News 

Product  Launch 

Features 

Recipes 

CONTENTS

NEWS NEWS 4 4 -- 22 22 For all the latest news to keep you well informed what’s happening within the tourism & hospitality industries.

PRODUCT LAUNCHPRODUCT LAUNCH 2323 - 27 27 The latest products & services within the tourism & hospitality & reviews of the old favourites

FEATURESFEATURES 29 29 -- 30 30 Make It Meat Australian consumers may be eating less red meat than ten years ago, but despite the financial pres-sures they are now demanding better quality in the meat that they do put on their forks.

3232 Fresh Vs Frozen Fresh or frozen vegetables? Which are better for you?

33 33 -- 34 34 Wake Up to Profits For many foodservice operators, breakfast is the most important, and the most profitable, time of the day.

3636 Cracks in Egg Safety A new consumer survey has revealed that many people are unaware of the potential health risk from eating eggs

3838 The Locals Guide to Australian Cities Most Australians live in the major state capitals, and everyone has their preferred places to eat, drink and visit

4040 Australia the #1 Destination for Chinese Travellers A new report shows that Australia is the number one destination that Chinese travellers intend to visit in the next few years.

4242 Do’s & Don’ts of Credit Management These tips will help your business survive and thrive.

4444 5 Reasons Your Time Management is Failing Prevent poor time management from eating into your profits with these tips and tricks.

RECIPESRECIPES 46 46 -- 49 49 Tantalising recipes for our readers to try at home or work right from experienced chefs.

REVIEWSREVIEWS 46 46 -- 49 49 Restaurant & hotel reviews by professionals & holiday makers

55 55 -- 69 BUSINESS DI69 BUSINESS DIRECTORYRECTORY Proud sponsors of the Tourism & Hospitality Guide

An international tourism and hospitality conference in Hobart has heard some Tasmanian communities are concerned about the impact of growing tourist numbers. More than 200 tourism and hospitality delegates from around the world are in Hobart for the three-day conference. Dr Claire Ellis from Tourism Tasmania says research is being done to help plan for the state's future. "There are parts of the state that desperately want to increase the number of tourists that they have and there are other parts of the state where further growth can, at times, raise some issues," she said. "You need to then plan for what those issues are." Victoria University has also been involved with the research into Tasmania's tourism industry over the past five years.

The university's Margaret Deery some communities are keen to attract more tourists but others, such as Coles Bay, are worried about the social impact. "You can get residents being antagonistic towards tourists and then once you have any feeling of resentment between residents and tourists the good product which is the very friendly Tasmanian people, that good product can disappear and then your tourism dissipate," she said.

Research Shows Towns Shunning Tourism

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the world's largest hotel company, and people solutions specialists, Mint Group, have launched a joint training initiative that will see IHG staff gain nationally recognised qualifications in their first year of employment. IHG Australasia regional director human resources, Craig Hooley, said "This initiative will combine Mint Group's award-winning, accredited training programs with IHG's commitment to building the skills, knowledge and capability of our employees. "This is the first time a hospitality organisation has partnered with a Registered Training Organisation in such a way. This strategy will ensure that all new IHG staff ... will achieve Certificate III level of competency with the first year of service," he said. The new structure will focus on individual, on- the-job training rather than off-site, group-based activities. It will also enhance IHG's ability to deliver training across all hotels, including those in remote locations.

"Our training programs have been restructured to involve supervisors in the delivery of training, thus allowing their skills to be developed and for training to be delivered effectively in more remote locations," Hooley said. According to Hooley, many people see the hospitality industry as a "stop-gap measure on the way to something else", but he believes that IHG's partnership with Mint Group will be pivotal in staff retention and career development.

by Danielle Bowling

IHG partnership to focus on staff News

Brisbane’s Eagle Street Pier is expected to attract more top dining operations following the completion of a multi-million refurbishment.

The Brisbane City Council has approved the plans of the Stockland Group for the refurbishment of the property that includes plans for additional premium restaurants and ‘high quality” quick service lunch operators with completion due late this year.

The Eagle Street Pier is already home to top restaurants including Il Centro, Cha Cha Char and more recently, Aria.

Stockland Queensland Regional Asset Manager, David McGuire, said Eagle Street Pier was already synonymous with fine dining thanks to Il Contro and Cha Cha Char.

“These longstanding and highly successful restaurants and the Pier’s superb position have made this precinct one of Queen-sland’s favourite food and entertainment destinations,’’ he said.

McGuire said the refurbishment would

refresh and modernise the precinct to deliver one of the most attractive bar and restaurant offerings in Brisbane.

“Work will include enhancing the main entrance, creating new licensed alfresco dining areas and opening up the Eagle Street frontage to create further outdoor entertainment space,’’ he said.

McGuire said Brisbane had “come of age” as a fine dining destination in recent years and Eagle Street Pier should receive much of the credit for this evolution.

“Brisbane has undergone many remarkable changes since the pre-Expo 88 days and one of those big changes has been the improvement in our restaurant offerings,’’ he said.

“The latest high profile addition to the city’s eating experience – the prestigious ARIA Restaurant – is also located in the Eagle Street Pier precinct.

“We believe the launch of ARIA was just the start of what will be a fabulous renaissance period for Brisbane’s much loved Eagle Street Pier.’’

Facelift for Brisbane’s Dining Precinct

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The Federal Government needs to immediately act to stop an alarming decline in the number of conference, exhibitions and incentives visitors coming to Australia, according to the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA).

BECA has called for the Federal Government to inject $20m in funding to arresting the downturn as visitor arrivals in 2009 fell 23 per cent on the previous year.

BECA chairman Geoff Donaghy also called for tax incentives to boost the domestic market and employer training in such a way that Australian companies would be encouraged to hold their business events at home rather than abroad.

“Latest ABS figures show that visitor arrivals for business events fell by an alarming 23 per cent in 2009 over 2008, with convention numbers faring worse than overall tourism visitor numbers,” Donaghy said.

“This continues a disturbing picture that has been growing. Australia has slipped from fourth in 2000 to

14 last year in the International Congress and Convention Association’s world rankings for international conferences.”

Donaghy said BECA’s call for an immediate injection of $20m had been submitted to Canberra in a pre-Budget request. It includes a $10m Business Events Bid Fund to assist organisations bidding to host international business events in Australia, $5m International Delegate Boosting Fund to help boost attendance at business events already scheduled, and $5m Branding and Marketing Fund to enable Tourism Australia to launch a strong overseas campaign to restore Australia’s profile as one of the world’s top 10 business events destinations. by Rosemary Ryan

Fund Injection Needed to Stop Events Decrease

The NSW Government is putting the spotlight on some of the most recent Sydney CBD eateries that have been prosecuted after breaching food safety laws.

Primary Industries Minister Steve Whan said recently finalised prosecutions issued to four businesses in one street in the area reached a combined total of $30,000 in fines and costs.

“Some of these offences include such unpalatable acts as food, waste and grease build up and the failure to eradicate and prevent the harbourage of pests with live cockroaches, rodent droppings, smears and hairs observed throughout the premises,” Mr Whan said.

“There were also instances of failure to store potentially hazardous food under correct temperature control and the failure to store food in a way likely to prevent contamination.”

The Hunter St businesses prosecuted by Sydney City Council were Pho Ha Noi Vietnamese Noodle Soup, Hong Hai Noodle Bar, Top One Kitchen and Khwan Thai.

The Pho Ha Noi Vietnamese Noodle Shop was prosecuted twice for multiple failures to comply with the Food Act and issued fines totalling $8,050.

Hong Hai Noodle Bar was issued three prosecutions for multiple failures to comply with the Food Act and the contravention of a Prohibition Order with total fines issued totalling $7,250.

Top One Kitchen was fined $3,800 for various failures to comply with the Food Act.

Kwan Thai was hit with two prosecutions totalling $1,700 for breaches of the Food Act and failure to comply with a Prohibition Order.

Mr Whan said Sydney diners were spoiled for choice when it comes to places to eat and were able to use the NSW Food Authority’s Name and Shame website to ensure they were choosing clean places.

“Thanks to the Name and Shame register they also have choice when it comes to selecting the cleanest and safest place to eat,” he said.

“Councils across NSW, including Sydney City Coun-cil, work in a close and effective food safety partnership with the NSW Food Authority to ensure we can all enjoy the food this state is famous for safely," Mr Whan said.

“The vast majority of Sydney and NSW businesses do the right thing and to protect these businesses and consumers we will continue to expose and prosecute those who flout the law.”

Sydney CBD Street Eateries Wit with $30,000 in Food Safety Fines

A second generation wine maker from the Mornington Peninsula has been named as this year’s Young Gun Australian wine maker.

Rollo Crittenden from Crittenden Estate was announced the winner at the Young Gun of Wine Awards ceremony held at Melbourne’s Supper Club.

Representing a wine region that’s also still in its youth at just 30 years old, Crittenden was chosen from a shortlist of eleven of newest and most innovative young winemaking talent in the Australian wine industry.

Crittenden has worked in the industry all his life after starting on his family’s vineyards and working with father Garry, at an early age.

After gaining further invaluable work experience and exposure in California, Oregon, Italy and the Hunter Valley he has settled back home at Crittenden Estate to head up winemaking operations, overseeing production of the Crittenden Estate, Pinocchio, Geppetto and Los Hermanos ranges.

He’s carrying the innovation started by father Garry who has been a leader in the development of alternative varietals in Australia.

The Young Gun of Wine judging panel of Chief Judge Nick Stock, Young Gun of Wine Founder Rory Kent, Max Allen, Philip Rich and last year’s winner, Colin McBryde of Some Young Punks, were impressed with the overall standard of all competitors however, Rollo’s wines shone through.

“Rollo has struck a unique chord in terms of the wines he’s making, the styles, the package and the pitch - all beautifully understated, polished and presented,” said Nick Stock.

Mornington Peninsula Wine Maker is Young Gun Winner

The former owner of a Brisbane restaurant has been fined $19,800 over the underpayment of two workers. The Federal Magistrate’s Court in Brisbane has imposed the penalty against Erick Berges, who was the sole owner and a manager of the Picasso Pizza and Pasta restaurant on Albert Street before it closed last year. The decision follows a prosecution by the Fair Work Ombudsman after it discovered two employees at the restaurant had been underpaid almost $15,000. The court ordered that part of the penalty be reimbursed to the two former workers—$10,793 to a kitchen hand and $4073 to a cook. The Fair Work Ombudsman said the kitchen hand, who was employed on a casual basis, was paid a flat rate of just $10 an hour, resulting in underpayment of his minimum hourly rate, casual loading, night rates and public holiday rates. The cook, also employed on a casual basis, was

short-changed as a result of his minimum hourly rate, casual loading and overtime being underpaid. Fair Work Ombudsman executive director Michael Campbell said paying employees below their minimum entitlement and then refusing to rectify the issue when requested to do so is a contravention his agency takes very seriously. “Individual hand-shake agreements to pay workers below award rates are a recipe for disaster and employers should think again before trying it,” Campbell said. The Fair Work Ombudsman has a number of tools on its website, fairwork.gov.au, to assist employees and employers to check minimum rates of pay, including Paycheck and PayrollCheck. Small to medium-sized businesses without human resources staff can also ensure they are better equipped when hiring, managing and dismissing employees by using free template employment documentation with step-by-step instructions or accessing a series of Best Practice Guides.

