks team.
*Hasselback potatoes get their name from the restaurant Hasselbacken in Stockholm, Sweden. Hasselback is the Swedish word for "hazel slope", as the restaurant was located near a thicket of hazel trees on a steep mountain. In 1953, student chef Leif Elison served the dish, and it was a hit.
Cheese
Our Cheesemaster Mark Bradford presented ‘Riverine Blue’ a cheese made from 100% buffalo’s milk. This strikingly white, creamy milk comes from a modest herd of Riverine Buffalo that graze nearby. After the curds are set, they are placed in moulds to drain before spending two months ripening in specially built maturation rooms overlooking Wilson’s Prom. Riverine Blue is the first of its kind made in Australia and one of only a few buffalo milk blue cheeses made in the world. It has a complex savoury flavour and the smooth, firm texture. Blue-green ribbons provide pockets of delicious salty blue flavour within the porcelain paste.
The cheese was accompanied by pomegranate seeds, blanched almonds and biscuits that had some heat on the palate.
To finish our lunch Steve served a Christmas pudding with homemade vanilla ice cream, brandy cream sauce and marinated berries. The pudding started in October, fed with brandy, it was rich yet light and very tasty.
It was served with a well-aged Topaque, fresh from the Sparkes’ barrel!
A tribute to Steve for a great lunch today and the year, he encouraged people to cook and they jumped in, with special mention to our three new cooks this year Johnathan Casson, Rob Guthrie and Julian Parmegiani.`
3 December 2024 Steve Liebeskind
Food review by James Hill
Food
Near full house today for a remembrance lunch for Society members.
In the kitchen was our well-regarded Chef Steve Liebeskind with assistance from David Simmonds.
Canapés
Kangaroo tartare on biscuits topped with parsley. The tartare was made with pepperberry, shallots cornichons, mustards and Worcestershire sauce.
Good flavour and texture, no one picked the roo as protein.
Next up a chicken schnitzel with a honey mustard sauce of mustard powder, apple cider vinegar, egg, sugar, mayo and honey served at room temperature. Who doesn’t love a snitty.
it was great.
Lastly, a cold spicy pumpkin and coconut milk soup made with roasted pumpkin and onion with Thai green curry paste, chicken stock and coconut milk.
Main
Coq au vin, a nod to Paul Ferman who always cooked chicken when chef of the day.
Chicken marylands marinated in pinot noir with bay leaves, thyme and onions for 24 hrs. It was served with a sauce of marinade and beef stock, mushrooms, bacon, onions and a buttery creamy mash!
The meal was accompanied by Asian slaw rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, chilli, cabbage, red and white, carrots, bean sprouts, onions, coriander and mint.
Comments from members reflected the quality of the lunch today.
Thanks Steve.
Cheese
Our Cheesemaster Mark Bradford presented two cheeses from Woolbye cheese located in the Sunshine Coast in QLD. Both cow’s milk cheeses
One a triple cream Brie style and the other a washed rind. We’ve had cheese from this producer before, very good quality easily mistaken as French origin.
Steve served this with iceberg lettuce, spinach and roasted red pepper salad, a tribute to Neville Baker and Ted Davis, who prepared it often.
It was good to be reminded about this salad, texture and flavour, simply presented.
In between courses, we paid tribute to those members that we lost during the year and gave them the celebration that was accorded today.
Paul Ferman Cellar Master 2012-2019
Terry Stapleton President 1987-1988, 2003-2004
Terry McDowell
Roger Prior
Ian Masters
Peter Squires
Steve Zantiotis
Members spoke with personal reminiscences of those passed with others calling from the floor with tributes and anecdotes.
Lunch was closed with a traditional toast of Green Chartreuse and port to the lives and contribution to our Society of those that had passed.
It was noted that among the members present today there were seven Past Presidents and our incumbent in the room today.
26 November 2024 James Tinslay
Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran
Food
The last wine lunch for 2024 was a full house and saw James Tinslay in the kitchen with his arm in a sling. He was ably assisted by Keith Steele and David Madson as well as “Team REX”. The wine offering was Italian themed, as was the main.
Canapes
Keith prepared two canapes. We started with Gilda, a classic basque pinxtos comprising of a cornichon, two guindilla peppers, an anchovy fillet and a pitted green olive on a stick. Keith pointed out it supposedly represents Rita Hayworth’s legs in the movie of the same name (it has not gone unnoticed that the said heroine was once married to a man named James Hill). Just the right amount of heat, and a good match with the champagne.
