I've been a bit spoilt in March with a huge amount of contenders for Dish of the Month.For a while, I thought it would have be the addictive gamberetti from Giuseppi Arnaldo & Sons then there was the possibility of the elegant flathead fillets with peas and yabbies from Circa, the Prince, yet in a careful reflection of my dining escapades for March I can't go past this refreshingly, modern broth from Attica.
March Dish of the Month
Pork broth with baby squid, homegrown shoots, vegetable shavings, basil seeds - Attica
As part of the Tuesday evening 'Chefs table tasting menu', this dish was a beautiful reminder of my lunch at Mugaritz last year.
The dish reflected a lightness of touch that allowed the components to shine. With the broth poured at the table and the goggly-eyed basil seeds peering back at me, I sipped and reunderstood the smarts of a chef that does not need to use cloying fat to disperse lasting and intriguing flavours on my palate.
Attica is one of the hot dining rooms 'a la minut', so book ahead and see why celebrity chefs from around the world are raving about it. Stephanie Alexander and Patrizia Simone dined the night I did and Michel Roux and Gilles Choukroun, in Melbourne for the Food Festival, dined the week before. But don't worry if you can't get in just yet, the food that chef Ben Shewry is preparing is personally honed not fad-ish, I'm sure he will be wowing us for some time to come.
Wow! That looks amazing. When I first saw the picture I thought it may be frogspawn but am very glad to hear they are basil seeds. I need to get back there soon.
ReplyDeleteEd took the words out of my mouth. The photo of that dish reminds me of a pond I went fishing for tadpoles in when I was a little tacker. I wonder if that was Ben's intention?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. They are a little intimidating to look at, and yes I thought the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI have recently seen these basil seeds in Asian drinks on Victoria St, and again I thought, umm the tadpoles are coming!
Jack