Former cafe owner fined almost $20,000

Backpackers flock to the fields as GFC makes hospitality work scarce in the cities

The global financial crisis is forcing backpackers to look for harvest work due to a shortage of hospitality and bar jobs in cities, according to National Harvest Labour information Service (NHLIS) manager Robert Cameron. Cameron told the Weekly Times the NHLIS was receiving more than 1000 phone calls a day from backpackers looking for seasonal work. He said the GFC had reduced spending on discretionary items such as eating out, making hospitality

jobs hard to come by and forcing backpackers into the fields. He added: “That’s usually the domain of people looking for their second working visa, whereas we’re getting a lot of

people looking for work because they can’t get anything else in the city and are moving out into the country.”

By Martin Lane

HotelClub managing director Chloe Lim has warned a ccommodation providers to be wary of hiking rates as they look to capitalise on signs of growing consumer confidence. Lim expects hotel bookings to continue to grow in 2010, but she warned any sudden price hikes will be detri-mental to the industry. “Consumer confidence may appear stronger at the moment because this time of year is a traditional holiday period,” Lim told Travel Today. “We need more time to see if this is an actual increase in consumer confidence. Even if it picks up, together with the hotels, the intermediaries need to continue to deliver value. Some of the things we see when consumer confidence

HotelClub Warns Against Price Hike

increases and then people stop booking again. ” She predicted average daily rates will during 2010, though they will remain short of pre-GFC levels. Lim said HotelClub had seen a “bullish start to 2010”. HotelClub is one of three sites under the Orbitz

portfolio including Ratestogo.com and Asia Hotels.com. Despite the business recording more than 50% growth between more than 50% growth between January 2009 and 2010, Lim said they were still much focused on getting competitive deals for their customers. “We know that demand is starting to pick up but consumers are still very price conscious,” Lim said. By Olivia Collings

The Australian hospitality industry has warned that changes the list of skills in demand as part of the Federal Government’s skilled migration program could leave large gaps in service provision in Australia in the sector.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship announced the replacement of the long standing skilled occupations list—of occupations in demand—with a another list of what it says have been identified as priority occupations for overseas workers.

Restaurant and Catering Australia chief executive officer, John Hart, the new list is of highly qualified jobs which are “attractive to the Government, but not necessarily in shortage”.

Hart said the previous lists, the Skilled Occupations List and the Migration Occupations in Demand List, were of occupations in shortage. He said this shortage could be objectively determined and did not discriminate between jobs that were of ‘value’ or not.

Restaurant & Catering Australia president, Peter Doyle, said there had been a shortage of cooks in Australia for more than fifty years.

“Australia has had a shortage of cooks since the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956,” Doyle said. “The industry has grown at such a rapid rate that the supply of cooks in Australia has never been able to be filled. The supply of overseas students studying cookery is very important to filling the demand.”

Training and recruitment company Hostec International said the Australian tourism and hospitality sectors should prepare for shortages in skilled vocational labour as part of the review of which occupations receive preference for immigration.

With the current list abolished and a new SOL not due to be unveiled by Skills Australia until late April, it remains unclear if occupations relied on by the hospitality industry—such as culinary vocations—will be deemed priorities, said Hostec managing director Raman Nambiar.

Nambiar said Australian operators should prepare themselves now for a shortfall in the event that hospitality is not included on the revised SOL.

“There is a good argument to suggest culinary positions, for example, will be given priority. Take the most recent Clarius Skills Index released by Clarius Group last month; chefs were listed as the occupation with the highest levels of skills shortages for the last three consecutive quarters.

“That said, our industry should prepare for more fa-vour being shown to other higher level occupations. If that happens, chief among our problems will be the lack of Australian workers willing to take these front line jobs, and a visa system that doesn’t support small businesses—which makes up the bulk of the hospitality industry—sponsoring skilled immigrants for entry-level hospitality positions.

“Hospitality apprenticeship enrolments for domestic students have been steadily declining year on year. The hospitality sector has come to rely on the increasing number of international graduates to fill entry-level positions; if anything, that need is going to grow in 2010 as consumer sentiment continues to improve.

“If culinary vocations are not included on the revised SOL, other policy measures will need to be considered to make up the labour shortfall. These include increasing Government funding for domestic apprenticeships; the introduction of immigration-supported international apprenticeships; and reassessment of the visa system to make it more viable for hospitality operators to sponsor expat workers. None of these could be considered a quick fix.”

Announcing the reform of the skilled migration program the Government said all offshore General Skilled Migration applications lodged before 1 September 2007 would have their applications withdrawn. It is expected about 20 000 people fall into this category.

It said that under the changes the list of occupations in demand will be tightened so “only highly skilled migrants will be eligible to apply for independent skilled migration visas”.

It said the new and “more targeted” Skilled Occupations List (SOL) will be developed by the independent body, Skills Australia, and reviewed annually. It will be introduced mid-year and focus on high value professions and trades. The Critical Skills List introduced at the beginning of 2009 which identified occupations in critical demand at the height of the global financial crisis will also be phased out.

by Rosemary Ryan

Skills list changes could increase hospitality shortage

Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party will scrap penalty rates and unfair dismissal protection and reintroduce individual contracts for Australian workers if they are elected later this year, say unions. In the latest sign of the Liberals’ deceptive plan to reintroduce WorkChoices, deputy Opposition leader Julie Bishop has confirmed penalty rates would be targeted by a Liberal Government. Ms Bishop told ABC radio in Melbourne:

“Bringing back inflexible working conditions such as the penalty rates regime is costing employers more, it is making workers worse off.” ACTU President Sharan Burrow said the wages and conditions of millions of Australian workers would be under attack if the Liberals were elected. She said scrapping penalty rates alone would severely hurt the living standards of hundreds of thousands of working families. For example, a typical young part-time hospitality employee working two four-hour shifts during weekdays and one eight-hour Sunday shift would lose almost $90 a week if penalty rates were abolilshed. “Penalty rates are paid to people who work unsocial hours at weekends or nights, away from their family and friends,” Ms Burrow said.

“They are essential to workers’ take home pay and many families depend on penalty rates

to maintain their standard of living. Penalty rates have been in existence in many industries for decades and taking them away would simply be unworkable for businesses and employees alike. “Julie Bishop, the second most senior Liberal, has revealed the Liberals have a plan to get rid of the rights and protections in the award safety net - all in the name of ‘flexibility’ for employers. “This is a return to WorkChoices pure and simple, no matter what the Liberals call it.” Ms Burrow said Tony Abbott, a former Workplace Minister in the Howard Government, had also confirmed the Liberals plan to eliminate protection from unfair dismissal for millions of small business employees, and to reintroduce WorkChoices-style AWAs. Mr Abbott told a Chamber of

Commerce & Industry Queensland function last week: “You know, at four elections

running we had a mandate to take the unfair dismissal monkey off the back of small business and we will once more seek that mandate. At four elections running we had a mandate to i n t r o d u c e statutory non-union contracts and we will seek to

renew that mandate.” “Tony Abbott and Julie Bishop have let the cat out of the bag that the Liberals will reintroduce WorkChoices if elected,” Ms Burrow said. “Of course, they will try to disguise it as something else, but voters know what they are up to. More than 50% of people polled by the ACTU believe the Liberals would bring back WorkChoices if given the chance. Working Australians and their families are still recovering from the Global Financial Crisis and can’t afford to risk a return to WorkChoices under the Liberals.”

Workers stand to lose $$$ under Liberal plan to scrap penalty rates and bring back WorkChoices

Tourism NSW is working in partnership with Bridge & Wickers, Tourism Australia and State Tourism Offices on a campaign to promote luxury travel from the United Kingdom to Australia. Bridge & Wickers is a UK travel agent specialising in tailor-made luxury holidays to Australia. Luxury products and experiences in Sydney and NSW such as the Four Seasons Hotel, Quay Grand Suites, Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa, Tower Lodge, the Byron at Byron Resort and Spa, Paperbark Camp, Peppers .Anchorage and Santa Fe B&B are being showcased in the

campaign. It is running from January to March and includes print advertising in The Telegraph newspaper and Conde Nast Traveller magazine, and online advertising on The Telegraph and Times Travel websites. The UK is the largest source market for international visitors to NSW with 374,000 people visiting the State in the year to September 2009.

Bridge & Wickers promotes luxury NSW

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Restaurants welcome food safety ratings

will force dodgy outlets to lift their game. “We want to provide some transparency for the public so they know what they're getting," he said. RCA spokesman David Pugh is happy with the change. "Why not show the patrons just how good we are?" he said. The Logan City Council will adopt the same system.

The Restaurant and Catering Association (RCA) has welcomed a new food safety rating system for Brisbane businesses. The Brisbane City Council will use information from its regular audits to rate the city's 6,000 eateries by the end of the year. Those with less than two stars will be made to fix problems. It will not be compulsory for businesses to display their rating but Lord Mayor Campbell Newman says public pressure

While many Americans may have been pinching their pennies during the global economic downturn, it hasn’t stopped them from spending up big on Australian holidays.

Tourism Australia will be looking to capitalise on the recent surge in American travellers interested in holidaying in Australia with a number of events this weekend to promote the country’s food, wine, culture, music and travel experiences as part of G’Day USA.

This year, Tourism Australia is hosting six events across Palm Springs, Los Angeles and San Francisco as part of the 2010 Australia Week promotion.

Tourism Australia Executive Chairman, Rick Allert said Australian tourism had seen a four per cent increase in travellers from the United States in the past year despite the challenging global economic environment.

“Australian tourism has seen good growth out of the US in recent months as a result of increased air services and attractive airfares,” Mr Allert said. “With such favourable conditions for travel to Australia the timing of the G’Day USA events to target potential travellers from the US couldn’t be better.

“We know that many Americans dream of visiting Australia and the current tourism promotions are designed specifically to convert this strong interest in Australia in to travel bookings this year,” Mr Allert said. The Tourism Australia events, which kicked off in Southern California this week with an Australia-themed day at the 21st annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, will continue in Los Angeles this weekend and San Francisco next week.

In Los Angeles, Australian Indigenous art and tourism experiences will be highlighted at the Aboriginal Dreamtime Art Gallery in West Hollywood on Friday night. This will be followed by the two-day Come Walkabout event in Beverly Hills this weekend featuring

promotions of Australian destinations, wildlife and music, including performances by Daniel Merriweather and one of Australia’s leading didgeridoo players William Barton.

Mr Allert said the Come Walkabout event in LA would provide the perfect opportunity to reach the American public face-to-face with the message about why now is a good time to visit Australia. “Last year’s Come Walkabout public event in LA was a huge success, with more than a thousand Americans interested in Australian holidays attending the event,” Mr Allert said.

“With consumer confidence to travel continuing to improve we are expecting to attract bigger crowds to this year’s event as travellers look to take advantage of the travel deals on offer.

“We know Americans love affair with Australia hasn’t diminished even in the toughest of economic times and this is something that Australian tourism can really use to its advantage this year.”

Events in San Francisco, highlighting Australia’s food and wine, will include an exclusive dinner prepared by Aussie chef Curtis Stone and local chef Dominique Crenn for a select number of subscribers to the popular restaurant guides publisher, Zagat.

G’day USA Australia Week 2010 is a joint initiative between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Tourism Australia, Austrade, and Qantas Airways. The festival has grown into the largest foreign country promotion held annually in the US. The program is funded through the support of government and corporate sponsors.

Mr Allert said promotions such as G’Day USA provided an opportunity to put the spotlight on Australian tourism in the US, which was an important source of tourists worth around $2 billion to Australia annually.

