Shinboners

I used to have a F&P fridge and washing machine. Both did their jobs well, but I only had them for a year or so before selling them. As for cooking stuff, if you're after kitchen equipment, try and hold off until the New Year where there will be sales and bargains aplenty. For things like ovens, cooktops, etc., it's June when you hit the retailers as they try and get rid of stock before the end of the financial year. I hope you're enjoying Melbourne.

From Australia "French" by Damien Pignolet (reviewed in the Australia/NZ forum) "Saha" by Greg and Lucy Malouf - covers Lebanese and Syrian cooking. Very similar in style to the Alford/Duguid cookbooks. "Mt Italian Heart" by Guy Grossi. Home cooking from the owner/chef of Melbourne's Grossi Florentino. "Totally Simple Food" by Jill Dupleix - it combines the best of her recent cookbooks into one volume "Simply Bill" by Bill Granger. More of the same from Bill. I'll be buying the Malouf book and I'll post a review when I do.

Hey, how did you go with getting a new stove and oven for your new home in Melbourne?

We know the Australasian food scene does not begin and end with Melbourne and Sydney. We would love to hear from people from around the country so we can help promote the best that Australia and New Zealand has to offer.

Hi everybody!

I don't head down to that end of Lygon Street very often, so it's no wonder that I've never heard of KoKo Black. I'll have to give it a try though. I've also just remembered that I used to head off to Mario's on Brunswick Street for desserts in the evening. Then there's Pelligrini's for cakes and around the corner, there's the Melbourne Supper Club. Does anyone remember a place from many moons ago called "Death By Chocolate"? That was wonderful. I think there is still one in Sydney.

What you need to do is to get one of those palm pilot thingys and wave that around.

You're not thinking of that lolly shop are you? I can't remember the name of it, but that's the only place that comes to mind. Strangely, I've never been inside brunettis. The size of the place is just too big and busy for my liking. I should give it a try though as it is a Carlton institution.

Did they recognise the "hand waving an imaginary pen signing on an imaginary piece of paper" signal to get the bill?

I caught an interview with Damien Pignolet on 774ABC today. He's a very softly spoken guy, but very passionate about his food. He said that one of the key philosophies behind his book was to teach people to cook properly - to understand that good food requires care and technique. Still, I'm not that sure that he would have convinced anyone bar the already converted - he conceded as much when he said that Bill Granger's books were excellent for those who wanted to make quick meals. The other thing about the interview was that it was further proof that when it comes to interviews, Richard Stubbs is not fit to clean the microphone of Derek Guille.

Superb review. I can't wait for parts 2 and 3.

The Chicken Pantry is another great shop. I bought a Peking Duck from there yesterday. I can't wait to roast it tomorrow.

The calendar ticks over to November, and with it, begins the trickle of new cookbooks that will eventually become a flood for the Christmas market. One book that caught my attention was "French" by Damien Pignolet from Sydney's Bistro Moncur. It's hard not to ignore the book with it's black and white leather cover with a heart sitting inbetween a knife and fork. Okay, it's not as if I need another French cookbook. But look at the photos! Look at the layout! Read his opening comments on each recipe or even just sit in a comfy chair and just feel the book in your hands. It's hard not to want to buy it, even at the RRP of $69.95. The book is divided into 13 sections, not including things like the introduction and index. Apart from the usual sections like "Stocks and sauces", "Soups", "Meat" etc., Pignolet has devoted chapters to "Eggs" and "Charcuterie". Most of the recipes are from Bistro Moncur, but he does slip in a few from his time at Claude's. Many of the French classics are there, but I think the more interesting recipes are the ones where he's put his own personal twist or adapted to Australian ingredients (not surpisingly, many of these are in the "Fish and Shellfish" chapter). Every chapter opens with a brief discussion on the topic of the chapter with a mixture of facts, opinions, historical references, and anecdotes. He then follows up with a paragraph or three on a more specific item. For instance, in the "Poultry and Game" chapter, he writes about duck, quail, squab, guinea fowel, pheasant, and rabbits and hares. They have a similar mix of information as the chapter introductions. Following that are the recipes. Ingredients on the top third of the page, instructions on the bottom third. The instructions open with a few comments from Pignolet (sometimes it's a few hints, other times it talks about the history of the recipe) and then the step by step method for the recipe. Any unusual terms or techniques are marked so you can check for them in the glossary of ingredients, equipment and technique. Reading through the recipes, I would think that you would have to be reasonably competent in the kitchen. It is not a book for beginners. There are plenty of recipes that I do want to try, but I know that for a few of them, I will have to set aside an afternoon's attention to complete them. Cookbook collectors and keen cooks will love this book, but beginners should probably stay clear for the time being.

