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Interview With Alexandra Vikström, Journalist & Food Stylist

Interviews

Paul

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8 March 2015

At The City Lane, we’re always interested in hearing about what’s happening around the world when it comes to food. Alexandra Vikström is a Swedish journalist and food stylist who splits her time between Sweden and Italy. With a keen interested in the cuisines of both counties, we were keen to hear her thoughts and took some time out to have a chat with her earlier this week.

Alexandra was also king enough to share one of her favourite Swedish recipes with us, a delicious butter fried cod with hash brown and pea pesto which you can find here.

What inspired you to make a career out of food photography and writing?

I love to eat, make recipes and take beautiful photos and when I don’t eat I think about eating. It would be a waste of time to not work with it! Spending time in the kitchen or at the market makes me calm and happy and I like that food often bring people together.

You spend your time in Italy and Sweden. Which of the two countries would you say has the more progressive food scene at the moment?

I would say Sweden. One month ago Sweden won bronze in Bocuse d’Or and the Swedish chefs are pretty innovative. In Italy it is more about the tradition. They know what they are doing because they have done it for such a long time. The Swedish kitchen is very influenced by other cultures which I think is one reason the chefs here are very creative. But I have to admit I love the Italian kitchen more.

Gothenburg is famous for its coffee and when we visited it didn’t disappoint. Are there any hidden gems elsewhere in Sweden that people should know about?

Sweden has very good coffee and when I am in Italy I always miss the filtered coffee. An Americano is not the same thing! Anyway, the north of Sweden is very beautiful and if you go to the region Jämtland you should go for a hike in the mountains. In the middle of nowhere, in Blåhammarens mountain station, there is a very good restaurant. Also the region Hälsingland, in the middle of Sweden, is a beautiful place. If you make it here you have to eat the cheesecake, made of fresh cream and milk, with cloud berries.

We hear you’re writing a city guide about Stockholm. We’re big fans of the Södermalm district. What’s your favourite part of town?

That is a tough question because I like every part of town, but in different ways. If I want a beautiful café with really good food I always go to Vasastan or Östermalm and if I have Italian coffee and cornetto in mind Kungsholmen is the right place to be. Stockholm is a beautiful city, it´s green and you are always close to the water.

Best Dagens lunch* in Stockholm?

Tranan in Odenplan. They have all the Swedish Classics but also an really amazing linguine with truffle and parmesan cheese. Otherwise Taverna Brillo at Stureplan is very good. After lunch you should go to Fabrique Stenugnsbageri at Nybrogatan. They make the best cinnamon and cardamom buns ever!

*Dagens lunch (lunch of the day) is common in restaurants throughout Sweden and is a fixed price, affordable lunch option. Generally you get a salad, main dish and a drink/coffee for around SEK 75-90. It’s a great way of getting a really good quality lunch for a lower than usual price.

Flemington Grazing Trail & Cellar Door: Upcoming Event

Paul

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6 March 2015

1

The Flemington Grazing Trail & Cellar Door is part of the autumn racing season’s “Super Saturday” and is held in conjunction with the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. I was invited to the preview lunch to sample some of the food on offer at the event, which was held in a pop up up marquee at Flemington’s Lindsay Park Racing Stables.

Wine on the day was a selection of tasty drops from Wolf Blass. I was a big fan of the White Label Chardonnay, which reminded me of a French Chablis.

The menu, which was designed to share, was put together and cooked by Argentinean chef Mauro Callegari (of Gembrook’s recently opened “The Independent“) and was Argentinean food with Calegari’s own modern twists.

The first dish being a medley of chicken, smoked eggplant, sweet corn, capsicum and palm heart. The crispy coating on the chicken was especially irresistible, and made the chicken one of my favourite things on the menu.

The impressive hunks of beef short rib were super tender and very easily fell straight off the bone. In true Argentinean style the beef was served with chimichurri and salsa criolla.

Moving distinctly into the “modern twist” end of the menu was this freekeh, zucchini and labneh salad. There were also carrots with smoked syrup, coriander, chilli and peanuts which were particularly tasty – so much so that there wasn’t an untouched plate by the time I realised I hadn’t taken a photo. Trust me, they looked as good as they sound.

The most experimental of the dishes was this sweet corn, pumpkin and beef ragout topped with meringue. This dish certainly raised more than a few eyebrows when it appeared on the table and we realised that it wasn’t dessert. It was tasty, but a quite sweet.

Moving onto the dessert proper was this stand out dish. Chocolate, marquise, dust, fruit, caramel and meringue. There were a lot of flavours and textures going on here and it was one of those dishes where you could eat the different components in any combination that you wanted and get a different, but still very tasty bite each time. Really enjoyable.

No tasting menu would be complete without, of course, cheese.

