Festival an oyster lover's delight

In the Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare wrote 'the world is your oyster'. The expression means you are now in a position to enjoy all the opportunities that life has to offer. This year's annual Oyster Festival at The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room certainly provides the perfect opportunity to enjoy one of life's greatest pleasures: slurping on aquatic invertebrates in all their briny glory.

As much as the festival is about enjoying oysters, it is also about educating punters on what to look for, how to shuck oysters and the differences between varieties. Newbies should know that Pacific oysters taste of salt and sea. Personally, they remind me of being dumped by a wave and rolling around in the surf. In contrast, the Sydney Rock is creamier and richer and recommended for those who are getting their first taste of the contents of those silvery sea-green shells.

Aw shucks ... oysters sourced from around NSW and SA are shucked to order at The Morrison Oyster Festival.

What better place to celebrate the oyster than near to that mound of ice at The Morrison, wielding two-pronged forks and waiting for the bivalve molluscs with rough irregular shells to be opened so you can slide them down your gullet in one go. Enjoying a dozen or so of these delicate little morsels, which may be farmed for food or pearls, is the oyster lover's equivalent of ecstasy. Throughout August this year festival-goers will be able to sip on The Morrison's finest whisky paired with plump oysters served during a Whisky and Oyster Masterclass.

Oyster aficionados can also step up to the shucking station as chef Sean Connolly's team shucks your oysters to order and provides top tips on how to remove the hard shell without losing a finger. If you're a huge sucker for oysters, pencil in the ever-popular Oyster Hour, when oysters are just $1 each between 6pm and 7pm.

The ever-smiling and affable awardwinning chef Sean Connolly, executive chef at The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room.

For those who believe oysters are best eaten in solitude, grab a seat at the back of the bar and work your way through the in-house Oyster Library, which features the most prolifically grown oyster in Australia, the Pacific Oyster as well as the Sydney or Rock Oyster, one of the greatest eating oysters in the world.

De Costi Seafood's sales manager Frank Theodore has curated a list of more than 20 types of oysters from around the country for this year's festival - including the Pacific, the Sydney Rock and the giant Jurassic oyster. Although this is not peak season for oysters, Theodore says the oysters he sources are first-class from their region of origin for this time of year.

Theodore, who has been working with seafood all of his life, says he eats at least two dozen oysters each day in order to select the very best product for his customers.

De Costi Seafoods' sales manager Frank Theodore, a.k.a 'the oyster whisperer' at The Morrison.

"I have a special connection with oysters. Years ago when the Sydney Rock Oyster was the only oyster that was sought-after I was enjoying oysters for my own benefit because I could appreciate the differences in taste," says Theodore.

"My personal preference is for a nice sweet Sydney rock oyster. I like the layers of flavour, I appreciate the creaminess and sweetness and can determine, from its taste, the nutrients it is getting and the environment it is from. I love how a good Sydney rock oyster sits on the back of the palate and it stretches out. It makes the corners of my lips start twitching just to talk about it," he says.

Right this way ... for oysters in all their briny glory.

Theodore says what he loves about The Morrison's oyster festival is that he has the opportunity to educate and inform Australians about what constitutes a good oyster. With sales of oysters in Australia increasing by about 20-30 per cent each year, Theodore says Australians are become smart eaters, interested in their food and where it comes from.

"I love how a good Sydney rock oyster sits on the back of the palate and stretches out. It makes the corners of my lips start twitching to talk about it" - Frank Theodore, De Costi Seafoods.

"I taste oysters every single morning. I judge them by their condition, by their taste, by how they look and I can taste the difference between oysters grown 100m apart - it's all about their environment," he says.

"If you know what to look for in wine, you should want to learn about what to look for in your oysters. People ask me 'Should I bite them?' I say, 'Why wouldn't you?' That's where your tastebuds are, so of course you bite them," he says.

A good oyster 'has a bit of presence' says De Costi Seafoods' Frank Theodore.

As for choosing a good oyster, Theodore - the oyster whisperer - advocates looking at the body part of the oyster, ensuring there is a clean, consistent colour throughout and checking for consistency through the meaty part of the oyster. "A good oyster has a bit of presence. It should fill a good eighty per cent of the shell," he says.

