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From the editor.

EDITOR – HOSPITALITYVeronica Johnston Ph 021 756 [email protected]

ASSISTANT EDITOR – HOSPITALITYJes [email protected]

EDITOR – THIRSTDon Kavanagh Ph 021 262 [email protected]

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER

– HOSPITALITYWendy Steele Ph 021 300 473Email [email protected]

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER

– THIRSTTrish Day Ph 0275 616 556Email [email protected]

DESIGNERAmber Renée [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSLinda Bennett (Christchurch)

Email: [email protected]

Sue Fea (Queenstown)

Email [email protected]

Kathy Ombler (Wellington)

Email: [email protected]

INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTORSMarisa Bidois, Thomas Chin, Pip Duncan, Ken Harris, Bruce Robertson, Vic Williams

GROUP SALES MANAGERLisa Morris

ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATORPip Maclean Ph 09 529 3000Email [email protected]

ACCOUNTANTPam King Ph 09 300 2670Email [email protected]

CREDIT CONTROLGladys Hooker Ph 09 300 2672Email [email protected]

CIRCULATION/SUBSCRIPTIONSSue McDiarmidRates: $80 for 12 issues plus Directoryincl GST and post.Overseas rates available on request.Address to: Subscriptions Dept, Mediaweb,PO Box 5544, Wellesley St, Auckland 1141Email [email protected]/shopping

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Original material published in this magazine is copyright, but may be reproduced providing permission is obtained from the editor and acknowledgment given to Hospitality magazine. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and may not necessarily be those of Mediaweb. We welcome material from commercial sources for publication but cannot guarantee that it will be used as submitted.

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Infamy! They’ve all got it infamy!Ever get the feeling you were being ganged up on?Every time I’ve turned on the television recently there have been presenters putting on their carefully rehearsed “concerned” face and shaking their heads gravely about the evils of alcohol and the liquor trade in general.Even when the story was about Auckland Council’s heavy-handed and completely extra-legal campaign to stop off-licences selling single bottles they seemed to convey the message that it was the industry’s fault.In that particular case, it would have been nice to see a journalist do their job properly and question the council about the legality of its actions. Threatening to come down hard on outlets at licence renewal time is immoral if not illegal and it’s all the worse considering that the contracts the councils expect outlets to sign have no basis in law.Good on Lion’s Liz Read for fronting up to the cameras on that issue and reminding people that the council’s actions were outrageous and – to use that word again – borderline illegal.It’s important to be aware of the legalities around the sale of alcohol. Given Auckland Council’s actions, it is clear that the playing field is not level. While bars, restaurants and off-licences face huge fines and licence suspensions for even the smallest breaches, it appears that councils can do whatever the hell they like.This bodes ill for the industry once the liquor reforms go through. Once councils have carte blanche to threaten and throw their weight around, they will do so with abandon. The licensing fees will get larger and more frequent as the industry is used as a cash cow to fund vanity projects for mayors and councillors across the country.And then the minister decides that while some retail outlets can be trusted more than others, by refusing to contemplate any kind of regulation or oversight of supermarket liquor sales in the reforms. Clearly all those young women getting hammered on $7.99 pinot gris have been buying their wine at bars and restaurants, rather than at the supermarket.Frankly it’s little wonder many in our industry are starting to feel a little uneasy looking at the actions of the powers that be and the unquestioning acceptance of the Prohibitionist lobby’s arguments by the media and there have been accusations of paranoia.But remember: just because people call you paranoid doesn’t mean they are not out to get you.

Don Kavanagh, Thirst Editor

ContentsSeptember 2012

Appetizers6 Highlights from the Fare and the R & B show.

10 The Wellington Capital Awards.

13 The HNZ conference looks to the future.

15 Take a tour of Singapore.

18 Why diners love small plates.

20 Northern Nibbles: Nic Watt, the Pavillions and Olaf’s Artisan Bakery Cafe.

21 Capital Comment: El Matador, The White House and Portlander.

22 Southern Snippets: St Asaph Street Kitchen and Stray Dog Bar, The Cassels brewing family and La Rumbla.

Mains24 And a partridge in a pear tree?

Chefs get ready to roll out the usual turkey and glazed ham favourites along with some pheasant and wild venison.

32 A cut above State-of-the-art, sleek and made-of-steel: Tour the newly-built Le Cordon Bleu and WelTec training kitchens with us.

46 Touting technology Sue Fea surveys the latest POS systems, loyalty programmes and software made for the hospitality trade.

Food for Thought52 Ken Harris on the value of industry training.

53 Marisa Bidois celebrates the Fare’s success and Cameron Douglas talks the language of wine.

54 Bruce Robertson raises the bar and Vic Williams says you’re a generous lot.

55 Books to Savour

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Is partridgethe new turkey?page 24

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z On the coverImage is courtesy of Hilton Hotels & Resorts.

58 Another World Cup Queenstown correspondent Sue Fea reports on the 42 Below Cocktail World Cup in Queenstown and the naming of the Kiwi team.

59 A measured argument Thomas Chin suggests it’s time to change regulations around the dispensing of dirnks.

60 Red hot wines Editor Don Kavanagh samples the best of the bay at the Hot Red Hawke’s Bay showcase.

61 She’ll be apples Old Mout’s cidermaker David Sax looks forward to new challenges as the company takes on DB’s cider brewing.

62 In hop heaven Wellington correspondent Kathy Ombler checks out the decks at Beervana and we round up the trophy winners.

65 Two tequila more Our esteemed Panel sits down to a hearty feast featuring more than 20 tequilas.

70 In the mix We check out what’s new and notable in the world of mixers with a special cocktail session and tasting.

75 Smelling sweet Our wine Panel gets to grips with a flight of fine aromatics, including some pretty pinot gris, rich riesling and groovy gewurz.

79 Silver and gold Award-winning winery Gibbston Valley marks 25 years since Alan Brady’s first commercial harvest in Central Otago. Sue Fea caught up with the celebrations.

80 Top glass Don Kavanagh rounds up some of the best by-the-glass wines he has tried in the past month.

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4 . HOSPITALITY/THIRST . SEPTEMBER 2012

Much neglected Takapuna lives again, at least hospo wise, with the launch of another new hospitality precinct on Hurstmere Rd. With an open internal courtyard at its heart, the Commons features five distinct but interconnected spaces and is designed to be a sophisticated bistro bar with fine-dining options. Executive chef Nick Honeyman heads up the Commons kitchen.

Snapshots.

British Airways has created a Height Cuisine menu which features food selected for its taste at an altitude of 30,000 feet.The menu is based on the premise that food doesn’t taste the same on the ground as it does in the air, because people lose 30 per cent of the sensitivity in their taste buds when flying. The airline tested several foods and altered its recipes to cater for this decline. The company compared thousands of wines to find the ones that keep a balanced flavour at high altitudes and extra ingredients such as citrus and parmesan have been added to boost the sweet, sour, bitter or salt qualities of certain foods in the air.Citrus is added to sour dishes and sharp cheeses such as parmesan are used to create saltier flavours. The new menu is currently only available to First and Business class customers.

Six New Zealand chefs joined forces last month to create a celebratory spring feast to raise funds for the Garden to Table Trust. Al Brown, Des Harris, Michael Meredith, Natalia Schamroth, Jonny Schwass and Nic Watt each prepared one course at a dinner held at Auckland’s St Matthew-in-the-City.The money raised will go towards a 1500 square-metre organic vegetable garden and kitchen classroom facility in Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter precinct. “The concept connects our kids to the joys and rewards of pure and unadulterated produce, and how it actually gets to our plate,” Brown says. “Importantly it also steers children on to the right path when it comes to sensible eating, health and well-being.”

Award-winning chef Sid Sahrawat has abandoned á la carte in his restaurant Sidart, surprising diners with weekly table d’hôte menus and extending his popular Tuesday Test Kitchen concept to five days a week. The Tuesday Test Kitchen is an eight-course meal made with new flavours and cooking techniques that showcase seasonality. The menu now evolves weekly and the only revelation for diners is a table d’hôte list delivered in a sealed envelope to their table. Sahrawat says the innovative no-menu concept has stirred the adventurous spirit of diners. “I love to create new tastes and inspire exploration in the dining room. Our customers obviously like the concept because Tuesdays have never been so busy. So we’re converting the entire week to no-menu dining.“You can say goodbye to á la carte at Sidart,” he says.The new five-course meal costs $75 or $125 with wine matches while 10 courses is $120 ($200 with wine matches). Tuesdays remain at $80 for eight courses. “It’s unique to us as far as I know – there’s no more reasonably priced way to experience fine dining in the city. In fact, it’s actually extremely affordable for what you get.”

NZ owned and operated Fiordland Lodge in Te Anau is a finalist in the Luxury Lodge category of the World Travel Awards. The Lodge is also a finalist in five different categories of the HM Awards for Hotel and Accommodation Excellence within Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific. The five categories are: Best New Zealand Lodge, Service to the Community, Rising Star (Monique Rutene), New Zealand General Manager (Andy Cunningham) and Environmental Program.


Highlights from the Restaurant and Bar Show and NZ Culinary Fare.

01-06: The events attracted more than 4,000 visitors over three days. • 07-12: This year’s Feast by Famous Chefs event was held at the Langham and included Geoff Scott and the team from Industry Zen. • 10: Michael Van de Elzen (pictured with Marisa Bidois) was inducted into the RANZ Hall of Fame. • 13: ‘Mother and child’

was a theme of this year’s margarine carving. • 14: One of the many impressive dishes from the static classes. • 15 & 17: WelTec students Beth Christieson, Iain Charlton and Wie Jun Lee won the presitigous Nestlé Toque

d’Or competition. • 16: Chloe Stenson and Trish Day at the Hospitality/Thirst stand.

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Weltec winners, Wei Jun Lee, Iain Charlton and Beth Christieson.

WELTEC WINS TOP CULINARY COMPETITIONIt was a back-to-back win for WelTec hospitality students as they beat off fi erce competition from around the country to take out the top spot again at the prestigious Nestlé Toque d’Or competition.

Students Wei Jun Lee and Beth Christieson went head-to-head in the kitchen with 20 other culinary students to create six covers of a three-course meal in just two and a half hours. The team’s restaurant service competitor Iain Charlton then served the dishes to VIP guests attending the event. A panel of 17 judges comprising leading chefs and culinary professionals scrutinised the team’s every move throughout before declaring WelTec the overall winner.

This is the second year running that WelTec has taken out top honours and received the coveted ‘golden hat’ award.

Beth said she was thrilled with the win which had come after a considerable amount of time and effort was spent by the team preparing for the event.

“We’re a close knit team and one of the main ingredients to our success was plenty of practice and a strong desire to win.”

The team praised their tutors who were committed to helping them achieve their goal of winning the competition.

WelTec Culinary Team trainer Ray Morrell said he was elated that students from WelTec had won again.

“Whilst we helped to guide them towards success, ultimately they were the ones that came up with the goods on the day.

“In a live cook off event like Nestlé Toque d’Or, timing is always crucial. In the lead up to competition day, we knew that our timing was tight and that we’d have to ensure that we were in top form even while the pressure was on.”

Ray said the team executed their menu fl awlessly and even had some time to spare.

“It’s a great feeling to win such a prestigious competition again and it raises the bar even higher for Wellington’s emerging young hospitality students. These are particularly exciting times for our city, given that the new Le Cordon Bleu culinary school has recently opened, and now our students have brought home the country’s top student culinary competition award.”

Event organiser and President of the New Zealand Chefs Association (NZCA) Anita Sarginson, said Nestlé Toque d’Or is a wonderful event to be part of and the whole of the NZCA had worked and applied its expertise to ensure that the competition was a success.

The event which celebrated its 22nd anniversary this year challenges competitors with tight time constraints and an intensive judging criteria.

“It’s a demanding event that requires students to be in top form on the day.”

Students were judged on taste of the food, professionalism, working methods, knife skills, hygiene, minimisation of waste and front-of-house beverage delivery and service.

Menus also had to be prepared in advance and were judged on the use of correct terminology and recipe development.

This year’s judging panel was led by leading Christchurch Chef Darren Wright.

“The judges are never an easy panel to impress but, we were pleased with the students’ professionalism and creativity.”

The WelTec team’s winning meal comprised a starter of Akaroa salmon followed by a main of prime New Zealand Beef. The menu concluded with a rich chocolate marquise dessert.

An award aimed at recognising recipe innovation was presented to the Eastern Institute of Technology.

Anita said the event provides a great opportunity for young up-and-coming students to showcase their abilities and demonstrate their skills in front of some of the country’s most highly-regarded culinary professionals.

Nestlé Toque d’Or is the country’s longest running and most prestigious student cookery and food service event. It is held in 17 countries around the world and has launched the careers of world-famous chefs, including Jamie Oliver. The event is designed to simulate the pressure of a real working team environment.

Sponsors of this year’s event include: Nestlé Professional, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, vegetables.co.nz, Akaroa Salmon and The House of Knives.

Akaroa semi-cured Salmon, scallop ceviche, ponzu sorbet, radish, cucumber & puffed quinoa

Prime New Zealand Beef sirloin roasted with porcini dust, potato top beef cheek pie, shallot soubise, carrots & greens with Madeira jus

Rich chocolate marquise with aerated tamarillo jelly, braised tamarillo, gingerbread crumbs & buttermilk gelato


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Appetizers.

A star in the capitalLorenzo Bresolin outshone the hospitality heavyweights he admired when he was a kid to win the top award at the Wellington Capital Awards, writes KATHY OMBLER.

With new sponsors, record voting numbers, a sell-out awards night and inspirational winners, Wellington’s Capital Awards 2012 exemplified the very spirit of what hospitality is all about in the capital city.

In just three years the awards have gained huge traction and support as this year’s event was bigger than ever. More than 5000 votes were received for the finalists and, on awards night, 300 revellers enjoyed a feast of “Kiwiana Kai”; a modern twist to a retro Sunday night tea prepared by NZ Chefs Association volunteers.

Lorenzo Bresolin, took out the big award; Le Cordon Bleu Outstanding Contribution to Wellington Hospitality. Co-owner of Duke Carvells, Scopa, Crazyhorse, Tommy Millions and Gentlemens’ Beans, Bresolin headed off other finalists that some might call the royalty of the Wellington industry; caterer Ruth Pretty, Restaurant Association president Mike Egan and café pioneer Roger Young.

Bresolin says he was both humbled and blown away when the award was announced. “I’ve known Mike for most of my life, my school mates used to work for him. I used to go to Roger’s first café, Little Gringo, when I was a teenager and Ruth Pretty used to come to dinner parties at my godparents house when I was a kid.”

Nevertheless, the 30-year-old says he’s actually been in the industry for 22 years. “When I was a kid, for pocket money I used to polish glasses in Il Casino (the celebrated, longstanding restaurant of his late father, Remiro Bresolin.) By the time I started high school I was working for Dad, plus every Saturday I worked at Caffe L’affare.”

It was good grooming, Bresolin says. “I got sensitised to the [hospitality] workload, also I loved being there, being involved, learning how to host and showing people a good time. I’ve never wanted to do anything else. I loved and admired my old man so much I wanted to do what he did.”

This industry is a young person’s game, he adds. “Most of us are 20 to 30-year-olds. I was lucky enough to have the mix of opportunity and desire to start when I was young.”

Other Capital Award winners included Regional Wines & Spirits, Hawthorn Lounge, Havana Bar, Matterhorn, Fidel’s and Capitol, plus individual winners Rick Lindsay (Eurovintage), Bink Bowler (Memphis Belle Coffee House), Rennie Boon (Crumpet) and Katie Woodhead (Scopa).

Lorenzo Bresolin


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Appetizers.

Now this is nifty. Position a new four-star hotel with 62 suites (some with sweeping city views), beside a restored heritage three-star-plus hotel with 115 rooms and an interesting history. Link the two establishments with a state-of-the-art conference centre and light-filled atrium where amenities – restaurant, bar and cafes – are all easily accessed.

The result is the CQ Hotels – the Comfort Hotel and Quality Hotel plus the CQ Conference and Function Centre, in upper Cuba Street, Wellington. Part of the Choice Hotel Global Chain, this development has covered all the bases, and is positioned right in the heart of the city’s vibrant Cuba Quarter.

General manager Olivier Lacoua says

running two hotels side by side offering different standards of service isn’t difficult when staff are committed to ensuring a high standard of service.

And this isn’t just glib marketing-speak. The Quality Hotel Wellington was recently recognised as one of the top nine Choice Hotels out of 6100 hotels worldwide. Lacoua explains: “We provide the same great level of service no matter what part of the complex you stay in. In fact, guests staying in the Comfort Hotel can use the same facilities of the 4 ½ star Quality Hotels such as the indoor heated pool, spa and gym.”

What’s now known as the Comfort Hotel has seen more name changes than Za Za

Gabor. The Comfort Hotel site was originally donated to the Salvation Army and in 1894 a women’s refuge was opened and operated for 10 years. In 1907, the refuge service was moved and The People’s Palace was built in 1908, a magnificent Edwardian three-level hotel with running water and electricity – at the time, state-of-the-art facilities.

Because the hotel, renamed the Railton, was so often full, staff would stand outside handing out leaflets to hopeful guests, directing them to other establishments where they could find a bed. In 1986, the hotel was renamed Trekkers but it’s now owned by Rex Nicholls (the husband of former Wellington mayor Kerry Prendergast) and Phil McGaveston.

Two hotels, one heartSome clever business innovation breathes new life into a Wellington landmark hotel, writes JES MAGILL.

