Delicious Australia – (12)December 2018

In a former mill, HALF ACRE (above) is an inviting
addition to industrial South Melbourne. The airy interior
blends a glasshouse eatery, a rustic bar and a
cavernous events space. Chef Eitan Doron dishes up
Israeli-inspired fare spiced with thyme, dukkah and
harrisa, and prepared over woodfired coals. Co-owner
Adam Wright-Smith is the host with the most
impeccable taste; his lighting choices alone are killer.

“It’s meat, but not as you know it,” announces the
website for CHEEK on Melbourne’s Swanston Street
(right). Chefs Tom Peasnell and Adam Goldblatt riff
on American, Chinese and Korean barbecue, with
creative dishes including New York strip with bone
marrow sauce, aged duck with smoked hoisin, and
charred asparagus with black vinegar.

ONES TO

WAT C H

BRISBANE

Brisbane nativeDAN ARNOLDspent seven years

working in revered Michelin-starred restaurants in

France before returning home this year to open his

namesake restaurant in Fortitude Valley. His three- to

five-course menus (left) are an exquisite synthesis of

Gallic technique and local produce.

With lofty ceilings, glistening chandeliers and plush

furnishings, Brisbane’sDONNA CHANG(below) has a

moneyed ambiance befitting a former bank. Executive

chef Jake Nicolson and head chef Jason Margaritis are

doing contemporary Cantonese, from scampi toast with

seaweed mayo to Xinjiang spiced lamb shoulder.

MELBOURNE

Pierre Roelofs, the Melbourne

dessert whiz, has hosted pop-ups

since 2010, beguiling diners with his

post-moderntreats,butinthenew

year he will christen a permanent

kitchen and workshop in Collingwood.

Places go quickly to sample his lemon

tart or creme brulee ‘dessert tubes’,

and reservations are available on his

website, pierreroelofs.com

MUST DESSERTS

Brokenwood Wines in Pokolbin,

NSW, has installed Hunter Valley

habitués Andrew and Janet Wright

at its two new dining offerings,

The Wood Restaurant and Cru Bar

+ Pantry. Brokenwood chief

winemaker Iain Riggs (with the

Wrights, right of pic) handpicked

the UK-born pair. Previously, they

helmed the Hunter’s The Cellar

Restaurant for 18 years.

CELLAR DOOR

Melbourne barbecue

introduced a range of

sauces. Pair the mild

beef brisket, and the

incendiary Habanero

& Carrot with stews

and marinades.

fancyhanks.com

SPECIAL SAUCE

WISH LIST.