A Different Way Of Dining

Illawarra Mercury

Wednesday July 19, 2006

KILMENY ADIE

An entree, main and dessert is so passe. These days dining is all about degustation. KILMENY ADIE samples what's on offer.

It is late on a Saturday afternoon and Peter Shepherd is hard at work in his kitchen putting the finishing touches on that evening's meal.

His restaurant, Caveau, will tonight host its monthly degustation menu and Shepherd is making sure the combination of dishes he has in mind come together in reality. It's a ritual he conducts each time the Wollongong restaurant holds such a dinner.

Put simply, degustation is a several-course meal of tasting dishes which are chosen by a chef because they compliment one another and together take the diner on a culinary journey. These meals are usually accompanied by specially chosen wines.

"I look forward to a degustation menu because it gives me the opportunity to try something different and it's always interesting to see how things go down," Shepherd says.

"I also can do things on a degustation menu I can't do on a normal a la carte night. For example a suckling pig on a degustation menu works well if 40 people are coming to have it.

"But on an a la carte night I don't know how many people are or aren't (going to have it and could) end up with a huge amount of wastage."

Degustation menus also lend themselves to a different type and style of food which appeals to could the more adventurous diners.

"Generally the people who go out for degustation are people already interested in food. We can end up with a whole restaurant who is interested and excited about food rather than simply a quick meal," Shepherd says.

Degustation has been a regular fixture of Caveau's menu since the award-winning fine dining restaurant opened its doors in 2004 and, in that time, the selection of dishes have never been repeated.

In contrast, is Addison's Seafood Grill and Bar in Shellharbour - a relative newcomer to degustation.

The restaurant, which has collected a swag of awards over the years, has twice offered degustation on the last Friday of each month. It's a monthly ritual co-owner Alex Spasevski says will continue.

Spasevski says the degustation dinner not only broadens the restaurant's customer base but utilises the level of skills its chefs have in the kitchen.

"The customers appreciate the different styles of food and the explanations by the staff who (share) the process of making the dish. It's good learning and knowledge for staff and customers," he says.

The meals included in degustation at his restaurant are not strictly seafood-oriented; red meat dishes, like beef, lamb and veal, are offered with a selection of Australian and international wines.

Speed is not an issue during a degustation meal and, Spasevski says, the whole experience generally lasts about three-and-a-half hours.

"What's excellent with degustation is the early courses are smaller and they get larger as the night goes on. With wine, it can be a substantial meal with a lot of variety involved," he says.

"The flavours balance each other."

Back in Wollongong, Lorenzo Pagnan is very familiar with degustation; he has had a tasting menu available in his eatery opposite Caveau, since he moved his restaurant from Bulli in 1999.

He says his chef's selection has three or four courses and, depending on how much customers want to spend, can have food matched with wine.

"It's popular in the fact that people like to taste different things rather than just sit there and have an entree and then wait for the main course to come along," Pagnan, who has won "hats" nine times in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide awards, says.

"We pick four of what we think are well-combined entrees and serve them shared on the centre of the table. Then we do the same with the main and dessert meals.

"We think it showcases our cooking at its best. And, as a table, people get to taste 14-15 different dishes rather than one entree, a main and a dessert. It's much more exciting and there's an element of surprise."

Pagnan says a successful tasting menu does rely on the customers trusting the expertise in the kitchen but it was a rewarding experience for all involved.

Trust, agrees Eschalot's Tony Capps, is vital for successful degustation menus. The Bowral restaurant opened three years ago and initially degustation was not listed on their menu and only offered to special clients in packages.

But, he says, when other diners saw what was happening in the private room or at functions, questions started being asked and degustation became a permanent fixture.

"It's a great reflection of the menu and it's a way the chef can showcase their talents. It makes it interesting for the staff because basically every night it changes here and we write it according to what is in season," Capps says.

"It's done in a way that the diner doesn't end up with three hits of food. They end up with seven or eight courses but they don't feel stuffed. They feel full and satisfied."

Satisfaction is a feeling familiar to Shepherd who has yet another degustation menu under his belt and one to plan again next month.

His parents instilled a love of food in him at a young age as their family holidays were spent on trips though France and Spain.

It is a passion he sees reflected in his restaurant's patrons thanks to the diverse number of people who enjoy the monthly foodie celebrations.

"It is overall a huge cross-section," he says.

"Some nights they all seem to be young, some nights they're all old but overall it's a huge cross-section. The youngest has been about eight, the oldest well into their 70s."

Upcoming degustations will be held at Caveau on July 22, Addison's Seafood Grill and Bar on July 27. It is always available at both Lorenzo's Diner and Eschalot.

© 2006 Illawarra Mercury

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