Australian Gourmet Traveller - (12)December 2019 (1)

Dishes

of the

year

The editors of the GT

Restaurant Guide

enjoyedplatesall

aroundAustraliathis

year.Here’swhat

they’velovedthemost.

POTATOSALAD

Pilot,Ainslie,ACT

UnderstatementisthewordatPilot.

What’slistedasroastchookturns

outtobetheDIYchickensandwich

ofsuburbanfeverdreams,while

thepotatosaladisanythingbut

basic.Creamedpotato,crispradish

andcelery,aspiraloftranslucent

greenapple,chives.Freshness,

crunchandawholelotofclever

combined.DavidMatthews

OYSTERMUSHROOMS

WITHWAKAMESABAYON

Franklin,Hobart,Tas

OystermushroomsfromTunnelHill

arearegularfeatureonAnaliese

Gregory’smenuatFranklinandit’s

easytoseewhy.Char-grilledand

OOMSWITHWAKAMESABAYON

GREEN APPLE AND ARTICHOKE

BLUEMANNACRABTOAST

teamedwithafrothybraised

wakameandsabayon,theybring

levelsofvelvetytextureandrich

umamiflavourthatborderon

thesublime.MichaelHarden

VENISONTARTARE

WITHFERMENTED

CELERIAC,ROASTED

SESAMEANDGARLIC

Joy,FortitudeValley,Qld

It’stestamenttothemeticulous

approachtakenatthistiny10-seater

thatthreetypesofgarlicfeaturein

itstakeonvenisontartare.Golden,

lightlybittergarlicchipsbringbite,

fermentedsmudgesofblackgarlic

addsweetnessandfunk,and

delicatesociety-garlicflowers

ensureeverythinglooksasgood

asittastes.Theinterplaybetween

therawvenison,earthysesame

andtranslucent,lightlyfermented

celeriacconfirmsthistartareas

acharttopper.FionaDonnelly

FRESHHOUSE€MADE

NOODLESWITHOFFAL

SuperLing,Carlton,Vic

MichaelLi’slunchtimenoodles

areaholytrinityofskill,price

andflavour.Thenoodles,

laminatedfortextureandjust

$13,aremadedailywiththe

choiceoffiveversions,from

eggplanttooŒal.Gothelatter

(youchoosetwofromshin,tripe,

earandtongue),andpairwith

asideofChinesedoughnuts.

MichaelHarden

FRESH CITRUS AND HONEY

FRANGIPANE WITH RICOTTA

AND HIBISCUS LEAF

Pipit, Pottsville, NSW

Ben Devlin’s use of local seafood

is astute, his work with vegetables

from Northern Rivers growers

impressive. But a simple dessert of

honey frangipane cake cooked to

order in a skillet is most memorable.

Served warm with a scoop of ricotta

and fresh seasonal fruit, it’s the

rare dessert that combines comfort

with good sense and confi dence.

More please. David Matthews

BLUEMANNACRABTOAST

LeRebelle,MountLawley,WA

Thistwo-bitewonderhastaken

overmyInstagramfeed,andfor

goodreason.Thecombination

ofcrabmeat,mayoandpickleson

fatbriochefingersisasgratifying

asitissimple.Theperfectspirit

dishforLeRebelle’sbrandof

fun,new-schoolFrench.

MaxVeenhuyzen

TUNAWITHGREENAPPLE

ANDARTICHOKE

HentleyFarm,Seppeltsfield,SA

AtHentleyFarmintheBarossa,

chefLachlanColwillachievesan

idealtexturalbalancewithafatty

cutoftunabellypiquedbyrich,

savourykangaroogarum.Artichoke

puréeandcrispfriedartichoke

tendrilsaddwarmingnotes,

withGrannySmithappleshavings

refreshingthemixwithbright

acidity.It’sthebesttwistyeton

araretunadishColwillhastoyed

withformanyyears.DavidSly

FRESH CITRUS AND HONEY FRANGIPANE

VENSION TARTARE WITH FERMENTED CELERIAC

POTATO SALAD

GOURMET TRAVELLER 79

ILLUSTRATIONS MELISSA MARTIN.