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Seasonally Affected Orders: Changing Menus to Suit the Year |
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Monday, 04 May 2009 |
As winter extends its frosty fingers toward our plates and gardens, George Dunford takes a look at how shifting seasons, both agricultural and economic, are casting their shadows on Australian menus.
In France, fruits rouges ('red fruits' or berries) signal the start of spring as clearly as any other blossoming fruit tree or temperature change. Berries are swirled into sorbets or brighten soufflés as a sign that the summer can't be far off. Berries on Australian menus at the moment are a big ask as they move out of season and exchange rates make importation pricier. It's from French cuisine that the seasonal menu originates, with three months defined for each season, but the same clear cut seasons don't translate for some Australian restaurateurs.
"The whole three month season thing I don't really agree with, because you've got ingredients coming in and out through that whole period," opines Chris Golding, head chef at O'Connell's Centenary Hotel, a South Melbourne gastro-pub. Seasonality is important to O'Connell's, with their billboard that highlights their warm fire in winter and sun umbrellas in summer. Rather than strict seasons, Golding reckons "menus evolve every couple of weeks, so for us it's about having a good relationship with our buyers." Golding sends his apprentices to the nearby South Melbourne Market to source freshness and prices so they bring back menu ideas based on seasonality.
The globalised market has made produce available year round — if you don't mind sourcing your apples from Burundi rather than Batlow. But as diners are counting their food miles and wanting to sample local produce, knowing where your product comes from is an even more essential part of the job description. And the price of importing is tougher when the Aussie dollar takes a tumble. According to Golding, "the key to being a chef is being able to source things at the right time when they're at their best."
As winter creeps in, dishes get heavier and diners look for carb-heavy comfort and stodgy meat dishes. Golding, however, likes to keep his menu breezy. "My favourite time is winter," Golding says. "We're using a lot of pears and apples and doing some wood-roasted chestnuts, and we like to have a lighter dish like a carpaccio tuna with pomegranate and orange oil." But with its large menu, O'Connell's can afford to offer a hearty steak for the winter warmer crowd. For a smaller café there's less room to move with a seasonal menu.
 Margaret Azzopardi and her husband own and operate Made, a thriving café in Flemington. Reviews use euphemisms like 'cosy' and 'intimate' to describe the space, so they can't afford to reduce their seating with a freezer. "It keeps us honest because we have to keep everything fresh, so it's not such a bad thing," Azzopardi says.
Like many cafes, Made does a roaring breakfast-brunch trade with its South American-inspired menu. Their whole menu is based on what's fresh. As Azzopardi says, "We look at what time of year we're in and that determines a lot of what we use. At some point we brought in an avocado toastie because the avocados are at their best right now. We've brought the avocado into our full breakfast as well." Being dependent on seasonality can mean re-thinking menu favourites. "At the moment coriander is terrible so we've had to omit coriander from a lot of dishes, which is hard for us because it's a big part of a lot of things we do."
Although they change menus every three months, Made keeps it simple: "if it's hot it's summer and if it's cold it's winter". Like Golding, Made plans their menu based on the market. "We don't rely on a supplier to come to us," Azzopardi explains, "because the market's the only way to keep abreast of what you're actually receiving."
Outside of their menu, Azzopardi bakes cakes and slices daily, based on what's in season. The secret weapon is Azzopardi's mum, who is "of wog heritage and has a lot of fruit trees so a lot of the fruit is from her garden, and you can't get any fresher than that". They preserve fruit to use throughout the year, but their coffee crowd appreciate a slice of seasonality with their java. Made's coffee sales react to any drop in the mercury as Azzopardi sees when "the weather starts to get colder, instantly my coffee sales go up." They also bring in soups to warm in the coldest weather. Some dishes, however, are perennial. Made's beans with chorizo is, according to Azzopardi, "so popular even on the stinking hot days we just can't get it off the menu," while at O'Connell's their front bar would riot without the famous burger.
While freshness is crucial, financial markets — as much as produce markets — are currently ruling menus and diner's wallets. "All our suppliers have put the prices up on us, which could be to do with the economic downturn or the drought. It all plays a part," Azzopardi says. Golding is optimistic, calling it an 'exciting' time for chefs as they have to be more creative and thrifty. He cites the example of using as much of the pig as possible with pork belly, terrines, stock from bones and anything else to keep the cost per plate down. Golding recalls that "a few years ago everyone was going for the high end cuts of meat, but now they still want to eat out — but not spend as much previously." The Global Financial Crisis may see us dining from our own backyard and returning to eating local produce as recession-proofing a restaurant means looking closely at the where and when of ingredients.
George Dunford
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