“I can’t find any more,” he says. “It’s very much
an eight hour day working culture here. Plenty
of people have passion for food but not the
drive to work in a kitchen. If you’d asked me
three years ago I’d have said that I disagree
with that Australian attitude - but now I’m 32
and waking up a bit, and have a partner I need
to see more of, I’m not so sure.
“I still believe that if you want to succeed
in this industry you have to learn and learn
and the only way to do that is to do it over
and over, because you won’t get it right the
first time,” he adds. “But it’s only a matter of
time before the world follows the eight hour
thinking. The problem for us in particular is
that plenty of people in industries put in very
long days some times - but they get that time
back. In the chef world it’s just expected. It’s a
tricky dynamic when you’re the boss too - you
want to make all the employees happy, but
also yourself. And I did 100 hour weeks over
Christmas. It’s a hard habit to break.”
It has left Robinson juggling with issues of
sponsorship - “which just costs too much
money” - sorting out visas and wondering
whether he should drop from being open five
days a week to four, ”so staff get a proper
rest and come back refreshed.” Teams gel
and then someone’s visa runs out and they
have to go home. But the local thinking
hasn’t put him off. He’s now looking to open
his second restaurant, hopefully by the end
of 2019 - “but as 100% owner,” he stresses,
“which means it will take time and money.”.
He’s considering Auckland in New Zealand,
where his partner is from. “The culture has
grown so much in that city and I think it will
be really buzzing over the next five years,”
Robinson suggests. “The question is whether
it wants the kind of food that we do.”Robinson may also have to ponder whether
he’ll want the kind of food New Zealand offers.
He’s already won a reputation for his warm
banter with the Australians. “Vegemite!” he
exclaims. “The Aussies have it on absolutely
everything. I tell them I’d rather have Bovril. But
I’m just having a dig at them really. Well, kind
of. I still can’t get my head around Vegemite.
That sticky black layer. No....”short rib, seeded Mustard, Pine Mushroom, Charred onion, umami, black garlic.
see recipe on Page 66