Thursday, April 26, 2012

6 Degrees of Bush Tucker

It's been some weeks since the event, but the delicious taste of 6 Degrees of Bush Tucker is still almost as vibrant as that night.

The team at 6 Degrees of Preparation brought it, big time.

Contemporary Australiana fare at its interpretative and experimental best.


This time with increased numbers both in attendance and kitchen staff. I suspect that sooner rather than later, they'll have to take the events to a different location, or at least open up the partition that keeps the current crowd separated from the stacked up chairs from Rosebud's day trading.


I brought my two girlfriends and we brought two bottles of wine. It's handy to note the event is no longer BYO, so we parked our bottles for another time. With a great wine selection on offer, affordable drinks prices (approx. $5 or $6 per wine glass and we paid approx. $20 for a bottle) and with the night's signature cocktail (Arnhem Land Mule) on offer, it works so that there really is no need for BYO. Plus it's handy for a wine rookie like myself having the team recommend matching wines that complement the dishes.

1: Barramundi Goujons marinated in Bush Tomato Chutney wrapped in thin pastry served with Lime Aioli. I'm a fan of fish, a big fan, especially of our native Australian varieties. How do you explain to people overseas what they're missing out on? This dish was a hit.




2: Pumpkin & Bunya Nut Soup with Herb Damper. Sweet, sweet pumkiny goodness, it went down a treat, so smooth, (actually) sweet, creamy, with a crunchy nut finish. Great contrast in texture.



3: Paperback Grilled Queensland Trout Salad with Lemon Aspen and Warrigal Greens. See dish one: big fan of fish. Another hit.


4: Surf'n Turf: Kangaroo Loin, School Prawns, Mountain Pepper Leaf and Berryfgh Jus served with Mash. Tender, succulent, delicious kangaroo meat. I had the misconception that due to its "gaminess", kangaroo meat needed to be cooked long and hard. These pieces were seared lightly and contained a juicy, soft, melt in your mouth tenderness.

5: Old Man Salt Bush & Lamb Pancakes. Probably my least favourite dish of the night, not to say that it wasn't good though. I reminded me of the "pitta" (in Greek) or "bourek" (in Macedonian) that my mother and mother-in-law respectively make. A round dish of pastry filled with either cheese or a combination of cheese and spinach. This was the Aussie version! Not as refined as its Greek of Macedonian counterparts, after all they've had thousands of years to get that pastry just right.


6: Pavlova Roulade with Wattle Seed Cream, Kiwi Gelee & Autumn Fruits. Pavlova: the classic all-Australian dish. Add a splash of fresh, tangy, colourful fruit and you have a home run.




Following the footsteps of 6 Degrees of Goat, it was yet another well executed night. The 6 Degrees crew were on the money with capturing and show casing native Australian food. Yet again they managed to take me back to my childhood: reminiscent of coming to a foreign land with such vastness and diversity. Strange animals such as never-before-seen fish and that strange marsupial hopping around on two legs, which would later become a favourite pet (yes I had a kangaroo for a period during my childhood). They also taught us about, and gave us a taste of what the indigenous ate and lastly tied it into contemporary culture with what has become to be identified as one of the true Aussie dishes (pavlova, in case you've been living under a rock). Awesome. Who said we had no culture?

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