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The 2012 HNZ Awards for Excellence finalists are:

Best New/Redeveloped Bar/Restaurant

The Elephant Wrestler, Auckland The Gasworks, Wellington The Thomas Green, Southland

Best Bar Garrison Public House, Auckland Little Beer Quarter, Wellington Sprig and Fern Milton St, Nelson Treehouse Bar and Restaurant, New Plymouth

Best Restaurant Pumice Bistro Bar and Deli, Hamilton Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland The Orangerie, Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco

Best Café Mud Bay Café, Taranaki Slip Inn, Havelock The Batch Café, Invercargill The Store Kekerengu, Kaikoura

Best New/Redeveloped Accommodation Hotel

Craythornes Public House, Christchurch Sudima Hotel Auckland Airport Tuakau Hotel, Tuakau, Waikato

Best Accommodation Hotel Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco, Nelson

Jet Park Airport Hotel, Auckland Rydges Wellington

Best Country Hotel Duke of Marlborough Hotel, Russell The White Swan, Greytown Tuakau Hotel, Tuakau, Waikato

Excellence in Customer Service Jet Park Airport Hotel, Auckland Rydges Wellington Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland

Excellence in Gaming Smith and McKenzie Chophouse, Hamilton The Quadrant, Hamilton Yardhouse, Hamilton

Excellence in Marketing Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco, Nelson Rydges Wellington Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland

Excellence in Training and Staff Development

Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland St Johns Heineken Bar, Wellington The Gasworks, Wellington

Best Music Entertainment Venue Agenda Restaurant and Nightclub, Hamilton Mint Bar, Wanaka Studio the Venue, Auckland

The Riverhead, Auckland

Excellence in Host Responsibility Little Rock Bar and Nightclub, Nelson Live Fish, Wynyard Quarter, Auckland

Best Environmental, Sustainable and Ethical Practice

Fiordland Lodge, Te Anau Jet Park Airport Hotel, Auckland Peppers Awaroa Lodge, Abel Tasman Sudima Hotel Auckland Airport

Best Beef Bar Meal Moeraki Tavern, Moeraki, Otago: Juicy 300g ribeye steak, grilled to perfection and served with garlic or pepper sauce. Szimpla Gastro Bar, Mangere, Auckland: Braised beef shoulder with purée of celeriac, turmeric potatoes and truffle sauce. The Clare Inn, Mt Eden, Auckland: Beef and Stout Wellington, green pea and smoked pork purée with Guinness reduction and hot mustard.

Best Lamb Bar Meal Jarks Café and Bar, Hawkes Bay: Baa lamb grazing plate The Riverhead, Auckland: Espresso lamb fillet Treehouse Bar and Restaurant, New Plymouth: Lamb shank ploughmans

Back to the futureCrystal-balling the future is the focus of this year’s HNZ

conference, says chief executive Bruce Robertson.

BY JES MAGILL

Answering two questions – what customers are looking for and what’s going to excite them in the future – will be the focus of Hospitality New Zealand’s annual conference being held in Wellington at the end of this month.

“How the future is looking for the hospitality industry is the main theme to this year’s conference,” says HNZ chief executive Bruce Robertson. Insights on economics, politics, consumer trends plus sustainability and their impact will be covered by industry experts over the two-day conference, held at the Amora Hotel, September 25-26.

Westpac Bank economist Dominick Stephens presents his economic outlook for the industry, and will ‘crystal-ball’ the economic environment in one, three, five and 10 years time.

Political blogger and media commentator David Farrar will present on political trends and their influence for industry. The Minister of Consumer Affairs, Chris Tremaine and the Minister of Justice, Judith Collins will speak on the burning issues around their portfolios – Chris Tremaine on gaming legislation and Judith Collins on alcohol legislation.

Australian future trend analyst Michael McQueen presents his findings on the look of the industry in 2015 and Kath Dewar, managing director of Good Sense Marketing, consultant and lecturer, will also discuss trends and their likely impact. What customers are looking for around issues of sustainability will also be looked at in depth.

Other presenters include well-known hospitality operators talking on practical implications – Steve Logan of Wellington’s

Logan Brown restaurant and from Suite Bar in Auckland, Dave Hawk. A panel of previous HNZ Excellence Award winners will talk about marketing and what makes a country pub great.

It’s not all hard slog, though. There are two social events scheduled, the DB evening on the Tuesday and the 2012 Awards for Excellence will be announced at the gala, black-tie dinner on the Wednesday night. New Zealand’s favourite character Jeanette McDonald is MC and The Beat Girls will have the crowd up and dancing. “The conference will be about how to take business forward, but we’ll certainly be having fun over the two days as well,” says Robertson. For more conference details and information on the HNZ Awards for Excellence finalists, see www.hospitalitynz.org.nz .

Appetizers.


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Appetizers.

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Remote and truly unspoiled, the waters around Vava’u are crystal clear with a visibility exceeding 100 feet.

One lucky winner will win a return airfare and five nights’ accommodation at the Tongan Beach Resort within walking distance to the Heilala Vanilla plantation (or a short ride on the back of the Heilala truck).

You must be a foodservice professional to enter the competition. Simply purchase any product from the Heilala Vanilla Foodservice range from the distributor of your choice then email a photo of the Heilala Vanilla product in your kitchen along with your contact details to [email protected].

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Singapore snapshotsOn a whirlwind visit, TAMARA RUBANOWSKI found a Kiwi baker, spectacular

modern architecture and fabulous dining options for any budget.

Appetizers.


Appetizers.

The Ku Dé Ta SkyTerrace

The Marina Bay Sands complex


While travelling to Europe recently, I stopped for a few days in a futuristic metropolis that is one of my favourite destinations. Despite being a melting pot of many exotic cultures, Singapore is a clean and safe haven for weary travellers and offers a feast for all the senses on any budget. The dining venues in Singapore are truly spectacular – no wonder the locals eat out almost every night of the week.

The rooftop restaurant at Mustafa Centre for example, serves good quality vegetarian meals and authentic Indian curries where you can enjoy views over Little India, complete with fairy lights and exotic scents wafting up from the streets and temples below.

You will find good value for money there with a complete dinner available for less than $10. In this part of town, you’ll be served chai or ginger tea with your dinner as there isn’t a lot of wine or beer in sight.

Alcohol is relatively expensive in Singapore – a strategy designed by the Government to de-incentivise consumption, and perhaps one of the many reasons why this little country is still one of the most productive in the world.

For modern café-style food with a Kiwi

flavour, Dean Brettschneider’s Baker & Cook comes highly recommended. The popular bakery is based in a residential area in Singapore and serves a world-class signature range of baked goods and delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner options, accompanied by fantastic coffee and fine wine. You can also choose from a beautiful selection of Baker & Cook’s range of jams, chutneys, handcrafted packaged cookies and homemade granola.

Brettschneider has come a very long way since leaving school in Rangiora, New Zealand. Once he decided on baking as a career, he was named NZ Apprentice of the Year and this was the first of many baking awards that have all helped to make him one of the most respected and well-known bakers in the world.

Brettschneider’s Global Baker brand now extends to bakeries in Shanghai and Auckland and he is making plans for new opportunities in Copenhagen and Abu Dhabi.

If you enjoy venturing off the beaten track to dine with the locals, then you must visit the hawkers’ food stalls near the beach where you can try spicy satays, fragrant stir-fries,

laksas and sizzling seafood. The plates are only a few dollars each and you can wash it all down with chilled beers or fresh coconut juice, with your feet in the warm sand and with views of the ocean.

At the other end of the spectrum, Marina Bay Sands Hotel offers the finest dining options in a spectacular setting that is simply out of this world. The new complex consists of three unique hotel towers crowned by the magnificent Sands SkyPark.

With over 2500 rooms and suites, this is the biggest hotel in Singapore, overlooking the South China Sea, Marina Bay and the Singapore skyline. There are 230 luxury suites that come with butler service and privileged access to VIP areas.

The wide array of foodie experiences ranges from South East Asian specialties and exquisite Chinese fare to a Michelin-starred restaurant, as well as a European-style patisserie and Ku Dé Ta, an uber-cool lounge.

The Sands SkyPark is an architectural masterpiece which sits on top of the three hotel towers.

This 1.2 hectare tropical oasis is longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall and large enough to park four-and-a-half A380 jumbo jets. It extends to form one of the world’s largest public cantilevers; built at a height of 200 meters.

Its lush, landscaped gardens are home to 250 trees and more than 600 plants. At a total of 12,400 square metres of space it is big enough to fit three football fields. Tourists can visit the viewing platform, but hotel guests have exclusive use of the 150-metre infinity swimming pool, the world’s largest outdoor pool at that height.

By 8pm every night, The Club at Marina Bay Sands offers an indulgent Chocolate Bar concept that is open to the public and it’s the perfect way to finish the day in this exhilarating city.

TOP TIPS Clarke Quay is a great place to try the famous Singaporean chilli crab and it’s only a short stroll (or ferry ride) away from the Marina Bay Sands complex.

The historical Raffles Hotel is still famous for its High Tea and Singapore Sling cocktails; but these days you have to book a table in advance as the hotel’s security is tighter than ever and if you are not staying at the Raffles you may be turned away.

If you are stopping in Singapore for just a few hours, you will find the best airport services imaginable. Check with the information services about free movies and games for the kids, look out for the indoor gardens and peaceful quiet zones for relaxation (complete with loungers for a quick snooze), or enjoy the excellent shopping and dining options within the terminal.

Appetizers.

Dean BrettschneiderPrawn Laksa at Marina Bay Sands


Small Plates.

Petits plats, please? Serving small, shared plates of food is a big hit right now. But why do diners

love them? JES MAGILL uncovers the secrets to small plate success.

Executive-chef at Britomart’s Tyler St Garage, Murray Wiblin, says serving small plates at the popular eating house and bar makes relaxed, quality dining more accessible to more people. “It’s the way things are trending,” he says.

Former head chef of the Westin Hotel, Wiblin says because the concept is more casual, service is quicker and this seems to have revitalized diners’ interest in eating out.

“Our food is healthier than typical pub and bar fare and we’ve noticed more families are eating out, and people are dining out earlier in the week too. Auckland does fine-dining well but I think we have enough of those

types of restaurants, and small plates are such a nice way to dine.”

Pizzas (including New York gluten-free), soft shell crab with orange ponzu and wasabi tartare, fried chicken with Japanese mayo and lemon are some of Tyler St’s best sellers and with a more relaxed mood front-of-house, there’s slightly less pressure in the kitchen.

“With small plate service, food goes out when it’s ready,” says Wiblin. “We’re seeing less demand for individual meals going out to one table, although we certainly do cater for that style of service as well.”

Tyler St Garage is one of three Britomart

establishments – including Ebisu Japanese restaurant and the day-time café Precinct – opened in 2011 by the Pondarosa Group with long-time hospitality entrepreneur, Brendan Turner, as general manager.

Food for all venues comes from the one kitchen, which is a unique concept that Wiblin says is becoming more common as hospitality operators look to run more efficiently. “Creating food in one kitchen for multiple outlets makes sense,” he says. Catering for private events at Britomart’s burgeoning high-end fashion precinct and the CBD’s corporate market also keeps the kitchen operating at capacity.

Tin Soldier’s deconstructed Apple Crumble.


Small Plates.

Wiblin has a strong hotel background and compares his role at Tyler St to running a hotel kitchen without the rooms and he’s relishing the vibrancy of Pondarosa’s latest hospitality concept.

Twenty-three chefs are employed across the three outlets, with eleven chefs and three kitchen hands working each shift. The kitchen is divided into three sections, with the design worked around the building’s heritage pillars. There’s the Japanese line where sushi and sashimi is produced in view of Ebisu diners, the hot-line where dishes for Ebisu and Tyler St come together, and pizzas, platters plus desserts are produced in the back kitchen.

Wiblin says the secret to small plate success is putting a lot of thought into the menu and producing great food quickly. “Food preparation has to be minimal so you’re a little restricted. Being a bar, fried food is popular, but we offer lighter options using coatings such as tempura batter, potato flour and flavourless oils such as rice bran and ground nut.”

Turner says small plates are more conducive

to sharing. “Small plate dining is more interactive. Diners are experiencing more flavours and tastes and that’s more satisfying for everyone and we’re constantly refreshing the menus. The buzz and faster pace sets a small plate venue apart from a la carte dining and big busy places tend to appeal to a wider cross section.”

Wiblin and Turner often visit Melbourne and Sydney for culinary inspiration and on Turner’s current must-visit list are two fast, casual hotspots in Melbourne’s Flinders Lane – Thai restaurant Chin Chin and Andrew McConnell’s Cumulus.

It’s not just one-way traffic, though. Several Australians keen on Japanese food were told to make the journey to New Zealand, especially to check out Ebisu. They did, and went away impressed.

With 28 years hospitality experience, Turner opened the successful Auckland cafés Dizengoff and Shenkin. He also worked with SkyCity for six years, responsible for all restaurants and bars including Dine by Peter Gordon, Bellota, Orbit and Observatory.

Mike Marshall, co-owner of the new Ponsonby restaurant, Tin Soldier, believes the face of dining is changing in New Zealand. “Rather than people dining somewhere formal and quite expensive every three to six months, they’re choosing to dine out more often in more casual places, and with small plates people can try so much more across the menu.”

Tin Soldier is fast and high-energy. Some diners are in and out within 45 minutes and there are two to three sittings per night. Usually, the diners who come in later, from 7.30 to 8pm, tend to stay longer.

Co-owner and manager Amanda Williams, says Tin Soldier is about offering an authentic, sophisticated dining experience that’s also good value – from simple, small, delicious plates to full meals. Popular dishes are currently the Soldier Boy Jammers made with glazed ham or beer battered mussels and Mahy Farm grass-fed sirloin plus secondary cuts cooked sous vide style – long and slow.

In the split level restaurant (formerly One Red Dog), the layout and seating design differentiates the crowd, with different areas having a different feel. On street-level, the smaller tables and bar-leaners are perfect for those wanting a quick bite. The lower level – designed for those who wish to stay awhile – has a large table for up to 16 people, plus upholstered booths down one wall.

Marshall advises hospitality operators considering making the switch from traditional a la carte dining to small plates, to completely rebrand first. “Rebranding is essential because you’re completely changing gear and changing style.”

An architect specialising in hospitality venues; Marshall’s had his hand in 175 bars and restaurants around the world in the past 10 years. He says first impressions of a dining establishment really do count and; “After that, it’s all about the food.”

Murray Wilbin (left), and Brendan Turner, Tyler St. Garage.

Ebisu Japanese Restaurant.


Northern Nibbles

Appetizers.

In September, top Hawke’s Bay hospitality establishments and their chefs take part in a regional competition showcasing the best of the region’s food and wine to find the Hawke’s Bay Regional Signature Dish for 2012. For the sixth time, this event will celebrate the best selection of Hawke’s Bay produce and food products to create a unique dish that’s paired with a Hawke’s Bay beverage. The competition runs from September 7 until October 16. The formal, café, casual and runner-up awards are judged by a panel of mystery judges and the People’s Choice Award is voted by Hawke’s Bay diners. To enter or follow the participating cafés and restaurants go to www.foodhawkesbay.co.nz.

Construction has begun on a new garden-themed bistro-café and retail complex at Britomart called the Pavilions. Eight high-end fashion boutiques will cluster around a leafy courtyard restaurant run by restaurateurs Scott Brown and Jackie Grant of the Hip Group, with completion tipped for December 2012. Brown and Grant will also operate a dessert restaurant and patisserie at the rear of the development, opening onto Tyler St. Existing Hip Group establishments include Richmond Road Café, Takapuna Beach Café, Café on Kohi and Rosehip Café in Parnell.

Those in search of true European artisan-style breads, pastries and brioche should head to Olaf’s Artisan Bakery Cafe in Mt Eden. Olaf Blanke is a German-born-and-trained baker and now supplies some of the best restaurants in Auckland. He was named the 2012 Best Auckland Bread Baker too by the Baking Industry Association. Olaf’s is open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week.

The Coromandel Seafood and Cuisine Festival gets underway September 15. More than 60 cuisine stalls will be presenting scallops cooked in many new ways. There’ll also be cooking demonstrations from some of New Zealand’s leading chefs, all-day scallop shucking, plus three music stages. For tickets go to www.eventfinder.co.nz.

World-renowned New Zealand chef Nic Watt is returning home from London to open a Japanese Robatayaki-style restaurant in SkyCity’s Federal Street dining precinct early next year. Watt has worked in some of the world’s top restaurants in New York, Tokyo and London, as well as Huka Lodge in New Zealand.

Staying in Britomart, a new cocktail bar has recently opened its doors. French-Vietnamese themed, Xuxu is the sister venue to Café Hanoi, just across the road in Commerce St. There’s an old-world, East-meets-West ambience offering table service, and Asian-inspired cocktails with Vietnamese and South-East Asian cuisine inspiring the small plate selection. Designed to give Café Hanoi diners a gorgeous place to wait for a table; or equally, settle in at Xuxu’s for the night.

Burgers, Beervana, butchering a cattle beast … with the annual Visa Wellington on a Plate (VWOAP) in full swing last month it was hard to know where to head to first for a taste and a tipple. One couldn’t-miss option was The White House, winner of the inaugural VWOAP Award, introduced to recognise the creativity and skill of the region’s chefs and how they showcase local ingredients in the festival’s DINE Wellington programme. Food writers Anna Tait-Jamieson and David Burton opted for the “evolving dishes and transformed humble ingredients” offered by The White House. Tait-Jamieson said The White House stood out for its confidence and consistency across all courses, picking up the award ahead of other finalists Logan Brown, Martin Bosley’s and Matterhorn. Dishes singled out by the judges were Waikanae crab cake with spiced coconut caramel and Victor’s Rabbit Pie and Ōtaki Carrots. The White House chef, Paul Hoather, said the carrots were poached in their own juices for the purée and cooked in a vacuum for two hours sous-vide style to intensify the flavour. He said he likes to give people new flavour experiences: “Taste is a memory; to me it’s about creating a new memory for people.”