That is my favourite little deli at the Queen Victoria market. They sell a wonderful half goats milk, half sheeps milk feta cheese. It's just bliss for the senses.

Gotta say, their combinacion's are bloody good value. I did notice that you didn't go for desserts. From memory, their chilli chocolate ice cream was very good, as is their Mexican creme brulee. The brulee is somewhat thicker and sweeter than the traditional French one.

Excellent work. I'll be giving a few of your recipes a try this summer.

Damien Pignolet's "French" is out. He's the owner/chef of Sydney's Bistro Moncur. IT's $69.95 at all good bookshops. The book looks rather stunning. It's not as if I need another French cookbook, but this one will be very hard to resist.

Judging from some of the Aussie BBQs I've been too, it consists of burning meat to a cinder, burning sausages (usually from Coles or Safeway and it's made up of food scraps not considered good enough for McDonalds) to a cinder, and pouring beer over it all as the secret marinade.

I didn't make it to Aux Batifolles on the weekend. But welcome to the world, Jade Villiers Hui Lin Shinboners. I think the first thing she said after being born was, "Where's my latte?", but then again, it was 3.26am and I was very tired and she might just have been crying.

I'm a fan of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. I really love his book about meat. I've learned a lot from reading it. I started reading Bertolli book, but I haven't finished it. I dip into it every now and again though, just picking up ideas here and there. On Olney, I might have enjoyed his writing more if I bought LuLu's Provincial Table. I almost bought that book, but at the time, I couldn't justify it for the price. But as it is, I've got enough French cookbooks. Thanks for the other tips though.

Yep. Taxi is worth a visit. You should be able to find the review I wrote on Taxi somwhere on this forum. If you do a search through the Aus/NZ forum, there are a couple of threads about the "hidden gems" in Melbourne that are worth visiting.

Let's see, 1 lb = 0.45 kgs, so therefore, you're paying $US 15.53/kg. $AUD 1 = $US 0.75, so that means you're paying $AUD 20.71/kg. for lamb shanks. Ouch just doesn't do it justice.

More crimes against food. At North Melbourne Football Club's Best and Fairest Awards night, lamb was the main course. I've been told that the menu said that the main was "roasted saddle of lamb", but more than a few people reckon that the saddle was actually the shank. Not only that, many people said that it was served nearly raw and/or quite cold, and that it was very tough. At $135 per ticket for these functions, the inevitably bad food is one key reason why I never go to them.

They SHOULD pay me commission. Oh, and for those who don't have a copy of "A Return To Cooking" by Eric Ripert, you can get it at Readings (Hawthorn) for $30. The Peter Gordon book is as good and as inspiring as Tim says. I've got the books by Rodgers, Clark/Clark, and Henry. All are ace. I like the Rogers one for her discussions on technique (I don't use her recipes), whilst the others are full of recipes that are worth trying. I also own Olney's "Simple French Food". I can't say I'm a fan of his writing. I'm really looking forward to checking out the Ruhlman/Polycn one. And I hear that Jeremy Alford and Naomi Duguid will have a new book out in time for Christmas. This time they're travelling through India. I can't wait to get my hands on that one. Glenn McGrath? Oh dear. Still, I can't wait to see it - it'll be the cookbook equivalent of watching a car crash. You know you shouldn't, but..... I wonder who will be next? "Shane Warne - cooking baked beans and texting for dummies"? At the Hill of Content bookshop, they've got a cookbook by (French actor) Gerard Depardieu!

Mexicali Rose is on Swan Street in Richmond these days.....just a few minutes stroll from the Corner Hotel. There is also Bluecorn on Barkly Street in St.Kilda. As for myself, I'm not a fan of Mexican food, but my missus reckons that Mexicali Rose is the better of the two.