Wine Selectors has launched the Chef Series, a collaborative project that brings together the country’s finest chefs and premium wine producers to create an exclusive wine collection that is designed to match each of the chef’s unique style of cuisine. The chefs include award-winning Frank Camorra, author and television presenter Ben O’Donoghue and fellow Queenslander Alastair McLeod, as well as Ian Parmenter from the well-loved ABC show ‘Consuming Passions’. Over the past few months each chef has worked closely with Wine Selectors, Australia’s largest independent direct marketer of wine, to identify the best varietal and terroir to complement their cooking style and preferences. The chefs then put the wines through a vigorous taste-testing process before hand-selecting their favourites to put their name to and match with their own personal recipes.
- Destination Food dined at Tank to sample Alastair McLeod’s Japanese influenced menu highlighted by freshness, elegance, restraint and attention to detail whilst still retaining a local flavour cooking with some of Queensland’s best produce.
Tank Restaurant and Bar North Quarter Lane, Ground Floor, Santos Place, 31 Tank Street, Brisbane Q 4000 P – +617 3003 1993 W – www.tankrestaurant.com.au We dined there late June 2012
Edamame Beans Little beads of buttery creamy goodness with a welcoming twang of sea salt. Something simple. Great with the Chardonnay/Pinot Noir NV from Tasmania.
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Smoked ocean trout, crisp oyster, crab and tapioca salad, parsley The smoke on the fish was subtle and well received, so was the stemless glass that housed a puff of theatrics. The fish is smoked with a mallee Eucalyptus wood, from the east coast I imagine. Very nice and so so fresh, the parsley came as a juice, that was decantered tableside. We know Alastair likes to forage, many things on our plates today are picked from around here and there. See society garlic and nasturtium as examples in images above and below.
Smoke in a glass
Roasted Scallops, ham hock, rice wine vinaigrette, toasted nori A few wild weeds were scattered also over a mighty fine entree. The scallops were coated in roasted nori [or squid ink] dust, and given a breath of heat, yielding a yin and yang both in appearance and taste. The ham hock was in the form of a terrine of slow cooked goodness, crusted in polenta. Chefs view of the well played pork belly and scallop rendition of a about a decade ago. Both entrees sat with a 2010 Mount Barker Riesling, a gentle Riesling that happened to go very well with seafood.
Organic duck, pumpkin ‘tofu’ winter reds Mains get a touch more bolder in taste, here a slow cooked confit of duckling with some radicchio and witlof. The pumpkin ‘tofu’ is a set pumpkin cream. This along with a few other things on the menu strike a chord of influence from many areas of the culinary world.
Eye fillet of beef w oxtail gyoza and smoked celeriac Some more smoke, and a play with texture. Ingredients represented 2 ways, beef and celeriac. The celeriac a puree and remoulade, the beef 1. a sous vide’d and then charred miso bathed tenderloin and 2. oxtail in the pot sticker. Full full flavoured beef and checking its provenance you’ll see it grazed on the Darling Downs before being called for culinary duty.
Chocolate and kinako pave, strawberry jelly, malted milk ice cream [Kinako] I had to Google it too, never stop learning do we? It’s a roasted soy bean flour and was a component of an edible choc soil beneath the very enjoyable malted milk ice cream, Nice dessert, but rich, some good chocolate made its way into this pave.
A cup of green tea Yes, thank you kitchen! Green tea..lets count. Ichi, ni, san. Bavarois, gelee and ice cream. The little [sugar cubes] toasted sugared brioche bring some fun into dessert.
Yuzu marshmallow, yuzu jellies Great finish, the marshmallows sour and sharp, the jellies a great little Japanese rendition of a Pâté de Fruit. Plum wine for afters.
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We seem to be heading up to Brisbane more and more these days…wonder why [the food scene is booming, that's why] Tank was great, loved it. Smart food, fresh, healthy and good to its providores.
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