Spanish and Argentinean cuisine and both in one place in Cuba Street; such is the luck of local diners since the opening of Mike and Wendy Marsland’s latest hospitality creation, El Matador. Gauchos and gringo all welcome – El Matador offers wood-fired asado and parillo, a traditional Argentinean barbecued grill-style of cooking, said to be a first for New Zealand. El Matador is located in the former Münchener Burger premises, not that you’d recognise it. Old tiling and new mosaics, leather banquettes and chandeliers, faded bullfighter and Che Guevara posters all help create an old-world, Buenos Aries/Spanish ambience. Slow-roasted lamb, chorizo and morcilla, Spanish omelettes, pancakes, pastries and craft beers are all on the menu. El Matador is the Marsland’s response after the closure of their popular café Ernestos, just up the street, because of dramas over that building’s earthquake risk.

You don’t have to sleep with us to eat with us, was the catch cry when new steakhouse Portlander officially opened with a Moet and moreish, meat-fuelled launch party last month. Portlander, a stand-alone restaurant in Rydges Wellington, first opened after a partial refit in April, before closing for a total interior redesign carried out by Stewart Harris of Martin Hughes Design. Head chef Kit Foe says the menu focus is ‘from paddock to plate’ though the bounty of the sea is also featured on the menu of the 70-seater restaurant.

From disused orchestra pit to a brief spell as contemporary chic bar Deluxe to 1930s, art deco elegance; the new Black Sparrow bar is now serving up martinis and more by bartenders working the massive marble-topped bar and clad in shirtsleeves, braces and moustaches to match the era. Black Sparrow (the name from an avant-garde American publisher of the 1960s) is headed up by Max Hart.

Hospitality New Zealand’s new Upper Northern North Island regional general manager, Jill Davey, got a taste of capital city hospitality during a recent visit to national office, which happily coincided with the launch of the new Portlander restaurant. At the launch was Danelle Ayers,director sales and marketingRydges Wellington, HNZ chief executive Bruce Robertson andcolleague Sara Tucker, regionalmanager southern North Island.Davey, who has taken on the role previously held by Astrid Fisher, worked with Millennium and Copthorne Hotels in the United Kingdom before returning home to New Zealand.


Appetizers.

Capital Comment


Appetizers.

Southern Snippets Fava in St Martins, Christchurch has new owners, Sara and Grant Barrie. The couple plan to redevelop the café’s outdoor dining area, but won’t be offering evening dining. Chef Edward Hamilton will be in the kitchen.

A well-known Queenstown hospitality couple has returned to the resort to open their own restaurant and bar, La Rumbla in Arrowtown. A former manager of Queenstown’s upmarket Eichardt’s bar, Sam Gruar and Penelope ‘PJ’ Johnson, who was the first manager of Good Group’s Queenstown bar Barmuda and set up its Botswana Butchery restaurant, have now launched La Rumbla. They have been in Auckland and working overseas for the past five years, including a stint for Gruar running a cocktail bar in downtown Manhattan, New York. They also spent two years in Spain acting as recruiters and staff managers for one of the world’s largest nightclubs in Ibiza. In Auckland they both worked at The French Café, Gruar as bar manager and senior waiter, Johnson in front-of-house. Gruar says La Rumbla’s menu and wine list have been inspired by their travels in Spain and the south of France. “We’re going for European-inspired food, Mediterranean tapas and contemporary style shared platters.”

Queenstown Resort College wine educator and more recently its hospitality and business manager Paul Tudgay will take over as wine and hospitality expert at The Shed on Central Otago’s Northburn Station, near Cromwell. A major focus of his new role will be to enhance the events, conference and incentive sector at The Shed Restaurant, Cellar Door and its purpose-built function venue. A professional sommelier, Tudgay, trained in the UK. For the past five years he has had a high profile at Queenstown Resort College and is credited with introducing the international Wine and Spirit Education Trust qualification to Queenstown, with more than 80 people qualified to date.

‘TLC’ is the secret to a good pie, says Central Otago’s pie master and chief judge of the Supreme Pie Awards Dennis Kirkpatrick. It was Kirkpatrick’s third year as chief judge this year and he’s been involved with the awards for 14 years. Long-time owner of Roxburgh family business Jimmy’s Pies, Kirkpatrick says this year’s pies were of a very high standard, but he’ll have an eye out for some more innovation in the newcomer, café boutique section next year. Besides the winning Peach, Pear and Cointreau pie and “quite a nice seafood one”, Kirkpatrick was impressed with the interesting range of pork belly pies. A sushi and teriyaki flavoured pie also made for some unique flavours. He was a little disappointed with the lack of innovation in the new café boutique section this year. “I thought that could be something outstanding, but it wasn’t. There were some nice flavours, but nothing new and experimental.“We need to work on that one for next year, perhaps change the rules and make them the same weight, but look for a different, more innovative shape.”He was one of 17 judges at the awards tasting 12 of the best pies selected in each of the 12 categories.


Appetizers.

An online video series showcasing Queenstown and its seasons will target hundreds of thousands of Chinese-speaking users through China’s biggest social media platform. The six-part ‘Xie Hou Xin Xilan First Hand’ series, sponsored by Destination Queenstown, Tourism New Zealand and Auckland International Airport, is being produced by Queenstown locals Shuangji (Ji) Zhou, Trent Yeo and James Holman and hosted on newzealand.com. It is believed to be the first seasonal destination video about New Zealand produced directly for the Chinese online viewer. The episodes, delivered in both Mandarin and English with subtitles, will harness the popularity and tools of the Sina Weibo network, described as a combination of Facebook and Twitter; neither of which are used in mainland China.

The team behind long-term Arts Centre favourite Le Café and Backstage Bakery will soon be back in the thick of Christchurch’s hospo scene with a new central city offering – St Asaph Street Kitchen and Stray Dog Bar. After losing their iconic Arts Centre spot after the February 2011 earthquake, the team started hunting for new premises, and finally found 235 St Asaph.“After 25 years in the heart of Christchurch’s cultural precinct, life amongst the rough and tumble of panel beaters and car yards offers a breath of fresh air, and blessed freedom from the inevitable sea of red tape that seems to go hand-in-hand with heritage buildings,” says James Jameson, former owner of Le Café and Backstage. He’s joined in the new venture by four of the team from Le Café and Backstage – who’ve collectively clocked up around 90 years of working together. Steve McIntyre comes on board as managing director, Maynard Noordeloos will oversee all food and kitchen operations as he did at the Arts Centre business, Trish Allen stays on as the ‘head lady’ and JB (Josh) Batchelor will be in charge of the bar.

The Cassels brewing family is set to build on the success of their Woolston pub and restaurant with three new bars in Christchurch central. They’ve spent $1 million on a fit-out of a century-old building in Madras Street, where the ground floor will be an art-deco styled bar called CBD. Then they’ll open a cocktail bar and a music venue with plans for an alfresco space adjacent.Zak Cassel and father Alasdair are behind the venture, along with Zak’s brewing partner and brother-in-law, Joe Shanks. And they weren’t perturbed when the release of Christchurch’s new blueprint revealed the address is earmarked to be swallowed up by plans for a new stadium. They told The Press that those plans were far on the horizon, and ‘In this environment you have to roll with the punches.’

A new Japanese and Teppanyaki restaurant opening in Queenstown this month will also be the home of the highest quality Wagyu Beef available in New Zealand. Kobe Cuisine will open at Queenstown’s five-star Millbrook Resort, in a building formerly occupied by Japanese restaurant Sala Sala. Restaurant director Tony Lee says the combination of traditional Japanese cuisine, Teppanyaki grill, an à la carte Asian menu and the best quality ‘full-blood’ Wagyu beef would all combine to offer the “best eating experience in the world”. Lee is the owner of Primetime Meats, New Zealand’s sole importer of the Blackmore Wagyu Beef that will be served up from the Kobe Cuisine kitchen. “We will be the only restaurant in Otago to offer full-blood Wagyu beef, the very highest quality there is and hugely sought-after in the culinary world,” he says. “This is beef from cattle that are bred in Victoria, Australia, and spend 650 days on a Japanese feeding regime, when a normal grade of beef spends 100 days on feed.

Kobe Cuisine restaurant manager Suma Ito


Christmas.

Chef Anton Leyland’s The Deer and the Woods Christmas dish features some wild venison, bracken fern and a ‘forest floor’ of wood sorrel, cranberries and micro spring onions. The ‘forest’ acknowledges the natural habitat of the deer.


Christmas.

And a partridge in a

pear tree? Christmas diners are in for a few

surprises this year as chefs get ready to roll out the usual turkey and glazed ham

favourites along with some pheasant or wild venison, writes SUE FEA.

For more information on Ingham’s convenient range of foodservice products contact your local distributor or Ingham at www.inghams.co.nz/foodservicenz or call 0508 800 785.For more information on Ingham’s convenient range of foodservice products contact your local distributor or Ingham at www.inghams.co.nz/foodservicenz or

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Chef Stephen Barry’s partridge in a pear tree dish consists of boned partridge, stuffed with cranberry and macadamia nut risotto, port-glazed baby pear and a Christmas tree shaped parmesan crisp, finished with a hint of manuka smoke.


Christmas.

For more information on Ingham’s convenient range of foodservice products contact your local distributor or Ingham at www.inghams.co.nz/foodservicenz or call 0508 800 785.For more information on Ingham’s convenient range of foodservice products contact your local distributor or Ingham at www.inghams.co.nz/foodservicenz or

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Ingham’s new Salt & Vinegar Chicken Goujons and Beer Batter Flavoured Chicken Wedges are just irresistible. These crispy coated bite sized snacks made with 100% New Zealand chicken breast meat, are as tender as they are fl avoursome.

Exceptionally versatile and easy to prepare they deliver a refreshing addition to any casual dining experience... add these scrummy snacks to your menu today.

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Beer Batter Flavoured Chicken Wedges

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Partridges in pear trees and wild venison in a native forest – our chefs are going all out to present their culinary gifts with artistic flair this Christmas season. For many customers you won’t beat the traditional turkey with cranberry sauce and a beautifully glazed honey baked ham.

Some chefs have opted for a modern twist on those tried and true favourites but Mount Bistro’s Stephen Barry will try “a bit of partridge and pear tree” this year. Boned, stuffed with cranberry and macadamia nut risotto, port-glazed baby pear and a Christmas tree shaped parmesan crisp, it’s finished with a hint of manuka smoke.

Cooking is “the ultimate form of artistry, incorporating all the senses – sight, sound, taste and texture”.

His vacuum-packed watermelon presents like a tuna steak on the plate. He’ll incorporate Midori and lime juice and serve it with prosciutto, a citrus sauce, orange, lime, lemon and honey thickened to a gel served on the side.

Barry has turned the humble Kiwi chilli bin into a DIY barbequing bloke’s dream. Line it with a plastic bag then fill with water boiled to 60°C and place vacuum-packed pouches of steak with garlic and fresh herbs into the water, topping it up every half hour, maintaining about 55°C.

In 45 minutes your steak will be cooked perfectly medium-rare. If it’s rump two hours will cook it perfectly tender. Remove the steak and slap it on the barbeque for 30 seconds either side. Serve with kiwifruit relish and Greek salad.

Kermadec fine head chef Anton Leyland will be serving up some true Kiwi-inspired flavour this Christmas, straight from the wild. His Monteith’s Beer and Wild Food Challenge dish, The Deer and the Woods, features West Coast wild red deer and earth-baked urineka potatoes prepared using the hangi process in his kitchen. Curd is created from toasted piko piko fern. Monteith’s Doppelbock ale creates the ‘soil’ which is sprinkled over the curd. Wild habitat is built around the dish using fresh and toasted fern as the ‘forest floor’ with wood sorrel, cranberries and blades of micro spring onions as ‘grass.’

To extract the maximum flavour out of the fern and reduce bitterness Leyland soaks it in a saline solution for 24 hours then presses and toasts it. “It looks like a little rock garden when it’s served up with some bracken fern and cranberry. It’s a totally Kiwi-inspired dish that conveys a sense of the natural habitat of where the wild red deer may have lived.”

Anton Leyland’s seared scallops, duck ham and crackling, eggplant, smoked yoghurt, black currant and foie gras.


Christmas.

FREE RANGE GLAZED HAMBY NICK HONEYMAN

Ingredients: 1 Harmony Free Range Ham

Glaze: 200g brown sugar80g chardonnay or sherry vinegar80g ABC Soy sauce (dark soy)50g Dijon mustard100g Manuka honey

Marinade: 30g extra virgin olive oil6g sea salt20 cloves10 fresh bay leaves1 orange juice and zest1 lime juice and zest

Turn the oven on to 180°. Prep the ham from cold. Starting from the bottom of the ham, remove the skin leaving as much of the fat on as you can. Leave the skin on the knuckle. Trim off any excess fat, ideally leaving a one centimetre layer across the ham. Score the ham on the angle in two centimetre cubes. Place the ham onto a roasting tray lined with greaseproof paper. Mix all of the ingredients for the marinade and pour them over the ham, rubbing it into the scoring. Place in the oven for 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes. In a pot bring all of the ingredients except the honey to a simmer, remove from the heat then incorporate the honey. After 45 minutes, remove the ham, cover with half the glaze, return it to the oven for 15 minutes and then repeat with the other half of the mixture. Then cook for a further 15 minutes. Glaze the ham once more with the juices and then in the scoring corners evenly distribute the cloves, 10 of which you will pin on the fresh bay leaves. Return the ham to the oven for a further two minutes and then transfer it to a carving board and serve.

Chef’s notes: Trimming the ham cold ensures you won’t pull the fat off when you take off the skin. If you don’t like orange flavour, one cup of pineapple juice can be used instead of the orange and the zest. Baste the ham with the juices of the roasting tray for a wonderful caramel glazed colour. Check and baste the ham until it is a dark caramel colour and the glaze is a thick sticky consistency.

This recipe is courtesy of Harmony Foods.

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Christmas.

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“I think this dish epitomises the best of Aotearoa on a plate and gives the diner a real sensory experience at the same time.”

Hilton Auckland’s FISH head chef Shane Yardley had his Christmas menus finalised back in May. He’s learned to “pick the trends”. Turkey and ham will “keep all the bases covered” and he’ll “funk up” the Christmas pudding with an orange mascarpone custard and vanilla ice cream.

It’s summer and he’s right on the water so snapper and smoked salmon are always firm favourites.

His main focus at Christmas is keeping on top of good supplies and the logistics of ensuring those arrive depending on what day the statutory holidays fall.

Neat Meat’s Simon Eriksen says farmers are negotiating good prices for their lambs for the coming season, but meat processors are dumping legs and shoulders on to the market well below cost. Racks are holding at this stage. “If you see good deals in the next month or two get hold of them. We’ve latched onto some good lamb rack and back-strap and it’s parked up in the freezer,” says Eriksen.

Beef is “quickly drying up” which will see an increase in pricing for the next couple of months and not many sirloins about. “If you’ve got a good relationship with your meat supplier try and lock in those deals for Christmas because the current prices won’t last long.”

Haunches of venison offer a great alternative for chefs wanting a more European Christmas dish.

In Germany they carve up a venison haunch, often prepared with a red wine and cracked pepper glaze, at Christmas the way we do with ham.

Razorback wild boar, traditionally served as a rolled loin, is delicious with a chestnut and walnut stuffing. It’s easily carved into controlled portions. With more diners insisting on traceability, companies like Harmony and Freedom Farms are noticing more demand for their free-range products.

Harmony’s Dave Porter says its New Zealand’s only certified free-range pork supplier. “There’s a lot of confusion in the New Zealand market, but that blue tick means it meets animal welfare standards.”


Christmas.

All Freedom Farms’ farms are independently audited by the New Zealand SPCA. Co-founder Gregor Fyfe says he is now looking to trial preservative-free ham using celery juice as the preservative, a process used overseas. “The issue here is shelf-life because Kiwis like to buy their Christmas ham and keep it over the summer holidays. We’re just making triple sure it’s safe first.”

Pheasant is becoming a popular alternative to turkey at Christmas, although Canter Valley marketing manager Kathy Guard says “it depends what the celebrity chefs are doing on TV”.

“If they’re cooking a whole turkey, there’s a big demand. If they’re doing turkey breasts at Christmas, we get a run of those.”

Free-range turkey is becoming more popular and Guard says she’s seeing a lot more Kiwis turning to the outdoor rotisserie at Christmas, using duck or turkey.

As chefs look for interesting ways to dress up traditional dishes, Millbrook Resort’s Andi Bozhiqi has created a “more petite” version of the pavlova featuring mango sorbet, homemade strawberry jelly, kiwifruit and custard. He’ll also be delighting dessert lovers with a chocolate balloon ginger crunch, fresh Cromwell berries and white chocolate mousse.

The traditional Christmas pudding will take on a terrine-style appearance, covered with ice-cream, with amaretti biscuits folded in for that extra crunch. He’s got the gluten free options covered with a flourless chocolate cake served with hazelnuts and white chocolate ice cream.

There’s nothing like a quality cheese to top it all off. Over the Moon is planning a summer package cheeseboard offering five cheeses in time for Christmas. The Black Truffle Brie which won gold at this year’s Cheese Awards, matches perfectly with champagne, merlot or pinot noir.

Director Sue Arthur says Over the Moon’s seasonal Wensleydale with Cranberries, is traditionally eaten in England with Christmas cake. A little sourer than cheddar, it presents beautifully with the colour of the cranberries.

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HospitalityNewZealand.pdf 1 7/17/12 11:24 AM


Le Cordon Bleu and WelTec.

They’re state-of-the-art, sleek and made-of-steel. KATHY OMBLER

walks us through the newly-built Le Cordon Bleu and WelTec training kitchens, where you’ll find the very best of everything.





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One of the world’s most prestigious cooking schools has opened, in Wellington, New Zealand. Late last month Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand opened the doors of its brand new, purpose-built central city campus. Within days, WelTec School of Hospitality fired up the hobs of its new training kitchens in the same, state-of-the-art premises in which the two schools are co-located.

