Australia Part 2 – Dining In & Around Adelaide
Another superstar of the Australian cuisine scene is Chef Cheong Liew. Chef Liew has garnered quite a following and no food lover’s trip to Adelaide would be complete without dining at The Grange.
Featuring a degustation menu of 8 courses at $140 CDN per person plus an additional $74 for wine pairings, The Grange represents excellent value when compared with prices in Sydney for similar dining experiences. This menu is entitled “Migration of Ideas”.
1. Saffron blue swimmer crab jelly, grilled baby abalone. 1986 Marc Bredif Vouvray. The texture and flavors of this dish are superb. The abalone is fantastic but the star here is the wine. Unbelievable Vouvray!
2. Four Dances: "The Garden" Ceviche of kingfish salad, drunken oyster, prawn in Shiao Shing wine, calamari kimchi, salmon roe crisp. 2008 Grosset Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. The most famous dish from Chef Liew and it’s clear why. This is art on a plate and every bite you take offers a completely different experience.
3. Kangaroo Island marron, fisherman's rice, duck neck sausage, green peppercorn and duck jus. 2007 Shaw and Smith M3 Chardonnay. Marron is like a crayfish, very tasty flesh but the duck neck sausage leap forward with flavor. Great chardonnay, creamy and a nice compliment.
4. Spiced Wagyu beef with arugula pesto. 2005 Howard Park 'Scotsdak' Shiraz. Wagyu beef is similar to Kobe beef with buttery, creamy fat that melts in your mouth. A perfect compliment to a more subtle shiraz from Howard Park.
5. Baby vegetable in herb broth with fish paste noodles. 2007 Stefano Lubiana Pinot Noir. Another Iron Chef-like dish! Noodle perfection and the broth paired wonderfully with the earthy tones in the pinot.
6. Pork hock, wood fungus, sweet chili sauce. 2005 Greenock Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. Pork and chili sauce? Count me in! By now my love affair avec les cochons is well documented. Greenock Creek wines are among the highest scoring in Australia. This was a real treat on both fronts and paired remarkably well.
7. Cherry vinegar sorbet, sour cherry and mint broth 2005 Ashton Hills Salmon Brut. A beautifully presented dish and the mint broth is unlike anything I’ve ever had. Incredible.
8. Strawberry and rhubarb tart with rhubarb sorbet and nougat glace. 2007 Alasia Moscato d’Asti. I was shocked to see rhubarb on a menu so far from home but this tart reminded me of my grandmother’s pies. Very nice and though I’m not a moscato fan it did go well with the tart fruit.
The Grange proved to be an unforgettable meal. It represented so many flavors and textures with each course standing tall on its own. I loved the subtlety and Asian inspired presentations. If you ever go to Adelaide this one is not to be missed. Cheers!