38 GOURMET TRAVELLER
season,orthechef.Butwhatyou
getinexchangeis a precisedistillation
ofhard-wonknowledge,talentand
experience,anessencethat’sboth
uncompromisingandhumble.
Takethegravlax.Salmonis cured
invodkaflavouredwithdill,coriander
andfennelseedsanda littleblackpepper.
It’sslicedtoorderandhasa plump,
butterytexture,a gloriouslyrichorange-
pinkcolourandclean,lengthyflavour
thatneitherignoresnoris swamped
bythecure.It landsaccompaniedby
caperberriesandcucumberspickled
insugarandcidervinegar.There’s
a quenelleofcrèmefraîche,mottled
withfreshdill.Thisis textbook
gravlax,doingitsthing.
Thesamecanbesaidforthepipérade,
a feistybrick-redstewofcaramelised
onion,charredredcapsicumand
smokedpaprika.It’sstuddedwith
piecesofcreamy,saltyMeredithgoat’s
cheesethatsharpentheedgesandlift
thedishtothenext,moreethereal,level.
Thenthere’sthegoat’scheeseand
herbtart,a dishathomeonthemenu
ofa quaint-rusticcountryrestaurant.
One where mismatched crockery andAndrewandMattMcConnell,Rita
MacaliandGeraldDiffey.
It’sbeena whilesinceGoodhasdone
herownstuffinherownkitchen.Now,
inregionalVictoriawithsommelier
partnerJohnEvansina weatherboard
housewitha gardenonKyneton’sPiper
Street,she’screatedthenextincarnation
ofhereponymousrestaurant,firstspotted
inMelbourneinthe1980s.
Thislatest,ruralversionofTansy’sis
a small,hands-on,handcraftedbusiness
runbytwoindustrylifers.They’renot
heretoperformcartwheelsforyou.You
mightwaita whiletobeservedorfor
thefoodtoarrive.Theopeninghours
arelimitedandtheone-pagemenu
changes according to the whim of theChefTansyGoodreturnswitha countrybistrothat’s
all classicsandclass,writesMICHAELHARDEN.
Good times
I
s it wrongtogetemotionalabout
sardines?Thesearesilvery,juicy,
expertlybutterfliednumbersfrom
PortLincoln,laidoutonanorange-
rimmedplate,toppedwitha swirlofpink
house-pickledonionsandaccompaniedby
a wedgeoflime.Sousedforfourhoursina
finelytunedcombooflemonjuice,olive
oil,vinegarandherbs,they’rethrillingly
firmandcleanflavoured,a masterclass
inthebeautyofsimplicity.Onlythe
hard-heartedcouldremainunmoved.
Butthere’sanotherexcuseforgetting
chokedup.Thesesardinesarethework
ofTansyGood,oneofMelbourne’s
mostinfluentialchefs,masterofclassic
Frenchtechnique,inspirationtothe
likes of Karen Martini, Philippa Sibley,ChefTansyGoodandsommelier
JohnEvans.Left:filletofbeefwith
potatoes and red wine sauce.