Le Cordon Bleu and WelTec; different traditions, techniques and complementary student demographics, yet united in their passion for teaching the skills of culinary arts, assisted by the latest and best commercial cooking equipment, technology and design.

Each school has its own training kitchens. Both schools share the use of the production kitchen, training restaurant, demonstration theatre, espresso lab, bar training area and classrooms. Everything is open; fresh, light and airy; glass walls offer full views into the kitchens and a central light well spans throughout the four-level premises, previously the Manners Mall movie complex.

“We wanted all the students to feel connected, we wanted the smells and sounds of cooking to permeate throughout the building, so the light well and glass walls are very much part of our vision,” says Cherie Freeman, WelTec head of school, hospitality and tourism.

Having some shared student spaces provides a win-win for both schools, says Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand director, Cath Hopkin. “This means we can offer spaces and facilities that would be far beyond what either school could justify on its own. We each retain our unique identities but provide a campus that offers the best of both worlds.”

The dual campus also provides a facility for all student levels, adds Freeman. “Our markets are different. Those seeking a premium brand now have one, and those who need financial support, for example student loans and government subsidies, also have an option.”

And what an option it is. These projects don’t come around very often, this was a massive installation, says James Heyder, project manager for Wildfire Commercial Kitchens & Bars, who managed the kitchen equipment supply and installation contract throughout the premises with Naylor Love Construction. “I think the finished



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product looks outstanding. They have the latest technology available and, with the quality stainless steel benching throughout, it’s an impressive result.”

Brian Davies, national sales manager for Moffat, a major equipment supplier for both schools, agrees the facilities are fantastic. “They are very well equipped with all the best, basic equipment plus there are all the extra things, for example Pacojets, which were required by Le Cordon Bleu that a New Zealand school might not be able to afford

on its own.” Most of the Moffat equipment installed is

New Zealand made, he adds. So, tasked with designing a brand new

culinary school, or two, where does one start? Project designers, Inside Design, embraced our

project from the beginning, says Freeman. “They visited hospitality schools around New Zealand, who openly shared their good and bad (features). They were (also) really keen to understand our philosophy, pedagogy and how we wanted our students to feel connected and that was driving

LCD screens in the shared production kitchen relay images to the adjacent

training restaurant where diners can watch students preparing their dishes.



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The 90-seat Demonstration Theatre is central to Le Cordon Bleu’s teaching methodology as this is where

students watch their tutor make a dish before they do.



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our design. I can’t thank them enough.” Le Cordon Bleu engaged Architectural

Workshop and received direction from the parent company, Le Cordon Bleu, says Hopkin. “We had international advisors in terms of the equipment required –specifica-tions were very exact – then they left us to select the required equipment locally. We also took advice from local chefs with regards to preferred brands, what works for them and what is actually used in the industry so that our students would be learning with the right equipment.”

Le Cordon Bleu’s two training kitchens are designed to the traditional specifications found throughout their 43 international schools (New Zealand is the 43rd.) Twenty work stations are set 10 aside in one big island so the tutor can see right down the student line and the students can see the tutor and each other.

This way I think everyone is able to inspire each other, says chef de cuisine Adam Newell, who will tutor the school’s Diplôme de Cuisine.

The investment that’s gone into those kitchens is incredible, he adds. “Everything is state-of-the-art, with combitherm ovens, sous vides and vac packers, blast chillers and blast freezers. Each work station in the cuisine kitchen comes with individual oven, gas hob, chiller and work space.

The pâtisserie kitchen is particularly well-equipped, with its deck ovens, prover oven,

pastry sheeters, Pacojets, sugar heating lamps, dough setters, giant mixers and that beautiful marble top workspace.

“I think that (kitchen) is going to be a big draw card; the nine month Diplôme de Pâtisserie will certainly be something special.”

The high standard continues in the 90-seat Demonstration Theatre, where the chef ’s space replicates a kitchen with a Rational combi oven, Waldorf gas hobs, salamander and chiller. Top acoustics and visual clarity have all been incorporated into the theatre design, and three screens will relay close-up shots. Master classes will be held there, plus the theatre is central to Le Cordon Bleu’s teaching methodology, as Newell explains. “Every dish is first demonstrated in a lecture environment. The students watch the tutor make the dish; they taste it, see the texture and presentation and ask questions. Then they will go into the kitchens and make what they have just watched.”

It does also put pressure on the tutor, he adds. “We won’t be taking a panacotta out of the fridge already made. Everything is prepared in front of the class so we have to perform. The idea is the students will come out of the theatre fizzing with inspiration.”

Audio visuals also feature in the WelTec kitchens, where two students will share Moffat Waldorf ovens. While Le Cordon Bleu demonstrates its dishes in the theatre, we demonstrate ours in the training kitchens, says Freeman.

Spacious design is a feature of the student commons and social areas.



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“Instead of the overhead mirrors often used we have installed cameras above the lecturer’s bench with images to be projected to LCD screens. This also enables us to record the lesson and develop a resource library showing techniques that the students will be able to access for revision and future reference."

Similar audio visual equipment in the shared production kitchen will relay images to the adjacent training restaurant, so diners will be able to watch the students preparing their food. “I think that’s really important. We’re training for industry and a lot of

kitchens now are open plan, so the students have to be aware they are on display,” says Freeman.

In the new production kitchen, students will experience a real industry situation, she adds. “The equipment includes Waldorf stoves, Rational ovens, Target Top stove, grill plate, bratt pan, double steam jacket, deep fryers, salamanders, blast chillers, Pacojet and sous vide. It will expose the students to a range of commercial equipment they will find in any workplace, be it a small café or large hotel function centre.”



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Our designers really understood the work-flow of a kitchen environment, she adds. “I’m particularly pleased with the flow; waiters will walk from the kitchen through to the restaurant and return past the wash up area.”

Freeman says WelTec will make extensive use of the production kitchen and training restaurant. “That’s how we assess our stu-dents, they have to produce food and deliver it to the end user so we need that facility on a regular basis for accreditation.”

Being located in the heart of the city’s hospitality industry will make it easier for our industry experts to come in and help with these assessments, she adds. (Previously these courses were taught at WelTec’s Petone campus.)

For Le Cordon Bleu, use of the training restaurant will begin later in 2013 at the

third, ‘superior’ level of the Diplôme de Cuisine, says Newell. As with WelTec, this will involve opening to the public. “These meals will be very good value, we’ll be using top ingredients, there will be no compromise on the quality we need.”

Ultra-modern classrooms, student com-mons, social areas and a library are all part of the complex. Throughout the building, air flows and flooring were critical components, with no expense spared in the final solutions, says Freeman.

“We have installed Degadur resin flooring, it’s expensive but better in the long term than vinyl, which swells and cracks and needs replacing. Our kitchens have imported Halton air conditioning systems; they are efficient and quiet so the lecturers don’t need to yell to be heard.”

Who, what, where?Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand is a partnership between parent companies Le Cordon Bleu International, WelTec and UCOL. Two schools, Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand and WelTec’s School of Hospitality, are based in the new, Wellington CBD premises. At this opening stage, Le Cordon Bleu offers one pâtisserie kitchen, one cuisine kitchen, prepping/storage/delivery space and student areas, all on level two. Further developments are planned.The first courses to be taught include the Diplôme de Cuisine, Diplôme de Pâtisserie, Bachelor of Hospitality Management and Bachelor of Culinary Arts and Business (offered for the first time) and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s (WSET) range of courses including the Advanced Diploma.WelTec School of Hospitality has one pâtisserie kitchen, two training kitchens and prepping/storage/delivery space. WelTec will move all except its Trades Academy and STAR culinary and hospitality courses from the Petone and Church Street campuses to Wellington.The schools share the training restaurant, production kitchen and demonstration theatre, Espresso Lab and bar training area, four classrooms and student learning commons.

The Cordon Bleu's pâtisserie kitchen has a beautiful marble top workspace.

Setting the standard

28 September 2012, 10am to 5:30pm48–45 Cuba Street, Wellington CBD

To request further information please phone 0800 WelTec (935 832).

More details can be found on our website by following the links to the School of Hospitality www.weltec.ac.nz.

School of Hospitality Showcase

WELLINGTON INSTITuTE Of TECHNOLOGy



Setting the standard

28 September 2012, 10am to 5:30pm48–45 Cuba Street, Wellington CBD

To request further information please phone 0800 WelTec (935 832).

More details can be found on our website by following the links to the School of Hospitality www.weltec.ac.nz.

School of Hospitality Showcase

WELLINGTON INSTITuTE Of TECHNOLOGy

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Le Cordon Bleu chefsChef de pâtisserie Sébastien Lambert and chef de cuisine Adam Newell have begun teaching the first lessons in the new Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand school. Next year, as courses progress and student rolls grow, more chef/tutor colleagues will be appointed and it seems there won’t be any problem filling those vacancies, such is the pulling power of the international culinary institution.Le Cordon Bleu director, Cath Hopkin, said more than 50 international and Kiwi chefs had applied for the initial two positions, most of them coming from executive or head chef level. “We selected Adam and Sébastien because their international experience will give our students crucial insights into the pressures of working in world-class restaurants.”Newell says working for five years under the Roux family at Le Gavroche in London defined his career. “Working for Albert and Michel Roux Jnr instilled in me the importance of classical French technique, merging the scientific and creative elements of cooking.”Lambert, a classically trained pâtisserie chef, has worked in France, Ireland, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. “To share my skills and passion for pâtisserie with budding chefs at Le Cordon Bleu is a dream come true.”Newell says initially he and Lambert will be teaching the first levels of the Diplôme de Cuisine and Diplôme de Pâtisserie, respectively. “By January we will move to the intermediate level and more tutor/chefs will come on board to take the basic levels. Later in 2013 we’ll move to the third, superior levels and the other tutors will move up.”


Chef Profile.

Teaching the tradeIf you want to be the best, you need to learn from the best. That’s what students

enrolled in the brand-new Le Cordon Bleu will be doing. They have a culinary master in their midst with Adam Newell, the new chef de cuisine.

BY KATHY OMBLER

Enthusing students, showcasing our artisan produce to an international audience and working in a world-class culinary teaching environment are all the good things Adam Newell is looking forward to, in his new role as chef de cuisine with Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand.

He also says he’s now older, mellowed, and that teaching with Le Cordon Bleu is a lifestyle choice that will enable him to stay in the industry he loves. Not many high profile chef jobs pop up in Wellington and it seems when they do, Adam Newell’s name is written on them.

First the British born, one-Michelin-star chef had barely touched down in New Zealand when, in 1998, he was appointed executive chef at Te Papa’s flagship Icon Restaurant, when the national museum first opened. Fourteen years on esteemed international cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu, has opened its stylish new premises in Wellington and there’s Newell again, at the helm.

In between times he’s kept busy, fronting television cooking programmes, writing cook books and, most notably, establishing his own, Mediterranean-style restaurant Zibibbo. One of the f irst local eateries to introduce the small plate, tapas style of dining, Zibibbo has developed a loyal Wellington clientele in its 12-year-life.

Meanwhile, Newell also developed diabetes and, in his search for a more balanced lifestyle the idea of teaching appealed. “I’ve wanted something else to do for a long time. The Zibibbo team has been here for several years now and the systems are in place. A lot of chefs at this point open other restaurants but that’s not what I’m about, it means you spend too much time out of your kitchen.

“With teaching, I’ve been taking master classes here at Zibibbo and as I’ve got older it’s something I’ve really enjoyed. When I heard Le Cordon Bleu was coming here and knowing what I know about the company I realised that’s the environment I want to

be in. The resources they have in place, the way they train and retain their tutor staff, their ethos – and it’s a way of still working in the industry.”

Newell is speaking from previous experience with Le Cordon Bleu. After working five years with the famous Roux brothers at London’s Le Gavroche, then earning his Michelin star as head chef at Fulham Road Restaurant, he taught chefs at the British Hills Hotel in Tokyo, where food operations were managed by Le Cordon Bleu, then tutored in the London and Paris schools.

That was a long time ago but he says the memories came flooding back this year when he went to Le Cordon Bleu Sydney, then Le Cordon Bleu Dusit, in Bangkok, for training. “That school is just immaculate, with training very true to the Le Cordon Bleu French tradition and techniques.”

There is also no compromise with ingredients, adds Newell. “If we need quail, duck, or truffles we get them. Thailand struggles with this, every


Chef Profile.

week they fly in lamb from New Zealand, beef from Australia, salmon from Scotland and their prepping room is hard-core busy.

“This is where I think our New Zealand school can be really special, looking at the curriculum there are only a few things we will need to import. Our beef and lamb is really good and we have these amazing artisan products; our haloumi, our mozzarellas and our Wagyu beef (for example). Our olive oils; they are like our sauvignon blancs, they jump out of the bottle whereas traditional European olive oils are older, more subdued. We have such things at our finger tips that make us special.”

Newell says in the time he’s been in New Zealand the changes in the quality, range and knowledge of food have been dramatic. “In 16 years the standard has sky-rocketed and that’s got a lot to do with our customers. They talk about Angus beef now, they know about Wagyu, they demand free-range chicken and eggs.

“There are very few things we can’t get here now and that’s important to Le Cordon Bleu. If you tried to set up a Le Cordon Bleu here 20 years ago with its curriculum out of Paris; well, good luck!”

Nevertheless, while French tradition is central to the Le Cordon Bleu ethos, Newell has discerned a hint of change. “I noticed in Bangkok some curricula have Asian ingredients – seared tuna in the base cuisine

with a nice dressing, for example. There is also freedom to introduce a little in the way of garnishes and plating. There is provision for innovation but nothing too random. This is certainly not about molecular gastronomy, that’s moved on,” he adds.

Newell, also, says he’s moved on, or at least mellowed. He’s first to agree in his early New Zealand days he wasn’t popular with his staff. “You have a different outlook when you’re younger, you think just about the food, not so much the concepts of how you get there. The older you get the more understanding you have of what makes people tick. You work out the strengths and weaknesses of your team and write your menus to suit. I guess you mellow.”

He throws in a pinch of self-defence: “At the same time, if you want to be at the top of your game you need drive, passion and commitment. If you said Martin Bosley or Paul Hoather or Al Brown got to where they are by being totally chilled out you’d have to say someone is spinning you a story.”

More recently, diabetes has been Newell’s major challenge. But hanging up his apron for good was not an option. “Playing golf and going on holidays would be all very good for a while but I think you need a purpose in life. I’m only 47, there are still things I want to do and teaching is one of them. Now I’ll be able to walk across the road after classes and eat in my own restaurant. In 12 years I’ve probably only eaten here 12 times.”

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Chef Adam Newell has always embraced

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Technology.

Positioned outside a bar or restaurant, the new Dineworks Touch interactive menu uses video, images and technology to draw people in.


Technology.

Touting technologyCustomers can scan, tap or touch just about anything in a restaurant or bar nowadays as new technologies strive to provide customers with faster, more efficient service. SUE FEA surveys the latest POS systems, loyalty programmes and software made for the hospitality trade.


Technology.

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Technology is moving faster than we can turn out hot dinners and hospitality operators need to get up to speed or face losing business. Paymark’s Phil Deason says in several years we’ll be “leaving the house without our wallet”.

Smartphone technology is already taking over and phones will become an integral part of our purchasing lives. “The phone is so central to people’s lives now. It’s their music, calendar, email, games and camera.”

“It’s a very small step to put payment, loyalty programmes and location-based services telling you that a customer is walking past, onto these phones,” says Deason.

Mobilisation of POS systems is already arriving with staff able to walk up to a customer in a café with an iPad, or even an iPod, to take their order then email them the receipt. “The technology is here. These devices will move into the mainstream within 12 to 24 months.”

Operators need to gear up for the future and put strategies in place to look at which options target their customers most effectively and how to use this technology.

Use of contactless or ‘tap and go’ cards, which are waved in front of an Eftpos terminal for transactions below $80, is growing. Customers can tap the card and put in their pin number for any transaction above $80. “Very few have it now, but it will grow strongly in the next year,” says Deason.

Contactless cards are merely “a stepping stone” to mobile phone payments. Deason also predicts that in the next year or two, “customers will be tapping Eftpos terminals

with a payment card embedded inside their phone. It’s already happening in limited releases overseas and there are initiatives underway in New Zealand.”

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Viaduct director Mark Unwin says with rapid developments in contactless cards and iPhone technology operators are best to lease equipment so they can change easily as systems are upgraded. The readers for contactless cards will be the same as for smartphones, but operators should work with their supplier so they’re in a position to change.

Loyalty programmes like Reward Junkie and Eftplus are also vital for “trending customers”. ACR System’s sophisticated Swiftpos software is being rolled out onto hospitality Panasonic POS terminals around the country.

Esquires Coffee will be the first in New Zealand to roll out the Swiftpos menu board’s module, a new feature just released. “When you do product descriptions, promotions, happy hour price changes, graphic changes in Switfpos - they’ll all automatically update to your menu boards, so you’re not using two applications.”

The Swiftpos Vouchers programme enables graphical vouchers with serialised QR barcodes to print out on receipt printers. Customers can present this at the counter to redeem their free coffee or beer. It’s scanned and interrogates the Swiftpos software.

ACR general manager Lee Edwards says Swiftpos will also create a voucher and export an image of it to the QR voucher code that can be posted to your business Facebook or webpage. “Right now customers can grab vouchers on their phones, open them and take them to the bar and scan that straight off their phone onto a QR reader.”

“This sort of stuff is affordable and it’s starting to take off,” says Edwards.

Advanced web ordering is already here and proving popular with cafés. IPads are already being used in the likes of Jack Tar’s in Auckland where staff now walk around and take orders via iPad. At Dawson’s a cheaper method using iPods has proved great for “queue busting”. Staff members move about taking orders via iPod with an Eftpos terminal in their pocket. Payment is made, it’s cheap and efficient and the operator makes more money, says Edwards.

