Gourmet Traveller

SUBSCRIBE NOW magshop.com.au/gmt Details p128 To start: Neil Perry’s king prawn, mango and hazelnut salad (page 125). Followed by spiced porchetta with cherry tkemali (page 111); and a side of radicchio salad with port-glazed figs and pickled beetr

Dining out on Christmas Day PAGE 24 Coming in 2025 GT Hotel Awards PAGE 28 A new look for a CBD icon PAGE 30 Oceania’s best young chef crowned PAGE 32 PHOTOGRAPHY JANA LANGHORST.■

An ambitious Japanese multi-venue hub is bringing expertly-made Japanese pastries, intimate omakase dinners and top-shelf whisky to Sussex Street. Located in a three-storey heritage-listed warehouse Prefecture 48 encompasses six venues. Ibushi houses

SYDNEY Cafe Sydney Every year this Sydney mainstay delivers. In 2024, Christmas lunch comprises five courses with traditional Christmas and Australian summer fare on show. $330, cafesydney.com Settimo Dine like an Italian this Christmas at this lo

You’ve worked at Café Paci, Fred’s and Saint Peter. What have you learned working in these kitchens that you’re bringing to the new role? Pasi Petänen, Danielle Alvarez and Josh Niland all taught me different skills. I chose to work with them intent

ENTRIES ARE NOW OPEN FOR GOURMET Traveller’s Hotel and Travel Awards, with winners set to be revealed in May 2025. The new awards, which will celebrate the best hotels and travel experiences in Australia, are open to hotels of all sizes, with individ

SOFITEL SYDNEY WENTWORTH HAS LONG BEEN A MAINSTAY OF THE city’s social scene. Opened in 1966 as The Wentworth Hotel, Australia’s first international hotel has been a home away from home for royalty, politicians and musicians, hosting Prince Charles a

AT THE LUME MELBOURNE, TOP CHEFS BRENT SAVAGE, Brigitte Hafner, Josh Niland, Rosheen Kaul and Shane Delia are on stage as the envelope is unsealed. “And the Pacific Finalist of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition is…” Pause for effect. “K

Let this be your new pre-Christmas ritual. As plans ramp up, take respite with a different tea each day. Sip fortifying green teas, vibrant fruit tisanes and aromatic black brews. Try classics such as French Earl Grey and chai alongside festive reima

Old-world eating in Brisbane PAGE 36 Good Gilbert takes on modern Middle Eastern PAGE 38 Finding comfort in Melbourne PAGE 39 Alessandro Pavoni’s new osteria PAGE 40 PHOTOGRAPHY JASON LOUCAS■

THEY SAY THE CLASSICS never go out of style, and Naldham House is living proof. Among towering skyscrapers in Brisbane’s CBD, this 140-year-old landmark is a timestamp from the past. It’s only fitting, then, that its new tenant serves a menu steeped

ASK ALMOST ANY restaurateur and they’ll say the same thing: cover counts are dwindling and spend per head is down. It is, in other words, not an auspicious time to be launching a restaurant, let alone a two-storey, indoor/outdoor 150-seater in a quie

WHEN THE TEAM BEHIND Gourmet Traveller’s Wine Bar of the Year 2023 opened a Middle East and North Africa-inspired restaurant in late August, devotees didn’t have far to travel. New kid on the block Asha is just two doors down from Good Gilbert, almos

IT MAY BE A SIGN OF THE times that so many new restaurants are dialling up the comfort factor right now, their menus and rooms consciously embracing the familiar and the nostalgic. But it’s not all looking back through sepia-coloured glasses. These p

Drinks news PAGE 46 Meet the maker PAGE 48 How to make a Pastis Fizz PAGE 52 The best summer sips PAGE 62 PHOTOGRAPHY WILL HORNER. STYLING SAM YATES.■

Cool off this summer with TikTok’s trending sip, the Paloma. Where warmer weather usually calls an Aperol or Hugo Spritz to mind, the Paloma is typically a grapefruit, tequila and lime refresh. Gin-based riffs are also on the rise, as seen here with

What led you to a career in wine? My family had property on Mornington Peninsula. We planted a vineyard and I worked summers as a teenager. Then I spent time in a winery and thought this is cool. I studied Arts at uni and was working in hospitality.