Everybody in attendance got to bring home one of these plates, which are hand made in Victoria and painted by chef Callegari’s father with assorted Argentinean imagery.

Super Saturday is one of the biggest days on the Autumn racing calendar and, after the meal, guests had the opportunity to learn about some of the horses that will be competing on the day thanks to legendary trainer David Hayes.

Along with the racing and food, the event will also feature cooking demonstrations from Melbourne chefs, including Jake Kellie (Estelle Bistro), Stephen Burke (Melbourne Pub Group), Nicky Riemer (Union Dining), Andrew Logan (Mamasita) and, of course, Mauro Callegari.

If the food at the preview is anything to go by then the Flemington Grazing Trail & Cellar Door should be a great day for lovers of horse racing and good food alike. Check out the official website for full details.

Flemington Grazing Trail & Cellar Door

When: 14 March 2015, 11:30am to 5:30pm

Entry: Included with the $25.00 Super Saturday Race Day Ticket

Where: Front Lawn, Flemington Racecourse, 448 Epsom Road, Flemington

Baked Feta & Thyme Potato Crisps: Recipe

Paul

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5 March 2015

2

Whether you are looking for a quick and easy dish to serve your guests as a canapé at your next house party or simply want a healthier alternative to a good old fashioned packet of crisps/chips, This baked feta & thyme potato crisps recipe really hits the spot.

They are super tasty, with the earthy flavours really shining through.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes / Cooking Time: 10 minutes / Servings: 2-3 (as a side)

Ingredients

2 large ruby blue potatoes
2 tbps (30g) extra virgin olive oil
leaves of 6-8 stalks fresh thyme
25g feta cheese
1.5 tbsp (22.5g) ground oregano
a pinch of salt

Method

Preheat your oven to 220°C, fan forced.
Slice the potatoes using a mandolin. You want them to be about 1 millimetre thick.
Coat the potatoes with the olive oil and place evenly onto a lined baking tray.
Sprinkle the oregano and salt evenly on top of the coated potatoes.
Place the potatoes into the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, until they are golden brown.
Remove the potatoes from the oven, and crumble the feta over the top, along with the fresh thyme leaves.
Serve and eat immediately, otherwise the potatoes will become soggy.

Notes

You don’t necessarily need a mandolin to slice the potatoes, but it’s the easiest way to get them as thin as they need to be.

S01E01 – Season 1, Episode 1

Chris

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5 March 2015

0

PODCAST | This episode, which we refer to as the pilot of The Brunswick Beer Collective podcast, features us talking about the worst beers we’ve ever had, finding obscure $50 beers at craft beer venues, and the wonders of Untappd badges. We are young, naïve, still learning the rules, and heavily edited.

Featured Beers: Small Beer by Hargreaves Hill Brewing Co, Garden Variety IPA by Make Beer.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Exploring London’s Maltby Street Market

Paul

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3 March 2015

0

LONDON | London’s Maltby Street Market (or the section called Ropewalk as this article more specifically refers to) is one of the best food markets in London. While tourists flock towards Borough Market (which, don’t get me wrong, is excellent) those in the know head a 15-20 minute walk further south east towards this collection of stores and stalls located underneath the rail arches between Maltby Street and Millstream Road in Bermondsey.

There’s a lot on offer here, with the focus being on local, artisan producers and purveyors of all things good in the world of food and drink.

There is a lot of good food and drink to be found at Maltby Street Market, and one would be hard pressed to not find something that was to there liking. I had the opportunity to visit recently and these were a few of the highlights.

40 Maltby Street

40 Maltby Street is located at (surprise surprise) 40 Maltby Street and offers a variety of seasonal small plates of the highest quality. There’s a board that lists what’s on offer for the day and when it’s gone, it’s gone. I tried the hare ragout with carrot and juniper – the gaminess of the rabbit was offset beautifully by the sweetness of the carrots and unique flavour of the juniper. A perfect winter warmer.

40 Maltby Street is actually a wine importer/store too, with the import business, Gergovie Wines, providing an eclectic range of wines from all over the place, with a focus on Europe – and not just France, Italy and Spain.

40 Maltby Street

40 Maltby Street
London SE1 3PA
United Kingdom

Telephone: 020 7237 9247
Email: n/a
Website: http://40maltbystreet.com/

Open
Wed – Thu: 5:30pm to 10:00pm
Fri: 12:30pm to 2:00pm; 5:30pm to 10:00pm
Sat: 11:00am to 10:00pm

Little Bird Gin

Little Bird Gin is a Peckham based small batch gin producer that produces two gins, the main “London Dry” containing strong grapefruit and citrus notes balanced by punchy coriander and spicy ginger. There is a small menu that contains some food as well as a few cocktails. I couldn’t go past a classic gin & tonic and was very impressed by the balance of flavours in the gin.