Americans Still Love Aussies

Australia Hotels Association is going through a period of change, with chief executive officer Bill Healy departing . tomorrow and Hamish Arthur already gone. Healy has decided to leave the organisation to “take some time off” while former national corporate affairs manager, Arthur, has joined a lobbyist firm. Healy has been with the association since May 2005 and will be replaced

by Northern Territory lawyer Des Crowe at the end of the month. Crowe previously worked with Morgan Buckley Lawyers, where he represented various venues in licensing cases. Crowe previously worked with Morgan Buckley Lawyers, where he represented various venues in licensing cases.

By Olivia Collings

AHA Changes Leadership

ING Pub Fund in Bid to Save Icon Venues

ING Real Estate Entertainment Fund (IEF), a publicly listed property trust, has revealed plans to prop up its major tenant, Icon Hospitality, through refurbishments and rent assistance. The pub fund has been granted a five year extension from lenders despite declaring a loss for the six months to December 31, 2009. At its half year results briefing the company announced a loss of $24 million for the period, compared to a loss of $28.9 million recorded for the same period a year ago. IEF committed itself to investing $8 million upgrading the venues that Icon leases, which include The Bourbon in Kings Cross and the Martin Place Bar. It will also provide Icon with a $1 million rent reduction and waive rent increases until June 30, 2014. Another tenant, Alchemy Hotels Management, went into administration in January. “The challenging operating conditions have the potential to impact both the funds revenue and the value of its assets,” said CEO Daniel Hargreaves. “We are working proactively

with key tenants to develop strategies to minimise these issues.”

The Icon strategy includes a number of components: IEF will invest $8 million on its Icon venues over the next three years to refurbish Icon venues to improve venue quality and customer amenity. Icon’s rent will be reduced by $1 million, increases for the next three years will be waived and the operator will have the benefit of a three month rental deferral

to rebase their rent expenses within the business. IEF will take a call option over approximately 50 percent of Icon’s business which can be exercised at any time over the next five years, which allows the fund to participate in the forecast improvements in operating performance and leasehold value. IEF will take a put/call options over Icon’s FF&E which will enable the fund to preserve operational assets in the site in the event there is any default in the future.

The University of Queensland's School of Tourism and business partners Club Training Australia and Dickson Wohlsen Strategies have joined forces to bring Korean students to Brisbane. School of Tourism lecturer Dr Timothy Lee was present at the signing of a memorandum of understanding that will result in more than 100 Korean trainees come in each year for specialist training and education in hospitality. Dr Lee said Korea was now one of the strongest markets for Australia's growing education and training sector. ``Australia is regarded as a professional environment for training and education so the Korean Government has selected Queensland as a suitable training environment for these trainees,'' Dr Lee said. The Korean Government is sponsoring trainees in commercial cooking and hospitality, he said. Trainees will receive intensive formal training for three

months in some of Australia's best facilities, before trying to gain work experience in clubs, hotels and restaurants. Dr Lee and School of Tourism colleague Richard Robinson conduct lectures as part of the training. Club Training Australia managing director John Dickson the memorandum of understanding was an exciting one for his Indooroopilly organisation, with trainees due to start arriving in Brisbane in May. ``This is a major win for our company and for Queensland as an exported of training and education,'' he said. ``To have a major economy like Korea acknowledge our expertise in this area is wonderful. It's a far cry from the days when Australia was better known for its cultural cringe value. Now we are internationally recognised.''

Major Deal to Teach Korea’s Future Leaders in Hospitality

Experience your future in Tourism and Hospitality

Few industries offer as much opportunity to experience an international career and rapid employment advancement as tourism and hospitality.

If it’s your ambition to manage a five star resort, become a world-renowned chef or own a travel agency, the Australian School of Tourism and Hotel Management (ASTHM) is the place to study. Over the last 21 years ASTHM in conjunction with Southern Cross University has established itself as the leader in hospitality and tourism studies in Western Australia.

Our students gain theoretical knowledge as well as practical skills in all aspects of the industry.

ASTHM offers certificate, diploma, and bachelor degree courses in the following areas: • Hotel and Resort Management, • Convention & Event Management • Tourism Management • Hospitality (Commercial Cookery or Patisserie) Certificate II & III only

Courses include real life case studies and projects, industry excursions, guest lectures with Industry professionals, and paid industry work placements.

Our highly successful internship program has been instrumental in our graduates securing exciting and rewarding employment positions by the time they finish their studies.

We pride yourself on our teaching excellence and the extensive training resources at our custom built city campus.

ASTHM is fully equipped with the most modern commercial and industry standard equipment enabling you to experience your future while you are still studying.

Call to make an appointment

on (08) 9322 3202 or email h.hartopo@asthm.edu.au to request a brochure.

Australian School of Tourism and Hotel Management 641 Wellington Street Perth 6000 WA

Following the Pacific West tradition of sourcing and supplying first class products to the Food service industry we are pleased to launch the first products in our new category “Salmon solutions”. “Salmon Solutions” will be offering a variety of value added and natural Salmon products sourced locally and from around the world. The category will be opened in February with the release of Atlantic salmon fillets, these are available in skin less and skin on portions of either 180 gm or 200gm. Produced from fresh salmon the portions are dry cut so the full flavour is retained. To ensure the integrity of the product is as close to fresh as possible each portion is snap frozen in its own vacuum pouch. Perfect for grilling, poaching or crispy skinned salmon, the portions come in a 5 kg carton and are available from your frozen food distributor.

Pacific West Salmon Solutions

Product Launch

Sealanes began as a small family business established in the Australian port town of Fremantle, Western Australia in 1922. Since then it has become the only business of its kind in Australia that supplies groceries to the local foodservice market, offshore supply to rigs around Australia, seafood

distribution, the retail sale of seafood and provisioning ships with groceries and technical goods in ports around Australia. We are able to fill orders within 24 hours for delivery to the local market and we can also

service remote locations through our branches in Port Hedland and Karratha in Western Australia and our Darwin branch in the Northern Territory. We have a fleet of over 25 refrigerated vehicles to deliver your order to your door. service remote locations through our branches in Port Hedland and Karratha in Western Australia and our Darwin branch in the Northern Territory.

We have a fleet of over 25 refrigerated vehicles to deliver your order to your door. Our customers include hotels and resorts, hospitals, aged-care homes, cafés, restaurants, the world’s navies, cruise ships and general ships that berth in Australian ports, oil rigs and local shoppers through ordering cash & carry items and fresh seafood through our retail shop. Sealanes prides itself on its strong reputation for customer service and providing a one-stop shop for grocery and technical items. We carry an extensive range of dry and frozen goods and over 7000 line items in our Fremantle warehouse. We have a team of dedicated staff ready to fill orders locally and interstate and the ability to consolidate

large orders for all customers at short notice which makes us a preferred supplier of goods.

New to Australia—Old California Tomatoes in EZ open pouches. Old California is a range of premium Tomato products that are made from fresh vine rip-ened tomatoes and are packed in clear multilayered film pouches that have a two year shelf life. Available in three varieties. • Premium Pasta Sauce 3kg. • Fully Prepared Pizza Sauce 3kg • Chopped Tomatoes 2.8kg The Old California Sauces are made with fresh herbs and spices that offers a fresher fla-vour and make an ideal base for your tomato based dishes. The Old California pouches are easy to open with “tear tab” on the top of the pouches. The pouches are a convenient alternative to A10 cans , as they require less storage space and are cost effective in disposal. Old California products are distributed by SPC Ardmona Food Service and is available from distributors now.

Old California Tomatoes

KRAFT Captain's Table water crackers are the premium water cracker to serve with all your favourite cheese, toppings and dips. They are great for any entertaining occasion, whether it be a casual, social gathering or a dinner party.

KRAFT Captain's Table was first launched in 1982 in pack sizes ranging from 200g through to 350g. In October 2000, KRAFT Captain's Table underwent a huge revamp and was relaunched in 125g packs with a completely new look.

With three distinct offerings, KRAFT Captain's Table is the perfect cracker for the consummate entertainer. For More information visit www.kraft.com.au

The cream used in Tim Tams is a delicate mixture of vanilla, butter and chocolate that complements the biscuit base and the chocolate. It’s this unique cream which sets Tim Tam apart from any other chocolate biscuit. Arnotts Tim Tam wide range: Tim Tam Original Tim Tam White Tim Tam Original Value Pack Tim Tam Double Coat Tim Tam Chewy Caramel Tim Tam Classic Dark Tim Tam Original Finger Tim Tam Original Individually Wrapped Tim Tam Crush Honeycomb Tim Tam Crush Mint Crisp Tim Tam Crush Double Choc Crunch Tim Tam Sweet Surrender Choc Hazelnut Flavoured Mousse Tim Tam Sweet Surrender Black Forest Delight Tim Tam Sweet Surrender Creme Caramel

The Classic Tim Tam

KRAFT Captain's Table water crackers

Our Prosciutto ham has become recognised for its superior quality and flavour. A full leg of pork is trimmed and specially treated over several months to develop its exquisite flavour, texture and aroma. This

product is best enjoyed thinly sliced - truly a connoisseur's delight!

For more information visit: www.primosmallgoods.com.au

A hot Hungarian style salami, made from finely minced pork and beef, with a touch of cayenne pepper and paprika. Coated with real crushed chillies for a very hot flavour. For more information visit: www.primosmallgoods.com.au

Chilli Coated Salami

Primo Boneless Prosciutto

Our customers reap the benefits of years of experience and expertise in the Australian meat industry"

Our products are suitable for retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers of small goods and

pharmaceutical processors.

We source our products from all over Australia. Our

product range includes: beef, veal, bobby veal, mutton,

lamb, goat, horse, offal, vells, bye

products and variety items.

www.luttickaustralia.com.au

Australian consumers may be eating less red meat than ten years ago, but despite the financial pressures they are now demanding better quality in the meat that they do put on their forks. Figures from Meat and Livestock Australia show Australians ate 49.7kg of red meat in 2007/08, with beef accounting for 35.6kg per person during that period. Over the past forty years red meat consumption has fallen by 37.5 per cent, a trend that has meant restaurants and growers had to come up with new and interesting options to tempt consumers. These days when it comes to meat there’s free-range, organic, grass fed, grain fed and exotic breeds of animals on menus across the country. Good news is that with falling export prices, premium meat should become even more affordable for the industry, with sales to our biggest buyers Japan and Korea already down four to six percent and bigger falls expected. Following beef, the second most consumed meat in Australia is pork, which is finding a market amongst more health conscious consumers and chefs. Anthony Puharich, co-owner of Vic's Premium Quality Meat, says there has been an increase in interest in white breeds of pigs which produce a leaner cut. Free range and organic pork are also growing in popularity; however, Puharich claims not all pigs are suitable for this style of breeding. And, according to Australian Pork only five per cent of the continent is suitable for free range production. Going into winter, Puharich says pork is used mainly for roasting and slow braising, “although we’re also seeing grilling and pan frying being popular”. While belly, loin and neck continue to be popular with consumers and chefs, hock and tenderloin are also gaining favour. Puharich adds: “The best value cut is neck without question. Neck and rump are the two most underrated cuts.” Whole baby pigs are also making their mark at many top restaurants including Pilu at Freshwater where suckling pig has become one of chef Giovanni Pilu’s signature dishes, and at Bècasse in Sydney. Bècasse chef and owner, Justin North, is one chef who likes to buy and use the entire pig. North sources his pork from Melanda Park Free Range Pigs, located in northern New South Wales. The farm breeds free range Cornish Blacks (English Large Blacks) and Landrace pigs, which are the second most common pig in Australia, after the large white. Owner and farmer Lee McCosker originally intended to breed organic pigs, but after investigating the costs and availability of

organic feed she decided it was not viable. “During my research on pigs I discovered that people are more concerned about the way the animals are grown rather than what they are fed.” McCosker says she’s seen the interest in humane farming increase since the business started, a little over a decade ago, which she puts down to greater public awareness and campaigns by animal welfare groups. “People are becoming more aware of

how pork is grown,” she says. “They are pretty shocked when they find out how the intensive industry grows pigs.” However, as demand for humane farmed animals increases, so to does the number of unscrupulous operators, says McCosker, who is Humane Choice Accredited by Humane Society International. “We have tried to take some of them to the Australian Competition and Consumers Commission, but as there is no legal definition of free range, there is nothing we can do. Hopefully people can tell by the flavour and colour of the meat.”

