THE GOOD LIFE

New for Domaine Chandon

2007-10-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

While in Melbourne recently, I was happy to hear that Domaine Chandon in the Yarra Valley will re-open its revamped tour route around the winery on November 1, taking visitors on a journey through the history and production processes of this famous brand.

Panoramic story panels, audio visual displays and an aerial view of the winery at work will greet visitors to the revitalised centre, where some of Australia’s best sparkling and still wines (under the Green Point label) are made.

Tours will start with a history of Domaine Chandon, which was established in the Yarra Valley in 1986 by France’s Moet & Chandon - and moves into the fruit processing area, where the best action can be viewed during the harvest season each February to May.

The new barrel room exhibit focuses on the still wine process, including the vital role of quality French oak in Green Point wines, while the fabulous Riddling Hall houses thousands of bottles in cave-like conditions.

You can end your tour by ordering a glass of sparkling or still wine in the Green Point Room overlooking the vines and rolling hills. Complimentary tasting plates of cheese, bread and relish are provided with drink orders.

Guided tours run three times daily, or visitors can guide themselves around the exhibits, with notes available in German, French, Cantonese and Japanese.

On the Chutney trail in Perth

2007-08-09T04:34:00.000-07:00

In Perth? Fancy a curry? Head for the trendy suburb of Subiaco, where Chutney Mary’s has just been joined by Little Chutney's: it's next door and on the corner of Hay Street and Rokeby Road.

And if it’s a night out you are looking for, duck down the small nearby alley and check out the Bhudda Bar (no relation to the popular bars of the same name in New York and Paris).

The Buddha Bar seems to attract some of the best young DJ’s in Western Australia – and they set the scene from Tuesday to Friday. The Buddha Bar’s butter chicken is not bad either.

Back to Little Chutney's, which is by far the classiest of Subiaco’s Indian restaurants: the management have taken the humble curry into the classy realm of leather banquettes and perspex seats.

Despite its name, Little Chutney's is not so little. With seating for a hundred and a gigantic bar around which much of the action takes place, the owners have had to stress in Little Chutney's publicity blurb that “it can also work well for a romantic dinner for two”, with the banquettes providing intimacy.

Little Chutney's caters for robust tastes with a large number of tandoori dishes, seared to a crisp finish in the oven.

We started off with fish tikka -- ling fillets marinated in a yoghurt-based marinade with traditional spices and baked in the tandoori oven. Not badly priced at AUD 7 (per person, of course).

Trying to stay relatively health conscious, we followed up with a tandoori seared red emperor (AUD 26) served in a Malabar curry of coconut cream, tomato, onion and ginger.

The service was spot on, and Little Chutney's has a huge wine list, with a choice of more than 160 local and international labels.

Alas, the wines are a little overpriced – and there is no BYO. I am all for restaurants earning a living, but I baulk at the idea of paying AUD 33 for a 2006 MadFish, which I could have picked up in a nearby bottle shop for only AUD 11.

Noosa tour for foodies

2007-08-02T05:06:00.000-07:00

For foodies visiting Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Sir Lunchalot recommends the Noosa Food and Wine Trail day tour, which is a popular item in the Noosa Hinterland Tours programme.

This off-the-tourist-trail tour also showcases some of the most picturesque yet lesser travelled parts of the Noosa Hinterland.

The tour includes Noosa Reds, a state-of-the-art tomato farm dedicated to producing old-fashioned flavours; an organic tropical fruit farm, where an excellent morning tea is served; a vast freshwater crayfish farm; plus two wineries that offer tastings of some interesting Queensland wines.

...back to those Aussie meat pies

2007-08-02T04:52:00.001-07:00

If you have been waiting impatiently for the results of this year’s Great Aussie Meat Pie contest held in Sydney this week with pie-makers from around Australia taking part (see Sir Lunchalot’s last posting), then here it comes: the winner was the Village Hot Bake Bakery Café, in Dubbo, New South Wales.

Dubbo is a popular tourist destination and home to one of the world's finest open range zoos. Meat pies? Zoos? No, don’t worry, we’ve done a head count and there are no missing animals.

The Village Hot Bake Bakery Café first opened back in 1918 when Aussie Stevenson became a baker. Since those early days of delivering bakery products by horse and cart to Dubbo residents, including the army camp where the Western Plains Zoo is now situated, the Stevenson's have passed down three generations of baking tradition and secret recipes.