The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room, 225 George St, Sydney, 02 9247 6744, www.themorrison.com.au

Mum's the word: books for cooks

Does your mum like to cook? Or does she simply enjoy the pleasure of flicking through glossy cookbooks? Here are a few of my favourite cookbooks that will make great gift ideas for Mother's Day. Earn a few extra brownie points and present mum with a book and a dish you've created from it. Aim high with Organum, by Peter Gilmore or keep it simple with Neil Perry's Easy Weekends and whatever you do, don't forget to wash up. She'll be even more smitten with the gift if she is not the one wearing the oven mittens.

For the joy of cooking …  Having Margaret Fulton in her test kitchen made Kate Gibbs the envy of cookbook authors around the country. This is the sort of cookbook that will be passed down through the generations, just like the recipes it contains. Margaret and Me brings the Fulton family's recipes to life by sharing some of the history behind them. With retro baking on the rise, Fulton - who has been nominated by the National Trust as a National Living Treasure - has clearly passed down her love of cooking to her grand-daughter who presents her modern take on comforting classics. Part cookbook, part memoir, the book is a personal account of growing up attached to the apron strings of one of the matriachs of Australian cooking. Nothing says 'I love you' like slow-roasted lamb shoulder or custard-filled profiteroles.
Margaret and Me is published by Murdoch Books ($39.99).


For mums who aim to outdo the neighbours …  
Peter Gilmore is executive chef of the three-hatted Quay restaurant in Sydney, included in S. Pelligrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list five years in a row. In Organum, Gilmore explores the idea of modern Australian cuisine with style and substance in a book that will make lovers of books for cooks purr with pleasure. With its sexy pseudo-suede cover, the book is literally bound to impress and, while many of the dishes sound simple, they are, in fact, complex creations that rely on flavour, texture, technique, aroma and innovation. Test your mettle in the kitchen with pork belly, milk curd, roasted koji, sesame, kombu and smoked pork rib broth. Alternatively, offer your mum a corner to curl up in while she strokes the pages filled with stunning food photography.
Organum by Peter Gilmore is published by Murdoch Books ($100).

For mothers who are partial to a food safari ... 
Enjoy a magic carpet ride around the world, exploring the diverse ingredients of 44 cuisines with more than 400 recipes.  Fans of Maeve O'Meara's TV shows should treat this re-released book like their culinary bible as the TV host and cookbook author takes readers around the globe to visit some of the most vibrant food cultures. In Complete Food Safari, O'Meara will take readers on glorious culinary adventures with dishes such as Peruvian humitas, pork knuckle with potato dumplings, and Hyderabadi chicken, which are just a few of the standouts. If you want to make your mum feel really special, book one of Maeve's magical safaris to Vietnam, the Greek Islands, Sardinia and Corsica.

Complete Food Safari, published by Hardie Grant. ($59.95)

For well-travelled matriachs …  

Same Same But Different presents a range of signature recipes and family classics that all tell a story about Poh Ling Yeow’s life growing up in Australia with Chinese-Malay heritage. The book, which has been shot entirely on location in Poh’s own kitchen, is also a personal account of Poh and the real food influences in her life. Featuring recipes such as mussels with tomato and white wine and spaghetti puttanesca, Same Same But Different is a true reflection of how Australians eat and the way we might whip up a Greek dish one night, Italian another, Japanese the next night. This is for mums who love a table laden with offerings from many nationalities. Menikmati makanan anda! 
Same Same But Different is published by ABC Books ($39.99).

For women who enjoy wielding a pair of tongs ... 

King of the Grill is not just for those new to the art of no-nonsense barbecuing. This bumper collection by Ross Dobson, which draws on culinary influences from around the globe, celebrates that classic Aussie attitude to the barbecue that goes beyond the hiss of fat on the grill and cements this backyard ritual as a social occasion. As well as advice on temperatures and cooking times, techniques and utensils, the book contains recipes that are a step up from snags. If you thrill on the grill, step up to the hotplate and impress your mum with prawn and chorizo skewers, seared tuna with bay leaf and lemon or brined roasted chicken. Mums will approve that vegetables also share the spotlight.
King of the Grill  is published by Murdoch Books ($39.99).