Adelaide chef Bethany Finn from Urban Bistro is one of the growing number of chefs using free range and boutique pork breeds. Finn uses Berkshire pork from specialty Barossa Valley producer Schu Am Free Range Pork and says she has noticed a swing towards some of the more unusual breeds. “The quality of the pork and the breed have become more of a focus in recent years,” she says. Where pork belly was once god, she says cutlets are starting to be incorporated on menus, although, they are still selling a lot of pork belly. Finn sees it as a restaurant’s duty to provide customers with new and interesting dishes. “Restaurants are at the forefront of what people are eating,” she says. “If people see something on a menu- they try to recreate it at home. By buying quality products; people see there is a better way and better produce.” “Customers still want to see red meat on the menu; but they have less money to spend on it,” Bowtell says. “They are moving back to favouring traditional, old-style flavours and dishes; these red meat cuts perform perfectly with traditional cooking methods.” The great Australian tradition of lamb is also getting an ethical maker over with a growing number of producers using organic and free range products such as salt bush lamb. South east Queensland producer, David Graham, known for his television appearances as “Farmer Dave” is one farmer growing ethically treated sheep which he bred specially to be suitable for the Australian climate through cross breeding. Lamb produced by Farmer Dave Free Range Lamb, is also organic as no chemicals or growth hormones have been used during their growth. “My family has always believed in a certain degree of sustainability, abstaining from the use of chemicals and hormones,” he says.

Make It Meat

“I think that the general public wants to know where their food comes from and how it’s treated.” Top restaurants in Brisbane and the Sun shine Coast, such as Ecco Bistro, regularly use Graham’s lamb, and when he first launched he could barely keep up with demand. Today he has his own herd of 2500 sheep and uses other farms which have also become humane choice approved. Graham says this style of farming is a natural progression in a society that increasingly shuns practices such as tail docking. “The meat industry will find that the public perception of animal treatment is changing,” he says. Beyond being more sustainable and ethical, Graham says his lamb is tastier as the animals are not stressed and their meat is tenderer. Having tender meat is one of the main reasons for Sydney chef, Craig Macindoe, choosing only grass fed, or pasture fed beef, organic chicken, free range pork and salt bush lamb. The owner and head chef at Mumu restaurant is an advocate of free range and sustainable products, not only because of the moral benefits but also the taste and health benefits. “The main reasons I chose grass fed beef were health benefits, flavour and sustainability,” says Macindoe. Despite the success of Mumu, Macindoe has not seen many chefs following his lead and instead has seen a greater number of steakhouses serving grass fed and grain fed beef side by side. This has however, affected the availability and price of good quality beef, forcing him to buy in bulk and shop around more. While the economic downturn is hurting many foodservice venues, Macindoe says his customers are continuing to order his pricier meals, “but are being more frugal with their beverage choice” and bringing more BYO. As the cooler weather hits Sydney Macin doe says he will be looking at doing more slow cooked meals, which use cheaper cuts of meat. They include dishes like his slow roasted Arcadia saltbush lamb done two ways—slow roasted shoulder plus a grilled cutlet—served with pea and mint puree and kumato chutney with mache (lambs tongue lettuce), and slow roasted Bangalow sweet pork. He also braises blade steak cuts for his meat pies. One of the growing number of grass fed beef producers, John Keats from Melross Farm in the Kangaroo Valley also claims that grass fed beef are healthier—for the animal and for the consumer. He’s been growing pasture fed vealers, which are nine to 12 month old Angus cows, for seven years. “It’s important people know that if you want to eat ethically grown animals, the animals need to be free roaming, free to run in a paddock and eat naturally.” While it’s generally acknowledged that grass fed beef is more expensive than grain fed, Keats says this can vary depending on what the export market is doing, as a lot of our premium beef goes there. A recent study by Penfolds Research found beef and lamb

prices have increased by six to seven percent in the past year, but quality and range have also improved. MLA marketing manager for trade, Lachlan Bowtell, says that in the past five years there have been significant gains in eating quality of beef and lamb with constant improvements in supply and product consistency. “More brands and specialist products on the market make beef and lamb the best value menu option for the progressive foodservice operator,” he says.

Bowtell says foodservice operators that want an edge on their competition are finding the vast range of cuts and product styles available to them in beef and lamb great additions to their menus as consumers are willing to pay a little extra for the plate. In recent months overall sales in the foodservice sector have dropped as a result of lower discretionary spending by consumers that’s been driven by the economic climate. Along with that demand for meat has dropped in the last six months by seven percent. However, when viewing the long term trends in consumption it is clear both beef and lamb have enjoyed positive volume growth in foodservice, at an average two percent per annum for both meat types (Penfolds Research: Foodservice Meat Tracking Study—November 2008). The MLA says another fallout of the global downturn looks like being a deepening of consumers favouring “comfort” foods which is good news for smart foodservice operators. “With the global financial crisis and economic downturn really hitting home, consumers are ordering more traditional, comfort style meals, using food as an emotional crutch or as a window into the good-old days’,” Bowtell says. “Chefs are turning back to the meals which use non prime cuts, such as ragu or and osso bucco to give consumers the simple pleasures they seek in a restaurant menu.” The MLA has also noted a trend toward cuts on the bone, such as the traditional T- bone, which are gaining great prominence on menus in every day establishments. There has also been a growth in steak house restaurants in Australia, despite the premium prices such establishments charge, says Bowtell. “Consumers see steakhouses as traditional, known entities; a steak is really tangible for a consumer and is not seen as a risky choice for some one whose purse strings are tighter than they were six months ago,” he says. Research by Penfolds into the popular ity of cuts meat in foodservice also shows that consumption of steaks, beef ribs and beef rumps is up as well as lamb cutlets, back-straps, shanks and lamb rumps. However, because of the tighter operating conditions, Bowtell suggests food service outlets look at using lower cost ingredients, such as non prime cuts of meat, regardless of the season. “Customers still want to see red meat on the menu; but they have less money to spend on it,” Bowtell says.

Features

Reporter Dr Andrew Rochford set out to see if fresh or frozen vegetables are better for you. The test At a fresh food market, Andrew bought carrots, corn and cauliflower. He then purchased some frozen vegetables from the supermarket freezer. Andrew took the lot, to the University of Western Sydney where Dr Geoff Skurry and his team tested them. With the vegies, the lab compared levels of calcium, which is good for our bones, potassium, which helps keep our blood pressure down by counteracting the sodium in all the salt we eat, and our old friend vitamin C, which is good for everything. The results "The results for the frozen vegetables showed that there was very little difference between fresh and frozen vegetables in the vitamins and mineral content," concluded Dr Skurry. They were almost the same! Specifically, the fresh vegies had marginally higher levels of calcium and potassium, and in our third test for vitamin C, the frozen vegies proved to have almost twice as much as the fresh produce. "When frozen foods are made, they snap freeze product after blanching and this preserves the vitamins, so you don't get any loss," says Dr Skurry. Vegetables lose goodness the longer they're out of the ground. Frozen vegies are picked at the peak of their season and quickly packed, while fresh vegies can be a lottery. "If you have had things that were fresh sitting around on supermarket shelves for a while, they can start to lose some of their nutritional value just from exposure to air and light," says Aloysa Hourigan from Nutrition Australia.

In fairness to Andrew's mates at the fresh food market, their produce did travel all the way to Sydney for testing, which won't have helped their results. Conclusion While it was neck-and-neck in our vegies test, with frozen winning out when it came to Vitamin C, overall fresh produce had the more nutrients. When it comes to fresh vegies, your best bet is consuming them as soon as possible after they're harvested. If you can't eat them that quickly, frozen becomes a good option. The main thing to remember is that unless you grow your own, it doesn't really matter how you eat your vegies — you'll get great health benefits from eating fresh or frozen.

Fresh Vs Frozen Vegetables

The longer fresh vegies are left on the supermarket shelves, the more nutrients they lose. You can put some of the goodness back by putting vegetables straight in to the fridge when you get your shopping home. It keeps them fresher longer and it also raises their level of Vitamin C, which has probably dropped during transit.

Some of the best cooking methods to preserve the nutrients of vegies — fresh or frozen — are steaming, microwaving, stir frying or baking. A lot of nutrients like Vitamin C are water soluble and will leach away in a process like boiling.

Fast Facts

Wake Up To Profits

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That's what our mothers always said, right? Well they weren't wrong. For many foodservice operators, breakfast is the most important, and the most profitable, time of the day. Unlike dinner, which many might argue is the one time of the day where they routinely sit and enjoy a pre-planned meal, breakfast means different things to different people. For some it's a time to chat over banana bread and sip herbal tea. For others it's an excuse to go all out and devour the fried-up big breakfast, and for the more time-pressed Australians, it's simply a stop-off on the way to the office—a caffeine hit and a slice of raisin toast at best.

In 2008, Datamonitor, a market analysis company, compiled a report titled Breakfast Occasions: Winning Share of Stomach, which looked into global breakfast trends. It found that in increasing numbers, breakfast is being skipped entirely or is being eaten out of the home. Breakfast now accounts for 25 per cent of business for McDonald's outlets in the US, and in the UK, fast food outlets are serving 10 per cent more breakfasts now than they were five years ago.

