PCL

In terms of ethics, the person under the spotlight is a public figure. Many of his detractors here are not, or have not been identified as such. Any chance of publicly disclosing the identities of those coming forth? Even playing field then... maybe edit to add: I meant public figure to mean "identifiable"...

Who's getting pissed here? Judd, I agree on the need for debate and exploration and understanding and celebration. All the eG things we appreciate, and the reasons for us being here. And that's one of the key points, why are some people here? And as for the bigger picture, I think that's significant too, and more so if it were to encompass the circle in which we dwell, this community of food obsessives and cooks and the like. A concentrated effort on one restaurant can sometimes look like a vendetta of some kind.

The heat is on so to speak. Can I suggest that we consider the whole concept of originality and plagiarism etc, especially in the context of food and chefs and recipes and so on and so forth. I mean, is every restaurant serving duck confit and beef burgundy obliged to be totally original? No, workmanship is the key. The quality of the end product. Putting up French posters on the wall and hand scribbled specials simply isn't going to cut it. Then push to the other extreme. Man, there are some big egos at play here. If things were so secret, would Keller have put out two books? Aida work the 'celeb chef' circuit? Would Robin have been invited/allowed to stage at all these places? I guess it's the flipside of the ego, ie. the sharing and dissemination of one's work so that via tutelage, others may be inspired and take things forward. Putting the politics aside, many in Melbourne are grateful that we have access to the kinds of things being done and touted about outside our shores. Perhaps acknowledgement of the source is one way to assuage misunderstandings. I eagerly look forward to the progression of this discussion

I was offered a job as the deep-fry cook in an Izakaya, sort of like a Japanese pub. I took the job and realised that hey hey, I love Japanese food, but had absolutely no freakin' idea about how to cook it, let alone work in a restaurant. Basically, I blagged myself into the job. I picked up Tsuji's book on the way home the night before, and spent the whole night reading and taking down 'cheat notes'. During the demo session in the kitchen the next morning, I actually made sense of what was going on. Lunch service passed by okay. Nothing sent back, and no bruises. My knifework needed improvement though, but Tsuji came to the rescue. I started taking the book to work. the other cooks, all Japanese bar myself, began poring over it. Many of them didn't read Japanese so the recipes and techniques were helpful. Then the sushi chef borrowed it and I had to go back and ask him nicely one afternoon when he was prepping half a tuna with a massive sword. Great book.

No sign of uppity wait staff this pleasant autumn lunchtime. Massaman (sp.??) Lamb curry was light and tasty. Scallops on the shell with herbs and chilli... sweet. Half serve of hocks!!! Now that's thinking! Rice. Glass of rose, and pinot gris. Noice...

Shinboners and I were invited by Chef Robin to test drive the 25 course degustation, known as "The Tour". We duly showed up with hiking boots and note pads at 7pm, March 9. It was a 5 hour journey. It turned out to be 28 courses in total. The timing of so many courses was crucial. We were asked to note how that worked, and to be honest, portioning was just right, leaving that hint of "I'd like a bit more" and anticipation for the next item. It was revealed to us that foams and intense but light emulsions are crucial in providing flavour in terms of a 'sauce' but yet holding back enough bulk to prevent overly stuffing one self. There were a few new things on the menu, such as an interpretation of a 'pizza' slice, dehydrated 'pina colada' to start with, and a mean squab and foie gras emulsion combo. The stand out was a piece of salmon, fatty and pristine, lightly poached and sitting on a steaming 'potato consomme'... sounds banal, but hey, it's not what you'd expect. The ensuing discussion with Robin was insightful, our notes being presented and dissected and critiques put forward. I'm no culinary master, but it was good to know that the 'man on the street' has a voice that's worth listening to. At this point, I'd like to invite Chef Robin to post about The Tour, and maybe give us an update on going-ons in the kitchen. When we visited, it was only a week or so after a new brigade had been inducted into the kitchen. Also, calling out to Shinboners to chip in his valueable 2cts worth!

I have found that aromatics work well with this thing called "fusion." As a matter of fact, I've just come back from lunch at a great Modern Thai place, called Longrain, here in Melbourne, and I can report quite assuredly that the following drops work well with the flavour profiles you've described in your menu: Pinot Gris/Grigio Riesling (New World) Rose (as in the pinky light red stuff) Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (NZ especially, Marlborough) Sparkling whites do well too, and if you want to funk it up, try a sparkling Australian shiraz

sometime maybe... shal... some commitment please!!

The love affair continues for this punter. I've made 2 return visits fo Longrain so far, and it looks like there will be more. Such is life when the place is only a stone's throw from the office. One visit was for an anti-valentine's dinner with two lovely ladies, yes, we played it up, why wouldn't we? Cocktails all round, bloody good. Food? Bloody good. Hocks, duck curry, oysters and scallops. Didn't even have to think about it. Second visit, after work drinks. Mojitos all round, say 5 rounds or so, and loads of fish cakes. Thanks be to above for project related entertainment. I personally think they've got it just right, though I did hear that someone did write in to The Age recently to complain about service. In my opinion, uppity hostesses and waiters and waitresses take a back seat to good food and drink.

