A Long Lunch – Unhurried, social, occasions. Your definitive guide to enjoying the best in food, wine, people and places
Uncommon Service
Your mobile rings. You scan the screen, immediately grateful for the lack of a “No Caller ID” message. Somebody of your significance wouldn’t respond to such an appeal. You evaluate the number. From overseas, but not instantly familiar. Probably a cold caller trying...
Why Did The Chef Drown My Octopus?
He was such a lovely cephalopod; fresh, tender, lightly dusted with a lively salt and pepper coating and satisfyingly crisp after a brisk deep fry. All he wanted was a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. So why did some barbarous chef decide he should be cruelly drowned,...
Why Did The Chef Drown My Octopus?
He was such a lovely cephalopod; fresh, tender, lightly dusted with a lively salt and pepper coating and satisfyingly crisp after a brisk deep fry. All he wanted was a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. So why did some barbarous chef decide he should be cruelly drowned,...
Truffle Obsession
My friend George has developed a truffle obsession: ITOS - Irreversible Truffle Obsession Syndrome. He is a man who is a slave to the power of the truffle. He isn’t the first person to suffer from this condition and once smitten, those afflicted will go to amazing...
World’s Best Ice Cream – Part 2
Where do you find Sydney’s best ice cream? Last week I posted about a wonderful gelataria La Gelateria della Musica in Milan. Such an article naturally invites comparison to other ice cream makers, especially your local favourite, so as promised in the above mentioned...
The difference between Gelato and Ice Cream
When I was a kid we had ice cream. Unless it was really hot in the middle of summer, then we had ice blocks – frozen water with flavourings, usually fruity. Very occasionally we would have what we were told was a great treat, gelato, which seemed about half way...
The Ultimate Long Lunch – so far!
An incredible day and close to the Ultimate Long Lunch! The site before us was magnificent - 8 bottles of white Burgundy from the outstanding 2007 vintage. The bottles formed a perfect arc, dominating the the serving table in the corner of the restaurant....
Worst Restaurant Seat
What do you do when your favourite restaurant takes you for granted once too often? It mightn't be the "best" restaurant you frequent. But it is the one that's a convenient walk from where you live or where you go with your friends when you want a fun time out. It's...
Bistrot Gourmand Clovis
Bistrot Gourmand Clovis 21 Grand Rue, 06140 Tourrettes-sur-Loup, France 04-93-58-87-04 Website: www.clovisgourmand.fr “An inimitable experience” Reviewed 21 November 2014 We stumbled onto this restaurant in the lovely town of Tourrettes sur Loup quite by accident and...
Bishop Sessa
BISHOP SESSA Over the past year, this establishment has evolved into an elegant bistro that deserves the attention of sophisticated diners. In a city where new establishments rarely bring anything new to the dining experience, Sydney's Bishop Sessa serves inspired...
A Must Buy! Jean Marc Pillot Bourgogne Blanc 2013 – “Le Haut Des Champs”
Long Lunchers are always on the lookout for great value. A recent Saturday tasting at the Sydney branch of the Prince Wine Store featured the wines of Jane Eyre, an Australian winemaker producing pinots in Australia but also in Burgundy. She had some interesting wines...
La Solana from Spinifex
The bouquet of this wine just leaps out of the glass at you. It is amazing and incredibly alluring; probably like nothing else you've ever tasted. I tasted this wine about four months ago and bought several bottles. Recently I tried one and was immediately reminded of...
Lindeman’s Limestone Ridge 2001
My father brought out this bottle, 2001 Lindeman’s Limestone Ridge Shiraz Cabernet, yesterday. A couple of days after Christmas so it was up against some great wines my family had drunk over the festive period. I've been a fan of Limestone Ridge for decades. It’s...
2004 La Spinetta Barbaresco Vigneto Gallina Vursu
I took this bottle to a lunch held by my wine group at the lovely Italian restaurant La Cucinetta in Sydney. The wine was a great hit. One member of our group, Geoff, proclaimed it as the best wine he had drunk in several years. Now, Geoff isn’t known for...
Although classed as a simple Bourgogne Blanc this is easily Villages quality and would test many premiere cru whites from Burgundy. Lack of fruit weight was all that separated this wine from that esteemed status of premiere cru.
It is fresh and vibrant with great acid and a noticeable mineral character, almost Chablis like. This is not dull, flat and flabby like a lot of lesser chardonnays but has plenty of life and leaves a wonderful zing in your mouth. A very different style to the fruit driven, oak drenched chardonnay often made in Australia.
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