Compendium Volume 8 Australia

DIVERSITY IN PLANTS

DIVERSITY IN PLANTS KITCHENS WITH AVANT-GARDE APPROACHES 1 1 WOLFGAT, PATERNOSTER, SOUTH AFRICA “I cook intuitively, letting myself be inspired by the landscape, the weather and the waves,” says Kobus Van der Merwe, who runs the award-winning Wolfgat on one of the southernmost tips of Africa, not far from Cape Town. The sleepy fishing village of Paternoster may not seem like a foodie destination at first glance, but people from all over the world find their way to this beach, a few metres from the saline spray, to tuck into a seven-course menu based heavily on the wild plants that proliferate along this rugged coastline. On long walks, Van der Merwe and his small team collect many of the ingredients themselves, notably salty beach plants such as sea fennel and seaweed. Seafood from their fishermen friends and mussels or oysters from nearby Saldanha Bay also find their way onto the table. Dune spinach is served with mussels on white bean cream, and smoked snoek, a local fish, comes wrapped in seaweed and drenched in tomato broth. The concept thrives on the region’s pristine biodiversity. “The landscape here is constantly changing,” says Van der Merwe. “In summer, it’s desert-like, in winter it becomes a green, flowering garden.” And what pairs exquisitely with this sustainable cuisine? Wines from biodynamic wineries in South Africa, of course. 56

2 3 4 PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MYRIAM BOULS, JOONA LAULAJAINEN, DUNCAN DE FEY, GUSTAVO VIVANCO LEON, © FU HE HUI; OPPOSITE PAGE: WARREN HEATH / BUREAUX 2 BARON, BEIRUT One of the most popular plates at this small, hip space in the trendy Mar Mikhael neighbourhood is the cauliflower grilled whole in spiced butter with yoghurt tahini, walnut and pomegranate. The dish represents not only the restaurant’s organic focus but also its love of fresh vegetables and herbs found in nearby markets. Athanasios Kargatzidis’ trademark is his sauces with a creative twist – whether it’s miso butter or Japanese mayonnaise – which playfully buoy many of his creations. 3 RUTABAGA, STOCKHOLM Mathias Dahlgren showed courage when he opened a restaurant that is wholly dedicated to plants and named after a Swedish root vegetable in the venerable Grand Hôtel in Stockholm. In a relaxed atmosphere, guests sit at wooden tables and are treated to an avant-garde tasting menu cooked mainly with ingredients grown in the nearby countryside. The Swedish star chef, however, allows himself one foreign exception: he refuses to do without avocado and jalapeño, which he serves in a mouthwatering carpaccio. 5 4 DE NIEUWE WINKEL, NIJMEGEN, NETHERLANDS “Botanical gastronomy” is Emile van der Staak’s concept. Forests, meadows and gardens are his larder. Fermentation brings depth of flavour, preserving makes summer fruits usable for winter – he prepares miso with Dutch pearl barley instead of soybeans. His plates are always surprising: leek becomes a delicacy when paired with sea vegetables and algae broth, and almonds (as a purée, roasted and fermented) experience a fascinating transformation with Chinese mahogany oil. 6 5 FU HE HUI, SHANGHAI Early on, chef Tony Lu recognised the kitchens of Buddhist temples as a wellspring of knowledge when it comes to vegetarian cooking. In a minimalist atmosphere with black granite floors and antique woods, guests enjoy a tasting menu that, not least, introduces the rich world of Chinese mushrooms, whose powerful umami flavour can compete with any meat dish, and is evidenced by his tofu dumplings in an intense mushroom broth or potatoes filled with a cream of white truffle. 6 MIL, CUSCO, PERU Virgilio Martínez needs no introduction: he cooked Peru onto the culinary map. Mil is perched 3,600 metres above sea level, a destination restaurant in the truest sense of the term: the journey from Cusco takes an hour and countless bends uphill, but diners are richly rewarded by rare insights into Andean nature and the diet of its indigenous communities. The eightcourse tasting menu is based primarily on vegetables, roots, tubers and grains, occasionally supplemented by alpaca or llama meat. 57