Summer food favourites from around the region

HERE’S to a wonderful summer we’re enjoying (so far) and I’ll start with a couple of encouraging highlights from the past week or two I can share.

The first being that of Le Du Thai, found nestled away in the Highton Village shopping strip. Yes, this isn’t (ie wasn’t) a location I had expected great things of, but this small and unassuming shopfront was ready to prove me wrong. Rather than serving just the Thai classics, the food here is a little more modern in its approach. For example, the use of more local ingredients – perhaps those you’d expect to attached to more contemporary cuisines – are cleverly incorporated into many dishes, still while respecting (and even elevating, on occasions) the honesty of traditional Thai cooking. I like the place: the simple/no frills (yet welcoming and clean) dining room is the sort of unexpected gem you’d want to take your foodie friends to. To try? I suggest the Duck Gang Sapparod: it has a balanced sour/sweet flavour, with enough acidity from the makrut limes to counter the texture of the red curry infused coconut cream. Double yum.

A lunch I enjoyed at Nicol’s Paddock (Waurn Ponds) in the past week was another summer highlight I can boast. An oldie but a goodie, the place remains seriously under-rated in my opinion. They champion the locally sourced/seasonal mantra, while also aiming to produce as much of the menu from scratch (daily) for diners to enjoy over a la carte or feasting style menu setups. Their tables outside make for a pretty ideal summer meal spot, although I actually suggest sitting inside if you feel like more of a restaurant-style experience: the dining room has a charm and warmth (particularly during the evenings) that nail an ambience much better than many other ‘restaurants’ in our region. The surrounding vineyards aren’t just for show either, and it’s pleasing to see (ie taste) the improvement in their estate wines over the previous decade or so. Bravo! There’s a cellar door onsite too, but you’ll need to book in advance to visit.

Not yet tried, but a place that a handful of readers have dropped me a line about over the past couple of weeks, is Champagne and Maki. Have you been? Well, I’m interested, particularly given the reviews have been as lukewarm as they have been good (although more good than bad, I should note). I like the concept of pairing two much-loved culinary companions – and in this case sushi and champagne – and making the entire meal experience about just these. Maki is a type of rolled sushi, which differs from the broader sushi-definition of any dish featuring vinegared rice (eg nigiri). I’m told the sushi at C+M is pitched on the deluxe side (think more expensive, somewhat premium ingredients) and the champagne a little mainstream, but hey, if the flavour’s there and the place is full, good luck to them. I look forward to reporting more here.

Anyone with even the faintest interest in the fine wine producers of our Geelong region will be familiar with the winey By Farr. Strange name for a wine brand perhaps? Well, it’s a take on the owner’s surname (Farr) and that grape variety of whichever bottle (eg a shiraz) has been produced by them: so for example ‘Shiraz By Farr’ …get it? Although somewhat clever in name, the wines produced here are anything but funny: for the previous couple of decades they have been regarded at the very top of our regional producers. Since their inception in 1994, they have worked with only four grape varieties in total, so you can imagine my interest when I learnt (through the grapevine) that they had produced a new wine from a rather obscure grape variety, albeit in minuscule quantity. How to taste this wine, I wondered? They named a single restaurant as their sole Geelong stockist to carry the newly released wine, and (to my delight) it was my favourite local Chinese joint Man Bo. The variety is called garganega (GAR-GAN-NEGG-GA) and it’s the famed white grape from the north Italian wine region of Veneto, where is makes the dry, acidic and slightly textural style we know as Soave. If you find yourself at the restaurant, order this one. And if you don’t see it on the wine list, ask for Alex (the restaurant owner) to fetch you a bottle. It’s a rare as hen’s teeth.