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Clockwise from

far left: Yarri chef

Aaron Carr; roast

pork, steamed

greens and rice at

Duk in Byron Bay;

and Fujisaki’s

sakura blossom

blancmange with

Davidson’s plum

crisp (far left) and

sweet wasabi

dessert.

MUNTARI

A coastal creeper that grows mainly in

South Australia and bears apple-flavoured

berries, muntari was gathered in bulk by

Indigenous people and the fruit eaten off

the stems or pounded into cakes. At

Oakridge Wines in Victoria they’re used to

cut the richness of blood-sausage rolls.

LEMON AND WHITE ASPEN

The small fruits of lemon and white aspen

have a floral quality and lemon-scented

flesh. Catch lemon aspen at Sydney’s Ester

where it brightens a lettuce “roll-up” with

scallop and pistachio, or at Victoria’s Brae

in a raw pea and lemon aspen tart that’s

part of a flurry of opening snacks.

DESERT LIMES

Desert limes resemble tiny lemons, but

have soft, porous skin and can be eaten

whole. They’re prized for their refreshing

acidity, which makes them popular

in desserts or withseafood. Try them at

Vue de Monde in Melbourne with

barramundi and sea herbs.

RIBERRIES

Riberries are a fruit from a type of lilly pilly,

varieties of which can be seen fruiting

prolifically in front yards over summer. The

red berries are firm and a little spongy

with tart white flesh and a backnote of

spice. They’re matched with kangaroo and

warrigal greens at Nel in Sydney.

MUNTARI

RESTAURANT NEWS

MARGARET RIVER

Dunsborough in the Margaret

River is in for a shake-up with

the opening of Yarri this

month. Fresh from 21 years at

Vasse Felix, Aaron Carr is at

the helm of the new restaurant,

and is joined by Redmond

Sweeny, and Sal and Tony

Davis, of Snake + Herring

Wines. The menu celebrates

the best of the south-west with

plenty of native ingredients:

emu with Geraldton wax and

macadamia to start, perhaps,

followed by kingfish with

quandong kosho or wood-

grilled skate with saltbush.

The restaurant opens daily

for lunch and dinner.

BYRON BAY You won’t find

an açai bowl at Duk in Byron

Bay, but you will find rice bowls

topped with Chinese-style

roast meats and greens, seven

nights a week. Jeremy Burn

and Sarah Swan of 100 Mile

Table are behind the new

40-seater, which stays classic

with a tight menu of five main

choices: char siu, soy chicken,

crisp-skinned roast pork, roast

duck and fried tofu. The drinks

list (with the exception of

Tsingtao) leans local with Jilly

wines and Stone & Wood beers,

and the greens are all sourced

from the nearby Boon Luck

Farm – owned by Chat Thai

director Palisa Anderson.

SANTA MONICA Dave Beran,

best known for his work at

Alinea and Next, is wowing

diners at Dialogue, his 18-seat

fine-diner in Santa Monica.

The tasting menu, ticketed

online, celebrates the essence

of the seasons. On the opening

menu, that equated to chocolate

with coconut and menthol

served on a plate of ice,

which Beran says is like

“the first breath when you

step outside on a snowy day”.

Other courses include king

crab with popcorn, orchids and

Earl Grey tea, and a sweet and

sour combination of whipped

persimmon, lemon shortbread

and hibiscus sugar.

SYDNEY The latest from the

Lotus Group is Fujisaki, headed

up by chef Chui Lee Luk, late of

Claude’s. Set a street back from

the water in the Barangaroo

precinct, the modern 146-seat

Japanese restaurant also has

sushi chef Ryuichi Yoshii in its

brigade, blowtorching kombu-

marinated red gurnard and

slicing coral trout into sashimi.

Larger dishes include lamb

shoulder cooked on the robata

grill with young garlic, and, on

the sweet side, white chocolate

mousse with crystalised wasabi.

Design Clarity is behind the

design, which includes a tatami

room, temperature-controlled

wine room and raw bar.

EMON AND WHITE ASPEN

PHOTOGRAPHY SCOTT HAWKINS (NATIVE INGREDIENTS)

GOURMET TRAVELLER 25