Cheers! Lifting spirits to help

"Global recession" is the name bartender Xavier Hallam and his colleagues have come up with for his latest creation. Hallam jokes that the cocktail—a mix of eau de vie, Lillet vermouth and Grand Marnier—is strong enough for the many stockbrokers who frequent the restaurant bar Bluestone to forget their troubles for the moment. "We get a lot of stockbrokers in here, we thought they'd get a laugh out of it," he says. "It's a bit cheeky, and a way of getting people interested." It is not the only way staff are trying to attract interest. Like many other restaurants in the city trying to combat consumer sentiment and an emerging trend for people to spend more time at home, Bluestone is using special offers to lure customers. Todd Blake, the chief executive officer of Restaurant & Catering Victoria, says restaurant owners in the CBD are suffering, particularly with declining lunch trade. "The area that has been most sharply impacted by the sudden changes to economic conditions is the lunch-type area, and there has been a very significant reduction in that type of area," he said. The Age (Melbourne, Australia), October 28.

Manager served disputed gelato

Security camera footage of an incident in which staff at the Coogee Bay Hotel allegedly served a family a cup of gelato laced with human faeces shows the dessert being delivered to the family by the restaurant's manager. Yesterday, as the NSW Health Authority sent enforcement officers to investigate the incident, management revealed the gelato had been delivered to the Whyte family by the restaurant manager, Cherie Kennedy, as a "genuine gesture of goodwill". "She was concerned about the family's experience and she had the idea of offering a complimentary dessert to try and make some amends," said the hotel's general manager, Tony Williams. Yesterday the NSW Food Authority announced it was investigating, and the hotel's management confirmed it had contacted Maroubra police in preparation for possible criminal charges against anyone who might have tampered with food at the hotel. Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), October 28.

Fusion back in fashion

When chef Cheong Liew opened his acclaimed restaurant, The Grange, in Adelaide's Hilton Hotel in 1995, the doomsayers were predicting the death of fine dining. Fourteen years later, having proven the pessimists wrong, it's fitting that it's Liew who has been chosen to celebrate the 20th birthday of Brisbane's own bastion of silver service -- Siggi's at the Port Office. From December 2 to December 6, the Malaysian-born kitchen whiz, named by American Food and Wine Magazine as ``one of the 10 hottest chefs alive'' will be cooking up a storm at the Stamford Plaza. He'll whip up a six-course degustation each night which includes his famous signature dish, Four Dances of the Sea. ``I like to use millions of ingredients,'' says Liew who, with a twinkle in his eye, describes himself as ``one of those who are greedy for flavour''. He says: ``There will be six courses but the Four Dances alone is really four separate dishes, so it will probably end up being 10 or 12!'' The Courier Mail (Brsibane), October 28.

It's closing time

Ed Charles

For three months Brunswick St restaurant Interlude was almost empty mid-week before it finally closed for good on Saturday night, packed with regulars and supporters. The restaurant was opened five years ago by chef Robin Wickens, then aged 27, with the idea of bringing a new kind of food called molecular cuisine to the Melbourne public. Mostly presented as a degustation menu, plates were painted with splashes of colour, classic dishes such as bacon and egg were deconstructed, unusual ingredients were paired and food was eaten by sucking it out of a glass straw. Now his molecular dream has joined that of other local enthusiasts Raymond Capaldi, whose restaurant Fenix closed in February this year, and George Calombaris, whose Reserve in Federation Square closed in 2005. Wickens had been due to move Interlude to Bank Place in the city, backed by Apples and Pears, the Hong Kong-based company that bought the restaurant last year. Wickens will help the company finish the new restaurant's kitchen but plans to leave the group before opening. He says he has a few offers and would like to open a pared back version of Interlude in the city. Herald Sun (Melbourne), October 28.

Longing for short stays - Brisbane banking on event tourism dollar

Brisbane Marketing will today officially launch its new campaign, Summer Shorts. At the centre of the short-stay campaign is a $1 million website, which Brisbane Marketing hopes will provide a ``one-stop shop'' for visitors throughout the country and overseas. CEO John Aitken said the website featured a range of facilities, including an events calendar, day trip itinerary suggestions and Google mapping tools. The website follows on from a similar product launched earlier this year to promote Winter Weekends in the Queensland capital. ``The digital environment has really transformed the way the tourism industry does business,'' Mr Aitken said. During the three-month winter campaign, the Brisbane Marketing site received 40,495 visitors from across the world. ``Our hotel partners enjoyed 2500 click-throughs to booking engines and several hotel partners reported over 500 additional weekend room nights booked as a result of the campaign,'' Mr Aitken said. The Courier Mail (Brisbane).