Today it’s a modern, country-style Bakery Café that has won many an award for its meat pies, and is run by Aussie’s grandsons, Bill, Robert and John, who are all master bakers and pastry cooks. The bakery’s dining area caters for up to 120 people.

Apart from its 19 different varieties of award-winning meat pies and sausage rolls, the Village Hot Bake Bakery Café also has a great reputation (apart from with WeightWatchers), for its fresh cream tortes, continental cheesecakes and an array of other, cakes – all ready to serve up as soon as the bakery opens at 06:00.

You might not want to go to Dubbo just for the meat pies, but there is a fair amount to see and do in the city, which is a five-hour drive from Sydney on the way to the spectacular New South Wales Outback.

Dubbo boasts long summers, fine food and wine and its famous zoo, as well as one or two interesting festivals during the course of the year. And it’s not so far from Mudgee, a wine region with a vast array of boutique wines to explore at close to 40 individual cellar door outlets.

If you do find yourself in the area, drop in for a pie at the Village Hot Bake Bakery Café, if only to satisfy your curiosity as to what makes an award-winning Aussie meat pie, and also visit one of the local wineries.

One of Sir Lunchalot’s favourites is the Red Earth Estate Vineyard, some eight kilometres south of Dubbo, a 8.4 hectare property set up some seven years ago by Ken and Christine Borchardt.

Ken tells me that as a winemaker he was attracted to Dubbo for a number of reasons – mainly the clean environment, the hot dry air and soil types that are ideal for grape growing. The property is also located within the Western Plains Tourist Circuit offering easy access for visitors to the region.

Only fruit from the Red Earth Estate Vineyard goes into wine sold under the Red Earth Estate label – which is probably the only wine label in the world that has a couple of colourful giraffes pictured on its bottles. All Red Earth Estate wine is estate grown and made.

As well as a free wine tasting at Red Earth Estate Vineyard, the Borchardts offer a platter tasting that features some delicious cheeses, dried fruits and regional produce - the perfect complement to their wines!

So it's Aussie meat pies, great wines and a world famous zoo -- sounds to me like three good reasons to head for Dubbo while touring New South Wales.

In search of the perfect pie

2007-07-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

Less than a week from now, the Australian public will know who the big winner is. No, it has nothing to do with sport, or a state lottery – on August 1, the nation will know who makes the best Aussie meat pie.

Organised by the popular That's Life magazine, which has a readership of more than a million around the country, there are ten finalists; voted by pie lovers from all around Australia.

If you’re shrugging your shoulders at all this, don’t forget that Australians eat more meat pies per head than any other nationality. Move over Tetsuya's in Sydney, stand back Vue de Monde in Melbourne -- when it comes to the finishing line, the Great Aussie Meat Pie is the country's signature dish, a cultural identity with a squirt of tomato sauce.

A popular variation is the pie floater, a meal served at pie carts in Adelaide and elsewhere in South Australia. It was once more widely available in other parts of Australia but its popularity has dipped over the years.

A true pie floater consists of the traditional Australian meat pie covered with tomato sauce (similar to ketchup), sitting, usually inverted, in a plate of thick green pea soup .

Believe it or not the pie floater was recognised as a South Australian Heritage icon by the National Trust of Australia in 2003.

Visitors to Sydney can tuck into a late night pie floater at Harry's Cafe de Wheels pie cart situated in Woolloomooloo, which is located not too far from Otto's, one of Sydney's leading celebrity eateries.

Harry's Cafe de Wheels is also listed on the National Trust Register as an historic icon, having started selling meat pies back in 1938. Although it was shut during the war years, it was re-opened in 1945 and has been serving pie floaters ever since.

As the years passed, Harry's Cafe de Wheels gained new fame as a tourist attraction. Indeed, at one stage in its history a visit to the Harry's became a 'must' for visiting celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum and Marlene Dietrich.

In 1974, Colonel Sanders stopped at Harry's and found the food so finger-licking good that he got through three 'pies and peas' – which, in Sir Lunchalot's humble opinion, should have gained him honorary Australian citizenship.

In 1976 the Federation of Australian Pie Connoisseurs was formed, or so Sir Lunchalot has been informed, and it evidently adopted the following federation song (to be sung to the tune of Australia’s national anthem Advance Australia Fair:

When Englishmen go out to dine
Roast beef’s their staple dish
The Russians all eat caviar
And Eskimos chew fish.