ACR will also be the first in the country to release integrated Eftpos to iPadpos this month. “Waiters will take your order via iPad at your table. It’s printed straight out in the kitchen. I come back with your meal and bring up your table on my iPad, hand you the Eftpos terminal in my pocket and you pay right there and then.”

The possibilities are endless. IPad ordering at tables, reading the newspaper online while we eat?

Dineworks co-owner

Dan Davies


Technology.

But Dineworks co-owner Dan Davis cautions against this with people already spending so much time in front of screens. “Some

people’s eyes are on screens all day. They may want a break when relaxing in a restaurant.”

Davis is sure there will be a market for iPad menus. However, technology should not replace good service. “When I look at the restaurant culture − we like nice printed things, they’re easy on our eyes. The people who come and sell the food to you and explain it; you want that human interaction.”

His new Dineworks Touch interactive menus are instead placed beside traditional menus outside restaurants to draw customers in.

Secured in a metal lockable enclosure, the system is already proving its worth for Molten Restaurant in Mt Eden and Dineworks has orders to install them in seven more restaurants. In the first six weeks it attracted more people inside and data showed people were watching up to two videos of dishes being

prepared.“It can be a real experience. Sometimes menus don’t

communicate that. What we’re doing across video and technology is making the most of that imagination.”“A fundamental part of a person’s decision is outside, what’s

on the menu, what it costs and why it costs that much. They can read Bomb Alaska and see a high price tag or actually watch

it being made right there on video, the flames pouring up, and go, ‘wow, I want that’!”

Davis says the biggest opportunity for restaurants right now is storytelling, and video, photos and social media enable this.

Call: 0800 WIZBANG (0800 949 226) Email: [email protected]

You’ll wonder how you managed without it...

Revolutionising Hospitality

straightforward point of sale


Technology.

Wizbang’s Chris Smith says self-service kiosks are already taking orders and purchases in a handful of food outlets in New Zealand. Customers follow a voice prompt, select their order and any modifications, such as soy in their coffee, via touch screen, type their name; swipe their loyalty card and pay. Eftpos can be integrated into these systems, just as it is in many supermarkets kiosks.

Wizbang is also writing its own business intelligence module, OneTapBI, similar to

the likes of Loaded Reports and Summa. Data is captured from the POS system and used to monitor stock, purchasing and even alerting operators when wage costs exceed a set average so staff can be sent home early.

But technology can’t develop fast enough for owner of the busy Rangiora Bakery, Ron Van Til, who wants a LRS (long range system) table tracker for his 80-table café operation. A small tag transmitter is placed underneath each table. Customers take a disc

to the table which sends a signal back to staff on a screen, easily identifying, via a GPS style system, where that customer is sitting.

“We’re just waiting for the technology. We’d be happy to be a prototype for anyone wanting to develop one. We would throw some money at it to be the test guinea pig,” says Van Til. He’s already using RFID’s (radio frequency identification device) in his large wholesale operation for tracking pellets and stock in the freezer.


Food for Thought.

Searching for a

to support: is it you?hospitality star

For more information, visit www.hsi.co.nz/rising_star

The Hospitality Training Trust (HTT), formed in 2011, promotes leadership, talent and knowledge in New Zealand’s hospitality industry.The inaugural Rising Star Award aims to encourage the growth of management skills in hospitality, provide role models for career development and, as the Award recipient moves into a leadership role, to potentially add benefit to future learners.Applications for this Award are invited from people in the hospitality industry who currently hold a National Certificate at a minimum of Level 4, and who want to study at Level 5 or 6, or for the first year of a relevant degree. The HTT will pay up to the value of $5000 towards the cost of this further training.This is an opportunity for a promising manager to have their talent acknowledged and advance their hospitality career.

Industry training of great valueThe Government’s recent announcement of proposed changes for industry training is an acknowledgement that the industry training sector provides great value for relevant skill development.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce announced the result of the year long review at the Industry Training Federation Annual Conference in Wellington last month.

Federation chief executive Mark Oldershaw said proposed changes amounted to support for the current system and introduced some improvements, particularly around clarifying its support of apprenticeships and the roles of Industry Training Organisations.

“These proposed changes will be discussed among our industry groups over the next few weeks. However, overall the review is an endorsement of the role ITOs have played in working with their industries to deliver relevant skills and qualifications linked to the New Zealand Qualifications Framework. I am pleased to note that the Government wants to pave the way for more apprentices.”

“The Minister has also an acknowledgement of the significant improvement ITOs have made to their performance and outcomes over the last few years.

“In times of economic recession, the Government has clearly realised what good value our system offers them. A qualification delivered through the industry training system costs taxpayers less than half the amount of a qualification delivered through a polytechnic or other provider.

“It is 20 years since the Industry Training Act was passed and it was timely to have our roles reviewed to ensure ITOs are well placed to support the skill development of the New Zealand workforce,” Oldershaw remarked.

HSI will be consulting the hospitality industry about the Government’s proposals over the next few weeks.

Ken Harris is chief executive of HSI.

A copy of the Review paper can be found here: www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/TertiaryEducation/PolicyAndStrategy/ReviewIndustryTraining/ConsultationOnProposalToChangeIndustryTraining.aspx. The Minister’s speech to the ITF Conference can be read at www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/speech-industry-training-federation-annual-conference.Feedback is due by Wednesday September 12 and can be emailed directly to the Ministry: [email protected].

http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/TertiaryEducation/PolicyAndStrategy/ReviewIndustryTraining/ConsultationOnProposalToChangeIndustryTraining.aspx



mailto:[email protected]

The language of wineIf you’re part of the hospitality sector – especially working in a hotel, restaurant or bar – or if you are involved in events; learning about wine is an important area of your job description. As in all professions, wine and beverage people have their own ‘job-speak’ – a jargon those outside the calling may find fascinating or irritating.

Understanding this vocabulary will help you assess and discuss wine – it’s part of your job and takes a little practice. The good news is that the more you experience and taste, the better you become at expressing your thoughts, ideas and opinions on wine. The place to start is developing an understanding of the descriptors of smells and flavours.

Where do those descriptors come from? The answer is simpler than it may appear. They come primarily from our experiences of smell and taste. Can you remember the smell of citrus oil on your skin after peeling an orange, the smell of smoked meats or the alluring scent of a white rose? What you see, smell, and taste provides your own journey. Harnessing this language when faced with a wine you feel connected with, yet can’t seem to find the words to describe is the challenge.

Olives can be a great first experiment (red, green or stuffed) but take about five different sorts. Smell them one after another, slowly then a little more quickly – eyes open. Do this again, eyes closed and as you smell the olives picture (in your mind) the shape, style and aroma each one carries. Now taste them – whether you like them or not. The smell and flavour of each olive will become part of the taste experience and language of wine for you. (Olives can be good descriptors for Cabernet Sauvignon based wines, Italian and older red wines.)

The next step is to add power words to what you are experiencing. This is also quite simple: ‘low’ +/- for light or delicate aromas, ‘medium’ +/- for obvious but not too strong smells and ‘high’ +/- for smells that smack you in the nose with some force – think Gewurztraminer when reading this – it’s often a candy shop and a fruit and florist store all rolled into one.

Next time you are at a Farmers Market or a local produce (or spice) store, take some time to quietly absorb the smells of what is around you – the memories will build your language of wine.

Cameron Douglas is New Zealand’s first and only Master Sommelier.

The buzz of the Fare For sheer spectacle, noise, action, smells, buzz, and interest from hospitality and foodservice professionals the length and breadth of the country, nothing matches the New Zealand Culinary Fare. The Fare is one of the biggest live competitions of its sort in the world and a testimony to the dedication and commitment shown by the scores of volunteers involved who so generously give up their time to be part of the event – judging, assisting with the running of the event, or helping competitors.

This year the Fare was a great success and I would like to thank all those who were involved. It takes so many people willing to give their time and commitment in order for the Fare to happen. Thank you to all the competitors, judges and all our sponsors for their on-going commitment to the industry.

Over 700 competitors entered events making the Fare a launching pad for many of our future hospitality stars with many great careers kick-started here. Winning a class in this competition is an impressive addition to anyone’s CV. Our industry only grows and improves when the individuals, who work in it, such as the competitors in the Culinary Fare, challenge themselves to push their own skill levels and passion to greater heights.

We had many spectators with over 4,000 visitors over the three days. There is no other event in New Zealand which has the colour, passion, excitement and diversity which the Culinary Fare produces and the invaluable support given by so many of our industry guarantees its success.

We also announced our Hall of Fame winner Michael Van de Elzen at this year’s Feast by famous chefs. Each year members of the Restaurant Association are given the chance to vote for a candidate to be considered to join a distinguished line up of achievers in the Restaurant Hall of Fame.

This year the honour goes to Michael Van de Elzen, chef, restaurateur and contributor to his community. Michael’s many skills, flamboyant personality, thirst for knowledge and love of the industry make him a very deserving recipient. He joins many of our industry greats such as Simon Gault, Judith Tabron and Ruth Pretty.

Thank you again to all those involved in making these events happen and we are looking forward to 2013 and the Culinary Fare’s 21st year!

Marisa Bidois is CEO of the Restaurant Association of New Zealand.


Food for Thought.

From one unforgettable course to another.Study Culinary and Hospitality at MIT. 0800 62 62 52 | www.manukau.ac.nz


Food for Thought.

Raising the barThe finalists in this year’s Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence programme have just been announced. The diversity in premises and geographic location is simply outstanding.

All the entrants, not just the finalists, are visited by one of our panel of experts. Given the economic environment it wouldn’t have been surprising if those visits indicated some degree of negativity in trading conditions. In fact, the opposite was the case. The judges reported that the majority of entrants in this year’s awards were trading positively, despite the challenging environment.

As the judges were reviewing the entries, a common theme appeared with what these entrants were doing that made them stand out from the crowd.

Firstly, they had or were investing or re-investing in the quality of their offering to ensure that their place was somewhere people wanted to go to, an exciting place and they delivered an experience people couldn’t get elsewhere.

Secondly, there was a high focus on the soft skills in delivering a quality hospitality experience. Staff training to deliver a consistently high level of service on each and every occasion was a top priority. These operators have recognised the importance of getting it right on every occasion given the damage that can be done with a negative experience through the power of social marketing.

That brings us to the third priority which is telling the story. Some may call it marketing, but today customers are looking for that point of difference and this year’s finalists have really upped the ante in ensuring that their marketing strategy tells their story in a way which excites their customers.

The hospitality recipe has never really changed – have a quality product, market it well and exceed the customer’s expectations. This year’s finalists are delivering and reaping the rewards.

Bruce Robertson is the chief executive of Hospitality New Zealand.

You’re a generous lotRunning a restaurant is hard work – and that applies not only to the owners, but to every person involved in making the place a success. That’s why it is exceedingly generous of restaurateurs and their staff members to take part in events that raise money for various charities.

One of the biggest is the Vintner’s Brunch, held annually in Auckland for the past 16 years to raise funds for North Shore Hospice. Using a ‘lucky dip’ system, a dozen restaurants are partnered with the same number of wineries. Each duo prepares a dish and matches it to a carefully chosen wine, then diners try the various pairings over a relaxing Sunday afternoon and vote for their favourite.

This year, the prize went to Ebisu, a relatively new mod-Japanese spot on the Auckland hospitality scene. Chefs Murray Wiblin and Yukio Ozeki presented a sashimi of scallops, tuna and snapper with tobiko (flying fish roe), and matched it with Villa Maria Cellar Selection Arneis 2011. It was a brilliant combination.

The Ebisu partnership was a popular winner, but the prize could have gone to any of the wine and food combinations in the room.

The restaurants don’t cut corners. These are serious dishes, and the wineries present top-end wines to accompany them. The two chardonnays on offer illus-trate the point. Babich Irongate Chardonnay complemented Harbourside’s chilli prawns, while the Brajkovich family’s Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay brought out the best in Kitchen’s deconstructed ‘salmon Benedict’. These are two of the most respected wines in the country.

Red wine standouts included Coopers Creek Reserve Syrah, which sat nicely with O’Connell Street Bistro’s braised lamb neck fillets, and the rich and earthy Mills Reef Reserve Merlot/Malbec that worked brilliantly alongside the cinnamon and tamarind flavours of Monsoon Poon’s exemplary Beef Rendang. Man o’ War Ironclad, from Waiheke Island, backed up Marvel Grill’s pistachio-crusted lamb rack.

Every combinstion was obviously the result of a great deal of consideration, but it was the generosity of the restaurant and winery staff that was the most impressive aspect of this annual event.

Saturday night is a ‘biggie’ for restaurants, yet each year these good people manage to prepare servings for more than 400 guests by the next morning. It is a massive undertaking, and it raises between $130,000 and $140,000 each year. That’s a great effort by any measure.

Nor does the generosity of the participants end with their time commitment. An auction is a feature of the day, and many of the restaurants and wineries involved donate dinners, lunches and prized bottles to the cause.

Compare this with the attitude of people who refuse to dine out on holiday weekends because they won’t pay the now-common surcharge. Doubtless, these are the same folk who refuse to tip as matter of principle.

Our dining culture has come a long way in the last few years, but I sometimes think that it is the diners, not the hospitality operators, who need to take a more mature attitude.

Vic Williams is cellar director for the New Zealand Wine Society.


Marketplace.

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Thanks to Virtue Books we have a copy each of A Southern Woman’s Kitchen and Party Food to give away.

To be in to win, call 09 486 0908 or email [email protected].

Congratulations to last month’s winners. Bangers to Bacon was won by Pat Kerr of

Roxburgh and Little and Friday was won by Jerry Norton of Auckland.

Books can be purchased from Virtue Books. Call 09 486 0908 to

secure your copy.

A Southern Woman’s KitchenJoan BishopPublished by Longacre, Random House, 2012RRP: $40 Hospitality special: $35

Joan Bishop is one of Dunedin’s favourite foodies. She has written a monthly column in The Otago Daily Times for 25 years and this book celebrates her best recipes printed over this time. Joan has published two previous books: New Zealand Crockpot and Slow Cooker Cookbook. This book contains many tasty recipes using the crockpot and Joan has included extensive notes on the recipes. A Southern Woman’s Kitchen certainly captures the spirit of the south with good home comfort food. Well done Joan.

Party FoodDiane De VantierPublished by New Holland, Australia 2011RRP: $35 Hospitality special: $30

Party food is a yummy collection of recipes including these chapters: Things on sticks, dippers, canapés, tapas and tiny morsels. It certainly lives up to its byline: Delicious ideas for every occasion! There are a wide range of recipes such as marinated salmon served in a cherry tomato sandwich, patatas bravas (fiery potatoes), olive and pine nut biscotti and hot cheese artichoke dip. Party Food is a hard cover book, with colour pictures and the recipes are easy to follow and suit any occasion. Looking for different ideas – this book will give you some.


Another year, anotherWORLD CUP

The classiest movers and shakers of the world converged on Queenstown and Auckland early this month to mix it up with the best of them at the 42Below Cocktail World Cup.

BY SUE FEA

The 21 top bartenders from around the world are judged on flair, professionalism, personality, technical detail, originality and on-stage persona.

Team New Zealand’s three members were selected from the eight finalists in some pretty tough competition at the national finals held in Wellington’s Front Room on July 29. They had seven minutes to impress judges, chef Rex Morgan, former Queenstown, now Wellington, bartending identity Jason Clark and Lion luxury spirits ambassador and host of The Mix, Frankie Walker.

The boys – Guy Jacobson, of Wellington’s Hippopotamus Bar, Barney Toy, of Suite Bar in Auckland and Giancarlo Jesus, of the Hawthorn Lounge in Wellington – have had a month of team bonding behind the bar, meeting, concocting, experimenting and researching.

Walker says Team New Zealand is ready to take on the other six teams – Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Startenders team, the three best competitors who have never been in the cup before, and the Wild Card team of those who came extremely close to selection in the regional finals.

The competition attracted an overwhelming 120 entries from bartenders around the country, narrowed down to between six and eight entrants per region.

“It’s the first time we’ve done such an extensive search. We’re really hoping this time our boys will bring the cup home.”

In past years the event has been open to all, but this year Walker says there’s been a big push to find those true stars for the first ever official New Zealand team.

“We wanted to blow all the previous years out of the water. This is the first time we’ve had so many regional heats.”

The six regional heats produced some amazing talent and the regional judges were confident they had hunted out the best in technical ability, taste and flavour, outstanding drinks, X-factor and three individuals who would work well together as a team.

Those exciting trends of molecular gastronomy you’d expect to find only in a top restaurant kitchen had been reflected in some cutting edge bartending.

“We’ve had some amazing drinks that more closely resemble science experiments than cocktails. Contestants have been making everything from scratch – their own bitters,

liqueurs, infusing their own vodka and making their own food accompaniments.

“We’ve even had drinks mixed in miniature oak barrels.”

The Queenstown regional final on July 24 attracted a huge crowd of 150 people.

Walker says his heart went out to Queenstown regional heat winner Mikey Ball, of the Naughty Penguin, who suffered from a massive allergic reaction to nuts on the competition night. Ball went on to compete and only “missed out by a whisker” on making the top three.

The week-long cup competition kicked off in Queenstown on September 3 where the world’s best mixed it up for four days taking on various challenges that test much more that competitors’ drinks making skills. Bungy jumping was highly likely to be on the agenda as was an impromptu mystery box challenge. Some of the world’s best and most influential bartending talent were on hand at seminars and organisers promised plenty of thrill-seeking activities devised to “make even the bravest bartenders cry”.

Walker was keeping the details under wraps but says teams “may have to produce a cocktail out of thin air”.

“The whole week is a compete secret.”