Keith also provided Mushroom Ragout tartlets, a short cut pastry case filled with a mushroom ragout made with mixed chopped mushrooms, onion and celery cooked in a mixture of red wine, Marsala and veggie stock.
Not to be outdone, David made delicious hot smoked salmon rillettes to kick off the lunch. They were made from hot smoked Tassie salmon, a large piece of poached salmon fillet and dill, chives, capers, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice.
The canapes were tasty and plentiful and worked well with the wines.
Main
James cooked lamb ragu today. Given the restricted use of his hand, he acknowledged the considerable help he received in chopping, particularly by Keith and James’ partner, and the boys in the kitchen.
We had some 10 kg of lamb shoulder of impressive quality, sourced by the REX kitchen. The whole shoulders were cooked for 2.5 hours with a classic Italian soffritto of diced onions, carrots and celery. During the cooking process, 1 kg of finely chopped speck, garlic, stock, 18 cans of tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, red wine and heavy cream found their way into the pan. The pasta was fettucine, which was par cooked, iced and finished off later in the ragu sauce before serving. Wonderfully al dente and not as easy task to serve to some 50 people. Instead of the “traditional” parmesan, James served over 1 kg of pecorino, finely machine grated a few days beforehand by Paesanella Food Emporium in Sydenham. The bread was a light rye from Cornucopia in Naremburn.
The ragu was a wonderful match for the Italian reds.
Cheese
Today’s cheese was Challerhocker, malty and sweet with a spicy finish, a truly modern cheese with a loyal new following. It was last served to the Society at the April mixed lunch.
The region of St Gallen is renowned for its Appenzeller production and in the late 90's, tightly controlled Swiss regulations limited creativity. When the regulations were relaxed, Master Cheesemaker Walter Räss, an Appenzeller maker, created a new cheese using rich, pure unpasteurised Jersey milk and a secret blend of wine, herbs and spices. He aged it for 8 long months, so he named it ‘Challerhocker’ meaning ‘sitting in a cellar.’ Washing the rind during maturation produces a robust, tacky rind and contributes to the nutty aroma of the dense, white paste.
James provided an assortment of nuts to accompany the cheese.
Wine
Our lunch today was an excellent lamb ragu by James Tinslay with some delicious pass-arounds with the pre-lunch wines. Those wines were the Bernard Bremont Champagne and a Nicola Bergaglio Gavi 2021 13%. The bubbles were fine for me, but it was the Gavi that I could not wait to get my rookers around a glass. I have reviewed this wine before and really like it. Many thanks to Nick Reynolds for introducing this wine to our Society. I find the wine delicious, well balanced, great flavour with a fresh and crisp finish. A winner, the perfect wine for a pre-lunch drink.
We then moved on to the red wines for our main. Our Wine Master had cobbled together 6 Italian reds from various growers and various years. Many thanks to Nick Reynolds for his efforts. During the course of our lunch, I was beginning to feel that I was not the right person to be reviewing six Italian wines in a row. These wines are so different to our red wines that I find the gap in styles almost unbridgeable. After 50 years of drinking Australian red wines with their far bigger flavours, I now find many Italian wines, at least to my taste to be thin, tannic and acidic with little flavour. I know, I know, that these wines are "food” wines, but.... a dash of flavour would not go astray. These observations were evident to me in the first two wines the Luigi Pira Nebbiolo and the Massolino Barolo. For the above reasons, I found these wines disappointing.
My flagging spirits were however revived by the excellent Chianti from Isole e Olena 2019 14.5%. A lovely wine, medium-bodied with lots of flavour, great with food or a standalone. My next favourite was the 2009 Marchese Antinori Brunello 14%. Lots of tannin and acid but blending in well to produce a balanced wine with a great mouthfeel and a clean satisfying finish.
The final two wines, the Argiano Rosso Montalcino and the masked wine revealed to be a Girolamo Russo Rina Eta Rosso were enjoyable food wines but did little to excite. I found myself towards the end of the meal yearning for a glass of a Barossa Shiraz or a Margaret River Cabernet, just for a bit of flavour. Old habits die hard!
I fully accept that my taste buds may have been having an off day and that my palate needs to be taken off to a re-education camp, however, I always said I would report my honest opinion and there you have it! Fire at will!