The French, they say, are fond of frogs;
The Yanks - Kentucky fries.
But dinkum Aussies, one and all
Shout: 'Give us hot meat pies'
Yes, dinkum Aussies, one and all
Shout: 'Give us hot meat pies'

With that in mind, maybe the Aussie anthem should be renamed Advance Australia Fare.

Of the ten finalists in this year’s Australia’s Best Meat Pie competition, three contenders come from New South Wales, two each from Victoria and Western Australia, and one from Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra) and South Australia.

Watch this space for news of the winner – if you can bear the suspense.

Melbourne for chocoholics

2007-07-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

Having dinner with a rather rotund Belgian gourmet friend of mine not so long ago while in Brussels, the discussion somehow came around to chocolate. Yes, the Australians produced better seafood than Belgium, and Australian wines were often better than those from neighbouring France, he conceded. But when it comes to chocolate, Belgium wins hands down, or so he claimed.

I decided to put it to the test in Melbourne recently, and while that food-focussed city may not produce such diet-busting delights as Brussels, it does have some great addresses for those chocoholics amongst us.

Head for the historic Royal Arcade where Koko Black has been hand crafting exquisite chocolates for the past four years. It’s fascinating to watch as Koko Black chocolatiers work couverture into an incredible array of truffles, moulded pralines and bars, just as they did back in the ‘old country’.

While there, be tempted by a Koko Black Hot Chocolate, freshly brewed with dark Belgian chocolate - no powder. Other Koko Black stores can be found in the Melbourbe suburbs of Carlton, Camberwell and Chadstone and they have recently opened a second city store on Collins Street – so they must be getting it right.

Langham Hotel’s Aria Lounge on Southbank is another mecca for chocolate lovers. Enjoy a scandalous chocolate afternoon tea experience that includes a chocolate fountain, freshly made chocolates, and unlimited visits to the Chocolate Bar. This dark and decadent experience can be enjoyed every Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

On Little Collins Street, cocoa-le-art offers hand-made delicacies by Swiss chocolatier Silvano Widmer, who uses Belgian dark chocolate, made in a Swiss style with soft centre ganache fillings, and a decorative French presentation – now how European is that!

Monsieur Truffle is a stall in Prahran Market, where Thibault Fregoni, a softly spoken Frenchman who has a background as a pastry cook, offers chocolate creations that combine passionfruit, raspberry, native pepper, marzipan or orange truffle in intensely flavoured yet well balanced chocolates.

You will probably have to join a queue of faithful local customers to taste Thibault's selection of the week. Call it slow chocolate, but it's worth the wait.

If you have chocoholic clients looking for a chocoholic experience while in Melbourne, you might want to recommend Chocoholic Tours, who will help them discover the hidden chocolate charms of the city's streets, lanes and arcades, all in one tour.

Founder Suzie Wharton and her team have been running tours for the past 12 years, with one Friday afternoon departure and up to five different tours on Saturdays; they take place throughout the year, in all weather conditions.

New for Coonawarra

2007-07-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

Sir Lunchalot has always enjoyed his trips to Coonawarra in South Australia, an area that produces some of Australia's finest wines.

With its terra rossa soil and passionate winemakers, the Coonawarra region can't help but make fine wine. With Cabernet Sauvignon the undoubted star, the region is renowned for the production of some of Australia's greatest red wines.

A 'must do' on any Melbourne-Adelaide self-drive trip (and that's the one that takes in the spectacular Great Ocean Road and the Coorong National Park), Coonawarra always reminds me of the Las Vegas strip back in the 60s -- with wineries lined up along both sides of the road rather than casinos.

Now a new attraction is on its way: Foster's (who have a burgeoning wine interest these days) is about to introduce a classic collection at the Coonawarra Wine Gallery, which is set to open in November.

Some of Coonawarra's best known wine names will come together to offer visitors who enjoy the good life some excellent wine tasting opportunities at the new gallery, which will be located on the main highway just north of Penola.

Wine lovers' favourites such as Rouge Homme, Jamieson's Run, Robertson's Well and Mildara, along with the Coonawarra wines of Lindemans, Penfolds and Rosemount Estate will all be there.

The Cellar Door will be situated in beautiful open grounds that include a barbecue area and picnic grounds -- an ideal reason for self-drive visitors to stop by,

Acccolades for top wine lists

2007-07-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Terrace Restaurant at the Country Club Tasmania in Launceston has just been recognised as having one of the most outstanding wine lists in the world, being awarded two coveted goblets in the international Wine Spectator magazine’s annual wine list awards.