Sales in sit- down restaurants, however, have not kept pace. Matthew Jones, analyst of consumer markets at Datamonitor, believes that the same can be said for Australia. There is still a market for sit-down breakfasts, Jones says, but people are attracted to quick and easy options first thing in the morning. “Convenience is a major trend driving consumer behaviour at the moment,” he says. “We are living in such a frantic society that they [sit down breakfasts] are being re placed by functionality.” MOS Cafe is a breakfast hot-spot for Sydney's suits, located on Phillip Street in the CBD. According to head chef Vicki Lister, breakfast is a very busy time of day, where staff are run off their feet with take-away orders, preparing breakfasts for office meetings and serving the "majority" of people who do, despite Data monitor’s findings, choose to sit and or der off the menu. Lister acknowledges that while people are busier these days, eating out for break fast is often seen as killing two birds with one stone. “We have a lot of people coming in for meetings,” she says. “You know, they'll have meetings over breakfast. “Most people in the family work and so they're running out of the house and not having time to grab something at home. And prices these days are quite competitive so it's almost as cheap to

order out and buy breakfast as it is to buy groceries at home.” Not only has Lister noticed that more and more people are choosing to eat out for breakfast, but they are also choosing healthier options. While MOS's omelette, French toast and bagels are extremely popular, their sourdough toast, muesli and poached eggs are also a big hit. And when you're cooking hundreds of poached eggs a week, you need to know how to do it right. Often the bane of a chef's existence, cooking the perfect poached egg, according to Lister, is as simple as adding, “a very small amount of white wine vinegar, a little bit of seasoning and just getting it to a gentle simmer”. Talk to Emma Eastman, co-owner of Mitte cafe in Melbourne’s North Fitzroy, however, and it seems like a much more complicated science. “My rule of thumb is that they have to be excellent eggs to start with,” she says. “They've got to be fresh from the chick en. As soon as they come out you want them and you can tell by looking at a cracked egg if it's fresh or not, because the white has a certain amount of body to it. If you crack it and it turns into water you don't even try poaching it. So the egg is really important.” “And having a really excellent deep frying pan...so it distributes the heat evenly. The water can't be too deep or too shallow...And you want to get somewhere between a simmer where you've got little bubbles all over the bottom and a rolling boil. If it's too bubbly on the bottom you'll end up with a pop-marked egg that looks like a teenager's face, and if it's rolling it'll tear up the whites so you'll end up getting strings.” Eastman opened Mitte Cafe in July 2008 with business partner Emma Oliver, neither of whom are trained chefs, but both have had an extensive past in the hospitality industry, between them working in a number of pubs, clubs, hotels, restaurants and bars. “Our mission was to create food that was simple and used really good produce and was relatively good for you and that we actually like,” Eastman said. “We didn't try to curb the menu to think 'well that will suit everybody', we just said that's what we would like so that's what we're going to make, and lucky for us everyone else likes it.” Mitte, which took out the Best Breakfast of the Year award in The Age's Cheap Eats guide for 2009, is located in a suburban area that is still close to the city and across the road from a school, so it gets quite a cross-section of people coming in for breakfast, the vast majority of whom sit and eat. Breakfast makes up about 75 per cent of Mitte's

business, and while Eastman understands that many people see breakfast as a mere stop-off on the way to work, she is adamant that Mitte is not interested in being part of the morning rush. “I think people like to eat quickly but I think people know that they won’t get to eat that fast here, because we make everything to order. Nothing's pre-made. It's very hands- on food.” Like Lister from MOS cafe, Eastman agrees that people are more health conscious these days and are steering away from the traditional ba-con and egg options, instead preferring to start their day with a fresh, healthy meal. Mitte's signature dish, the Middle Eastern Chickpea Bake, fits this description. It comes with two eggs, half an avocado and a large herb salad and with cumin, coriander and other fresh herbs mixed through it, and topped with goat's fetta. They also make their own muesli and poached fruit salad, which are also very popular, especially during the week. “There are those who just really want a big fry-up breakfast, but they don't come here for it,” Eastman said. “We do get re quests for bacon and eggs, and I'll do it, but they're still getting it on sourdough toast and they're still getting the handmade relish from Collingwood College that goes with it and I'm still going to put something on it to make it the kind of breakfast that I think should be served.” Fresh Espresso and Food Bar in Katoomba is another booming breakfast location, winning four consecutive Restaurant and Catering, Blue Mountains/Central West Awards for Excellence in the Best Breakfast category between 2004 and 2007. With a recently opened second location in Leura, Fresh prides itself on just that, being fresh—serving organic products, free range eggs, coffee that has been roasted in-house and even being carbon neutral. For owners Guy Nathan and Lea Shannon, traditional bacon and egg breakfasts are still a massive part of their business, and while it might not be the healthiest option on the menu, patrons can still leave feeling good about themselves, Nathan said. “The way it's changed with bacon and eggs is that, for example, eggs nowadays, you've got to have free range. People want that. It's the way the world is nowadays. “The same goes for everything. If it's organic, people like it. Just because they feel like they're eating something better

and they might be helping a good cause.” While Datamonitor's research found that convenience is a

major factor in if and where people eat breakfast, and while Lister, Eastman and Nathan all offer different services and experiences at their various establishments, the one thing they all agree on is that consistency is key. People go through fazes of what ingredients they like, how much they care about where the food came from and how healthy it is, but according to Nathan, good quality ingredients and friendly staff day-in-day-out is what makes or breaks a breakfast.

“It’s how they’re starting the day so if they’re met with a waiter who’s grumpy and in a bad mood or is delivering a bad coffee, it can set the tone in a bad way.”

Story By: Danielle Bowling

A new consumer survey has revealed that many peo-ple are unaware of the potential health risk from eating eggs that have not been properly prepared, Primary Industries Minister, Ian Macdonald said. Nearly half of 505 people surveyed by the Food Authority believed it was safe to eat foods that contained raw or lightly cooked eggs, contrary to expert health advice. “The NSW Government will begin an education campaign to remind consumers of the safe way to enjoy eggs as part of a balanced diet. If eggs are not properly prepared, eggs can cause food poisoning especially for the very young, people over 65 years, pregnant women and people who are unwell. Eggs sometimes carry Salmonella bacteria, which can cause illness if they are not handled and cooked properly. Between 1996 and 2008, 33 multi-person food poison-ing outbreaks in NSW were linked to foods containing eggs which had been poorly handled, 18 of those oc-curring in the last three years. Eating foods containing raw egg products, like all raw foods from animals, presents a risk of food poisoning. Some of the biggest misconceptions found in the Food Authority online survey were: • 52 per cent don’t check that eggs are clean or

crack-free; • 52 per cent would serve foods containing raw or

undercooked eggs to adults over 65; • 41 per cent believe raw and undercooked eggs

are as safe as cooked eggs; • 37 per cent will use an egg with a cracked or

dirty shell, while 51 per cent would wash it first then use it;

• 34 per cent don’t store their eggs in the carton; • 28 per cent check an egg with a cracked shell

was alright by breaking it then using it. Foods that typically use raw or undercooked eggs and

present a higher risk of food poisoning are homemade sauces or dressings such as mayonnaise, Asian pork rolls, Caesar salad dressing, cake or biscuit batter, mousse, tiramisu, uncooked meringue, some custards, eggnog, eggflip or other “health” drinks. To enjoy eggs safely, the Food Authority recommends the following simple rules: Eggs need care • Buy only clean eggs, free from cracks • Cook foods with egg until hot all the way

through • Don’t serve foods containing raw eggs to children under 2, people over 65, • pregnant women and people with serious illness Keep eggs cold • Keep eggs in the fridge • Store eggs in their carton • Don't eat food meant to be stored in the fridge if

left out for more than 2 hours Keep it clean • Discard cracked or dirty eggs • Keep hands, surfaces and utensils clean and dry

before and after handling eggs

Cracks In Egg Safety Knowledge

Most Australians live in the major state capitals, and everyone has their preferred places to eat, drink and visit. But if you were wanted to do what the locals do during your visit, then there are definitely some things that stand out. No Sydneysider can ever get tired of looking at the glistening waters of Sydney Harbour, or the architectural magnificent of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Then there are the beaches, of course. Even on the odd cool and wet winter’s day you’ll find the locals walking or jogging along the city’s many strips of golden sand, or catching a wave on a surfboard. One of the most popular scenic walks for locals is the coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee. The two-hour stroll starts at the Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, before continuing on past Tamarama beach – or as it is known locally ‘Glamarama’. Next, the path leads to family-friendly Bronte Beach, then onto Clovelly Beach, before finally reaching the beach at Coogee. Along the way you might come across waterfront competitions or surf carnivals, which are popular on summer weekends. There are plenty of bustling cafes and restaurants along the route too. To experience Sydney’s original café culture hot spots, join the locals at one of the many coffee-houses in inner-city Darlinghurst. There is also a strong morning café scene at gorgeous Balmoral Beach. Go for a swim in the calm green water afterwards. While Sydney has plenty of exceptional five-star restaurants, most locals usually reserve them for a treat, or for a business lunch. Before going to see a play or a show at the Sydney Opera House they might have a casual meal at one of the waterside restaurants around Circular Quay. There are several popular eating areas where the locals tend to congregate. These include Newtown, where you’ll find a whole range of ethnic eateries, and both Crown Street and Oxford Street. For some sea salt with your meal head to the restaurant strips at Bondi and Manly beaches. Sydneysiders also have a wide choice of pubs and bars to choose from, but one of the most popular areas is The Rocks - Sydney’s historic quarter. Some of the pubs here stretch back to the convict days, and tales of shanghaied sailors and smuggled rum are commonplace. Some pubs to visit in this area include the sandstone Hero of Waterloo which hosts folk bands, and The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel where you can buy beer brewed by the landlord. A weekend favourite is the sunny beer garden and eatery at the Watsons Bay Hotel. Get there on a ferry from Circular Quay and leave time for a walk along the cliff tops. Melbourne is renowned for its restaurants, bars, café

culture, shopping, and fashion scene. Join the locals on the trams as they clunk around this gracious, cultured city and don’t expect to go to bed early, because Melbourne promises to keep you awake with its vibrant nightlife. The locals have a bewildering choice of eateries to choose from. In fact, whole suburbs are known for their cooking styles, thanks to Melbourne’s reputation as a cultural melting pot. For some of the best Chinese food this side of Shanghai choose from among the dozens of restaurants in Chinatown, centered around Little Bourke Street in the city centre. Another suburb worth noting is the bohemian, bayside precinct of St Kilda. There is a huge range of hip and funky restaurants here, ranging from Modern Japanese and Indian to Modern Australian and Vietnamese. Just north of the city centre grid you’ll find the eat-streets of Carlton and Fitzroy. Carlton is known for its Italian restaurants and cafes, which cluster along Lygon Street, while Fitzroy has plenty of inexpensive eateries and bars on edgy Brunswick Street. Melbourne’s eclectic spirit turns up in a mind-boggling range of nightspots that pepper the city’s streets and laneways. Try Tony Starr’s Kitten Club for live jazz acts and intimate spaces; or join the locals for a ritual sunset beer or weekend live music at The Prince. An unusual laneway bar worth checking out is The Croft Institute, which has great cocktails, weekend dancing, and curious chemistry-experiment equipment among the alcohol bottles. Meanwhile, beer lovers will adore Cookie for its beer-barn atmosphere and Japanese and European beers on tap. A new kid on the block is Saint & Rogue. It has comfy couches, a wide choice of beer and a traditional pub-like atmosphere. In Brisbane join the locals in the restored pubs and cool cafes in Fortitude Valley, go café hopping in New Farm, eat at ethnic restaurants in West End, or enjoy Italian cuisine in Milton. Locals in Adelaide flock to the huge Central Market, where you can buy all sorts of fresh local produce, and munch on cheap noodles and laksa. There are more dining spots in Adelaide per head of population than anywhere else in Australia. For just about any style of cuisine you imagine, head to the eat-streets of Rundle Street and Gouger Street, or to North Adelaide.

The Locals' Guide to Australian Cities

A new report shows that Australia is the number one destination that Chinese travellers intend to visit in the next few years. According to the latest Visa PATA Travel Intention Survey more than half of the travellers surveyed from mainland China were intending to travel to Australia over the next two years. Tourism Australia Managing Director, Andrew McEvoy said the results reflect that Australia is a top of mind destination for Chinese travellers. “Australia has been at the forefront in destination marketing since becoming the first Western destination to receive approval to host group leisure travellers from China,” Mr McEvoy. “Since gaining Approved Destination Status (ADS) in 1999 the China travel market has grown exponentially for Australia to become one of our top five sources of international travellers. “Over the coming year we are doubling our efforts in the market and working closely with our airlines partners to ensure that we continue to grow the market further,” Mr McEvoy said. The Survey also revealed that the top three attributes that Chinese travellers are looking for in destinations overseas are natural scenery, sunshine and beaches, and new places. Mr McEvoy said Tourism Australia would launch it new There’s nothing like Australia campaign in China next month.