Little Bird Gin

41 Maltby Street
London SE1 3PA
United Kingdom

Telephone: n/a
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://littlebirdgin.com/

Open
Saturdays and Sundays, market hours.

St John Bakery

You have heard about the original St John, Fergus Henderson’s ground breaking “nose to tail” restaurant that is still going strong after 20 years. Well Henderson has expanded into several areas since then and St John Bakery is one of these ventures.

It’s simple really – quality baked goods produced on site and a variety of bites using local, fresh produce. Special mention goes to the famous doughnuts, which are available here on market days and spawned the brilliant creations by Bread Ahead’s Justin Gellatly, a former St John Bakery baker.

St John Bakery

72 Druid Street
London SE1 2HQ
United Kingdom

Telephone: 020 7237 5999
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://stjohngroup.uk.com/bakery/

Open
Sat: 9:00am to 2:00pm

Bar Tozino

Bar Tozino is a stalwart of the Maltby Street market and is very popular – when I visited I had to stand at a part of the restaurant next to the jamon carver as it was so busy. I didn’t mind though, as the atmosphere was lively and it was fascinating to watch the jamon carver at work.

As you’ve probably gathered, this tapas bar or, as the owners call it, “jamon bodega” specialises in jamon and other traditional tapas dishes. The selection of food and wine is impressive and very authentic.

I went for the jamón ibérico de bellota, which is considered to be the best jamon in the world. One bite and it’s easy to see why. The stuff is glistening and melts in your mouth when you eat it – once you’ve tried this you’ll never want to eat any other type of jamon ever again.

I also ordered some delicious white anchovies pickled in vinegar, or boquerones as the Spanish call them.

Bar Tozino

Lassco Ropewalk
London SE1 3PA
United Kingdom

Telephone: 020 7440 1456
Email: n/a
Website: http://bartozino.com/

Open
Wed – Thu: 5:00pm to 10:00pm
Fri: 12:30pm to 10:00pm
Sat: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Sun: 12:00pm to 5:00pm

Jensen’s Gin

Another small batch gin distiller is Jensen’s Gin. They have a really great tasting available which allows you to really find out which gin is for you – the Bermondsey dry or the Old Tom, inspired by a rediscovered recipe from the 1840s.

Being winter, there was a kind of “hot mulled gin” on offer when I visited which was delicious.

Jensen’s Gin

55 Stanworth St
London SE1 3NY
United Kingdom

Telephone: 077 0708 1800
Email: n/a
Website: http://bermondseygin.com/

Open
Sat: 10:00am to 4:00pm
Sun: 11:00am to 4:00pm

Monty’s Deli

I didn’t get a chance to eat at Monty’s Deli but have heard many a good thing about its traditional Jewish food. The Monty’s Reuben is famous for being especially delicious and has people queuing for it. Insider’s tip? Make sure you ask for an extra serving of the salt beef.

Monty’s Deli

76 Druid Street
London SE1 2HQ
United Kingdom

Telephone: 078 4291 3939
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://montys-deli.com/

Open
Sat: 10:00am to 4:00pm
Sun: 11:00am to 3:30pm

Botherambo, Richmond

Paul

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2 March 2015

0

Botherambo Richmond is the latest venture from Nathan Peck and expectations were high before it even opened thanks the savvy recruiting of Kam McManamey (formerly of Elwood’s Dandelion and South Wharf’s BangPop) as head chef. McManamey has quite the reputation amongst those in the know in Melbourne’s food scene thanks to his steadfast dedication to flavour, authenticity and technique. When word got out that he was going to be involved in Botherambo (named for the side street off Swan on which it is located) the restaurant found itself on many a “must try” list.

The space is split in two, with one half of the venue containing the restaurant proper and the other half containing a more casual bar space. Exposed, sandblasted bricks and a concrete floor, along with strategically placed lighting and a large plant jungle mural makes for a very atmospheric, trendy space.

On the food front Botherambo is heavily influenced by northern Thai food, but also sets sights a bit further to include influences from neighbouring Vietnam. The menu, which is designed to share, is split into 6 sections – Singles, Salads, Shares, Large Shares, Sides and Sweets. Drinks wise, there are a variety of Thai and Vietnamese inspired cocktails along with craft beer and a focused selection of white and red wines.

The “Saigon Smash”, which contained Cachaca, lychee, coriander, Thai basil, lime and palm sugar was a real crowd pleaser amongst my group of friends.

Ba La Lot Beef Parcel ($6.00)

We started with the Ba Lot Lot Beef Parcel which contained lemongrass, pickles, rice paddy herb and nouc cham. A really tasty starter with a medley of textures and the perfect balance of sweet, salt and sour.