RISING SHARPLY FROM THE OUTER SUBURBS OF EASTERN Adelaide, the Mount Lofty Ranges sandwich themselves between their low-lying neighbours, the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, with a much cooler and diverse topography. Meso-climates, hidden valleys, a

FOR CERTAIN BARTENDERS, THE RAMOS GIN FIZZ IS something of a nightmare, a totem of late 19thcentury New Orleans, notorious for its prescribed 12-minute shake time. Bar Midland co-owner Loudon Cooper, however, sees the bracer as more of an opportunity

AS THE TEMPERATURE RISES AND SUMMER BREEZES ROLL IN, it’s time to refresh your gatherings with a selection of shareable, thirst-quenching drinks. From the effervescence of Champagne and sparkling wines to pre-mixed Spritzes perfect for sunny afternoo

FROM LONDON TO TOKYO, FIVE-STAR HOTEL STANDARDS ARE RISING WITH A PARADE OF BIG-TICKET openings. If there’s one link between the current suite of openings, it’s a hyper-focus on personalised experiences. Checking all the five-star hotel boxes – lavis

Busuttil Nishimura’s reputation precedes her. When her fourth book landed on our desk, we knew to expect everyday recipes to inspire and delight. Working our way through, we also discovered a celebration of the seasons. From winter’s excess of greens

1 Champagne coupes in Clear and White, $149 for two, Maison Balzac. 2 Double Twist earring with diamond in Yellow Gold, $3000 for one, Olivia Bond. 3 Baignoire Mini watch, size 16 in Yellow Gold Quartz Movement, $21,000, Cartier. 4 Zaha earring,

SERVES 10-12 AS A MAIN // PREP 25 MINS // COOK 2½ HRS (PLUS DRYING) Tkemali is a Georgian sour plum sauce to accompany roast meat. We’ve used cherries instead of plums for a seasonal and festive spin in this Christmas table centrepiece. 2.5 kg pork

SERVES 4-6 AS AN ENTRÉE // PREP 20 MINS // COOK 3 MINS ½ tsp cumin seeds, coarsely crushed ½ tsp ground chipotle 18 scallops in the shell Micro coriander, to serve PICKLED CHILLIES 2 long green chillies, thinly sliced 60 ml (¼ cup) white wine v

For pastry chef Rhiann Mead the festive season is the busiest time of year, but also a chance to draw upon years of honing her craft – from apprenticeships at London’s William Curley to working under Peter Gilmore. “When I worked in London, I used to

MAKES 4 // PREP 10 MINS (PLUS INFUSING) We’ve given the classic French 75 a festive and refreshing twist with the addition of fragrant and heady ginger. 30 ml Domain de Canton (French ginger liqueur) 30 ml Australian gin 1½ tbsp light agave syrup

Building on our shining success with Silver Nova in 2023, our second Nova-class ship, Silver Ray, is a guiding light for the future of luxury travel. A bold, asymmetrical design creates wide open spaces and vast breathtaking views of your destination

THE PERRYS ARE COMING TOGETHER TO celebrate Christmas. It has been a big year for the family with the openings of Song Bird and Bobbie’s (two more building blocks in a Double Bay empire alongside Margaret, Next Door and Baker Bleu). This was also the

If ever there was a city in which to arrive by sea, Istanbul must surely be it. It’s a city that deserves a grand entrance; a skyline better viewed in profile than from above, to fully appreciate the curved domes and spiked minarets of the city’s 300

Hotel group Standard International, famed for edgy, arty hotels in locations like Miami, Ibiza and NYC’s East Village, has chosen Fitzroy as the launch site for its new brand, The StandardX. Positioning itself as the “rebellious younger sibling”, The

I can’t recall ever being so dazzled by the light, especially in the depths of a European winter. It’s like the sun itself has been polished; crystalline rays filtering across the glossy, whipped-meringue whites of the Engadin valley in waves of pink

Bold type PAGE 158 Object of desire PAGE 162 Custom stone is the star of this modern kitchen, textural concrete and oak accents round out the look. 1 Fisher & Paykel 600mm Series 5 7-function contemporary pyrolytic oven, $1500, Harvey Norman. 2 In

When French couturier Christian Dior said, “Real elegance is everywhere, especially in the things that don’t show,” he might have been foreshadowing this refined weekender. Supple and grained to the touch, Dior’s calfskin leather is gently marked in