For those with allergies ...
One in 20 children and two in 100 adults in Australia suffer with food allergies. Let Them Eat Good Cake is for Mums who must avoid gluten, dairy, egg and nuts or have someone close to them who fits into that category. The Good Cake Co's Corry Altclass and Nicole Amdur both have family members and close friends who suffer from allergies and struggled to find food that tasted good. Together, the pair have created a recipes that range from baked doughnuts to chocolate and beetroot cake. 'Cause if you're going to eat gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free cake, you want it to taste good, right? An excellent addition to the bookshelves for those that must follow strict diets but don't want to miss out on the occasional guilt-free treat.  Let Them Eat Good Cake is available from www.thegoodcakeco.com.au. 

A book for the hostess with the mostess...  
Have you ever wanted to know what it's like to cook under the command of one of the country's best chefs without the pressure-cooker heat of working in a restaurant kitchen? Sepia is for those who want to take their culinary feats to the next level. Benn is justifiably famous for his restaurant, which won Restaurant of the Year 2015 and was awarded three chef's hats in The Good Food Guide. This book includes 66 of the chef's defining dishes which are based around four degustation menus. As well as testing your technical mastery, the book is an insight into Benn's background and includes stories from the culinary frontline. Experiment with magic elements such as beetroot glass, rhubarb gel and goat's milk foam. Sepia by Martin Benn is published by Murdoch Books ($75). 


Mum's the word for easy entertaining...
Necessity is the mother of invention. Acclaimed chef Neil Perry clearly saw a need for an essential entertaining cookbook with Easy Weekends. If you want to be in the good books, buy this cookbook for mum on Mother's day, which aims to inspire you not just to create meals but shared moments. The book progresses from Friday to Sunday and includes everything from a family stir-fry on a Friday night to lazy Sunday breakfast ideas. It is also the sort of tome that can be used as a blueprint book for those who want to expand the repertoire of dishes they cook for family and friends. It's a guidebook for all occasions.
Easy Weekends is published by Murdoch Books ($39.99).



For mums who plan dinner while enjoying breakfast...
This is a book for well-travelled mums who want to relive the days when they were backpacking through Turkey. Arranged in the form of a typical Turkish eating day, the book by Somer Sivrioglu and David Dale takes readers to the heart of a cuisine that is still evolving to this day. This is a cookbook that has a lot to teach us - from the tradition and diversity of Turkish cuisine to the rituals, myths and folklore that lies behind 3000 years of Anatolian cooking. With more than 140 traditional and modern recipes, the book is for armchair travellers, too, as it was shot on location in Istanbul around Turkey.
Anatolia is published by Murdoch Books ($79.99).

For mums who like to plan ahead... 
Best-selling children's cookery writer Annabel Karmel is the queen of fuss-free tasty recipes for the whole family. In her latest cookbook, Karmel makes mealtimes a cinch with everyday ideas for light meals, snacks and lunch box treats. Those of us in a rut with their repertoire will appreciate the foolproof 'prep ahead' recipes that can be frozen, as well as ideas for leisurely weekend lunches. Favourites include chicken Karmel, nasi goreng and her best-ever banana cake. If you want to totally spoil your mum, take her out to the nearest InterContinental near you and have all the work done for you. Karmel consulted on the InterContinental's Planet Trekkers menu, which is exclusively for children. Annabel's Family Cookbook is published by Random House Australia ($45).

Something your nonna will treasure... 
Luca Lorusso and Vivienne Polak have been very generous in sharing Puglia. You see, the locals have been very protective about sharing cooking secrets from the region nestled in the heel of Ital. But as this beautiful book shows, it's no wonder the Pugliese have been protective about their sharing the food of Puglia. The book is divided into chapters marked antipasti, pasta, pesce e fruitti di mare (fish and seafood), carne, insalate, pane (bread), verdure (vegetables) and dolci e bevande (desserts and drinks). For food-focused travellers, this is the sort of book that will inspire a trip to Italy. It will also open your eyes to a whole new world of Italian cooking. Sharing Puglia is published by Hardie Grant ($49.95).