“Early testing of our new campaign in China suggests that it is resonating strongly with Chinese travellers, which will help to convert the desire for travel to Australia in to actual visits,” Mr McEvoy said. “For example of those who have seen the new broadcast ad in Shanghai, 90 per cent said they were more likely to travel to Australia.” The campaign will include the interactive online map of Australia featuring 3,200 images and stories provided by Australians which will be translated into Chinese, along with print and cinema advertising. During the year end March 2010, Australia received 360,000 visitors from China, generating $2.3 billion in

economic value. Last month the Australian Government announced that it will invest $30 million to market Australia to the dynamic Chinese travel market, which includes increased marketing funds being allocated by Tourism Australia to grow tourism from China.

Australia the Number One Destination for Chinese Travellers

-28-

More than half of the travellers surveyed from mainland China were intending to travel to Australia over the next two years.

The Survey also revealed that the top three attributes that Chinese travellers are looking for in destinations overseas are natural scenery, sunshine and beaches and new places.

Key Facts

Do’s and Don’ts of Credit Management Credit management strategies can make or break a business, especially during an economic slowdown (consistent with other article). These tips will help your business survive and thrive. Do identify good customers Screening out businesses with a poor credit history is the easiest way to avoid cash-flow dramas. “In these economic times when you’re really chasing sales it’s so easy for business people to say ‘I’ll take the work’ even if the client is a slow payer,” says Matthew Field, national director of PKF Chartered Accountants. “At the end of the day it’s not worth the risk.” Conduct robust credit checks on prospective clients and request a list of suppliers who can be contacted as referees. Field also suggests getting bank references so clients can prove they have a good relationship with their financiers. Do negotiate with debtors Consider rewarding fast-paying clients with discount price structures. David Thomson, a partner at accounting firm Pitcher Partners, supports such discounts so long as CEOs understand their transaction margins. As a rule of thumb, a discount of 2 per cent is appropriate for payments made within 30 days. This should speed up payments and prevent the need to dip into your overdraft. Thomson urges caution, however, because some clients will abuse discounts. “They can get a bit cheeky and extend out past the 30 days and pay in 40 days or 45 days while still taking the discount out of their payment. You’ve got to be vigilant and manage it.” Another option is to accept staggered payments, but Thomson says in such circumstances it is important to get written confirmation from the client that they accept the debt in full. “It gives you a fallback position if the arrangement falls over,” he says. Do consider stopping credit Cutting off credit to a slow-paying customer is a valid move but should not be done lightly in a moment of anger. Thomson says shedding a valuable client may do the business more harm than good. “Just be cognisant of what it could mean for your business going forward,” he says. Field agrees that tough calls sometimes have to be made.

“You have to set a bar and say ‘well, that’s as far as we can go with you at this time’.” Do retain documentary evidence Keeping proper records of documents such as invoices and purchase orders is crucial. Make sure, too, that all client orders have been signed off by a person who has the authority to enter into a binding financial arrangement. All too often clients try to back out of deals. Thomson says: “Don’t give the customer an out in future discussions by allowing them to say that you were speaking to the wrong person in an organisation.” Even if you are negotiating with the appropriate employee, get agreements in writing because that person may later quit. Don’t ignore professional help SME owners should not be too proud to seek assistance if they are having credit management problems. Banks provide small business advice lines, while accountants can alert clients to a range of positive actions or pitfalls. In the case of invoices repeatedly being ignored, consider using a debt-collection agency. They remove emotion from the equation. Don’t abuse your clients Abusing debtors over late payments is not the answer. Thomson, at Pitcher Partners, comments: “If a conversation is getting nasty just excuse yourself from the discussion and tell the other party you’ll revisit it at another time.” It is worth remembering that news travels: even if a client is in the wrong they will always protest their innocence and bad mouth your business if things get nasty. At PKF, Field advises that taking a client to court over payment issues should be a last resort. “To go to courts it would have to be a pretty significant debt because you will incur costs,” he says. Don’t break the law Field says while it is important to pursue tardy debtors, all contact must still be professional and legal. Badgering clients rarely pays off. “You don’t want to bombard your customers … I would say monthly communication is pretty much the standard.”

5 reasons Your Time Management is Failing Prevent poor time management from eating into your profits with these tips and tricks.

You could be forgiven for thinking that productivity is productivity, and when it comes to accomplishing tasks or goals, good intentions will do. But, as any small business owner who's ever missed an important deadline will tell you, nothing drains profits faster than poor time management.

So, what’s stopping you from sharpening your focus, multiplying your efforts, and getting things done?

1. You don’t know where your time goes

If you're finding that there aren’t enough hours in a day, try keeping a time log to track where they go. Record task durations, list interruptions and regular screen breaks or other breathing spells in a notebook or spreadsheet, and resist the temptation to fiddle the numbers. When analysing your log, pay attention to whether your original time estimates were realistic or optimistic, and the real ratio between your planned and unplanned activities.

2. You lose focus

Let’s face it, procrastinating is fun. Our ability to focus on the activities that give us the greatest returns deteriorates the more we put them off, so useless tasks are more appealing and suddenly urgent. Unless you intend to make slacking a competitive advantage by doing it better than any-one else, it's wise to nip procrastination in the bud by being present. A good time manager will also minimise information overload and reward themselves for improvements. If perfectionism is holding you back, recognising that “good enough” is a kind of excellence in its own right is the first step in improving your performance.

3. Your don’t have an action plan

Goal-setting, to-do lists, and timetables can all be used to help you manage your time more effectively by dividing large tasks into manageable steps. There's no guarantee that an action plan will work if you spend more time listing and defining your ac-tivities than completing them, but if you can work through your items in order of urgency and importance, success is likely. If you're spending too much time managing your action plans, a finite list of three items can spur you on to achieve in-stead. This has the same effect as rewarding yourself for im-provements and is often more effective. 4. You have an action plan but don’t follow it

Before you even think about binning your action plan in frustration, make sure you've experimented with personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other time management tools to help keep you on track. A BlackBerry® may be the “gold standard” in boosting personal productivity, but don't discount the usefulness of software like Microsoft ExceTM or its web-based alternatives - although it’s less portable, it can make it easier to develop an effective time-management system, evaluate your efficiency, and streamline your tasks.

5. You can always find something better to do

Trying to bring your to-do list under control in the face of temptations is a tricky process, so your best bet is to minimise them as much as possible or remove them completely. It's a quick and easy way to recover from bad time management

habits, while developing your self-discipline. But it's no use trying to eliminate feel-good distractions if your life is all work, no play. A healthy work-life balance can help you accomplish your tasks faster and avoid a poor return on investment later on.

Anitpasto Garlic Bread

Ingredients (serves 6) 2 x 22cm-long baguette breads 180g Alfa One rice bran oil spread 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 tablespoons finely chopped pitted kalamata olives 2 tablespoons finely chopped semi-dried tomatoes 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves Method Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Slice each baguette diagonally at 1.5cm intervals, being careful not to cut all the way through. Combine spread, garlic, olives, tomato, chives and basil in a bowl. Season with pepper. Spread both sides of each bread slice with spread mixture. Enclose baguettes tightly in foil. Place on a baking tray. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until hot and crisp. Slice and serve. Notes You could use a food processor to finely chop garlic, olives, tomatoes, chives and basil. Stir mixture through the spread.

Artichoke tapenade with fennel pita crisps Ingredients (serves 6) 2 tbs pine nuts 150g (1 cup) marinated artichokes, drained 85g (1/2 cup) green olives, pitted, coarsely chopped 20g (1/4 cup) finely grated parmesan 2 tbs chopped fresh continental parsley 1 1/2 tbs olive oil 3 pieces pita bread, cut into wedges Olive oil spray 2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed 1 tsp sea salt

Method Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until light golden and toasted. Transfer the pine nuts to the bowl of a food processor. Add the artichoke, olive, parmesan, parsley and oil, and process until coarsely chopped. Season with pepper. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Place the wedges of bread, in a single layer, on lined tray. Spray with olive oil spray. Combine the fennel seeds and sea salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle over bread. Bake the bread in oven for 8-10 minutes or until crisp and golden. Set aside to cool completely. Serve the pita crisps with the tapenade.

Recipes

Macadamia-crusted fish with asparagus and green beans

Ingredients (serves 4) 2 tbs olive oil 4 x 180g skinless blue-eye fillets 1 cup (150g) roasted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped 1 tbs finely chopped tarragon (see note) 1 tbs finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 large garlic clove, crushed 1 tbs macadamia butter (see note) Blanched asparagus and green beans, and lemon wedges, to serve Method Preheat the grill to medium-high. Heat oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat. Season fish all over with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes each side until just cooked. Transfer to a lined baking tray. Meanwhile, combine nuts, herbs and garlic in a bowl. Evenly spread 1 teaspoon macadamia butter over the top of each fillet, then top with nut mixture, pressing down well to coat. Place under grill for a further 1-2 minutes until golden. Serve fish with vegetables and lemon wedges. Notes Tarragon is available from selected greengrocers. Macadamia butter is from the health-food aisle in supermarkets.

Pasta with tuna, chilli, tomatoes and parsley

Ingredients (serves 4) 400g short pasta (we used farfalle or bowties) 2 tbs olive oil 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes Zest and juice of 1 lemon 425g can tuna in springwater, drained, flaked 4 large, ripe tomatoes, chopped 2 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves 1/4 cup (20g) shaved parmesan

Method Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frypan over low heat. Add garlic, chilli and zest and gently cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until softened. Season with salt and pepper, then add tuna and tomato, increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until heated through. Drain pasta, reserving 1/3 cup (80ml) cooking water. Return pasta and reserved cooking water to pan with the tuna mixture, lemon juice and parsley. Stir over low heat for 1 minute or until combined and heated through. Serve pasta topped with parmesan.

Frozen almond creams with peaches and cherries in dessert wine

Ingredients (serves 6)

150g whole blanched almonds, toasted, roughly chopped 275g (1 1/4 cups) caster sugar 7 egg whites, plus 1 extra 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 200ml thickened cream, whipped to soft peaks 60g (3/4 cup) flaked almonds 3 peaches, peeled, halved, stoned, each cut into 8 wedges 30g butter 18 cherries 125ml (1/2 cup) dessert wine

Method

Process almonds and 55g (1/4 cup) sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Using an electric mixer, whisk 7 egg whites to soft peaks, gradually add 55g (1/4 cup) sugar and vanilla, and whisk to firm peaks. Gently fold in almond mixture and whipped cream.

Place six 5cm-deep x 6cm diameter ring moulds on a baking paper-lined oven tray and fill with mixture, or use six 180ml (3/4-cup) capacity moulds. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine flaked almonds, 55g (1/4 cup) sugar and extra egg white in a bowl and spread onto a baking paper-lined oven tray. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, or until golden. Cool on tray, then break into small, irregular pieces.

Toss peaches with remaining 110g (1/2 cup) sugar in a bowl. Heat butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add peaches and cook for 1 minute each side or until caramelised. Add cherries and wine, and simmer until sauce thickens. Transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.

To serve, rub a hot cloth around ring moulds to loosen filling, then place on plates and lift rings away. Top each almond cream with some of the fruit mixture and place a little more to the side, then scatter with almond clusters.

