SHORTCUTS | Wine & dine
HOT OPENINGS
Forty and fabulous
Tucked into a basement in Sydney’s
CBD, FORTY LICKS is a Vietnamese
restaurant and cocktail bar serving up
traditional dishes with a modern edge,
reflecting head chef Joel Manton’s time
living in Hanoi and Saigon. The
drink-and-dine offering is rounded out
by bartender Kurtis Bosley whose
cocktail list, designed to complement
the food, includes the Red Lotus made
with Secco Vermouth, Calvados, amaro,
lemon, bitters and bird’s nest. The
75-seater includes a dining room, bar
and raised areas designed to resemble
tiered rice paddies.
Best of both
The Star Sydney’s latest signature
restaurant, CHUUKA, will be helmed by
rising culinary stars Chase Kojima (The
Star’s Sokyo and Kiyomi) and Victor
Liong (Melbourne’s Lee Ho Fook) who
are set to merge distinctive Japanese
and Chinese flavours and techniques
into a single, harmonious dining
experience. The 130-seat space will be
spread across two levels, with a 60-seat
dining space, wine room and outdoor
bar with harbour views on the ground
floor, and private dining up on first.
On the farm
Alejandro Saravia’s farm-to-plate diner
FARMER’S DAUGHTER is the latest
restaurant to confirm it will take
up residence at the $800-million
80 Collins development in Melbourne,
scheduled for completion in 2020.
The restaurant will be spread over
three floors, with a ground-floor deli
offering a casual farm-to-table
experience, a formal main restaurant on
the first floor, and a rooftop restaurant
and urban food farm upstairs.
Meat free and flavour rich
In Victoria, Abbotsford’s 130-year-old
THE CARRINGBUSH HOTEL has had a
makeover, reborn as a light-filled venue
with a sustainable focus. The meat-free
menu is largely vegan, all wine is served
on tap, there are no packaged beers
(but 21 on tap), and reusable metal
straws and ethical plates are used
throughout. The painstakingly
researched menu ensures flavour is
not sacrificed for social conscience.28 AUSTRALIANTRAVELLER.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY: GUY DAVIES (THE GLEBE HOTEL)ALL GROWN UP
After seven months of renovation the Australian Youth Hotel (fondly known as the Aussie
Youth) has been reborn as The Glebe Hotel. The heritage-listed public bar located in the
inner-west Sydney suburb of Glebe has gained a stylish new image but has lost none of its cosy
neighbourhood watering-hole appeal. Originally built in 1862, Redfern-based architecture
and design studio Alexander & Co. set about revamping the iconic pub, all the while retaining
its lovely traditional features. While the main bar has a rustic, clubby feel downstairs,
with its Chesterfield lounges and open fireplaces, upstairs The Stables Bar & Grill is the
establishment’s new destination diner. The space features exposed brickwork and a bespoke
jacaranda mural by Sydney artist Indigo Jo with a leafy courtyard adjacent, and a gastro-pub
menu by British head chef Ben Allcock featuring premium cuts of beef, steak and Guinness
pie, an ale-battered fish finger burger and traditional Sunday roast with all the trimmings. We
quizzed Ben on what constitutes good gastro-pub fare, and what he’s loving on the new menu.WHAT ARE THE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF GASTRO-PUB FARE?
I believe gastro-pub food has to be delicious, unpretentious and filling!
WERE THERE SOME MUST-INCLUDE DISHES YOU KNEW HAD TO BE ON THE MENU
WHEN YOU STARTED CONSTRUCTING IT?
Every good pub has to have a good pie, so that was
number one.
HOW HAVE YOU ADAPTED GASTRO-PUB STAPLES
AT THE GLEBE HOTEL?
We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we’ve simply taken
good honest pub dishes and tried to make them as wholesome
and tasty as we can. If someone wants sausages and mash, we
make sure that every element is cooked to our best [standard].
WILL THE MENU CHANGE SEASONALLY?
The menu is changed seasonally, it’s important to make use
of what is good at any specific time.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE DISH ON THE MENU?
My favourite dish is the pig’s head... slow braised in pork stock
then pan fried, served with curried apple sauce and braised
lentils. Perfect for autumn. theglebehotel.com.au