WIN A PRIZE 
If you’d like to win a copy of Poh Ling Yeow’s book Same Same But Different, simply subscribe to www.carlagrossetti.com and, in 100 words or less, tell me what your signature ‘same same but different’ take on a family classic is. Email entries to carlagrossetti@optusnet.com.au with Same Same But Different in the subject line. Winners will be notified by email.  

Salt Meats Cheese meets Tutti a Tavola

"Tutti a tavola" means 'everyone to the table'. It's the essence of what Massimo Mele remembers from his happy childhood growing up in Hobart. It's also the name of the one-off dining experiences he curates at the Salt Meats Cheese warehouse every few months.

The long communal tables at Tutti a Tavola encourage diners to get to know one another.

"If you have Italian heritage, hearing the words 'tutti a tavola' means 'everyone to the table' for a big communal feast where there is lots of great food, the wine is flowing, everybody is sharing and laughing and having a great time," says the friendly, affable 30-something.

Two Italian boys - Massimo Mele and Stefano Di Blasi share a love of good honest Italian food.

It's clear from the outset that Mele and Salt Meats Cheese co-director Stefano Di Blasi love orchestrating these social occasions in the 950 square metre larder. And, from a diner's perspective, part of the appeal is the theatre of watching Mele himself tacking in and around the tables, cooking, orchestrating the staff and greeting his customers as if they are family.

Guests are given a Sofi Spritz on arrival at Salt Meats Cheese. 

At the recent Roman edition of Tutti a Tavola, there were diners present who have attended every one of Mele's Sydney events. "Tutti a Tavola is a fantastic excuse for me to celebrate great regional Italian street food. These big communal feasts are so much fun and the feedback is that it inspires people to make feasting with their own family more of a tradition," he says.

Communal tables are at the core of the Tutti a Tavola concept at Salt Meats Cheese.     Photo: Saskia Mulder.

Last week, the La Scala on Jersey executive chef and owner of Catering by Massimo once again commandeered the interior of the Alexandria food emporium for a feast of epic proportions. Like the space itself, there's a refreshing unpretentiousness to the compact fixed price menu. Pair this with a convivial commotion, musicians belting out traditional Italian tunes and you have an event that is intimate, informal, relaxed and friendly.

"There are no name tags on the tables, so it's very informal and about bringing people together and having fun."

Tutti A Tavola is such a warm, intimate experience that diners arrive as strangers and leave as friends.

This month's four-course menu, which was served with wine and beer, followed a Roman Street Food theme. The feast featured time-tested recipes served on three long tables designed to replicate the colour and organised chaos of an Italian feast. Although the first event featured a table set for 40, Tutti a Tavola has, like a good Italian family, doubled in size since the first offing four years ago.

Antipasti platters to share include woodfired pizza with potatoes, garlic and rosemary, proscuitto and pickled vegetables.

Forget dainty morsels or fancy foams. Modelled on a classic Italian lunch, this pop-up on peptides began with shared plates of antipasti to pick at - house-made pizza with potatoes, garlic and rosemary, curls of prosciutto and salami, pickled carrots and Asiago cheese - baked semolina gnocchi with pecorino cheese, veal saltimbocca with crispy sage and pancetta and fresh calamari fritti with lemon and rocket.

The woodfired oven at Salt Meats Cheese sees a bit of action at the Tutti a Tavola event.

The feast also included a 20kg shoulder of lamb cooked in Salt Meats Cheese's new wood-fired oven (dubbed The Pizza Box), a whopping 10kg of strozzapretti pasta with a rich, tender oxtail and celery ragu cooked in an oversized paella pan in front of the guests; and an avalanche of salad leaves. Sweet tooths were also sated with rum baba for dessert.

Fresh circles of tender calamari fritti served with lemon and rocket.                                     Photo: Saskia Mulder.