The Terrace is one of only seven restaurants in Australia to receive two goblets, known as the Best of Award of Excellence -- and only 748 two goblet awards were given world-wide.

Amongst the many other the bottles featured on The Terrace's wine list is a large range of iconic Australian Shiraz, including Penfolds Grange dating back to 1971, Greenock Creek Roenfeldt Road Shiraz, Grant Burge Meshach and Jim Barry’s The Armagh 98.

If that has got you licking your lips, you might be interested to know that The Terrace has got a couple of great events coming up soon that will showcase some of the finest wines in Australia.

On August 16, Penfolds Grange winemaker Peter Gago will host a dinner featuring premium Penfolds wines matched to an outstanding degustation menu.

And on September 27, Stephen Henschke, will host the final in The Terrace’s wine dinner series for the year. The Henschke family is one of the longest-established names in South Australia’s Barossa region.

Another Australian Best of Awards of Excellence for 2007 accolade went to the Charcoal Grill on the Hill, which is located in the Melbourne suburb of Kew. The steak is good at Charcoal Grill on the Hill, but the wine list is fantastic: with more than 700 well priced offerings, this is a restaurant with a passionate commitment to wine.

Other Melbourne winners were Circa, a popular hangout for foodies in St Kilda; Southbank's Number 8 Restaurant & Wine Bar in the Crown complex on the Yarra River, boasting a wine list numbering 888 choices (something to suit everyone’s taste and budget); and Vin in Prahan.

The Lake House at Daylesford, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of The World group in Victoria’s spa region, was also a winner, along with Marylands Country House, a charming 1920’s property in the Yarra Valley.

Peppers' French touch in Deloraine

2007-07-04T13:26:00.000-07:00

A true foodie highlight of any trip to Tasmania has to be a night or two at Peppers Calstock, which is located just outside of Deloraine, and a little less than an hour’s drive west of Launceston.

Marketed under the Stella Group’s Peppers’ brand, it’s a very special boutique experience (only seven rooms) run by Frenchman Daniel Tourancheau and his Australian wife Linda.

Daniel was classically trained at the Michelin-starred La Bonne Auberge in France and has also worked at leading restaurants in London and the United States, as well as the popular Mecca Bah in Canberra.

As French as frogs’ legs and escargot, which is very much reflected in his accent and the European flair of his dishes. Daniel’s talents are now being used exclusively to serve up delicious dishes for the in-house guests of Pepper’s Calstock.

Set on 81 hectares, Calstock has a long tree-lined drive that leads to the magnificent 19th century white-washed mansion. This was once one of the grandest homes in Tasmania, and in its early days Calstock's stables were home to a couple of famous Melbourne Cup winners.

The first was Malua, winner of the 1884 race. The second was Sheet Anchor, who won in 1885. Malua has been rated as one of the top five Melbourne cup winners of all time.

Daniel Tourancheau’s French country food is refined, using only the best of the superb local Tassie produce. It is only available to guests and you must let them know you are staying for dinner, at least 24 hours in advance.

Calstock also boasts an outstanding wine cellar – which among other great offerings, boasts no less than a dozen tantalizing Tasmanian pinots noir .

While there recently, Sir Lunchalot and his companion enjoyed succulent lemongrass marinated Tasmania scallops, served with crisp julienne vegetable stir-fry and a light chilli and soy dressing -- and that was only for starters.

We then went on to excellent local venison rolled in a thin slice of prosciutto on a bed of King Island blue cheese as a main course. The main came with a caramelised onion tart, grilled asparagus, rosemary potatoes batonnets and a balsamic jus.

Calstock may have turned out winning racehorses in its glorious past: now the winning touch is to be found in its kitchen and Daniel Tourancheau’s magic in making the the Peppers' property Tasmania’s very own bonne auberge!

New bar tour for Melbourne

2007-07-04T02:10:00.000-07:00

As we all know, Melbourne is famous (or should that be infamous?)for its eclectic bar scene. But how do you find them, hidden as they are down hidden stairwells, laneways and behind those ubiquitous velvet curtains?

Hidden Bars of Melbourne has the answer, or at least we think they do.

Locals Gath Adams and Kym Anderson are now taking groups of party animals (the nicer types, of course) through Melbourne’s labyrinth of alleys and laneways to uncover some of the city’s most exclusive and elusive bars.

Their Hidden Bars of Melbourne walking tours run every Thursday night, winding through the city streets to the hottest new drinking dens, where punters can drink and snack as they go.