Plain sailing for top end of town

The upper echelons of Perth's rich are pouring money into luxury boats and top-notch Christmas celebrations at record pace, seemingly unfazed by the economic turmoil. Business is also booming in the events management industry, with companies reporting a 10 to 20 per cent increase in demand for corporate Christmas parties. Phenomenon Events Services director Paul Cumming said there had not been a single party cancellation, with the company experiencing record demand for the quarter. Venues such as Hyatt Regency Perth, Perth Convention Exhibition Centre and a number of high-end Perth restaurants were fully booked. C Restaurant general manager Andrew Hemstock said there were more corporate Christmas parties booked than ever before. "It's very odd. Maybe the company had allocated it in the budget so they just jumped on it and spent the money," Mr Hemstock said. However, Mr Hemstock said there had been a 10 per cent decline in general weekday trade. The West Australian, October 27.

Chef's rich recipe

Gordon Ramsay's growing riches have been revealed as his restaurants, TV shows and books achieve global dominance. Ramsay's empire will earn between $30m and $38m this year, including $5m from his British television contract and $2.5m for each of his books and he is contracted to write two a year. The sums were detailed by Ramsay's business partner and father-in-law, Chris Hutcheson. Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen were among the most popular shows on Australian television this year. Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne), October 26.

Venues slam New Year's Eve licence law

Melbourne could be hit by chaos on New Year's Eve with hundreds of bars and restaurants expected to be forced to close at 1am because of a State Government crackdown on late night liquor licences in the inner city. Under new rules, restaurants and bars applying to stay open in the City, Stonnington, Yarra, and Port Phillip will need to demonstrate “exceptional circumstances” to trade past 1am. Venues with a permanent licence past 1am will be able to stay open later, leading to fears of mob scenes as revellers try to get into the few places still serving. Since 1999 liquor licences have been routinely extended until 3am. A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said the department did not know how many venues would be affected by the new crackdown nor how many licence extensions had been granted last year. Restaurant and Catering Victoria chief Todd Blake slammed the move, saying his organisation had tried for months to get answers about what rules would apply this New Year's Eve. Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne), October 26.

Celebrity chef wonders what's cooking overseas

Celebrity chef Shannon Bennett and his partner, actor Madeleine West, might be making the move to Hollywood. West has high aspirations of furthering her career after a successful year appearing in the hit series Underbelly and Satisfaction. ``Madeleine obviously has some ambitions with America, she's about to sign with an American agent,'' Bennett said. He said he'd willingly move to LA for a couple of years, despite leaving behind his highly successful restaurant ventures in Melbourne (Vue De Monde, Bistro Vue, Cafe Vue) as well as a share in gourmet food store Jones the Grocer. He also has a Vue de Monde restaurant in Muscat and plans to open an upscale restaurant in Singapore next year. Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne), October 26.

Toxic dangers from the deep; US finds banned chemicals in imported fish: report

Australians are eating imported fish that have not been tested for harmful toxins, consumer advocate Choice warns. Authorities test only 5 per cent of fish arriving from abroad. In a report released today, Choice calls for Australians to have similar protection as in the US, where national regulator the Food and Drug Administration tests all shipments of certain farmed fish species from China. It says the US repeatedly finds banned chemicals, including fungicides and antibiotics, in imported fish. "Fish found by our authorities to be contaminated are rejected, however 95 per cent of imports are not routinely tested nor is domestically produced seafood," Choice spokesman Christopher Zinn said. "We feel Australians deserve better." Food Standards Australia New Zealand found 16 per cent of domestically farmed fish and 17 per cent of imported farmed fish contain the fungicide malachite green, a chemical used in a farming to prevent disease and parasites. The Sun Herald (Sydney), October 26.