"These events are about my idea of Italy. It's about people coming and sharing plates with strangers and leaving as friends. There are no nametags on the table, so it's very informal and about bringing people together and having fun," he says.

Meltingly tender woodfired lamb shoulder with artichoke, egg and peas was a standout dish.

Joining us at our communal table is a friendly couple from the Central Coast, two Italian-Australian sisters who live in Haberfield, a gaggle of women who have attended all of Mele's feasts and a couple celebrating their anniversary.

Strozzapretti with oxtail and celery ragu is sinfully good.

Mele has flirted with the pop-ups since 2011, when, as then executive chef of the Hugo's Group, he hosted the first Tutti a Tavola at Hugo's in King's Cross. But Mele says he feels like he has found his home at Salt Meats Cheese, a faff-free industrial space that makes for a very relaxed dining experience. As the 80 or so guests arrive, he greets each and every diner as if they were family, and looks genuinely pleased to see so many of his regular, loyal customers.

Massimo Mele says he feels like Tutti a Tavola has found its home at Salt Meats Cheese.

With his straw-blonde hair, eyes the colour of galvanized steel and accent he describes "as ocker as it gets", Mele says he doesn't fit many people's image of someone with southern Italian heritage. But the chef, who spent the first six years of his life living in Naples, says he identifies strongly with his Italian heritage and the regional cuisine he grew up with.

The Pizza Box woodfired oven comes into play during the Tutti a Tavola event.

"When I go home to Hobart, I close the front gate to my parent's house and step inside my family home and it's like being back in Italy. My parents speak Italian and they have never let go of the culture. The food I cook is as traditional as possible, but it's also my version of the food I've grown up with," says Mele, who spent his formative years working in his parent's restaurant, La Bella Napoli.

The dish of the day: the wood-fired lamb shoulder with artichoke, egg and peas

The sturdy Salt Meats Cheese warehouse is the perfect backdrop to Mele's feast, where each dish is delivered tableside and designed to share. Seeing Mele, tea towel draped over one shoulder, giving serious attention and care to the food as it goes out also makes you feel even more connected to the chef and the kitchen.

Even a simple salad is treated with great respect and seasoned just so.

The Salt Meats Cheese warehouse is the perfect backdrop to Mele's feast.

"When you are cooking in front of people around a shared table, it's very intimate. It's for people hungering for proper Italian food, who want to chat in a relaxed, friendly environment and enjoy food made to share," he says.

Rum babas all round wrap up this Roman feasts of epic proportions. 

The fact that the feast is something a team of nonnas might knock up at home on a special occasion Sunday means it is good honest seasonal food treated with the respect. That's reason enough to encourage 'everyone to the table' at Tutti a Tavola. Mangia, mangia.

The next Tutti A Tavola event will be held in July. Bookings essential: www.saltmeatscheese.com.au/events 02 9698 0595

Carla Grossetti was a guest of Salt Meats Cheese and Tutti a Tavola.  

The history of the Reuben

The Reuben sandwich is the stuff legends are made of. Pictured is the Bowery Lane version.

The great Reuben sandwich is defined by whatscookingamerica.net as a “grilled sandwich made with corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing on rye bread”. But as for the history of the monumental sandwich that tradition dictates must be filled with both salt beef and dairy, it’s the stuff that legends – or at least legendary items of food – are made of.

There are many claims and counter-claims surrounding the creation of the sandwich with the cult following: one of the most popular stories doing the rounds is that the first Reuben was created in 1906 at a deli on Park Avenue by German immigrant Arnold Reuben. Legend has it that the owner of the deli constructed the sandwich for an actress who came into Reuben’s Restaurant and Delicatessen in New York and demanded he make her a sandwich because she was “as hungry as a brick”.

However, according to an article in The New York Times quoting Arthur Schwartz, author of New York City Food and blogger at The Food Maven, the sandwich thought to be a New York staple is believed to have been created in Omaha in the 1920s by wholesale grocer Reuben Kulakofsky who made the sandwich for his friends after a late-night poker game.

Regardless of the Reuben’s origins, the sandwich with superstar status has been on menus in Sydney for so long now that a celebration of it seems compulsory. What else is there to do but roll up your sleeves and enjoy? Coming soon: my round-up of great Reubens around Sydney.

