Queensland Food & Wine Guide - Queensland Holidays

Brisbane in recent decades hascome of age; the city offers amelting pot of places plus a bevyof world-class chefs to indulge ourpassions for the finer things in life.Talented chef and author PhilipJohnson was applauded for elevatingQueensland’s cuisine, when his e’ccobistro in Brisbane was named bestrestaurant in Australia several years ago.Philip’s consistency for clever creativefood remains steadfastly today.Other Brisbane award winners areveteran restaurateur and chef ThierryGalichet and his classic Lyonnaisebistro Montrachet; Simon Hill’sinnovative and elegant Isis Brasserie;and Lure which has taken centre stagewith yesteryear classics plus modernAsian dishes, created by Marc Maric.Alistair Roberts’ Tukka is one of thecountry’s leading native Australian specialtyrestaurants; and at Mondo Organics,everything, including the wines is organic.Gianni’s is a sophisticated spot tocelebrate and be wowed by JavierCodina’s classic repertoire; while TheGun Shop, in a heritage building inthe West End, is a legendry breakfastspot. Dedicated foodies should steer apath to New Farm to Anise and CaféDell’ugo; to Teneriffe’s Beccofino; andto the Domenech family’s Bretts Wharfin Hamilton and Baguette in Ascot.Martin Duncan has his acclaimedFreestyle Tout dessert bistros in theValley and at Rosalie.Also at the Eagle Street Pier are a trio ofaward-winning maestros. John Kilroy’s ChaCha Char serves simply the best red meat;LocalSpecialtiesThe secret toAndrew Mirosch’sstand-out foodat RestaurantLurleens atSirromet Winesis due in part tohis relentlesssearch for the bestproduce plus usingorganically growningredients fromthe estate.Tempura Gulf bugs on lemongrass skewers with green papaya salad,sweet lemon myrtle dipping sauce and taro chipsRecipe from Red Ochre Grill, Tropical North QueenslandServes 420 pieces of bug meat8 fresh lemongrass skewerstaro chipsgreen papaya saladsweet chilli lemon myrtledipping sauce (retail product)tempura batteroil for deep fryingSALAD1 green papaya, peeled, cutinto long matchsticks3 fresh small whole greenchillies, finely sliced3 cloves garlic, chopped roughly50g green beans cut into 1 inchpieces60g unsalted roasted peanuts50ml lime or lemon juice1 tbs palm sugar100 ml fish sauce1 red onion, sliced1 red capsicum, sliced15 g mint, chopped10 g coriander, chopped1 tsp saltMix all ingredientsMETHODPrepare papaya salad the day before andrefrigerate. Cut lemongrass sticks on angle at pointwhere stem starts to branch. Skewer 2 to 3 piecesof bug meat onto each stick of lemongrass.Prepare batter according to instructions.Slice peeled taro on slicer or Japanese cutter 2 mmthick. Heat oil to 180c. Fry taro until crisp anddrain on paper towel. Dip bug skewers in batterand fry to golden and cooked through. Assemblepapaya salad on plate, place skewers across, garnishwith taro chips and serve with dipping sauce.QUEENSLAND FOOD AND WINE GUIDE 7