Cedreena, you might have better luck with this question if you posed it to a wider audience. The General forum or the Adventures in Eating forum here on eGullet are good bets!!

Welcome Chimney. In reply to this one, mod-oz/asian influence is sometimes referred to as Backpacker Syndrome... But in all seriousness, I think the Melbourne palate is slightly more Western European while definitely respecting the East. Those who do a mod-oz/asian thing sometimes... I don't know... just can't seem to cut it in Melbourne. Notable exceptions include Fenix. Longgrain is definitely more Asia than mod-oz.

There are worse places than a drawing board, if indeed you're talking literally about a drawing board. I have one too, and I too am currently bent over it... ...but to keep on track... i think Fenix here in Melbourne hires out their commercial 'training/show' kitchen every now and then...

Julian, It's for all the reasons you've described. The concept was yes, rustic, but clean. No fuss. Good ingredients. And in my mind, reasonable. The best thing was, really, the honesty. We lack something like that in our dining scene I think. We of all people, should be able to do honest better.

Robin, Call Excell Meat Supplies on Lygon St, Carlton. Speak to Frank. He supplies also to La Luna on an ad hoc basis for bits and pieces, not beef of course, heaven forbid... He can usually get what others can't. The butchers on Victoria St provide good steady supplies of duck gizzards and chicken gizzards... I like them browned in oil and butter, with some garlic thrown in towards the end of cooking, and then flamed with a stiff shot of cognac/brandy/whatever strong stuff happens to be lying around. Calvados works well too...

What a response. I'm chuffed. So people are willing to eat the stuff. It was remiss of me to forget about the Chinese influence in terms of yum-cha goodies. Hell, I even know of skips who crave chicken's feet. To me though, I don't really consider trotters, feet, heads etc to be offal. Offal to me has always been the bits inside, the organs if you like. Bull's penis is contentious however, and you can get a serving of it with your pho if you ask nicely at most pho restaurants. St John's was a revelation for me, and I ate there like, no shit, weekly over a 3 month period. My waist line told me to stop. I really hope that should Fergus make his way out here, it would be the greatest Brit Invasion coup ever, should his ideals take seed among local chefs and restrateurs.

Offal should really feature more. It seems like most are put off after having experienced some of the old cliches such as being forced to eat liver by mums and grandmas. The Chinese, Italians etc however, don't seem to have such a stigma. And really, the French don't either. So my contention is that Australian cuisine should try harder. For what it's worth, here are a few places in Melbourne where offal does appear on the menu: Tiamo Cafe, Lygon St... chicken livers Sud used to serve up calf's liver now and then, and sometimes, tongue. Izakaya Chuji - grilled tongue and sometimes chicken livers on skewers France Soir - lamb brains, sometimes sweetbreads and livers, never seen trotters there though, pity Aux Batifolles - liver in various forms Interlude - sweetbreads appear, brains?? C'mon Robin! Florentino's Cellar Bar - TRIPE!!!!.... ...any takers from Sydney? Adelaide? Perth?....

For this once, in a long while, I think Mr Lethlean has got it right. Check out his Epicure article on tripe...here And apparently, Fergus Henderson is coming to town, of St John's fame in London. The Man, The Dude. How many of you eat offal? What is your ethnic origin? Why don't they serve it up more often? Why can't it be everywhere, all the time? Australians can do better, I believe, truly, I do.

Shalmanese... i echo rebecca's comment and want to add the following: You've turned the Raven to the Ravenous??

Shiewie to the rescue! Thanks, woon jai go I know very well

A picture would be great, i'm still having trouble visualising it... i never saw it in Malaysia...

Chiko rolls rock. Had a few on the weekend actually. Also had some good fish and chips yesterday as a matter of fact. Flathead fillets and chips, crab dim sims. All fried. Too good. Other fantastic fish options are flake, ocean perch, blue grenadier, snapper... list goes on and on and on... throw in a couple calamari rings and scallops... bob's your uncle.

I'm kind of stumped as to what 'chui-kwei' might be... drunken chicken?

Amen to that Jaymes. Sometimes I even finely chop the shallots and sprinkle them as is over skirt/hanger steak. Watering mouth right now I feel.

Dim, which restaurants did you have them at?

I caved. The opportunity arrived, and at 12.30 today, I walked the 500m or so from the office to Longrain and took a seat with 2 others at one of the long tables. In my mind were the words "Sydney Invasion of Melbourne." And it wasn't too far from the truth. Snubby maitre'd figure, too tight shirts, mincing walks. We sat, we observed, and ordered some sparkling wa-dah.... and a Victorain riesling. Kingfish and salted pork salad, pork hock and Wagyu brisket curry. Can't fault the food. Waited too long though. So we had another bottle of wine instead. Wagyu curry was like how good brisket, in this case, exceptional brisket, should be. Sauce was just the right consistency and balance. Salad was a bit run of the mill thai, but everything worked. Cucumbers never tasted so good to this self-confessed cucumber hater. Fish fillets were a bit skinny and under seasoned and the salted pork garnish kind of overwhelmed, but still good. Paddled it up with loads of rice. Pork hock. Enough said. Certainly a highlight. Will be on top ten list for a while. Do it.