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Dishes that recall the lush green landscape of Ireland

Long after the ruckus of Sunday's St Patrick's Day parade has dissipated, the reverberations from the biggest Irish celebration in the Southern Hemisphere will still be heard around the city of Sydney. You don't have to spike your beer with green dye or wear a comedy beard. Instead, why not keep things verdant for the rest of the week just by vying for dishes hued between blue and yellow on the colour spectrum. Cover yourself in good luck and pluck a leaf from my clover of four places sending green shoots around the city. 

The Pazar Food Collective is not remotely Irish. It's a little bit Mexican, a little bit Middle Eastern and according to The Sydney Morning Herald's 2015 Good Food Guide "a globe-trotting neighbourhood street food party". You don't have to wear an oversized lime-green top hat to enjoy a few raspados (Mexican snow cones with frozen green fairy floss and a jigger of gin, cucumber, lime and mint). The moat of aquachile verde surrounding sushi-grade scallops will, to be sure, call to mind the lush green landscape of Ireland. The ceviche-style salsa verde includes jalapeños, coriander, tomatillos, lime juice, orange juice, habanero and tequila. The salsa is bright green and the strategy is simple: scoop up the scallops with some salsa and fresh avocado, which cut through the heat.
325 Canterbury Road, Canterbury. 02 8964 9334, pazar.com.au

Chilli crab rocket linguine gets its green on at The Italian Stallion.

Step away from the kale smoothie and embrace chilli crab rocket linguine at The Italian Stallion, one of my new favourite restaurants in the Shire. There is nothing gimmicky about chef James Watson's decision to ink this dish green using 'rocket'-fuelled chlorophyll. This is upscale comfort food at its finest.  Watson launched his culinary career working for UK chef Gordon Ramsay at Aubergine and at St John Restaurant in London, but he is now in the spotlight for giving Gymea a place to genuflect. Toast the mother country at the bar under the Cocktails and Wet Dreams sign and order a Little Prick, with fresh prickly pear, lime, tequila, agave nectar. Legend has it, the cocktail was apparently inspired by a rather nasty leprechaun.
11 Gymea Bay Road, Gymea, 02 9542 8008, facebook.com/italianstallionbarandgrill

Curled like a comma on the plate ... pan-fried ocean trout with a lick of iridescent pea puree.

Hugos in Manly is one of Sydney's most desirable dining destinations. Whether you are from Dublin or Dingle Bay, those feelings of homesickness may just abate while ensconced on the brand-spanking new deck at this iconic Sydney restaurant. Opt for pan­-fried ocean trout with iridescent pea puree curved like a comma on the plate alongside a salad of shaved asparagus, radish, eschallots and salmon roe. Impress your date by arriving via ferry at the new deck where diners can hear the gentle slap-slap-slap of the water against the pier, which pimps up the picturesque views over Sydney Harbour.
Hugos Manly, Manly Wharf, East Esplanade 02 8116 8555, hugos.com.au

Corned beef at Kitchen by Mike.

It's not about the tablecloths and cutlery at Kitchen by Mike. Housed in a former Rosella Jam factory, the main focus here is on seasonality, simplicity and freshness. Food doesn't get much greener than when much of it is grown onsite in burgeoning beds where chef Mike McEnearney conducts educational classes.  Although the spread changes from day to day according to the seasons, there are some items you expect to see: award-winning rustic sourdough, tartines, quiches, wraps and rolls as well as corn with lime and chilli. Corned beef is also a go-to dish to enjoy on St Patrick's Day and worth coming back for any time of year.

Visit Good Food to find more places to have a good craic and check in at www.carlagrossetti.com if you'd like to read more of my work.

Partying Hard(ware)

Last night, The Husband and I visited Bondi Hardware for its annual end of summer birthday party. I used to live one street away from the dinky little bar when it was indeed a hardware store and if the brief was to nod to its former life, owners Hamish Watts and Ben Carroll have nailed it.

Hamish Watts and Ben Carroll, of Applejack Hospitality and staff get all touchy feely at the annual end-of-summer party.