The bars on the tour change weekly, and are chosen from a rotating list of up to a dozen different locations. They include places like Eurotrash and Toff of the Town, both popular with the local bar crowd.

The tour costs a very reasonable AUD 35 per person, which includes two complimentary drinks and tapas. Officially, the tour lasts around four hours and finishes at 23.00 (Cinderellas are safe) though they have been known to kick on to the early hours of the morning.

Tours meet at the corner of Bourke and Swanston streets at The Three Men statue at 19.00 every Thursday.

Labrador is back in style

2007-06-22T02:50:00.000-07:00

One of the first suburbs of Queensland’s Gold Coast to be developed (back in the 1950s), Labrador sits with Broadwater beachfront to the east and the hills to the west: a pleasant mix of wide tree-lined streets, original retro-style housing, sparkling new townhouses and impressive up-market high-rise developments.

The whole area has jumped up a class from it's heyday as a sleepy little Gold Coast suburb and the recent developments have seen dozens of new restaurants spring up.

One of the more established restaurants is the Aqua on Broadwater Steak and Seafood Restaurant and Bar located on Marine Parade -- offering a pocket-friendly all-day dining menu and a more serious cafe-style menu for dinner.

Aqua on Broadwater has most of its seating on a long terrace, which offers great panoramas of this tranquil part of the coast. From spacious open windows, you look out over the Broadwater to Seaworld and the exclusive Versace Hotel.

I had dinner at Aqua recently, accompanied by a friend who is the scourge of restaurant owners with her views on value for money, and I have seen head waiters and sommeliers coming close to a breakdown when she feels that what she is eating or drinking is not worth the price on the menu.

I mention this because Aqua came out of it fairly well – much to the relief of manager Cristian Costantini, who came to our table a couple of times during the evening to ensure we were enjoying our meal.

My guest started with Balmain bugs, served with a garlicky white wine sauce and a touch of tomato and parsley, while I went for salt and pepper squid -- both of which proved to be excellent choices.

Located on Queensland’s Gold Coast, I would have expected Aqua to be serving Moreton bugs rather than the Balmain variety, which are usually found further south in Australia.

You can tell the difference as the Moreton Bay bug is a little thinner in the body than the Balmain bug: obviously my guest was getting more bug for the buck, so this satisfied the value-for-money criterium.

For a main course, I went for a grilled barramundi fillet with a liberal serving of chunky chips and a rainforest-sized salad (there was a bit of a discussion as to whether the barramundi was farmed or wild – I believe it was farmed).

My guest wanted a change from fish and decided on veal limone, an Italian favourite, but served with steamed vegetables rather than the normal pasta. Both dishes passed the quality/price demand.

We chose an unprecocious Hunter Valley chardonnay as our wine (alas, I have mislaid my wine notes for the evening) and finished the evening with an Australian cheese plate, coffee and a grappa.

The total bill that came to just under AUD 125 – for which we got a taste of the lifestyle of the Gold Coast’s rich and (in)famous for a fraction of the cost in many of the region's other seafront restaurants.

Hunter after the storms

2007-06-20T06:10:00.001-07:00

Following the recent storm damage that ravaged parts of New South Wales, there was a fair amount of disruption in the Hunter region, close to Sydney.

So it was good to hear from our friends in the Hunter Valley Wine Country that the vineyard area is fully operational and remains easily accessible by road and air for visitors.

The flooding actually occurred about 10-20 kilometres north of the wine region and we hear from local wine-makers that many have been spared from the worst of the winds and that the moisture in the subsoil has come at a good time for next year’s crop.

With this in mind, Lisa and Andrew Margan invite visitors to discover their premium Hunter Valley wines at the new cellar door and restaurant located at the home of Margan in the beautiful Broke Valley. The grapes are estate grown and the wines which are handcrafted on site in a state-of-the-art winery are to be found throughout Australia and in no less than twelve countries around the world.

Meanwhile, Sydney-based tour operators running wine tours to the Hunter Valley, such as Australian Eco Adventures, reiterate the message that it's business as usual -- and we will drink to that

A wet night out in Sydney

2007-06-20T01:21:00.000-07:00

It was one of the wettest nights I have known in Sydney, the rain teeming down with a wind that made it almost impossible to use an umbrella. It was the sort of weather that suggested dining in at my hotel, but I had made plans to meet an old friend at the Ice Cube Seafood Grill on Darling Harbour, so I risked a soaking, grabbed a cab (how lucky was that!!) and arrived just a few minutes late.

