Food review by James Hill and wine review by James Tinslay

Food

The talented team of Amosh (Head chef) and Madan (sous chef) were in the kitchen today answering our Foodmaster’s call to help fill a gap in our cooking roster. We welcomed Vice President Frank Liebeskind and Foodmaster Steve Sparkes back to the fold after extensive research and education travel in Europe!

Canapés

Nepalese food in the main is aromatic and canapés and today a great example, full of flavour and not overly spicy.

Cheese-stuffed grilled okra

Okra is in season now and they were stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, smoked buffalo mozzarella, coriander, scallions and a touch of harissa.

Chicken chow mein spring rolls 

Dan dan noodles and chicken thigh fillets marinated in yoghurt and fresh lime juice, seasoning, turmeric, ginger, garlic paste and chat masala.

Some debated whether should it have a dipping sauce, but I thought it had very good flavour, as it was.

Nepalese style pork tostada

Deep fried wonton pastry topped with a slaw of cabbage, vinegar and salt and pepper with pork shoulder curry.

A lot of preparation was involved with the canapés today and they were much appreciated and commented on by members.

Main

Amosh chose to keep it simple with a goat curry and two vegetables.

Spice and heat was evident providing a good layer of flavour and textures, the curry had no bones or gristle and was perfectly tender.

-Alu ko tarkari (potato dish) roasted potato cooked with duck fat, onion, tomato, coriander and spices

-Khasi ko masu (goat curry) mustard oil marinated goat shoulder with Nepalese spices

-Makai ko chyakhla (corn grits) cooked like polenta in milk finished with scallion, coriander and brown butter.

Cheese

Our Cheesemaster was rewarded with a day off and the cheese sourced by our team it was a Binnorie dairy cows milk triple cream brie cheese from the Hunter Valley.

It came to the table a little cool masking the flavour and resulting texture was quite firm. It was served with marinated figs and quince paste.

Wine

Pikes Riesling 2022 (12% al). The zesty purity and precision of this Clare Riesling make it a fine way to start the lunch with the spice of the canapes. Wonderful drinking now but for those that prefer developed flavours then the wine should age well. Why wait when it's so drinkable now?

Soumah Hexham Vineyard Equilibrio Pinot Noir 2021 (13.5% al). A lighter style of Pinot with an already browning meniscus. The Equilibrion range is this maker's top echelon, and this elegant wine shows some mushroom character and was the better of the two Pinots. I would drink now.

Helen’s Hill The Smuggler Reserve Pinot 2022 (12.8% al). Not much of a Pinot character and came across more as a Shiraz et al. However, the heat in the main course played a part in this. Very fruity with solid tannins. Not my sort of Pinot but well liked by some with possibly a more heat-resistant palate.

Best’s Great Western Bin 0 Shiraz 2015 (14% al). A rich and ripe Shiraz typical of the Best’s style so much liked by many members. Black fruits but not stewed or extracted just very familiar old fashioned Aussie red. Drinking well now but some would prefer to cellar it further.

Franklin Estate Isolation Ridge Shiraz 2016 (14% al). This medium-bodied Shiraz has cooler fruit source overtones that befit the region. Quite elegant with some spice evident. At its peak.