19 November 2024 Bill Alexiou Hucker and Voula Price
Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran
Food
Full house for our mixed lunch today with our president Bill Alexiou-Hucker in the kitchen assisted by his friend Voula Price.
Canapés aplenty!
We never go home hungry when Bill cooks, and today was no exception.
A new interpretation of Spanakopita…made as a Frittata minus filo pastry… yum!
Smoked salmon with cream cheese on toasts or cucumber.
Keftedes (pork and beef mince grated with tomatoes onion and mint) and tzatziki.
But wait there’s more, entrees served alternatively.
Octopus terrine with Greek salad. The terrine was made with gelatine using a stock of tomatoes, carrot and celery. Very tender octopus.
Seared Scallops served on homemade taramasalata alongside pea and avocado salad.
Main
Modern Moussaka- all the ingredients usually seen in Moussaka just deconstructed!
Perfectly cooked rack of lamb that sat on a tasty tomato salsa, accompanied by grilled eggplant, chicory and a light potato mash.
Comments from the room reflected the appreciation of members and guests today for the quality and effort we saw in today’s meal.
‘Sas efcharisto’ Bill and Voula.
Dessert
We gave our Cheesemaster a day away from normal duties as we had a delicious tart made with Gorgonzola dolce, honey and pear on puffed pastry to finish our meal.
Koulouria (Greek Easter cakes) were served with our coffee.
Stephen Lake, son of Max Lake, was a guest of our Society today.
He wore an André Simon silver medal posthumously awarded to Max by the International Wine and Food Society.
Wine
A very healthy turnout 50+ enjoyed a fine lunch created by our own Greek MasterChef Bill Alexiou. We were indulged with a three-course meal complete with a printed menu!! See the food report about Bill's excellent Greek-themed lunch. The aperitif wines were a Chardonnay and a French fizz, Henri Laurent NV. The Chardy was a Kumeu River Village, vintage 2022. I really enjoyed this wine, very easy drinking, balanced and full of stone fruit flavours with a clean finish. An excellent wine to enjoy with the delightful pass-arounds. This wine is extremely good value for a commercial style Chardonnay. The Fizz I thought was drinking well enough for what it was, an entry level Champagne at an entry level price I assume. I heard some grumbles around the room about the wine being either too sweet or too acidic, but let's get a grip here, we are having an inexpensive glass of bubbles and we get what we paid for. I thought the wine was quite reasonable for what it was, namely something to go with food and a drink that all the ladies seemed to enjoy.
We then moved on to the entree, a delightful Greek salad with cold octopus. Wonderful! The wine for this dish was one I had never seen before, a White Grenache from the Catalan region of Spain. Serra/Barcelo Aucala 2022 14%. Our Winemaster is keen on introducing us to wines most of us have not met before. Overall impression, quite acceptable, a good food wine. Very restrained in terms of flavour, but mouth filling. The taste was hard to identify, with hints of citrus with a rich opulent finish. I felt this wine is truly a food wine given its dry texture and subdued flavours. It is well worth the venture into something untried before.
For the main, we enjoyed a perfect rack of lamb which was partnered up with a Hentley Farm Grenache 2022 14.5%. This highly respected vineyard produces some beautiful red wines from its Barossa vineyards, this wine was a classic modern style Grenache, light in structure, high alcohol and an exploding mouth feel of sweet strawberry, with lots of tannin and peppery spice. The wine was a perfect foil for the lamb. A real food wine, not one to be mulled over and over and analysed, just drink it, enjoy it for what it is, a youthful wine, full of joy and exotic flavours, a real fruit bomb!
The dessert consisted of a fabulous blue cheese, Gorgonzola, and pear flan, cooked in the oven and served. Simply wonderful. We were really indulged today, we never get dessert, must be the influence of the ladies. To go with the dessert, we had two Sauternes Ch La Rame 2011 13% and a Ch Miselle 2017 13.5%. Both were perfect with the sweet dish as a good sauterne would be. Of the two I preferred the Ch La Rame, superb drinking now and for many more years. Great balance, lush flavours, superb finish that lingered. A wonderful wine. The Miselle I thought was being drunk too soon, only 6 yo. Needs more bottle age, as the structures are all there for a great wine when a few more years will see it round out. At the moment it just does not have the intensity of the much older La Rame.
All around a great afternoon, many thanks to all who made it happen with such style.