Come a little closer…Sacred Hill Wines is expanding, with the launch of Sacred Hill Wine Company. We now market, sell and distribute our highly regarded wine portfolio directly to you, bringing you closer to the people who craft the wine.

To find out who your Regional Territory Manager is, contact us on:

0800 WINECO (946 326) [email protected] | sacredhillwineco.com

SACRED HILL WINE COMPANY

16634 SA SHWC Thirst Ad 06 FA.indd 1 11/07/12 3:05 PM

Come a little closer…Sacred Hill Wines is expanding, with the launch of Sacred Hill Wine Company. We now market, sell and distribute our highly regarded wine portfolio directly to you, bringing you closer to the people who craft the wine.

To find out who your Regional Territory Manager is, contact us on:

0800 WINECO (946 326) [email protected] | sacredhillwineco.com

SACRED HILL WINE COMPANY

16634 SA SHWC Thirst Ad 06 FA.indd 1 11/07/12 3:05 PM

Dispensing good spiritsIn our fast moving times it is not only technology that rapidly goes out of date. Laws do too.

A few weeks back the Distilled Spirits Association submitted to the Commerce Select Committee on the Consumer Law Reform Bill. The Bill’s aim is to modernise various and existing consumer laws which are now more than two decades old.

Consequently, the Bill presents an opportunity to remove unnecessary red tape and unneeded regulations from the law books.

The Association recommended that useful changes can and should be made to the Weights and Measures Act (WMA) and its regulations.

In particular we reckon the regulations related to spirit dispenser volumes are outdated and should be revoked.

As it stands, Section 36 sets out the multiple permissible errors for spirit dispensers. That is, if a 15ml dispenser is used then there can be a variation of 0.6ml. For an 18ml dispenser, 0.6ml, for a 30ml dispenser, 1.0ml and for a 60ml dispenser, 1.5ml.

We say the regulations no longer have a

practical application for the trade.They may have been relevant at the time

of metrication in the mid-1970s. However, this is less applicable today given substantial changes to industry practices and changing contemporary realities.

Very few trade establishments now dispense spirits from suspended overhead brackets. The trend has reached the point where there are now no bottles made available to the on-trade with their labels printed upside down so that they will be the right way up when they are inverted. Specific dispensers for 18ml and 60ml dispensers, for instance, have been long abandoned and are not part of today’s industry equipment or serving environment.

Ref lecting the changing pattern of alcohol consumption and consumer habits most modern and upmarket on-premise establishments utilise bar tools that are of the “free-flow” variety, as they are faster and offer more user flexibility with servings. Some operators may use dispensers for stock and or fraud control purposes rather than to deliver an advertised measure.

It is also our view that the regulations are

unnecessary as spirits are not typically served to adult patrons with a notice or statement specifying a fixed size or quantity. Spirits are simply served by the glass and made to an individual consumer’s preference.

Spirits have been described in New Zealand as a “nip” but this has never been a legally defined unit of liquid volume. In fact, it is more of an informal or colloquial expression in the same vein as “single” or “double”.

Moreover, in the service of drinks in reasonable and required proportions it is worthwhile mentioning that our licensing laws sets out the responsibilities on licencees and their staff that prevent them serving intoxicated patrons or encouraging irresponsible consumption, and there are long running agency education campaigns helping people understand what constitutes a standard drink/serve.

The major point for us is that we want to see modern and relevant law that does not discriminate against spirits. We believe there is insufficient evidence, a justifiable case nor benefit for keeping the old spirit regulations - they should be dispensed with.

Spirits. Thomas Chin.


With 25 wineries taking part across three shows and 190 wines on offer, it was something of a mission to get through them all, but what a lovely mission to have.

This year’s event was the ninth time the Hawke’s Bay winemakers had hit the road as a group. It started back in 2004 purely as a red wine show to highlight the quality of reds being grown in the Bay. In the past few years, however, whites have crept in and this year the whites came out from beneath the tasting table and took their places among their red brethren.

The show is all the better for it, too. Hawke’s Bay is rightly famed for its chardonnays, which are of a quality that is simply astonishing; rich, creamy, buttery wines with lively acidity and great balance; they are a world away from the old, overoaked “chewing a mantelpiece” wines of the ‘90s.

Clearview is rightly famous for its chardonnay and the 2010 Reserve Chardonnay is an absolute rock star of a wine. The Endeavour Chardonnay is – if such a thing is possible – even more rich, complex and elegant, but it carries a hefty price tag as well. Other standout chardonnays on show included Te Mata’s silky, stylish Elston, the fantastic Cypress Terraces and the Pask Declaration.

But it isn’t just chardonnay; sauvignon blanc from the Bay is surprisingly good, whether in the more familiar, zingy style that Marlborough prides itself on or the more complex, barrel-fermented style. They show lovely, ripe tropical fruit characters and a nice balancing acidity in either style, as the Crossroads Milestone and the Sacred Hill Sauvage showed.

The reds, though, really are a class apart. From the sweet plum notes of the merlots to the intoxicating blend of fruit and pepper in the syrahs, Hawke’s Bay really nails red wine.

Alpha Domus’s Pilot Merlot was like a dessert in a glass, full of black raspberry and vanilla, while the Mills Reef Reserve Merlot just about takes you by the hand and seduces you on the spot, with its blend of fruit, smoke and silk.

The cabernets and cabernet blends were triumphant, proof that the Bay can foot with the very best of the overseas competitors. Esk Valley stood out for me (no surprises there, really, given winemaker Gordon Russell’s pedigree) and while the standard merlot-cabernet-malbec blend was exceptional, the Reserve Merlot Malbec Cabernet was breath-taking.

Syrah is another great strength of Hawke’s Bay and the standard seems to be getting higher each year. The heady whiff of pepper (black or

white, depending on winery) leads on to deep, rich fruit and leathery aromas and the wines combine class with a real approachability.

Highlights for me included Bridge Pa’s effortlessly gorgeous Louis, which attracts awards like barbecues attract mossies, and the winery’s quite extraordinary Atanga, a super-super premium syrah that blew me away.

Mission’s Jewelstone, the Mills Reef Elspeth and Craggy Range also stick out in the memory.

The “other reds” category gets a little bigger each year and Trinity Hills’ Tempranillo is always a joy to drink and one that is a must-list for any wine list, given its versatility as a food wine and its ability to knock your socks off as a by-the-glass wine. Crossroads’ Winemaker’s Collection Cabernet Franc is drop-dead gorgeous, as is Black Barn’s cab franc and Te Mata’s excellent Woodthorpe Gamay Noir. And no write up of the expo would be complete without a mention of Clearview’s mad-but-brilliant Sea Red, a fortified red dessert wine that will stand up to the richest chocolate puddings.

Overall, the show was a triumph, well run and well attended, with an excellent selection of wineries and wines on offer. The only pity about it is that it only happens once a year.

There are few more pleasant outings on the

annual wine calendar than the Red Hot Hawke’s Bay roadshow and this year

was no exception.

BY DON KAVANAGH


Cider.

Being a cidermaker might sound like an idyllic job, but the man who produces Old Mout’s brews – and all the cider for DB – has a busy time ahead.

It’s not all mucking about in sun-dappled orchards for David Sax, who is now in charge of all the cider production for both companies following the new joint-venture arrangement between the two companies, but he is looking forward to the challenge of taking cider to the next stage.

“Cider is still a growing category and we’re still growing at well over 150 per cent a year,” he said.

“The category is growing at 33 per cent a year, but there is so much space to grow. Compared to beer, that’s really good, because we only make up 1 per cent of alcohol sales now, compared to 2 per cent in Australia and 13 per cent in the UK. There is a massive opportunity for growth.”

He backs his words up with figures. Research shows that only 9 per cent of households bought cider last year. To some, that would look like failure, but Sax is bullish about the figures.

“That means 91 per cent of households are there to be converted. It’s a huge market for us to get into.”

The figures might look small but, given

where cider has come from, the strides so far have been immense, due in no small part to the efforts of big breweries DB and Lion, whose weight helped the smaller producers to move forward as well.

“We take cider extremely seriously and the joint venture with DB gives us a great opportunity to continue to be innovative in what we produce.”

Sax doesn’t come from a brewing background, despite growing up in Sussex, the southern heart of cider country in England. Oddly enough, he started off as a winemaker in his native land, helping England’s nascent wine industry.

He wound up in Blenheim working at Grove Mill winery, before switching from grapes to apples in Old Mout’s Nelson home, but his winemaking touch has come in handy.

“I tend to take a winemaking approach to cider – I like to be able to keep those primary fruit flavours, like a good wine.”

That also spurs his innovative urge when it comes to cider.

“What’s great about wine is that there are so many varietals. You can’t say you don’t

like wine, because there is a wine out there for everyone. I think cider can be the same, with a range of different flavours available.”

That doesn’t mean a sudden bloom of specialty cider apples growing around the country. In fact, there are no cider apples grown in commercial quantities here, but that hasn’t stopped Sax working with what he’s got.

“There will be a lot of new products available; I’m keen to have a fruit ferment on the go all the time.”

Some of the new variants will include a hopped cider – a lovely, subtle cider with a tangy hop finish that was launched at Beervana – and he’s also keen to try a bottle-conditioned cider.

But it’s sales that are providing the most successful stories so far and that looks likely to continue.

“We’re getting a specialisation in the cider market now. Before it was a tiny part of beer sales, but with dedicated cider reps on the road it will be different. We’re looking to push it to a new level.”

In hop heavenWellington correspondent KATHY OMBLER caught with all the latest beers at Beervana.

Sour beers, coffee beers, lots of very hoppy beers, fruit and veg beers, champion beers – all the skills and cheeky innovation of our top craft brewers were flowing fast, into the glasses of record crowds at Beervana 2012, held last month in Wellington.

Bringing craft beer into the mainstream is a goal of Beervana, says project manager Jessica Venning-Bryan. In which case, it’s lookout mainstream!

So much happened over two days of tastings, seminars, competitions and food and beer matching fun, here’s a summary of highlights:

The numbers: 8000 people (33 per cent up on last year, which was 50 per cent up on 2010) tasted 271 beers from 96 breweries (in 2011 there were 240 beers from 80 breweries).

Festival brews: The Sutton Group Brewers Guild of New Zealand Awards immediately preceded Beervana and the event’s “Fruit & Veg” themed Festive Brews were a big hit at Beervana. Fruit and veges are really quite challenging, says Venning-Bryan. “These 17 brews showcased the brewers at their experimental best, and the huge turnout at the Festival Beer seminar relished the chance to hear direct from those brewers.”

Home Brew Master Class: a new and sell out event this year, and well received for the one on one, hands-on help from ‘teachers’ Stu McKinlay (Yeastie Boys) and Kirsten Taylor (Black Rock).

Kudos to the volunteers: all 258 of them. “They poured beer, cut cheese, lugged barrels, they are integral to Beervana and we absolutely couldn’t do without them,” says Venning-Bryan.

Food: stylish snacks to match the convoluted crafty flavours were served up by eleven top Wellington restaurants, co-ordinated by “culinary director” Martin Bosley. How does that guy do everything he does, and still have time to chat?

Beers they were talking about: hard to single out, we’ll raise a glass anyway to Wellington’s Garage Project - one year old, 473 beers brewed so far and two trophies won. The attention was all on their trophy beers Dark Arts (espresso, hit!) and Ziggy’s Carrot Cake, which not everyone got to try because it was so popular they kept running out.

Blind tasters: sounds like the novices embarrassed the brewers in the blind tasting competitions, we’ll just say it proved it’s best to let the instincts take over and that the first reactions are the telling ones.

Hot home brewers: 70 brews arrived for the inaugural home brew competition. The judges said many were exceptional and all 10 finalists could easily go commercial, reports Venning-Bryan.

Funky food matching: beer specialist Kieran Haslett-Moore pleasantly surprised the punters with beer and cheese matches,

especially the washed-rind Kapiti Ramara paired with Hallertau’s Funkonnay sour ale.

Sour beers: touted as the beer of the future, says who? Richard Emerson for one. “You can only drink so many hoppy beers, sour beers are the future,” he told the seminar addressing what the craft beer future holds. Brian Watson got more eloquent. “We’ve gone as far as we can go with hops; we can’t put any more in. I know sour beer is going to be the next wave, with the wild yeasts used by the old Belgian brewers. You get fermented goat and horse blanket type flavours coming through. I know that doesn’t sound very good, just compare it with a watershed, a change of life.”

Beervana website hits – after Wellington they mostly came from Auckland and Christchurch and, get this, Sydney and Melbourne. Maybe they’re a bit starved of the classy craft stuff across the ditch; just 60 beers, including 16 Kiwi brews, were featured in Australia’s first major craft beer show, the Great Australian Beer Spectacular, held in May.

Councils need to loosen upA brewery is not a restaurant. But getting council to understand this, in the city promoted by its own tourism arm as New Zealand’s Craft Beer Capital, has been a huge source of frustration for young brewer Jos Ruffell, co-partner in one year old Aro Valley


Beervana.

brewery Garage Project. Speaking at Beervana, Ruffell called for councils to cut the red tape and encourage innovative new business.

“Starting a brewery is hard, and council regulations and procedures have been the main sources of frustration. We wanted a path that allowed us to be as experimental and flexible as possible, we also wanted to bring a brewery back into Wellington – we thought Lion pulling out of Mac’s was ridiculous.

“However getting council to understand that a brewery is not a restaurant, and that the same hygiene standards for a restaurant kitchen needn’t be applied to a brewery, was a challenge. It was frustrating because there were no examples to draw on, and the heavy-handed council approach is still on-going. They are not being very supportive of a small craft business in what is the craft capital, they need to be more flexible if they actually want to see more craft breweries in Wellington.”

Ironically, Ruffell said Garage Project brewer, Pete Gillepsie, abandoned earlier plans to set up a brewery in Australia’s Blue Mountains because the bureaucratic red tape there was “so horrific it was impossible”.

Their loss, our gain – on a positive note Ruffell gave kudos Wellington’s supportive craft beer community. “Having so many bars where we can put our kegs on and turn up with a whole new range, with people always asking what’s new, is great.”


Beervana.

Beer Awards – we’re getting it rightWhen the cream is there it means the beer is consistent – no Beer Awards chief judge Brian Watson isn’t talking riddles, he’s telling us the results of the Sutton Group Brewers Guild of New Zealand Awards 2012 confirmed that our brewers are getting it right.“The good beers always stand out and it’s great to see the stalwarts of the industry still picking up gold medals, for example Tuatara, Epic, Emersons and Sprig & Fern. It’s a good sign, it means there is consistency. They are all making great beers so as a panel when we see that we know everyone in doing a good job because the cream is always there.”New brewers were also pushing the boundaries, he said. “Garage Project, for example, is producing out of the box, brilliant beers. That’s what I love about our industry, as in the United States, we are not just doing lagers and drafts and dark beers we are doing all kinds of beers and the public is slowly coming around.”A special thrill for Watson was to see Harrington’s take out New Zealand Champion Brewery Trophy, after picking up two golds, two silvers and a bronze medal. “I think we were all surprised by Harrington’s, they have been sneaking under the radar and to see them up as grand champion was a thrill, it’s a really good result.”For Watson the stand out beer, however, was the Grand Cru 2011, from Soren Eriksen’s 8 Wired Brewing. “It’s unbelievable, it’s sour and it’s got wood, it’s one of the most fantastic beers a lot of us have ever tasted.”

THE TROPHY WINNERS ARE: New Zealand Champion Brewery: Harrington’s Breweries Champion International Brewery: Boston Beer Co European Lager Styles: Wigram Brewing Company, Munchner Dunkel International Lager Styles: Tuatara Brewing Company, Tuatara Pilsner British Ale Styles: Emerson’s Brewery, Regional Best Bitter Other European Ale Styles: Golden Bear Brewing, Pirate Peach Saison US Ale Styles: Liberty Brewing Co, Yakima Monster International Ale Styles: ParrotDog, BitterBitch Stout & Porter Styles: Wigram Brewing Company, The Czar Wheat & Other Grain Styles: Tuatara Brewing Co Ltd, Tuatara Hefe Flavoured & Aged Styles (incl. Fruit/Spice/Herb/ Honey/Smoke): Garage Project, Dark Arts New Zealand Specific Styles: Boundary Road Brewery, NZ Pure Specialty, Experimental, Aged, Barrel & Wood-Aged Styles: 8 Wired Brewing, Grand Cru 2011 Cider & Perry Styles: Bulmer Harvest, Harvest Pear Cider Cask Conditioned: Townshend Brewery, HM’s Black Strap Porter Packaging: Tuatara Brewing Company, Tuatara Range Festive Brew: Garage Project, Ziggy’s Carrot Cake Morton Coutts Trophy for Innovation: James (Jim) Pollitt

Brewers Guild New Zealand Beer Writer of the Year 2012: Phil Cook

Full details of all the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals and all awards can be downloaded by visiting http://brewersguild.org.nz

Goodbye Winter… Hello Spring!

Discover ultimate recipes on www.monin.com

Contact your Stuart Alexander sales representative for more information or call Consumer Services,

phone 0800 188 484

MONIN Blackberry SyrupThe blackberry fruit exists in many varieties which vary in taste from sweet to tart. Blackberries can be found in markets throughout Europe and North America and taste the best in late summer. However, thanks to MONIN Blackberry Syrup, you can enjoy the flavour of ripe blackberries all year round. The rich dark red colour is complimented by the aroma of ripe blackberries and a velvety smooth taste.

MONIN Banana PureeThe banana is the most well-known and eaten tropical fruit, with its aromatic pulp enjoyed around the world. MONIN Banana Puree has the colour of a crushed banana and the taste profile of a ripe banana with a creamy, smooth freshly peeled ripe banana taste. Picked at maturity, MONIN Banana fruit purée is a delicious option for enjoying its rich texture and taste in countless beverages.