Although the handsome space has been given a good polish since the original occupant moved out, it still references the building's working village past with its industrial lights, wall lined with tools, exposed bricks, big old beams and ceiling clad with recycled timber.

Bondi Hardware remains lovingly scuffed up from its former life as three decades'-old hardware shop.

Watts and Carroll, of Applejack Hospitality, lured about 150 locals, media, friends and celebs to the party, where, given its proximity to Bondi Beach, the Point Break dress code was a cinch.

Chef's signature beef sliders.

Watermelontinis #winning

As well as celebrating its third year in operation the party celebrated the launch of head chef Elliot Anders' new menu, with tasters such as polenta and quinoa bites, tuna poke spoons, crispy pork belly and pumpkin boats , pearl barley arancini balls with lemon aioli, triangles of margherita pizza and his signature beef sliders.

Pearl barley arancini balls

Tuna poke spoons.

Punters also enjoyed watching the bartenders ply their trade, with endless rounds of watermelontinis made with Ketel One Vodka, elderflower liquor, watermelon, apple and lime, boutique beers from Endeavour, wine by Howard Parken and ciders by Batlow.

Bartenders work their magic with watermelontinis using a few tricks of the trade.

Co-owner Ben Carroll worked the room for the annual end-of-summer party.

Bartenders mix things up at the Bondi Hardware Point Break party.

Applejack Hospitality also have The Botanist, in Kirribilli, SoCal in Neutral Bay and The Butler, in Pott's Point.

Hazelhurst Cafe: the ace of spades

Gymea has found its groove thanks in part to the efforts of chef James Watson, who is now gripping the reins at Hazelhurst Gallery Cafe and giving the 'burb a big giddy-up. Watson is like a rock 'n roll version of Jamie Oliver. And he's brought a bit of that 'oright geezer' grit to Gymea, in Sydney's Sutherland Shire.

Chef James Watson has upped the ante in the Shire.

Watson's Bay
For those who don't know much about the English-born chef, he first earned his culinary chops working under Gordon Ramsay, at Aubergine, and then St John Restaurant in London where it seems he was also prepped in the art of peppering a kitchen with expletives.

The 38-year-old migrated to Australia in 2002 where he quickly gained attention at Balmain's Riverview Hotel. He has since earned a lot of cred for being one of the first of the city's award-winning chefs to look at Sydney's outer suburban strips anew.

After Watson opened the Peacock Trattoria in 2010 in a non-descript smear of shops in Kyle Bay he shifted his gaze to Gymea, with the launch of the Italian Stallion and Hazelhurst Gallery Cafe in August 2014.

The 'cock' as I like to call it, is one of my all-time fave neighbourhood bistros in Sydney and I was beyond happy when I heard the chef's culinary aspirations had crossed Tom Ugly's Bridge. The fact Gymea is just 20 minutes' drive from my home in Cronulla is also a beautiful thing.

The Italian Stallion has helped give Gymea a leg-up in the culinary stakes.

Giddy-up Gymea
The Husband and I were so excited about the arrival of The Italian Stallion Bar and Griglia we galloped there a week after it opened. We both loved how deliciously New York divey and vibey it was and were impressed with our Planet of the Grapes mojitos followed by a few glasses of riesling and the chef's signature duck salad and divine crab linguine. The service from restaurant manager Fabio was also fabulous. So much has been done to rejuve the Stallion since then that it deserves a return visit in the the next few months, when the renovations are complete. (Watch this space.)

Hazelhurst Gallery Cafe has helped Gymea find its groove. 

From garden fork to plate
Now for the heads-up on Hazelhurst. Thanks to Watson - who was also responsible for the recent reworking of the Seawall Restaurant in Walsh Bay - the gallery cafe has benefitted from more than a few tweaks. The new design is rustic and real and references the garden aspect with a feature wall of vintage tools, communal tables that could double as work horses, tin tubs spilling with flowers and well-placed branches, lemons and pineapples providing many points of sculptural interest.

Hazelhurst Gallery Cafe now takes advantage of its location, overlooking a sprawling garden.