I mention all this because on such a dismal evening, you would not have expected a restaurant on rain-and-wind-swept Darling Harbour to be particularly busy, especially one that prides itself on an outdoor dining area overlooking the harbour -- but how wrong you can be.

The restaurant is indoor/outdoor and it would have been fantastic to have been outdoors on a more pleasant evening. But on that night the inside restaurant was doing well.

An 180-seat restaurant with a great location on the ground floor of the Imax Theatre Complex, the Ice Cube Seafood Grill has buzz about it, and the waiting staff (an international roll-call) hovered discreetly in a manner you have almost forgotten to expect in restaurants.

The menu was as expected -- mostly seafood but with a good selection of meat dishes, including pan fried kangaroo rump.

We were almost tempted to share a seafood platter for two at AUD 135, having watched one being served to a couple at a nearby table: I wondered if the person who plated it in the kitchen had some sort of design degree, as it looked like a work of art.

Instead, for starters we both went for half-a-dozen Coffin Bay oysters, fresh that day from South Australia, and while my guest chose the New Zealand flounder for a main course, I decided on the fish pie, which was excellent and served with a rather large portion of garlic mashed potatoes.

For wine, we chose a Tasmanian Pinot Gris (or pinot grigio, as it is known in Italy) which did not disappoint, and to end the evening we worked our way through an Australian cheese plate with a ‘sticky’ – as dessert wines are known among Australians.

The Ice Cube Seafood Grill is reasonably priced – having to compete with Jordon’s and Nicks, two other popular nearby seafood restaurants. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner (noon to midnight with last orders at 22.00, or 23.00 on Fridays and Saturdays).

Wine pass for Victoria

2007-03-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

Wine lovers heading for Melbourne will be interested in the new Cellar Door Pass Victoria, which combines more than 50 cellar doors and winery restaurants into a single flexible-itinerary package.

The Cellar Door Pass has been developed by Smartvisit Solutions with support from Tourism Victoria and retails at AUD 99 -- with a total value of more than AUD 300.

Cardholders get a huge amount of value from the new Cellar Door Pass, including up to AUD 150 worth of premium wines (six bottles of up to AUD 25 in value), premium wine tastings, winery tours and other special offers for one or two people.

A Cellar Door directory with maps and an audio CD that provides an overview of the wine regions and commentary from winemakers on grape varieties is included in the price.

Among the leading Victorian wine regions included in the programme’s first year are the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Macedon Ranges, the Pyrenees, the Grampians, Bendigo, the Goulburn Valley and Rutherglen.

International visitors can buy the pass at the Best of Victoria desk at Federation Square Visitor Information Centre in Melbourne.

* While in the Mornington Peninsula, visitors can also take in a winery tour with a difference - travelling in a 1930s stretch-Chevrolet. The fully restored classic car which has been modified and stretched, seats six passengers in the back, is decked out with plush red velvet and boasts two bars for refreshments enroute.

The four-hour tour starts from a Mornington Peninsula pick up point and takes in a number of boutique and more established wineries. Lunch is not included, however depending upon your budget, there are several options Bogarts can suggest.

Tours also stop in at Mornington Peninsula Chocolates by arrangement. The cost is AUD 550 for four hours.

A tale of two beers

2007-03-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

Everybody has their own favourite beer, and in Tasmania, you're either for Cascade or James Boag's. The two breweries draw a horizontal line through the centre of Tasmania and there is something of a Mason-Dixon divide of beer lovers.

In the North, drinkers swear their allegiance to Launceston's James Boag's. Its brewery is surrounded by classic Georgian architecture in the heart of Australia's third oldest city.

Meanwhile, the southerners are staunch advocates of Cascade, which comes from a brewery nestled in the shadow of Mount Wellington on the outskirts of Hobart, which incidentally is Australia's second oldest city after Sydney.

The pubs in the north have Boag's on tap, while their southern counterparts go for Cascade.

The fierce loyalty of each side for its own preference of liquid lunch dates back to the nineteenth century.

With its imposing stone facade, Cascade is Australia's oldest surviving brewery as well as the nation's oldest manufacturing enterprise.

The Cascade story began with Englishman Peter Degraves, who came to what was then known as Van Dieman's Land to take part in numerous ventures before eventually starting up the brewery in 1824.

Only two years later he was thrown into prison for apparently not paying his debts back in England. But when Degraves later emerged from his jail cell, it didn't take long for him to become one of the colony's wealthiest and most prominent citizens, on the back of the success of the brewery and other businesses.