Welcome Spring with delicious fruity cocktails from MONIN.

BlackBerry NegroNi• 20 ml MONIN Blackberry

syrup

• 30 ml Tanqueray gin

• 30 ml Campari

• 10 ml Punt e Mes vermouth

• 2 blackberries for decoration

In the bottom of the mixing glass stir ingredients together with ice cubes. Strain over fresh ice in chilled old fashioned glass. Finish the drink with orange twist. Decorate with 2 blackberries.

What is your SUGAR IQ?“A moment on the lips, an inch on the hips”… I was laughing when I heard this expression for the first time but you must have heard this expression many times before? What makes that ‘sweet moment’ so good? If you’re the kind of person who can never say no to flavoured coffee, afogatto, sweet cocktails or never stop at the one piece of chocolate then maybe you are addicted to sugar. Do you know what sugar is? What type of sugar are we consuming in everyday life?

BY TOMAS VIKARIO

When we consume sugar, we literally get a sugar high: an extreme endorphin rush in the brain. And just like other addictive drugs we start to get used to the sugar high and eventually need more to achieve the same effect. A university in France has proven that sugar is actually more addictive than cocaine.

I believe I can be a reliable person when it comes to sugar and sugar products. Sugar syrups have paid most of my bills in last seven years. My work position requires a lot of knowledge about the ingredients and one of main brands that I am working with is Monin, the global leader in producing flavoured sugar syrups and other flavourings. Saying that, you are assuming that I am well trained and educated about the sugar, its origins and the many different types of sugar, sweeteners and flavourings we find in stores, bars and cafes all over the world. I will be careful not to alarm you about those nasty sugars waiting for you out there. Is it worth the rush? Let’s see.

Before we go deeper into the different types of flavoured sugars let’s better understand basic differences between sugars. I hope you will understand that sometimes cheaper sugar or sugar syrup made of cheap white sugar crystals is not necessary good for your health and health of your customers.

Pure cane sugar vs. high fructose corn syrupHigh fructose corn syrup is not a naturally occurring substance. The method used to make it is very secret. Guess why? Cane sugar comes from the sugar cane plant. In its refined state, it is stripped of all nutrients. In its raw state, it contains more vitamins and minerals.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a proprietary extraction of sugars from corn. After milling corn, manufacturers process the starch into syrup. They then add enzymes to the syrup to produce fructose. The resulting combination contains both glucose and fructose. HFCS or corn syrup also increases the shelf life of products, making it even more popular with manufacturers. Very shocking fact or better call it statistics shows that many New Zealand sugar syrup brands that you are ‘using’ in everyday life (coffee flavouring, shakes, smoothies, cocktails) belong to this category. One of them can even be seen in almost every pharmacy and almost every store, proudly saying I am from NZ and I am all natural. But there is no indication of sugar type on the back label! So what if this brand is using ginger extract and healthy manuka honey? Can you tell me what type of sugar is in side the bottle? A healthy one? No sir! I am interested how you can sell the 700ml product in Pak ‘n’ Save for $7.99 and claim to use only most quality and top shelf organic ingredients in production? Sorry but I am not convinced.

Part 2 of this column will appear next month.


The Panel. Tequila.

One tequila, two tequila…more

Tequila just doesn’t quit, does it? A few years ago, you’d be lucky to find more than a handful of brands to stock on the back bar but, these days, the choice is endless.

BY DON KAVANAGH

Producers and importers have been putting some real effort into getting quality products onto the shelves and in front of the consumers and it’s working – the category is growing as a more sophisticated audience demands more than simply white lightning served “training wheels” style, with a wedge of lemon and some salt.

It’s good to see, too. For far too long people have been unaware of just how good tequila can be. There is something about that spicy, vegetal character of the agave that makes for a very rewarding drink, especially in cocktails.

Tequila has a long history. The Aztecs were making spirits from the agave before the Spanish arrived in Mexico and the conquistadores themselves distilled the agave juice when their brandy ran out, making tequila (or at least one of its ancestors) the first distilled spirit in the Americas.

It’s a tough drink to make, too. Each agave pina, or heart, is harvested by hand with a knife. The Jimadores ,or harvesters, have to decide when the plant is ripe enough to harvest. Too soon and there won’t be enough sugar to ferment; too late and the plant will have used up its sugar growing a tall stem that is used to distribute seeds.

Once harvested, they are shredded and juiced and the juice is fermented and then distilled.

Tequila – as all spirits - comes out as a clear liquid and this is either bottled and sold as a silver spirit or it is aged briefly and sold as a reposado (rested) version. Reposados tend to be smoother and darker as a result of ageing for between two months and a year in oak.

Any longer than that in oak and they are known as anejo, or aged. These are left for at least a year in smaller barrels, often barrels formerly used for other spirits, such as rum or Bourbon.

Tequila’s flavour is typically described as vegetal, but there are other elements to be found in Tequila. Vanilla, butterscotch and caramel are often present in older versions, often as a result of oak-ageing, and the reasonably broad range of flavours to be found in the spirit makes it an ideal cocktail base.

And with the demise of the lick-sip-suck training wheels brigade, tequila is stepping out into the limelight on its own. Great drinks such as the margarita will never go out of fashion and new bartenders are adding new flavours to this venerable old spirit.

Consumers, too, are becoming more sophisticated in their tastes and are demanding good liquor instead of simply

demanding liquor. Choosing the right one for your bar could be a long and involved process, but it should be fun too.

For this month’s tasting, we congregated at The Corner Store, where Emma and her team looked after us with all the hospitality you’d expect from such a good bar. Joining me on the Panel were some old friends – Dave Batten and Bart Burgers – and some newer recruits, including Zumwohl ’s Graham Stenberg, Monin’s Chris Turner, Jacqui Clarke from Tickety Boo and tequila aficionado (and importer) Adrian Ceballos. As ever, anyone with one of their products involved were not allowed to comment on their own brands.

And again this month, we’re continuing with a new feature to our tastings. Some time ago, we awarded star ratings for products we tasted, but that was curtailed after complaints from some suppliers. However, we felt it was still important to recognise any products that stood out in the tasting, so we have introduced our Star of the Show award, which will go to the wine, beer, spirit or liqueur that stands out as being the best tasted that day by our Panel. This ensures that exceptional drinks do not go unrewarded.


The Panel. Tequila.

ARETTE TEQUILA BLANCOA real sweetie, with rich agave notes on the nose and a lovely sweetness on the palate. The flavours are full of soft fruity notes and followed by a good, spicy finish reminiscent of chillis. An ideal base for a sour apple margarita or a bloody maria.

$$$$$

Tickety-Boo LiquorPhone: 09 377 [email protected]

ARETTE TEQUILA REPOSADOVery sweet on the nose, with an almost stonefruit character coming through, followed by citric and grassy notes. Nice complexity on the palate with sweet chilli notes and a nice spicy-citric finish. Excellent for margaritas, especially bloody ones.

$$$$$


CASA NOBLE ANEJOVery individual in character, with a yeasty, almost sourdough bread nose. The palate, though, is different, with plenty of sweet fruit notes, like cherry and plum and some nice, smooth caramel notes on the finish.

$$$$$

Federal Geo LtdPhone: 0800 846 [email protected]

EL JIMADOR BLANCONice and tight on the nose, with a good blast of agave and almost a gin-like hint of juniper. Plenty of fruit on the palate to balance the peppery notes and it’s light, tight and elegant. A great house pour or margarita base.

$$$

Hancocks Wine, Spirit & Beer MerchantsPhone: 0800 699 [email protected]

EL JIMADOR REPOSADOLively and lemony on the nose, this is a bit of a charmer, really. Your nose promises lemon sherbet and you do get that on the palate, but with added oomph. It does finish a bit quickly, but that makes it a good cocktail ingredient.

$$$


TEQUILA ALQUIMIA ANEJOAge brings depth to tequila and this has lovely oily, pineapple notes on the nose and across the palate, followed by a big finish, full of pepper and smoke, but retaining that subtle sweetness. Very easy to drink and a charming sipper.

$$$$$

Agave Tequila Imports NZ LtdPhone: 021 212 6147adrian@agave tequilaimports.co.nzwww.agave tequilaimports.co.nz

$$$$$ - 50 and up • $$$$ - 40-50 • $$$ - 30-40 • $$ - 20-30 •$ - 20 and under




http://www.federalgeo.co.nz


http://www.hancocks.co.nz





http://www.agavetequilaimports.co.nz



The Panel. Tequila.

ESPOLON BLANCOAlmost soapy on the nose, but not in a bad way. There’s a blend of pepper and coconut in the aromas, which also come across on the palate. Quite soft and almost delicate, it needs a subtle drink to show off the elegant flavours.

$$$$$

EurovintagePhone: 09 588 4262 or


ESPOLON REPOSADOReally nice tequila – lovely agave aromas on the nose along with a touch of smoke. Unadulterated is probably the best word for the flavour, as it’s almost pure agave, with all the sweetness and pepper present and correct. An absolutely delightful tequila.

$$$$$



HERRADURA ANEJOAnother rich aged tequila with a nice butterscotch and smoke nose. On the palate, it's smooth and silky with a lingering aftertaste of caramel and spice. Excellent sipping tequila or good in a martini.

$$$$$


HERRADURA PLATAThis has a lovely nose of marram grass and pepper, with a hint of pine at the back. Plenty of good chilli heat on the palate, with more pepper and pine notes. A great mixer and a perfect cocktail base for any number of good drinks.

$$$$$


HERRADURA REPOSADOGood weight and a candyfloss-like sweetness on the nose, almost like a whisky. That sweetness dissipates on the palate, leaving spiky, peppery flavours that really roll around your mouth, leaving a warm, glow behind. A great all-rounder.

$$$$$


HORNITOSA lighter style of reposado, but it packs a fair punch. There are big licks of chilli and nuts on the nose, followed by a lovely sweetness. It’s not a heavy hitter, flavour-wise, but it’s a great mixer, with a nice grunty tequila burn.

$$$$$

Beam New ZealandPhone: 09 915 [email protected]








http://www.beamglobal.co.nz


The Panel. Tequila.

KAH TEQUILA ANEJORound and rich, with elegant aromas of caramel and wood, this is seriously good tequila, although it could just as easily be a whisky – it’s simply a lovely drink, with depth and richness and an incredibly rewarding finish. A sipper or mixer, but only to be mixed in a classy drink.

$$$$$


KAH TEQUILA REPOSADO This has a hidden hook, namely the 55% strength, but you’d hardly notice at first. The nose is like perfume, full of agave and sandalwood, but the palate explodes with flavour – rich, sweet agave and bright pepper backed by a huge whack of spirit. Use wherever you need that real tequila flavour to come through.

$$$$$


KAH TEQUILA BLANCOExcellent packaging, how can anyone resist a drink from a skull? Very fruity on the nose with a hint of apricot on top of the agave. Very soft on the palate, but with real weight and great flavour. Excellent tequila as an ingredient or a straight drink.

$$$$$


PATRON ANEJOWith hints of vanilla and oak on the nose, this is not a typical 100% agave tequila. Quite austere on the palate, but with a good spirit weight and a hint of Bourbon-like flavours towards the finish. Well rounded and an easy mixer, you can see why it’s so popular.

$$$$$



★STAR of the SHOW

JOSE CUERVO 1800 ANEJOThere’s almost a touch of bay rum on the nose of this one, with undertones of dark vanilla. Spicier on the palate, but retaining that sweetness, making for a lively mouthfeel. Almost seamless, with great integration and not a sharp corner to be seen.

$$$$$

LionPhone: 0800 10 72 [email protected]





http://www.lionco.com


The Panel. Tequila.

PATRON SILVERVery sweet and concentrated on the nose, with a nice vegetal hit from the agave. Nice long flavours across the palate with touches of liquorice, mint and syrup. Surprisingly deep flavours and a lovely smooth finish make it a really good silver sipper.

$$$$$



PATRON REPOSADOPure agave on the nose, blending sweet and spicy notes beautifully. Slips over the palate like a dancer - light, elegant and graceful and leaves lovely echoes of sweet pepper flavours behind. A very good drink indeed and a wonderful sipper.

$$$$$



SAUZA BLANCOA very nice tequila, with a lovely agave and pepper nose, leading to a quite forward palate…More aggressive than the nose would lead you to believe, it’s quite sweet and has a lovely mix of pepper and eucalyptus on the finish. Very stylish stuff and a great mixer.

$$$$


SAUZA GOLDSweetness and spice are this one’s hallmarks , with lovely cinnamon and clove notes on the nose. The palate is more spice than sweetness, but it’s all in perfect balance. It finishes nicely as well, leaving a lingering sweet echo spiced up with pepper.

$$$


TRES GENERACIONESGreat packaging again and a great tequila inside. Nutty and creamy on the nose, it’s almost like oloroso sherry. On the palate, spice and dark fruit come out, with a touch of agave and a lively, peppery finish. A great sipper.

$$$$$


T1 TEQUILA UNO ULTRA FINO (BLANCO)Outstanding packaging and a great addition to any bar. Quite a citric nose rounded out with pepper. It coats the palate with beautiful, round and elegant pepper and spice flavours before a lingering finish seals the deal, leaving a lovely warmth.

$$$$$

Agave Tequila Imports NZ LtdPhone: 021 212 6147adrian@agavetequilaimports.co.nzwww.agavetequilaimports.co.nz











The Panel. Mixers.

Putting it into the mix

It’s not often we think about mixers, but maybe we should. After all, what’s the point of putting quality spirits into a drink if you’re going to drown them in sugary soft drinks?

Quality mixers are a key ingredient of good drinks, whether you use bottled mixers or stick with the gun and consumers are getting a little more savvy about what they are putting into their bodioes these days, so it’s a good time to think about what you are putting in their drinks.

The classic juices will always have a place behind the bar, but some of the carbonated mixers need a bit of thought. Lemonade is a popular ingredient, but can you use the same lemonade for every drink? Bitter lemonade is great with gin, while sweeter styles are favourites for whiskeys and vodkas, so it pays to think about what sort of mixer suits the drinks you are offering.

Colas, lemonades, ginger ales and so forth are all available on tap or by the bottle,

but perhaps bars should take more care about tasting them before offering them to customers. Sure, Coke is a world-leading brand and a fixture in pretty much every bar, but there are other colas available too, some drier, some sweetened with honey and so on and flavoured mineral waters like San Pellegriono add a nice touch to a bar as well.

Even energy drinks, which are hugely popular, are different. Energy drinks are even available on tap now, thanks to the likes of Fountain Drinks. This makes life easier for bar staff by removing the need to dispose of cans or bottles after making the drink.

And speaking of energy drinks, the daddy of them all – Red Bull – has just released three new flavours that move the brand onto a different level than its competitors – mostly

because they actually taste different to each other. The lime, blueberry and cranberry flavours are excellent and add a great splash of colour to a drink too.

But mixers don’t just mean soft drinks. The syrups and pulps from Shott and Monin add a new dimension to a drink. With Monin offering a quite staggering range of flavours and Shott providing a fair few as well, there is something for everyone there. And there are newcomers to that sector of the market too, with Heilala Vanilla offering a fantastic vanilla syrup.

Whatever sort of bar you are and whatever drinks you offer, you should really make sure you have good mixers. After all, you don’t want to leave a nasty aftertaste with your customers.


The Panel. Mixers.

MONIN EL DIABLO20ml Monin ginger10ml Monin blackberry60ml Arette Blanco tequilaBuild in a highball glass, top with Perrier and garnish with lime wheel and mint.Stuart Alexander

Phone: 0800 188 [email protected]

CAFÉ PLATANO20ml Monin Macaroon20ml Monin banana puree20ml fresh espresso60ml Alquimia Reposado TequilaShake and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with banana chips and coffee and sugar rim.

Stuart AlexanderPhone: 0800 188 [email protected]

SPICED MAPLE AND HONEY OLD FASHIONED20ml Monin maple spice10ml Monin honey syrup60ml Sauza Tres Generaciones Anejo Tequila3 drops angostura bittersBuild and stir in a glass. Garnish with orange peel and cinnamon stick.

Stuart AlexanderPhone: 0800 188 [email protected]





The Panel. Mixers.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MARTINI60ml Absolut vodka15ml Shott white chocolate syrupStir in a shaker and strain into a chilled glass, rimmed with dark chocolate. Garnish with shaved milk chocolate.

Shott BeveragesPhone: 04 568 [email protected]

FRENCH CUP45ml Courvoisier Cognac15ml Cointreau15ml Shott passionfruit syrupSodaBuild in a cup-style glass over ice and top with soda.


DEVONSHIRE TEA60ml Absolut Wild Tea vodka15ml White Curacao15ml Shott strawberry syrupSodaBuild in a glass over ice and top with soda. Garnish with a strawberry.


SWEET SCREWDRIVER45ml Absolut vodka15ml Monin blood orange syrup10ml Heilala vanilla syrupFreshly squeezed orange juiceBuild over ice and garnish with a wheel of orange.

Heilala Vanilla LtdPhone: 07 552 [email protected]

GREYHOUND60ml vodkaSanpellegrino PompelmoAdd ice to the vodka and top with Pompelmo. Garnish with a slice of lemon.


FUNKY MONKEY30ml Chartreuse green30ml Galliano Originale15ml lime juiceSanpellegrino MandarinoShake the Chartreuse, Galliano and lime strain over ice. Top with Mandarino.









Bulletproof arguments for using 45 Postmix.“The price of 45 syrups from Fountain Drinks is way below what I could buy elsewhere, and the quality, product delivery and support is outstanding”, say Phil Saul of the Howick Club.

Fountain Drinks says you can save over $1 on every glass you pour behind the bar by using 45 postmix direct from the gun.

