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Rude Food: Beyond Masterchef
Australian chefs are all the rage in India. And judging by the meals I had last week, Sydney is one of the world’s great food cities. It’s a funny thing, but when it comes to famous international chefs...Vir Sanghvi writes.
It’s a funny thing, but when it comes to famous international chefs, educated Indians are surprisingly insular. In much of the world, such French chefs as Guy Savoy or Pierre Gagnaire would evoke murmurs of recognition. Great American chefs like Charlie Trotter, Thomas Keller and Mario Batali usually see their reputations travel ahead of them – except in India where they are largely unknown.
Even when it comes to British chefs, the only one most Indians have ever heard of is Gordon Ramsay. And he is famous for his swearing, not for his food. Other British stars like Philip Howard, the Roux brothers, Fergus Henderson or Marcus Wareing are hardly household names in India.
Strangely enough, the only global chefs most Indians have heard of are Australians. Matt Moran is famous on the basis of his appearances on the Australian version of Masterchef, which is such a hit here. And Kylie Kwong has a country-wide reputation in India on the basis of her TV shows. Other Australian chefs who make guest appearances on Masterchef – such as Mark Best – are much better known in India than, say, Alain Ducasse or Joël Robuchon. Even India’s best-known expatriate chef – Bill Marchetti – is an Australian (no, he’s not really an Italian).
Given that so many Rude Food readers associate great chefs with Australia, I was always a little embarrassed about never having been there. When I had eaten food cooked by Australian chefs, it was always excellent. I ate at MJU in London when it had just opened over a decade ago and Tetsuya was behind the stove himself. And it is always a pleasure to eat David Thompson’s take on Thai cuisine which I have now done in three different cities: London, Bangkok and Singapore.
But eating food cooked by Australians outside of Australia is not the same as eating in their original restaurants. And so, last week, I took off for Sydney to do something I should have done a decade ago: check out that city’s food scene.
From an Indian perspective, Marque has the advantage of being Mark Best’s restaurant – most of us will know him from his appearances on Masterchef. But Peter Gilmore who cooks at Quay is also regarded by many critics as being Australia’s best chef.
Dinner at Quay was four courses of which the stand-out was a first course consisting of strips of jasmine-scented poached chicken jostling with shavings of scallops, Chinese artichokes and a smoked eggplant cream. The dish was held together by the bridging flavour of black sesame oil. Other courses were excellent too: braised lamb with cumin for instance had a gentle flavour, while a pig’s cheek done two ways brought sophistication to what should have been a simple, hearty course.
Gilmore is famous for his desserts, the best-known of which is the snow egg, which he tried to get contestants to make on Masterchef. It is a cross between a Baked Alaska and Floating Island, pulled off with so much delicacy that it deserves to be regarded as a classic of the genre.
My own favourite of all the meals I had in Australia, however, was dinner at Marque. I had 12 courses, so I can’t possibly give you a full rundown. But the stand-out courses were a surprisingly light venison with beetroot and liquorice, a crab chuwan-mushi topped with foie gras powder and a Sauternes custard served in an eggshell.
Mark Best’s cooking takes in a variety of influences from Alain Passard to Raymond Blanc to Ferran Adrià to Thomas Keller to René Redzepi. And yet, the great thing about his food is that his style is entirely his own. Cuisine of this kind can only be found at the world's very best restaurants (it is hard to think of many three-star restaurants in France where the food is better) and though his use of ingredients marks him out as an Australian chef, his style defies national categorisation.
After dinner, I asked Mark if he had ever been to India given that Masterchef has such a following here. He said that much to his regret, he had never been but that he was dying to go. “If anybody invites me, I’ll be on the next plane,” he laughed.
I’m sure there will be no shortage of invitations. Australian chefs are all the rage in India. And judging by the meals I had last week, Sydney is one of the world’s great food cities.
Universal Restaurant
www.universalrestaurant.com
Chiswick Restaurant
www.chiswickrestaurant.com.au
Icebergs Dining Room
www.idrb.com
Aria Restaurant
www.ariarestaurant.com
Marque Restaurant
www.marquerestaurant.com.au
Quay Restaurant
www.quay.com.au
From HT Brunch, September 2
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