White chocolate cream cups

Ingredients (serves 4)

180g good-quality white chocolate, roughly chopped 250g mascarpone cheese, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 425g can blueberries in syrup, drained 4 chocolate dessert cups white chocolate curls, to serve (see note)

Method

Place white chocolate in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on medium (50%) for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute with a metal spoon, until almost melted. Stir until smooth. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Fold mascarpone and vanilla through chocolate. Spoon into dessert cups. Top with blueberries and chocolate curls. Serve.

Notes

White chocolate curls: Spread melted white chocolate in a thin layer over a flat baking tray. Allow to set at room temperature until chocolate is no longer sticky. Using a large-bladed knife, run blade over chocolate towards you to create curls.

Nut & caramel chocolate cake

Ingredients (serves 8) 1 x 540g pkt frozen Sara Lee Chocolate Bavarian cake 1 x 300ml ctn thickened cream 1 x 50g bar Whittaker's Peanut Slab Milk Chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 x 50g pkt Werther's Original Classic Cream Candies, coarsely chopped Hard Set Chocolate Topping, to serve

Method Remove the cake from the freezer. Use a balloon whisk or an electric beater to beat the cream in a bowl until firm peaks form. Combine the chocolate and candy in a bowl. Spread the cream over the top of the cake. Top with the chocolate mixture. Cut into wedges and divide among serving plates. Drizzle over the chocolate topping. Set aside for 5 minutes to set. Serve. Notes Don't thaw the cake. It's easier to decorate when frozen and this won't affect the flavour - it will taste like ice-cream cake.

Archies on the Creek

81 Archies Creek Road, Archies Creek, Phone: 5678 7787 Entrees $15-$16, mains $25-$45, desserts $13-$15 The Sunday-drive dream is a traffic-free spin to a gorgeous country hideaway where informed, give-a-damn waiters serve exceptional local food until you fall asleep in a hazy heap. Sadly, the reality can be much less fabulous — don't get me started on the no-show pizza and emo waitresses I endured in the Dandenongs last weekend. Archies on the Creek is pretty close to the dream. It's a serious new restaurant and reception centre near Wonthaggi, two hours east of Melbourne. Businessman Vern Rickman is the dude with the dream. His United Electrical Engineering company is doing nicely out of warranty and call-centre services so he can pour money into this foodie folly — the Rolls Royce has arrived, stand by for accommodation and a winery. It's probably the biggest thing to happen in Archies Creek since the butter factory spread its wings a century ago. The charmless boxes that house the operation were built as the Bass Coast Shire Offi ces in 1979 before being taken over by United Electrical in 1996. Their reincarnation as a hospitality hotspot has entailed major gussying up — there's a lake and fountains, a spacious, glossy dining room and a well-kitted bar with a whisky and beer focus. Outsourcing is Rickman's business so it's no surprise he's turned to a restaurant professional to get Archies off the ground. Step in consultant chef Paul Wilson (Middle Park Hotel, Match Bar & Grill, ex-Botanical). The cowhide menus, attractive tableware, can-do staff, name-checked produce and careful cooking have Wilson's fingerprints all over them. And it gels, it hums, it's good. Service was perfectly pitched: country friendly, city sharp.

The chef on the ground is Shaun Nielsen, who left a safe job as executive chef for Mirvac Hotels to shift his family to Gippsland. He's cooking contemporary dishes (asparagus with smoked egg yolk, roast barramundi with almond puree) and souped-up steaks. My sirloin was outstanding, cut from local beef that's dry-aged here. Also excellent was a chilled pea soup, simple but served in an eye-catching glass alongside breathtakingly good fried prawn toasties. Not everything was as memorable but I get the feeling the food here will just get better. All restaurants live and die on the sword of staffing. Country restaurants duel harder. But if Rickman can keep his crew on board and on song, Archies will feature in scores of Sunday-drive dreams. Dani Valent January 31, 2010

Excellent: chilled pea soup, served with fried prawn toasties. Photo: Gary Medlicott

15 Breese Street, Brunswick Phone: 02 9383 3904 Prices Breakfast, $10-$17; lunch, $7-$15 (private dinner bookings for 10 or more) Cuisine Eastern European IT'S not every day that two 25-year-old lads — one an artist, one a writer — decide to open a cafe. Of even greater interest is that they both have Eastern European heritage, which forms the backbone of the Polish and Ukrainian-influenced menu. Neither of them has any formal cooking training, yet they both cook. Neither of them has owned a cafe before, yet here they are: David Aubor and Justin Feuerring, who got sick of "selling shoes" and doing the hospitality schlep for others. They are the proud owners of Court Jester, a cafe that defiantly bucks the cookie-cutter formula. Because it is different, the Jester won't suit everyone. It's a bizarre place in an old factory in the industrial back blocks of Brunswick. A giant communal table (nine metres long and 1.5 metres wide) is flanked by a motley crew of chairs — some high-backed thrones and others that could have been rescued from a skip. There's a red velvet couch down the back and woodworking tools on hand to scratch your name into the table, (things like "Jimbo 85"), giving it a graffitied, school-desk feel (but with less swearing). It's all part of the creative, express-yourself vibe and the owners' ethos to support underground art. The mural outside was painted by Brunswick art collective We Make Stuff Good and Feuerring's own pictures hang on the walls alongside works by local and international artists. The result is like eating in an art studio — and it's just about as relaxed — although, for only two staff members, the service is switched on. For the cafe's first three months (half its life, so far), Aubor's mum and 86-year-old grandmother made up

the kitchen staff, teaching the lads the intricacies of pierogi and potato kugel from generations-old recipes. The food can only be described as home-style and, overall, it lacks the finesse that professional chefs strive for years to achieve. But it's tasty and its heartiness and generosity cannot be denied. The zakuski, like a ploughman's lunch, is a massive feed of good Polish sausage, cornichons and pickled champignons (not too vinegary), chunks of bread and a wedge of what they call "Armenian gefilte fish", a kind of fishy frittata. It also comes with a potato salad loaded with dill, a sour-cream dip and roast vegies. Handmade pierogi (dumplings) might be potato and cheese, mushroom and cabbage or the

sweet-sour cherry. Cabbage leaves rolled with meat and rice are tasty and stodgy, as cabbage rolls are meant to be, while kreplach dumplings are flavour-packed with minced chicken. For the morning shift, the Creamy Casper is a rich start (you might need a nap afterwards). Two free-range eggs are baked in a terracotta dish with zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, sour cream and gruyere (the more delicate flavours overpowered by the earthiness of the mushrooms and rosemary). Better is the Brunswick Green, a vego brekkie of half an avocado, soft-poached eggs with — and here's the

kicker — grated raw garlic on top. You'll slay anyone near and dear and have the thrilling reminder of your meal all day. Praise to the Court Jester for doing something different. It may be in its formative stages but it's on the right track. You'll love it or hate it but either way, you won't find anything like it.

Nina Rousseau, February 16, 2010

Photo: Eddie Jim

Court Jester Cafe Reviews

BAROSSAVALLEY restaurant Appellation is a tiny affair—just 28 seats—but here you’ll find a menu of outstanding elegance and refinement. Located within the acclaimed Louise Guest House just outside Nuriootpa, my dining partner and I had the chance to dine there on two evenings as part of our stay. The first evening we decided on the seven course degustation. A two page leaflet left in our room confirmed our booking and set out some guidelines for how to get the most from the experience. Entitled “Dining at Appellation” it set out some detailed instructions. “Attire: For best enjoyment of the aromas of wine and food, we recommend minimal cologne or perfume. Food Preparation: While we have salt and pepper available, the chef encourages tasting first, and adding condiments only if personally required for taste. The restaurant does not offer ketchup…mustard, balsamic vinegar and other flavour masking garnishes. Pace: Fine dining, with the inclusion of an amuse bouche, palate cleanser, pre-dessert and petit fours in addition to your selected courses will occur naturally, at a relaxed pace. We trust you will find our service throughout to be constantly attentive, but never rushed.” The degustation entitled “Vinous Villages of the Barossa: The Wine Flight Tasting Menu” featured courses named after a nearby town e.g. Rowland Flat or Craneford, and, interestingly, it is the wines which have been selected first, and the meals created by executive chef Mark McNamara to match. Within minutes we are over whelmed by the friendly and the well-informed wait staff (in the nicest possible way). In fact, throughout the entire meal both waiters and sommelier impress with their obvious appreciation of food, wine and service. After being offered a stunning choice of breads including one with pistachio and fennel, first course, the Koonunga, arrived; a 2008 Massena Surly Muse Viognier with accompanying quail with soft quince gel and cured pork with celeriac. This is quickly followed by a Mount Adam Chardonnay with capsicum and miso foam. The 2008 Rockford Alicante Bouchet matches delightfully with the prawn and sweet corn cannoli. So far, so good. These introductory dishes are light and fresh but it is the 2008 Milhinich Wines Seize the Day Caber net and its accompanying duck and mushroom croquette. So simple, so delicious. My dining partner, ever the carnivore, really begins to drool with the next course, the Ebenezer: 2007 Sami Odi

Shiraz with a beautiful little Beetroot and Oxtail Pie. Once again, nothing showy but such integrity of flavour. It was at the next taste, the Vine Vale, 2006 Rusden Full Circle Mataro, served with pigeon with cocoa and raisin orzotto, that the first, and only moment of hesitation

sets in. Perhaps it seems a little out of sequence or perhaps we are feeling satisfied with the preceding two heavy courses and we nearly stumble, only to be invigorated by the Liebich Wines Fortified Semillon and the Topaque Brulee. A brilliant affogato follows and it was then that the true balance of the meal becomes evident. I am

delighted not to be presented with the frequently appearing dessert courses of chocolate. (When will chefs realise that not everyone goes bananas over lashings of chocolate?) Night two—the a la carte menu which changes daily. It proves to be a similarly excellent experience. The menu is designed as eleven dishes in descending order of “heaviness”. Two courses are $67, three courses $95. Additional courses $28 each and a separate cheese and dessert menu offers individually priced selections. It was, therefore, a relief to be able to choose three courses from “the top of the menu” whilst The Carnivore selected one from the top one from the middle and two from the bottom plus a fine cheese choice. This is an excel lent way to present food. I feel “in control” of the meal and in some ways it is the antithesis of the previous night’s experience. I particularly enjoy the fragrant spiced sweet potato, pepitas and almonds with toasted cumin dressing and my dining partner is effusive about his twice cooked belly of Berkshire pork with pickled vegetables and soy glaze. My dessert choice was also a delightful surprise—a parmesan cheese baked custard with a rasher of prosciutto on top. I just loved it. It was a sort of not-sweet, sweet. This restaurant has nailed it. Appellation works with the consumer to facilitate a gastronomic experience with style. The enthusiasm of the staff in presenting their local and fresh creations infuses every offering with delightful expectation. It is no wonder this restaurant is making a name for itself.

