It has been a good few months since the Society has seen a virgin Chef of the Day. Today the Paul Gibson stepped into the role with the guidance and assistance of Steve Liebeskind.

Canapés. We began the afternoon with two canapés, the first being smoked salmon on blinis topped with some finely chopped dill. This was followed by some beautifully rare roast beef on a dry biscuit with horseradish cream and topped with a leaf. The roast beef was not cooked by sous vide but rather conventionally cooked to the desired temperature for the degree of rareness required.

Aperitif wine. The accompanying wine was Salomon Undhof Kogl Riesling 2011. This Austrian wine had a clean, textured palate feel, was bone dry and with an essence of apples and pears. A beautiful aperitif wine.

Main course. In a move away from pork and beef. Paul served us pan fried barramundi. The skin was beautifully crisp was some crunchy bacon crumbs adding to the texture. The meal was based on a Paul Bocuse recipe and it came with a lemon sauce on kumara mash served with peas. It was a great success drawing much praise from members.

The wines.

• Tyrrells HVD Semillon 2005 (screwcap, 11.5%)
• Wairau River Reserve Pinot Noir 2010 (screwcap, 13.5%)
• Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2010 (screwcap, 14.0%)
• Rosemount Balmoral Syrah (cleanskin from cellar door) 2007 (screwcap)

The lighter two wines were served first to go with the seafood main. The 05 Semillon was of a richer style, drinking well but with a big future. Sulphur was detected on the nose by all commentators. No doubt a by-product of the screwcap, but the sulphur did blow off. The New Zealand Pinot was elegant, not overly sweet but lacked a little complexity.

The next two wines vied for the wine of the day. The Hilltops Shiraz was a bright wine and super clean. The fresh, clean and relatively robust palate had overtones of blackberry which could match a rich meal. The Rosemount wine was a much richer wine with a little stewed fruit element on the nose. Not inelegant and very typical of the style you would expect from a Balmoral of a lesser year.

Cheese and coffee. James Healey stuck to Australia this week serving a Pyengana clothbound cheddar. Pyengana from Tasmania is a favourite of members and it is often in short supply given its popularity throughout Australia. This example appeared to have a longer cellaring age and whilst not crumbly, was moving in that way. Beautiful rich, sweet aroma following through to the palate. Paul Gibson provided almonds and walnuts to accompany the cheese.

Spencer Ferrier was back to a non-commercial style this week with Cibao Altura from the Dominican Republic. The Republic apparently makes less than 1% of the world coffee crop and is described as a well presented, flavoursome, and a light coffee, Spencer explained that it does well in the plunger but lacks some supporting flavours for espresso.

The President, Keith Steele, complimented the standard of the meal when presenting the official Society apron to our latest Chef of the Day. Well done Paul.