“A combination of quality drink syrups and technologically advanced equipment ensures consistent drink delivery at every 45 Postmix gun. Quality is our hallmark”, says Gary Rob-ertson of Fountain Drinks. “We select the best syrup ingredients and blend these to proven taste profiles ensuring superior flavours and maximum customer enjoyment. We challenge you to taste the difference between our cola and the opposition”.

45 Postmix is made ‘fresh in the glass’ every pour delivering maximum fizz at an optimum 5 degrees chill temperature. The system mixes the soda and flavour right in the glass giving high quality drinks to rival all ‘big brands’.

Syrups are available in convenient 20 litre and 10 litre packs that connect quickly and eas-ily to the dispensing system, and deliver up to 128 litres from each 20 litre pack. Syrup re-orders are delivered next day and have a 6 month shelf-life. Your choice of 14 flavours, including new Energy. 8 flavours at each gun.

Switch to convenient, super cool, maximum fizz 45 and Postmix for profit.

For more information phone Fountain Drinks 0800 44 44 03


The Panel. Mixers.

LUIGI50ml Lighthouse gin25ml dry vermouth15ml CointreauSanpellegrino Aranciata RossoShake the first four ingredients and strain over ice. Top up with Aranciata Rosso and garnish with orange wheel.


BITTER GIN50ml Lighthouse ginDash Angostura bitterSanpellegrino Tonic WaterSanpellegrino LimonataMix in a glass over ice and top up with the two Sanpellegrinos. Garnish with a lemon slice.


RBL45ml vodkaRed Bull Silver editionCombine both over ice in a long glass. Garnish with a slice of lemon.


Allied LiquorPhone: 0800 50 34 [email protected]

RBC45ml Irish whiskey15ml lime juiceRed Bull Red editionCombine ingredients over ice in a long glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.



RBB45ml Bacardi15ml lime juiceRed Bull Blue editionCombine ingredients over ice in a long glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.










http://www.alliedliquor.co.nz




http://www.alliedliquor.co.nz





The Panel. Aromatics.

Sweet smellof success

Aromatic is an interesting word to use about wine. After all, every wine is aromatic to a greater or lesser degree, so why are some classed under the banner of “aromatics”?

Well, it’s a handy label for a start. And it gathers together a group of wines that tend to be more aromatic than others. Riesling, gewürztraminer, pinot gris and viognier are the usual suspects, but arneis, verdelho and gruner veltliner are also included.

There’s even an argument to made for including sauvignon blanc, seeing as it possesses a quite strong and characteristic aroma.

The major aromatics, though, tend to be easily grouped together and they are all wines that can do well in New Zealand.

Pinot gris is made pretty much everywhere and this workhorse grape has been a godsend for wineries who need a reliable cash crop. That’s not to say that all pinot gris is simply beverage wine, far from it. But many do give that impression – they can come across like something designed to be appealing to both chardonnay and sauvignon drinkers, offering a wider market for the winery.

Riesling has been a champion in this country, producing wines of great power and finesse, as well as having excellent ageing potential. Like pinot gris, it is made in various styles, form the bone dry to the

luscious dessert styles and it’s good to see some producers using a scale on the back label to show the sweetness of the wine. After all, not everyone’s definition of extra dry is the same, so some way of helping the customer work out the sugar level is to be applauded.

Riesling has done it tough in the domestic market and much of that can be put down to the variance in sweetness, as well as a residual resistance among older drinkers who can remember terrible wines that went out with riesling on the label, even though there wasn’t any riesling in the bottle.

Gewurztraminer is a very interesting grape. Arguably the most aromatic of all these wines, its characteristic notes of lychee, Turkish delight and rosewater can lull the drinker into thinking that it is simply a sweet white wine, but its acid levels are usually good and the spiciness it provides – the “gewurz” part of the name means spicy in German – balances out the residual sweetness.

It’s also a style that has had problems in the market. Many have held the view that the difficult-to-pronounce name has held it back and it would be hard to argue. After all,

who is going to order a wine that they don’t feel confident saying out loud? If that is true, it’s a crying shame because good gewurz is a gem of a wine, packed with flavour and very rewarding for the drinker, both as a food wine and a glass on its own.

So it was great to sit down to a collection of aromatics and to try them side by side. This month’s tasting was held at the rather lovely No 1 High Street, in their exquisite library space, and we’d like to thank the bar for the hospitality and the lovely surroundings.

Joining me this month were regular panellist Dave Batten and winemaker Ben Dugdale.

Again this month, we’re continuing with a new feature to our tastings. Some time ago, we awarded star ratings for products we tasted, but that was curtailed after complaints from some suppliers. However, we felt it was still important to recognise any products that stood out in the tasting, so we have introduced our Star of the Show award, which will go to the wine, beer, spirit or liqueur that stands out as being the best tasted that day by our Panel. This ensures that exceptional drinks do not go unrewarded.

$$$$$ - 30 and up • $$$$ - 20-30 • $$$ - 15-20 • $$ - 10-15 •$ - Under 10



GREYSTONE RIESLING 2011A cracker of a wine. Lovely lemon and lime marmalade notes on the nose and rich marmalade on the palate, with echoes of Turkish delight and rose petals. Rich and full in the mouth, but with a lovely zingy acidity for such a lush wine. Excellent wine and great to see a winery taking Riesling so seriously.

$$$

Kahurangi Estate LimitedPhone: 03 543 [email protected]

CHARD FARM CENTRAL OTAGO RIESLING 2010Showing the stylistic differences of Central Riesling, this has a bouquet all of its own, with gooseberry spicing up the lemon notes. The fruit reveals the wine’s acid spine on the palate, giving a racy finish with echoes of lime and honey. A lovely food wine.

$$$

Chard FarmPhone: 03 442 [email protected]

FORREST THE DOCTORS’ MARLBOROUGH RIESLING 2011Another lower alcohol wine and one that works equally well. Packed with riverstone and lemon sherbet on the nose, the palate is a perfectly integrated mix of lemon, honeysuckle and Turkish delight. It finishes crisply and leaves you aching for another mouthful.

$$$$

Co-Pilot DistributorsPhone: [email protected]

GREYSTONE SEA STAR RIESLING 2011A much dryer proposition than its stablemates, this is made in an austere style, but it still retains lovely fruit. Smoky lemon dominates the nose, while it’s racy across the palate with lovely lemon rind notes and zingy acid leading to a mouthwatering finish.

$$$


★STAR of the SHOW




GREYSTONE FEATHER STAR RIESLING 2011Lower in alcohol (8.5%) but it loses nothing but that; a lovely lemon sherbet nose leads to a beautiful balance between sweet and citrus on the palate. The fruit weight makes up for the alcohol on the palate and the finish is charming. A perfect lunchtime or picnic wine.

$$$


GREYSTONE GEWURZTRAMINER 2011An absolute monster of a wine, all but crawling out of the glass. Incredibly intense lychee, rosewater and Turkish delight aromas are replicated and amplified on the palate, with added flavours of spiced apple and clove. It’s almost too much for one person, so intense are the flavours.

$$$


GREYSTONE PINOT GRIS 2011Plenty of concentration here, with rich, sweet pear coming across strongly on the nose. The palate reveals a big, medium-sweet style of pinot gris, with stewed apple, clove and brown sugar notes. Not necessarily a by-the-glass option, but a great food wine.

$


GREYSTONE SAND DOLLAR PINOT GRIS 2011A very different beast to its stablemate, this is a drier wine, with a big smokey nose and plenty of alcohol apparent on the palate. Plently of acid in there to balance the sweet pear-skin flavours and a persistant finish. Most definitely a food wine and ideal for strongly flavoured Asian dishes.

$$$


JOHANNESHOF CELLARS MARLBOROUGH GEWURZTRAMINER 2011An effortlessly brilliant wine from an award-winner gewurz producer. Subtle lychee and rosewater aromas translate onto the palate, backed up by lovely acid and a genuine spiciness on the finish. Everything you could want in gewurz in a bottle.

$$$$

North Island: Co-Pilot DistributorsPhone: [email protected] Island: Hop & VinePhone: [email protected]

LONE GOAT CANTERBURY RIESLING 2008How lovely to find wine with some bottle age on it. This is a big, powerful Riesling with fumey, smoky notes on the nose and a lovely mix of apricot, old lime and honey on the palate. The finish is clean, long and satisfying, making for a great drink. Ideal glass pour to show people what Riesling can be.

$$

Lone Goat VineyardContact: Sandra BarkhuizenPhone: 027 236 7442www.lonegoat.co.nz





MUDDY WATER RIESLING 2011Fermented with native yeasts, this is a bit different. The nose has honeydew melon and lemon while the palate shows a complex blend of big fruit flavours with a nicely balanced acid and a syrupy touch. The finish is crisp and fresh and makes for an intriguing wine.

$$$$


REMARKABLE GIBBSTON PINOT GRIS 2011 500MLFrom a Central Otago producer and in keeping with the local style. The nose has a sweet, oily character with pear and spice notes, while the palate shows up crisp, green apple flavours backed up by firm acid. It’s a dry wine with a decent finish and works well as a food wine with lightly spiced dishes.

$

Remarkable WinesPhone: 021 974 [email protected]

THE NED PINOT GRIS 2012A lovely salmon blush colour and a nice hint of gunflint on the nose, followed up by crisp pear and apple aromas. Almost spritzing on the palate, with more pear, apple and smoke flavours and a nice acid level. It finishes dry with a nice acid balance.

$$$


WILD SOUTH MARLBOROUGH RIESLING 2010There is more to this than meets the eye, with a fumey, almost leathery nose, backed up by nice melon-like aromas. On the palate there is a bruised apple character and an acid skeleton that fills the mouth. The acid dominates the finish, which doesn’t outstay its welcome.

$$

Sacred Hill Wine CompanyPhone: 0800 946 [email protected]


Winery Profile. Gibbson Valley.

Silver anniversary for golden winery

In 1987 Irishman Alan Brady defied the critics and became the first to plant and commercially produce wines in the dry, rugged Gibbston

Valley, near Queenstown, founding Gibbston Valley Winery.

BY SUE FEA

This month, the now-world-renowned, multi-award-winning winery celebrates the 25th anniversary of the first commercial harvest of grapes in Central Otago.

It’s a momentous event for the Central Otago wine industry and the company and the legendary pioneer behind it all has been star of the show at the celebrations.

Between 150 and 200 guests enjoyed a grand five-course degustation dinner with matching wines from Gibbston Valley’s cellar in the winery’s new Barrel Hall on September 1. These included the historic 2011 Le Maitre Pinot Noir and 2009 Reserve Pinot Noir.

Winemaker Christopher Keys, who co-hosted the evening with Brady, reached into the cellar for some “truly special releases”.

Guests enjoyed canapés and a 2012 Le Fou Riesling made from Brady’s original vines as they walked through the wine cave. Goat’s cheese and red onion tarts coupled with Le Fou Reisling followed, as did roasted duck breast with a Central Otago cherry glaze paired with Le Maitre Pinot Noir.

A main of seared venison Denver leg and venison ‘cottage pie’ with Gibbston Valley wild thyme jus was served with the award-winning 2009 Pinot Noir and a late harvest wine followed with decadent pistachio crème brulee.

Gibbston Valley partnered with Cure Kids in an auction of limited release large format wines with all proceeds going to charity which researches life-threatening childhood illnesses.

Prize items under the hammer included a Salmanazar (9-litre bottle) of 2011 Gibbston Valley Reserve Pinot Noir and a Salmanazar of 2011 Reserve Pinot Noir.

Brady and Keys signed bottles going up for auction, making them real collectors’ items.

Brady and former legendary Gibbston Valley Winery winemaker Grant Taylor were also on hand to host an exclusive historic 25th anniversary Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir Grant Vertical Tasting event in Queenstown.

Taylor was winemaker for 14 years, including through its original world champion award-winning reign.

Keys says both men are “legends in their craft, thoughts, insights, memories and personalities”, which made for a unique, rare and “thoroughly fascinating” walk through Central Otago’s pinot noir history.

The winery dusted off some of its oldest and rarest wines for what Keys says was “a once in a lifetime event”.

Four flights of Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir charted the generations from the pioneering to the golden years, classics and modern times.

Gibbston Valley Winery has won more than 300 national and international awards.

Fittingly Gibbston Valley Winery produced a bumper 300-tonne harvest of intensely flavoured fruit this year with its founder Brady on hand.

Brady, who first harvested pinot noir, pinot gris and a ‘dry white’ blend in 1987, says in the early days they experimented with many varieties.

“Pinot noir chose us, we didn’t choose it.“It ripened more consistently than any

other variety, and from that moment on we were in on the ground floor of what became the pinot noir phenomenon, what’s now the second-largest variety in New Zealand to sauvignon blanc.”

Central Otago now has approximately 2000 hectares of vines and more than 100 producers and harvests about 7000 tonnes.

“Twenty-five years later I’m still looking ahead because we’re producing wines of such outstanding quality that fully reflect the uniqueness of Central Otago, its climate and soils,” says Brady.

CLEARVIEW ESTATE RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2011The latest blockbuster in a series that is as good as it gets. The 2011 version of this outstanding wine is a rock star – packed with intense peach, lemon and cream flavours, backed up by a razor-sharp acidity and so balanced it could walk blindfolded across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope. A dazzling wine and one that always makes my eyes light up when I find it available by the glass.$$$$Clearview Estate WineryPhone: 06 874 [email protected]

CLEARVIEW ESTATE SEA RED 2010One of the most surprisingly great dessert wines in the country, this fortified red manages to combine subtlety with mouth-watering intensity and does it effortlessly. It’s rich enough to work well with chocolate, but it’s elegant enough to drink on its own and it’s also a spectacular ingredient in cocktails, with incredible raspberry and plum fruit characters that sing out of the glass. A stroke of mad genius.$$$$Clearview Estate WineryPhone: 06 874 [email protected]

HÃHÃ MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANCIt’s easy to get sick of paint-by-numbers savvy, so it’s good to see some new ones emerging with real oomph. This Marlborough wine (from a Hawke’s Bay producer) has a nicely lifted nose, full of passionfruit and gooseberry and minus the sweaty armpit effect. On the palate, it’s the texture that does it for me, with a vibrant limey acidity giving it a real impact. Lovely stuff that won’t break the bank and one that can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone.$Fern Ridge Wines LtdPhone: 06 834 [email protected]

CROSSROADS WINEMAKERS COLLECTION CABERNET FRANC 2010Cabernet franc is a sublime grape that gives vibrant fruit flavours to otherwise shy red blends and this solo outing is excellent. A supple and inviting wine, from its lovely plum and leather nose to the rolling blackberry flavours that linger long after you’ve swallowed it. It offers a great alternative to pinot noir as a by-the-glass wine and it will keep for ages too, but that might prove difficult given how immediately drinkable it is.$$$$Yealands Estate Wine GroupPhone: 09 920 [email protected]

Top Glass is a new feature where editor Don Kavanagh rounds up the pick of the wines he's tried in the last month and recommends the best by-the-glass options for bars and restaurants.

CROSSROADS MILESTONE SERIES CHARDONNAY 2010Punchy is a good way to describe this wine, because it certainly packs one. There is plenty of ripe fruit on the nose and palate (peach and pear, mostly), but it’s backed up by a zingy acidity that revs it up a notch. That acidity makes for a mouth-watering glass of wine and t fairly zips across the palate, leaving layers of subtle fruit, acid and a touch of oak behind. A very approachable and refreshing wine to offer your customers.$$Yealands Estate Wine GroupPhone: 09 920 [email protected]. crossroadswines.co.nz

WEEPING SANDS TEMPRANILLO 2011Made by Obsidian in Waiheke (Weeping Sands is a translation of Onetangi), this is lovely stuff. All the smoothness and elegance of Rioja, without the hefty price tag. Full of lovely soft plum and blackberry fruit and a touch of tobacco and leather, it’s a little gem of a wine and proof that when it’s done well, New Zealand can produce brilliant tempranillo wines.$$$$Obsidian VineyardPhone: 021 617 [email protected]

CHURCH ROAD MCDONALD SERIES PINOT GRIS 2009At last, someone has made a pinot gris that makes a definite statement. This leaps out of the glass, coming on almost like a dessert wine on the sweetness scale and with lovely lime and pear aromas and a hint of ginger. Ripe pear and apple on the palate with an incredibly rich mouthfeel, but with plenty of acid to balance it out. A masterpiece.$$$$Pernod Ricard New ZealandFree phone: 0800 655 [email protected]

$$$$$ - 30 and up $$$$ - 20-30 $$$ - 15-20 $$ - 10-15 $ - Under 10


Wine. Top Glass.

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If you are a passionate trainee chef and want to

give your career a real kick start, you are invited to apply for

the prestigious 2013 Fonterra Proud to be a Chef mentoring program, held in

Melbourne from 25th – 28th February, 2013.

Fonterra Proud to be a Chef is a program aimed at encouraging, rewarding and recognising

future culinary leaders in the foodservice industry. It provides trainee chefs a unique opportunity outside of

their normal working environment to learn, develop new skills and be mentored by some of the best chefs in Australia.

Thirty two successful applicants will participate in a three day all expenses paid event in Melbourne where they will experience fine

dining, network with industry leaders, participate in culinary Master Classes and work with a food photographer to bring an original recipe to life.

One standout trainee chef shall be crowned winner of the 2013 Fonterra Proud to be a Chef event and will win an international culinary scholarship tailored to their individual aspirations as a professional chef.

To get to Melbourne, you’ll need to compete in a semi final cook-off in Auckland on 21st November. Judged by four top NZ chefs, eight semi-finalists will cook their submitted recipes and progress through a series of skill tests. Four lucky apprentices will then win places in the Melbourne final.

If you have the passion to learn, the passion to experience and the passion to succeed, visit www.fonterrafoodservices.co.nz or www.facebook.com/proudtobeachef

for more details and to apply online.

Applications close 31st October, 2012. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and enrolled in a culinary course as at 25th February 2013.

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