Boaties in for a treat, as top names jump on board

A 250-SEAT waterfront restaurant fitted out by designer du jour Michael McCann, with a menu overseen by former Wildfire chef Michael James, will be part of a new multimillion-dollar marine centre being built at Sydney's Rozelle Bay. A cafe, provedore and bar will also be opened by the rapidly expanding Dockside Group, which recently took over Waterfront restaurant and Wolfies Grill at Sydney's The Rocks and runs Ice Cube Seafood Bar and Grill at Darling Harbour, Italian Village at The Rocks and four other waterfront function venues. The as yet unnamed Rozelle Bay restaurant, expected to be open by October next year, will be a casual affair with a large, central pizza oven and a seafood-focused menu, Dockside Group group general manager Philip Beauchamp tells Food Detective. It will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. The Australian, October 25

Put the petal to the mettle

Ever-appealing to eye and nose, flowers are now tingling the palate with their pure, soft flavour, writes Justine Costigan. On his day off, Money Order Office (MOO) head chef Michael Harrison can be seen wandering the streets of surburbia looking for pansies and the little blue-and-white flowers of wild borage. Unashamedly nicking the blooms from the overhang of front gardens and laneways, he regularly gets told off by cross home owners, who would probably relent if they knew his purpose. Harrison's reward is finding a beautiful ingredient, otherwise unappreciated and neglected, to take back to MOO. Any borage and pansies he finds this week will be destined for use in a range of MOO dishes. They may end up in an aromatic soup with shredded chicken, coconut and shiitake mushrooms, or a spring vegetable salad with labne and fresh herbs. The Age (Melbourne), October 28.

Awards raise tourism profile

A celebrity-owned hotel, an African-style safari park and a shark-diving tour company are among finalists in the South Australian Tourism Awards. The $55 million Port Lincoln Hotel, which opened in December, 2007, Monarto Zoo, near Murray Bridge, and Calypso Star Charters are among 107 entrants across the state. The entrants range from Outback tour companies and Limestone Coast wineries to houseboats along the River Murray and boutique accommodation in the Barossa Valley. The tourism industry generates almost $4 billion in expenditure for the state each year and aims to reach $6.3 billion by 2014. The awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 22, at the Adelaide Convention Centre. Winners in each category will go on to represent SA at the Australian Tourism Awards in Melbourne in February. The awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 22, at the Adelaide Convention Centre. The Advertiser (Adelaide), October 25

Orange white a world-beater

John Fordham

Orange vigneron David Hoskins knew he was taking on the best in the world when he entered his 2008 Brangayne Sauvignon Blanc in the recent New Zealand International Wine Show. ``The wine world recognises that the New Zealand's Marlborough region produces the world's finest sauvignon blanc,'' explains Hoskins, whose family converted their Mount Canobolas apple farm to grape growing in the 1990s. Still, he was so impressed with his delicious $24 wine, crafted by Simon Gilbert at Mudgee's Creek's Edge winery, he decided to test it against the might of New Zealand's most famous variety. The Aussie entry -- made from fruit grown on one of Orange's highest-elevated vineyards -- came up trumps, claiming Australia's only gold medal in easily the show's most competitive class. ``I'm stoked,'' Hoskins says. ``Winning a gold medal at this show demonstrates sauvignon blanc from Orange can stand up with the best of New Zealand, and hence the best in the world.'' Sunday Telegraph, October 26.

Quaffing with ice so cool

The biggest faux pas of wine-drinking is about to become the trend for this year's party season. Plonking ice cubes into your wine will finally become cool if a new marketing campaign is successful. Billboards and other advertising across the state have started to trumpet a lower-alcohol sparkling wine that is made to be poured over a glass full of ice. Rosemount is leading the way with its new label, O, and other brands are expected to follow. The publicity suggests the sweet and lively flavour of the grapes used is enhanced by the ice, and the flavour is not diluted as the ice melts. While some Queenslanders have dropped a cube into their summer wine for years and say it's just a case of the rest of the world catching up, other wine buffs are less than impressed. Tony Harper, wine expert and owner of The Wine Emporium, said adding ice to wine ``degraded'' the product. ``I don't think (wines like this or this concept) are great for the long-term health of our industry,'' he said. The Sunday Mail (Brisbane), October 26

Indian wine group puts deal on ice

The country's third-largest winemaker, Australian Vintage, has been dealt another blow, with the planned $60 million sale of its South Australian Loxton Winery being delayed a second time. The wine company, formerly known as McGuigan Simeon, said yesterday the buyer of the winery, India's Champagne Indage, had failed to get financing in place to complete the deal that was originally announced in March. "It's only in the last 24 hours or so that they notified us that they wouldn't be able to complete the purchase by October 31," Australian Vintage chief executive Dane Hudson said. Australian Vintage said in a statement that Indage "remains committed to purchasing the winery but that market conditions have meant that alternate funding now needs to be sought". The Age (Melbourne), October 25.