Betel Leaf With Cloud Mushroom, Chilli, Perilla, Kaffir Lime & Saw Tooth Coriander ($5.00)

This dish really reminded me of Vietnam, with the simple flavours of the leaf and herbs being the stars and the mushrooms providing some contrasting texture.

Pork Neck Salad ($16.00)

The pork neck in this salad was mixed up with lemongrass, cucumber, tomato, coriander, mint, ground rice, chilli. As with the first dish we had, this was a brilliant medley of textures and flavour components. One of my favourites of the night.

Sweet Grilled Corn ($9.00)

The sauce on this slightly charred corn was an interesting one. I didn’t expect it to be so complex with the bright red preserved tofu and coconut cream doing interesting things to my mouth. Interesting in a good way.

Green Tofu Curry ($24.00)

I really enjoyed the green tofu curry, but for the fact that there wasn’t actually much tofu in it. It contained elephants ear mushrooms, wing bean, cloud fungus, green peppercorns and coriander and was full of flavour. A good example of a mild curry.

Red Duck Leg Curry ($28.00)

The red duck leg curry was a medley of baby corn, wood ear, snake beans, krachai and thai basil along with duck meat that was so tender it fell right off the bone. The sauce was very tasty but somewhat disappointing in that it didn’t have much of a kick to it. I was a big fan of the red duck curry at BangPop and was expecting a curry with a similar spicy kick in the guts but even my friend who doesn’t have a huge tolerance for spicy food found this to be quite mild.

Yes I know the Jungle curry is on the menu for those who want to be challenged on the spice front but I was expecting more from this dish. Still tasty, but definitely toned down for the local clientele, which seemed to be a bit of a pattern across the dishes we ate.

Coconut Sorbet ($5.00)

This dessert was really tasty, consisting of choc kaffir lime ice magic and peanut sesame salt. A great balance between the very noticeable kaffir lime and the peanut sesame salt, this little dish was one of my favourites.

Silken Tofu ($12.00)

Unlike the green tofu curry, this dish actually had too much tofu and was a struggle to eat. Flavour and texture wise it was really nice with ginger, jasmine flower syrup and puffed sticky rice creating a refreshing, fragrant almost soup-like sauce.

Steamed Pandan Pudding ($12.00)

Pandan is almost like chocolate for me in that whenever I see it on a menu I have to order it. This dessert was a tale of 2 halves. The toddy palm, lychee, coriander and mango sorbet were delicious – simple South East Asian flavours done right. The pudding however fell a bit flat. It wasn’t bad it was just, for lack of a better term, “meh”.

Botherambo is about as far from Victoria Street as it is from Chapel Street, and its food veers more towards the Chapel Street side of things – more Hanoi Hannah than Jinda Thai. The food is tasty, the ingredients are of the highest quality, the technique is flawless and service is on point. If Botherambo really wants to vie for the title of Melbourne’s best Thai restaurant though, I think there need to be a few more daring options on the menu. All the elements are already in place, and I’ll be really interested to see which direction Botherambo heads towards as the year progresses.

Botherambo

65 Swan Street
Richmond
Victoria 3121
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9428 9730
Email: n/a
Website: http://botherambo.com.au/

Open
Sun – Thu: 12:00pm to 11:00pm
Fri – Sat: 12:00pm to 1:00am

Tastes Of Prahran Market: Event

Paul

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1 March 2015

0

Tastes of Prahran Market is an event that was held at the Prahran Market as part of 2015’s Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. We were invited to check out the event and sample the food and drinks on offer, using the event booklet is full of vouchers to sample a variety of the offerings at the Prahran Market over the course of 2.5 hours.

There were 2 drinks vouchers in the booklet which could be used for either Napoleone Beer or Punt Road wine.

Some of the market’s butchers were cooking up a variety of tasty meat dishes, including these delicious ćevapi.

A selection of cheeses were also on offer from some of the market’s delicatessens and cheesemongers.

Seafood fans weren’t forgotten with fresh oysters, prawns and scallops available.

A variety of other delicacies were on offer including these dolmades and kofta, antipasto, chocolate, bakalava, ice cream and more.

Despite not paying on this occasion, the event is great value at $35, and actually left the market with a few vouchers unused in our booklet as we were so full by the end! Most of the samples on offer were things that are available every weekend at the market, which I thought was a great way of running the event – for someone who hasn’t been to the Prahran market before it’s a really great introduction to what’s on offer.

Asparagus & Roasted Sesame Dressing: Recipe

Paul

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27 February 2015

3

Inspired by the tasty sesame based salad dressing that’s popular in Japan, we decided to create our own version of the dressing to use with some in season asparagus and some tasty free range eggs.

The result? Sublime simplicity that, most importantly, tastes brilliant.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes / Cooking Time: 10 minutes / Servings: 2-4 (as a side)