By the 1850s, Cascade was the colony's most popular beer amid fierce competition from Tassie's 47 other breweries.

Degraves died in 1852 and while his four sons continued to run the brewery, the family name's association with Cascade eventually ceased when they passed away without heirs. It is now in the hands of the Fosters Group.

Ninety-minute walk-arounds are conducted by guides several times a day, and the tour costs AUD 18. It includes the chance to see the beer being brewed, and after a tour of the beautiful Woodstock Gardens, comes a half hour of beer tasting – all included in the tour price.

Meanwhile, Cascade's main rival also has a long history of supplying beer drinkers from Tasmania and the mainland. People from the state's north still ask for a "Jimmy" when ordering a beer at the bar.

So, who was James Boag?

He arrived in Tasmania from Scotland with his wife in 1853 and worked for several breweries in the north of the island. Then in 1881 he joined forces with his son, also called James, to take control of the Esk Brewery situated on the banks of the Esk River, forming James Boag and Son.

Tours of Boags include a full circuit of the brewery from the brew house to the packaging line, along with an insight into the brewing process and the family’s fascinating history.

The best of Darwin

2007-02-02T07:22:00.000-08:00

Standing in the lobby of the Holiday Inn Esplanade Darwin recently I was asked by a group of Belgian visitors if I knew the best restaurant in town. I am used to being asked the cheapest, but it's not so often that I am asked to point visitors in the direction of the best, which usually means more expensive: but the Belgians it seems are league leaders when it comes to enjoying good food.

A few years ago it would have been almost impossible to recommend a truly good restaurant in Darwin, but times have changed and Darwin is now blessed with an array of restaurants that make great use of the excellent local produce, particularly seafood: succulent mud crabs, fresh barramundi and massive prawns, as well as other popular fish, such as snapper and salmon.

Add to this the fact that Darwin boasts a population made up of more than 60 nationalities and you are guaranteed a wide choice of cuisines. And the final ingredient that makes Darwin a great place to dine out is its temperature, which rarely falls below 20 Celsius – meaning alfresco dining with some amazing settings – such as being surrounded by tropical gardens, or overlooking the boardwalk and the yachts at Cullen Bay.

One place I enjoy when in Darwin is Crustaceans on the Wharf , located at the bustling Stokes Hill Wharf, and offering a wonderful selection of freshly caught seafood. My own preferences are the garlic mussels (which, of course, would appeal to those Belgian visitors), the steamed mud cakes, Moreton Bay Bugs (prepared in a spicy Thai style) and the excellent barramundi, prepared in a variety of ways. The wine list at Crustaceans on the Wharf is also top class, though a little pricey maybe, which seems to be a fact of life in the Northern Territory.

Yots at Cullen Bay is a favourite with visitors and locals alike. Owner Evan Papodonakis says the oysters are the freshest in Darwin, which I will not disagree with. This modern and breezy Greek inspired eatery overlooks the marina where many of Darwin's fishing and sunset cruise charter boats are based, with alfresco seating on the boardwalk. Service is laid back (or very ordinary) but the food makes up for this.

The marina is also surrounded by some of Darwin's most exclusive private homes and self-serviced holiday apartments such as the popular Cullen Bay Apartments, a great accommodation option when visiting the Northern Territory’s Top End.

Buzz Café, perched on the water's edge at Cullen Bay, lives up to its name, especially at weekends, when the Darwin in-crowd descend on the area for brunch. Buzz has an extensive list of wines and boutique beers. The barramundi is a popular choice and there is the usual array of steaks, salads and noodle dishes on offer -- and the best mango daiquiris in town.

Looking for a stylish night out in Darwin? Multi-award winning Pee Wee’s at the Point is a secluded restaurant overlooking Darwin Harbour. High quality modern Australian cuisine, perfect for that special occasion or late night dinner. Nestled among tropical palms in Darwin’s East Point, Pee Wee’s at the Point overlooks the ocean and provides the closest to a five-star dining experience likely to be found in town.

Pee Wee’s menu is highlighted with wild, ocean-caught barramundi, king prawns, local mud crabs and, for something different, kangaroo. Guests can dine al fresco on the patio and enjoy sunset views across Fannie Bay, or remain inside the architecturally-designed restaurant.

