Chef – February 2018

of lifestyle, but it’s so expensive to live here

people are well paid and tend to spend it on

the things they like doing, like eating,” he

says. But when Robinson carefully researched

the local market he concluded there were

plenty of relaxed establishments offering

sharing plates, or restaurants that specialised

in a particular cuisine. What it needed was

a degustation menu that changed every

six weeks, together with the wine, and an

emphasis on fun. 

“I concluded that if we said our concept was

fun, we wouldn’t be stuck in a rut of one food

style of set of ingredients,” he says. “What

we could focus on would be the element of

surprise - basil smoking with nitrogen, dishes

with popping candy in them, marshmallows on

fire. And if you have surprise a customer feels

like they’ve had an experience, and it’s that

that they come back for. It’s important to have

a concept because it’s too easy for a chef to get

lost, and then their customers get lost too. You

need to give guidelines, provide a flow to the

menu, and especially with eight courses.”

Building a clientele that enjoys Robinson’s food

• often inspired by childhood memories, from
  takes on a Cornish pasty and lava bread, to roast
  beef and bubble and squeak, all sufficiently
  alien to the locals - has not been the problem.
  Staffing has been more of an issue arising from
  his big move. Indeed, he has no Australians in the
  kitchen and only two front of house. 

Parmesan moose with with rye

and dried smoked duck

Kedgeree - curried Murray cod, slow cooked egg yolk, dehydrated rice and curry sauce

24 internationaL chef: NellY roBiNsoN by Josh sims