Appellation Restaurant

Longrain Melbourne

PART RESTAURANT, part bar, part club. A DJ on a deck is not what greets you in most restaurants, but it is part of what separates Longrain from the norm. Martin Boetz and Sam Christie brought their cool Sydney concept to Melbourne in 2005 and set it in a 100 year old warehouse at the top of Little Bourke Street, a block from Chinatown. It’s not a replica of the Sydney original, but similar— more cousin than twin. Recently voted among Melbourne’s coolest bars it is, in fact, an excel lent restaurant that knows its market and caters to it beautifully. The bride and I lob on a warm Friday night to be greeted by a 45 minute wait for a table (and no booking system in place); we are not in a rush so a stroll around Melbourne’s ‘Paris end’ is in order after leaving our name on the list. On our return, the bar beckons and the beat is still pumping. One drink in and our table is ready—it is not really ‘our’ table as we are sharing a table of six with two other couples. This is the Longrain way. There are huge tables going the length of the restaurant (we have a competition about where one group finishes and another starts) and other round ones in varying sizes to cater for groups of all sizes—except twos. We have to share. This is not a chore however as the table is large, the other folk are pleasant and there is enough ambient music to mean our conversations remain contained. Sharing is a key theme for the restaurant. The menu is certainly designed and described that way, however, I am not keen to share my betel leaves and we resolve to try a couple. One with smoked trout, chilli, roasted galangal, garlic and trout roe and the other with prawns, mint, peanuts and chilli paste ($6 each). They are an explosion of flavour, colour and texture. We follow these with the house specialty; an Eggnet ($27.50, but we ask for a small serve) with pork, prawn, peanut, bean sprouts and sweet vinegar. Imagine taking beaten egg, putting it in a squeezy bottle and making a pattern on a hot wok. Then fill it with fragrant ingredients and serve wrapped up like a pancake. Fantastic. Caramelised Pork Hock ($29.50) is a dish I would have time and again at Longrain. It comes as bite-sized, crispy fried chunks of pork and deep fried eschallots in one bowl and a sticky reduction of chilli vinegar in another. The waiter placed the bowl of porcine loveliness on the table and then poured over half the sauce. It is a beautifully balanced dish with all the sweet, sour, hot and crisp elements in harmony.

Almost immediately after our last course arrives. The night’s Duck Special ($39); moist on the inside, crunchy on the skin and served with shredded green mango salad that balanced the rich meatiness of the duck against the tart and sweet mango. We enjoyed these with steamed rice and an aromatic gewürztraminer. I think the wine choice was a subliminal nod to this excellent Ger man chef’s take on Thai food. Both Boetz and Christie have fantastic restaurant pedigrees and the intelligence to learn from some the industry’s best before taking the plunge on their own. Longrain operates with passion, pride, presence and a deep understanding of what it takes to be a well run business. The food quality and service is unwaveringly good, it’s still a cool place to be seen and if you really like the mu sic, you can even buy a CD as well. Great concept, perfectly delivered.

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Engine equipment Electrical equipment

Ph: 08 8947 4888

www.sealanes.com.au

Food Distributers / Wholesalers

Products Nuts 

Dried Fruits Herbs & Spices  Confectionery 

Falafel Tahini Oil  

Services Roasting 

Contract Roasting Shopping Tour 

Packaging  

    NSM Food Wholesalers  92 Henkel St 

Brunswick, VIC   

  Phone: 03 9380 8789 Fax: 09 9387 6013 

Global Food & Wine was established in 2003 to provide high quality food products, combined with excellent service, to the foodservice and hospitality

industry on the Sunshine Coast and beyond.

Products and Services

Frozen Foods (non seafood) Frozen Seafood

Fresh Meat Frozen Meat Smallgoods

Chilled Foods Dry Goods/Groceries

Paper, Packaging and Disposables Fine Food Specialist Ice Cream Specialist

Pizza Specialist Asian Foods

Liquor 12 Mallet Street

KUNDA PARK QLD 4556 Phone:

07 5453 3888

What Makes Complete Food Services the Best Choice in Town for your Wholesale Food Requirements? 

 Daily Deliveries (Mon ‐ Fri) 

Competitive Prices Quality Services 

New Warehouse Open 6 Days New Efficient Delivery Fleet 

New Central Location    

Importers, Wholesales & Distributers of:     

Grocery Products Oils & Pasta 

Asian Condiments Frozen & Dairy Products 

Paper & Packaging Cleaning & Detergents 

  45 Raglan Street, 

Preston, Victoria 3072  

   Ph:  03 9480 2336         Fax: 03 9480 1589  

Food & Beverages

Health & Beauty

Heathmont Physiotherapy

Centre

175 Canterbury Road Heathmonth VIC 3135

Ph: 03 9870 8038

Queen & Bourke Soul Pattinson Chemist

The professional partner in healthcare that you and your family can rely on.

For fast, efficient, & friendly service

visit us in store at

473 Bourke Street Melbourne VIC 3000

Phone: 03 9670 2222

Proud supporters of the Australian Defence Forces

Our vision is to provide people with the opportunity for greater wellbeing through the spa experience.

Walk into a world of complete sensory heaven, where time is left at the door and a new journey

begins.

We invite you to discover a pathway to inner peach, reflection, restoration and enlightenment; no clocks,

no stress, no urgency!

Shop 12 Reflection on the Sea 137 Griffith Street Coolangatta QLD 4225

Ph: (07) 5599 2666

Be nurtured by massage, facials, vichy shower treatments and soothed by the unique aromas of Aveda's plant based products and Éminence's pure organic

product line.

Services: Spa Body and Massage

Hand and Foot Treatments Waxing

Facial Treatments Microdermabrasion

Packages Specials and Competitions

Gift Vouchers

The Landmark Resort Mooloolaba QLD (07) 5444 3050 www.waterfalldayspa.com.au

Manchester / Bedding

Restaurants

100 Victoria Street, Carlton Victoria 3053 Bookings Hotline ‐ 03 93473344  

or book online at  www.draculas.com.au 

Stylish, comfortable and exuding a unique

casual elegance, C Blu restaurant is famous for serving fantastic seafood, steaks and creating exceptional food using fresh premium produce.

The Ocean Beach Hotel

Cnr Marine Parade & Eric St

Cottesloe, WA

T: (08) 9384 2555

www.obh.com.au

1 Notts Ave, Bondi Beach NSW 2026

(02) 9365 9000 www.idrb.com

Long breakfasts Lazy lunches Lasting dinners Kids menu available

Small taste for one big taste for many...

Music & entertainment Drinks by the bar or

lounge

The Oasis Shopping Centre,

Broadbeach QLD 4218

(07) 5539 0377

www.altocucina.com.au

Signage

The decision to invest in a sign is easy.

If you'd like to advertise your business 24/7 as well as help guide your customers right to

your door step, you need a sign.

For information on Sign Decisions vast variety of products & services phone us on

03 9394 1140

Or visit our website

www.signdecision.com.au

Factory 8 219 Derrimut Drive Derrimut VIC 3030

LED Signs is a nationally established “Visual Display Company”. LED Signs design and manufactures

digital visual displays, media and signage solutions to the outdoor and indoor advertising organisations,

Casino’s, Clubs, Hotels and other retail industries throughout Australia

For our huge product range & more information visit

www.led-signs.com.au

Screentech has designed, supplied and installed a range of visual display and communication systems

incorporating light emitting diode (LED) and liquid crystal display (LCD) technology.

Our expertise is in the design and supply of indoor and outdoor LED screens, LED variable message signs and

other visual display and communication systems.

Phone: 08 9330 8485

We at J1-LED pride ourselves on our commitment to

quality and meeting market demand and specification. It

is what helps us be at the forefront of LED technology. We

service a number of markets in the LED field.

We provide design, project management and system

solutions for intelligent transport systems and traffic

control. We also customize boards and casings for the

retail, sales, manufacturing and sports markets.

www.j1led.com

We offer a complete sign service from artwork and design to erection.

Products and Services

Corporate Branding Banners Posters Murals Vehicle - Fleet Marking Neon - Illuminated Shopfront fascias and windows 3D Letters

Foam, Vinyl, Metal, Plastic, Wood Decals, Stickers and Signs

Magnetic Receptions Real Estate Safety A - Frames Honour Boards

Traditional handcrafted Pylon Signs Maintenance Contracts and more

2 Investment Road Wangara WA 6065 Ph: (08) 9302 5766

www.aztecsignsandmurals.com.au

We use the latest technology and the highest quality products to produce custom signs for your business. We

can make the perfect signs to advertise your products or inform your customers, while keeping the image of your

company in mind.

Our sales representatives will visit your business, assess your signage needs and supply a no obligation FREE QUOTE. They will recommend signage types, styles and material

and tailor quotes to meet your requirements. Our aim is to provide you with a professional signage solution at a

competitive price.

Phone: (07) 3511 6011 www.signsbrisbane.com.au

At Hi-Lite Security, we have a commitment to

provide confidential, professional, efficient and dedicated service to our clients at all times.

We only employ officers licensed and trained to nationally accredited standards and expect only

the highest from them, to guarantee you absolute peace of mind.

Our comprehensive range of services have

ensured security for shopping centres, schools, motels, residential areas and industrial

companies as well as ensuring crowd control at various functions and venues.

Phone: (08) 9921 2445

24 Hour Mobile: 0411 143 810 www.hi-litesecurity.com.au

Security

RemGuard 'event activated video' is the next generation secure high speed Internet video surveillance system, replacing costly on-site

mobile patrols and guards.

Imagine an 'event activated' video surveillance system so powerful that it can detect and quickly

view intruders moving around outside your premises long before a burglar alarm is activated.

Imagine that remotely located security officers were then able to watch the intruders, even speaking directly to them and challenging their presence,

providing descriptions, and 'warning them off' before damage has occured!

1300 652 700

www.remguard.com.au

YATES SECURITY provides integrated security solutions, incorporating sophisticated monitoring and alarm systems linking to our Security Control Centre. We provide 24×7 monitoring and direct links to our fleet of patrol vehicles and guards and to emergency services. YATES SECURITY solutions can

• protect your staff and premises,

• reduce the risk of damage to equipment and merchandise,

• provide business continuity, therefore protecting your

revenues.

YATES SECURITY can tailor a system that best suits your needs. We have over 107 years of experience in the security industry in Sydney. We will tailor a solution that meets your protection needs and your budget. Call 131 911 today for a risk assessment or a quote on your security requirements...

Webcodes Pty Ltd is the innovative company

behind guestTRAX®, Australia's only legal

"skipper alert" offender Risk Management

system, which also provides real Prevention

capabilities in dealing with offences which

occur within the Accommodation

Industry.

Webcodes also provide advice and

consulting advice in respect to numerous

areas relating to security in properties,

ranging from credit card acceptance

procedures to fraud investigations.

Phone: 07 47237579

www.webcodes.com.au

Uniforms

Dura-Wear is Australias premier on-line supplier of all your Hospitality Uniforms, Equipment and Accessories. Our aim is to provide a hassle-free shopping experience delivered straight to your door quickly and efficiently, all from the comfort of your own home or workplace, 24/7.

Dura-Wear supply only the highest quality products at industry competitive prices. From uniforms and knives through to cookware and culinary books, we have all your requirements in one convenient location.

Showrooms Northcote 291 High Street Northcote VIC 3070 Ph. 03 9481 8477 Melbourne (City) 555 LaTrobe Street Cnr. King & LaTrobe Streets Melbourne VIC 3070 Ph. 03 9642 3621

www.durawear.com.au

Wash'n'Wear Uniforms is pleased to present its comprehensive range of stylish, high quality professional and work clothing.

Tailored to meet the needs of today's dynamic workforce, our

uniforms are smart, comfortable and practical.

Chef Plus range offers an attractive selection of classic and

contemporary design options.

Phone: 03 9563 9909

631 Centre Road,

Bentleigh East, Victoria 3165

queries@washnwear.com.au www.washnwear.com.au