Hunter Valley winery Harkham is this week opening a restaurant next to its cellar door.
Owner and winemaker Richie Harkham worked with restaurateur Marco Ambrosino and newly appointed Harkham head chef Shaun Nash (ex-Cutler and Co) on the menu, which is designed to be shared. Sous chef Robin Clough has worked at Michelin-starred restaurants in Germany and London as well as Vue de Monde and Quay.
"For years I have dreamed and planned for this new restaurant and I am so excited to see it finally coming to life," Harkham said.
Shaun Nash said the menu had been paired with Harkham wines, citing as an example the Nolan Beef Skirt, "which sees rich, beefy flavour and tender texture meet Aziza Shiraz's bold, fruity and spicy profile. The shiraz's robust tannins and dark fruit notes complement the savoury and slightly charred flavours of the beef, while its acidity balances the meat's richness, creating a harmonious blend of flavours".
Harkham's restaurant officially opens on Thursday, July 18, and will be open from noon to 5pm on Thursdays, noon to 11pm on Fridays, 8am to 11pm on Saturdays, and 8am to 6pm on Sundays.
You can read more about Harkham's restaurant in Saturday's Weekender.
Chef in national finals
Maitland Vale chef Ashleigh Handsaker has backed up her Brett Graham Scholarship win last year with a Nestlé Golden Chef's Hat Award.
Last week she won the Newcastle and Hunter Region cook-off and will now progress to the Nestlé Golden Chef's Hat Award Grand Final at Melbourne's Fine Food Australia Expo in September.
The 21-year-old, who joined the Muse Restaurant team four months ago after five years at Fratelli Roma in Maitland, had two-and-a-half hours to prepare and present one main course and one dessert.
She impressed the judges with her roast chicken and Swiss Brown mushrooms dish (with coffee cream, pepper berry pangratatto, poached leeks, Swiss chard salad and jus gras). For dessert she plated up a set chocolate cream with rosella poached rhubarb, rhubarb sherry gel, and a white chocolate and macadamia nut crumb with fresh thyme.
Ashleigh has competed in four Golden Chef's Hat Award cook-offs and made it to the national finals on three occasions.
Australian Culinary Federation President for NSW, ACT and Regions, Julio Azzarello, said the cook-off was "an exceptional display of the local area's culinary talent".
"All of this year's Newcastle participants should be extremely proud of the creative, highly skilled and delicious meals that were prepared. We were especially bowled over by Ashleigh's dishes. Both her main and her dessert were well balanced and beautifully executed."
Ashleigh has yet to visit chef Brett Graham at The Ledbury as part of last year's scholarship win, saying she postponed it in order to chase her "dream job" at Muse ("I went from a small family-owned restaurant, making homely comfort food, to fine dining at a hatted restaurant. It was a massive jump").
Being a chef - or working in hospitality - isn't for everyone but she enjoys the challenge.
"It's a lot of hard work and a lot of people can't do it, for example, out of all the people I went to TAFE with, I'm the only chef left. They all dropped out," she said.
"You have to have a lot of drive and passion and determination, and be prepared to make sacrifices. Not many people realise what a small social life you have as a chef!"
Ashleigh, who completed her TAFE studies in July 2023, recommends chefs enter as many competitions as possible: "In the workplace you are cooking what you are told to cook by your boss, but in the competitions you can cook what you want to cook and showcase who you are as a chef. You can express yourself. You get a lot of feedback from a lot of talented chefs and judges, and it helps you grow as a chef and gain confidence."
Nightcaps & Beats
I stopped by Belmont 16s last week to check out Nightcaps & Beats, a new late night offering at Martha Drink & Dine throughout the winter months. There's a resident DJ and the bar is open but there's also a Nightcaps & Beats menu you can order from featuring a Vin Brulee (red wine, star anise, cinnamon, sugar and dehydrated orange), Warmed Buttered Rum (dark rum, buttermilk, cinnamon) and Hot Toddy (whisky, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon), with nibbles included. If the Hot Toddy doesn't warm you up, there are flame heaters outside on the terrace overlooking Lake Macquarie and a stack of blankets. Nightcaps & Beats is on Fridays from 9pm to midnight. Check it out.
Short & sweet
Wollongong's Meat & Grain Steakhouse is opening a restaurant at Honeysuckle soon.
Habesha Ethiopian Restaurant at The Junction is closing on July 28 after 10 years in business.
Flatfish Cafe at Wickham has an open day this Saturday, July 20, and will offer a full bar service as well as balcony and indoor dining upstairs at Peibri Place.
Vincent St Kitchen + Bar at Cessnock is hosting a five-course, wine paired degustation dinner on Tuesday, August 27, with Drayton's Wines. Tickets are $99.
Pampa Flame's Brazilian BBQ menu is available at Pokolbin Cider House on Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 4pm.