The newly rejuvenated Hazelhurst Gallery Cafe is now a place to linger longer.

Art and about
Taking pride of place inside the cafe is a mural by Mulga the Artist that is based on a caricature of the Italian Stallion's Fabio. The character is wearing sunglasses that frame the pass where the chefs peep out onto the floor and it sets the tone of the new cafe, mainlining it with personality. It doesn't matter where you sit, Fabio is there, wearing hot pink frames, glowering at you, challenging you not to be impressed. Watson's notion - to make the gallery cafe a cool place to stay and hang - has paid off. In fact, it's a trademark of his eating houses that you don't want to leave.

Heading them off at the pass is a mural painted by Mulga The Artist.

Perfectly potty
What I really love about the new-look cafe, which was fairly staid in its former life, is that the pensioners in sensible shoes and cardigans feel as welcome as the couples with young kids tumbling about on the lawn next to arty hipsters and locals looking smug that Gymea has lifted its game. It's also fantastic that it's drawing more and more people to the first-rate exhibitions on show in the gallery space next door.

Shear genius - the cafe has been reworked and is now both rustic and refined.

Hello pumpkin
The cafe is an all-day dining affair serving breakfast and lunch until 4pm each day and the menu itself taps into the zeitgeist in that it's food we want to eat. Expect proper ballsy cooking with breakfast options such as Persian pumpkin pancakes, haloumi, dukkah, egg, herbs and Syrian chook or the Big Breakfast Bruschetta, with poached eggs, bacon, herbed mushroom and tomato.

Scones with jam and cream served in pretty terracotta pots.

For all those in-betweeners
There is also an in-between menu with scones with berry jam and double cream served in cute terracota pots and a tempting kids' menu of chicken schnity and chips, quesadilla or fish 'n' chips all served with a nudie popper and seasonal fruit.

House-baked muffins and friands are the order of the day.

Hello ducky
Although the 'cock's signature crispy duck salad, with nectarine, hazelnuts, witlof, watercress, radicchio and vino cotto makes a cameo on the lunch menu, diners are enticed to branch out with solid options such as Tuscan panzanella salad, heirloom tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, crisp bread, baby basil, tomato vinaigrette designed to thrill. As for the reuben sandwich filled with corned beef cooked with golden syrup and malt vinegar, Swiss cheese, pickles, red cabbage and onions? Out. Of. Control.

The reuben sandwich is reason enough to visit the Hazelhurst Gallery Cafe.

There's a song in my art
Hazelhurst Gallery has always been a hot local spot, with major exhibitions, art classes and markets. Now the cafe also deserves attention in its own right, as does James Watson who has made the Shire a better place than when he arrived. Now, head chef Sarah Marsh's ingredient-led menu sits comfortably alongside tidbits 'foraged' from the garden and the mains look like they've riffed with Mulga on how to pull off being a key player.

Breakfast muesli and fresh fruit and yoghurt in a jar ... what a perfectly poised start to the day.

It's elementary, dear Watson
"What I've tried to create is an upbeat, funky modern place to go where the breakfast is good, the lunch is good, the service is good and there are lots of add-on activities in the area. Everything is taking shape and really all I did was capture the goodness in the place ... the bones were there, we've just put some flesh on it," says Watson.

Click go the shears at Hazelhurst Cafe.

The ace of spades
Watson has certainly captured the goodness in the garden cafe in spades. The place is poised and perfect and, like the rest of his restaurants, is lacking in pretension and intent on doing things well rather than being self-absorbed. Add upbeat tunes, a buzzy local vibe and order from a wine list that swaggers around the globe and the result is what Shire locals crave: a gloriously civilised cafe with accomplished chefs delivering food that thrills with the bonus of a garden view. Booyah.

Mulga the Artist has also helped the gallery get its groove on.

Tuck into a tropical fruit pavlova which is bolstered by lemon curd and passionfruit sorbet.

Hazelhurst Gallery Cafe, 782 Kingsway, Gymea, NSW. 2227. For bookings, phone (02) 8536 5755. Open 9am-4pm Mon-Sun.