Another must while in Darwin is award-winning Hanuman, where owner and local celebrity Jimmy Shu capitalises on his hybrid Thai cuisine. And visitors will also enjoy an evening at the Darwin Sailing Club at Fannie Bay -- the food (take a number and wait to be called to pick up your choice) may not be exactly gourmet, but it’s inexpensive and the sunset views are the best in town.

Woy Woy, kayaks and oysters

2007-01-16T03:01:00.000-08:00

Woy Woy is a coastal town 85 kilometres north of Sydney, on the Central Coast of New South Wales, and home of Spike Fest — an annual festival celebrating the life and works of comedian Spike Milligan, whose mother lived in the town.

Sir Lunchalot was reminded of Spike when he came across the Woy Woy Bay Oyster Tasting Kayak Tour. And although it sounds like something out of a Spike Milligan comedy script, the tour is actually a great way to get up close and learn about the local oyster farms - while paddling around them.

Lunch is on a secluded beach in Waterfall Bay where you’ll dine on freshly picked oysters and a full buffet lunch.

An annual oyster festival is held in mid-November every year in Woy Woy.

A little less than an hour’s drive north of Sydney in the Hawkesbury region, visitors will enjoy a hands-on seafood experience with the Crab‘N’Oyster Cruise. Catch a crab, open an oyster and experience the sights and sounds of the magnificent Hawkesbury River.

Renowned for producing succulent tasty oysters, New South Wales offers a variety of regional oyster farms that specialise not only in tastings and dining, but also informative tours.

For self-drive visitors following a Sydney-Melbourne coastal route itinerary, Wheelers Seafood Restaurant and Oyster Farm in Merimbula on the Sapphire Coast offers tours of its modern factory, where you can learn about the history of oyster farming and the life-cycle of oysters, as well as having a taste of the local produce on offer.

And the winners are...

2007-01-04T04:34:00.000-08:00

It’s been award-time for Australian restaurants over the past couple of months, with one or two of Sir Lunchalot’s favourites winning more trophies and several outsiders getting well-earned culinary compliments.

Out of an impressive 2,287 restaurants and caterers visited anonymously across Australia (no, don’t ask me where to apply for the job), Ezard in Melbourne was applauded as 2006 Restaurant of the Year at the 2006 Australia Restaurant and Catering Awards.

It is well known that Australia’s restaurants are among the best in the world, so to be named as one of only 34 winners from more than 37,000 restaurants around Australia is an outstanding achievement.

Located in downtown Melbourne at the popular boutique Adelphi Hotel in Flinders Lane, Ezard is one of Melbourne's leading restaurants, where owner and executive chef, Teage Ezard, offers what he calls ‘Australian free-style cuisine’ influenced by the best of Asia, especially that of China and Thailand.

With an extensive wine list, Ezard offers a truly memorable wine and food experience and has been on a roll for quite a while, also winning Wine List of the Year in The Age Good Food Guide Awards 2007 and receiving two chef’s hats in the highly-recommended publication.

Among the other category winners at the 2006 Australia Restaurant and Catering Awards, the Best Entertainment Restaurant accolade went to Western Australia’s Friends Restaurant, located in the Hyatt Centre in East Perth -- for its coupling of fine food with some of Australia's most loved performers.

Seafood lovers heading for Sydney will want to try out the Pier Restaurant in Rose Bay, named as Best Seafood Restaurant. Situated in one of the prettiest bays in Sydney Harbour with views all around, the restaurant’s location shows the harbour at its sparkling best at daytime and most dramatic at night – and the food is excellent as well.

Lo Studio in the Surry Hills area of Sydney was once the Paramount Pictures building and has seen the likes of Charlton Heston and Bob Hope pass through its doors on their way to the private screening room. Named at the 2006 Australia Restaurant and Catering Awards as Best New Restaurant, Lo Studio took up residence back in 2005 and restored some of the old Hollywood magic to the Heritage-listed, art deco building.

Apart from Francesco Armillis’s modern Italian menu, Lo Studio's attraction is found in the details: the gold panelled bar, old-fashioned salt shakers and laidback jazz tunes tinkling in the background, all invoking the glitz and glamour of a bygone era.

For visitors who enjoy Australia’s popular BYO (bring your own wine) culture, the Best BYO Restaurant award went to Sydney’s Ripples Café at Milsons Point, a relaxed café where diners enjoy a casual harbour atmosphere. The food is fresh, funky, fun yet still stylish whilst offering great views of the ever passing parade along the promenade and the harbour. The café is alfresco with clear awnings and heaters to keep it during the colder months.