Advanced Australian Fare: How Australian Cooking Became the World's Best

by Stephen Downes

Explored in this book are how and why Australian cooking and restaurants flourished in the second half of the 20th century to become world renowned. This warm, human story is told through the eyes, ears, and palates of the cooks who have put Australian cooking on the map. Written by one of Australia's most controversial food critics, it includes discussions of the multitude of cooking styles and national traditions that both influence and emerge from Australian cooking, including French, Italian, Thai, and Japanese.

Genres: Nonfiction, Australia

372 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Gregory Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Enjoyable Read for the Epicurious

I am a fan of Stephen Downes restaurant reviews from the AFR back in the day. So, it was a no-brainer that I would buy and read this book when I came across it, while looking for books by restaurant reviewers as I seek to up my culinary game (also recommend Table Talk by A.A. Gill). Good reviewers (for movies, plays, restaurants) have (or had - in the days when newspapers still reigned supreme) the power to make or break a restaurant with the power of their pen. That is quite a responsibility and one that should not be undertaken lightly. The beef (no pun intended) with many reviewers is that they could not be successful at their chosen field but can make or break the hardworking, risk-taking folks who put it all on the line. A well-turned phrase can kill, such as his reference to an upmarket Brisbane restaurant that has a dress-code but no food code. Downes knows his stuff and his knowledge shines through - from analyzing the ingredients of a dish to describing the ambience of the dining room.
I was born in the year of the Melbourne Olympics and am a native Melbournian but spent a number of years in Sydney (and nowadays in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York), so it was interesting to learn that the growth in the Melbourne restaurant scene can be traced to the arrival of a number of international chefs to cater to visiting Olympic teams. I was too young to remember the 6 o'clock swill but was interested to learn that it was an oversight in a new Licensing Act passed by Bolte's Liberal government that ushered in the era of the BYO - a wonderful invention!
I recall my father taking a saucepan to the local Chinese eatery for takeaway as a young lad and being impressed by the only restaurant food our expanding family had during my youth. I happen to think Melbourne's restaurants are pretty good and Downes is a bit off the mark in his favouring of the Sydney restaurant scene (spoken like a typical Melbourne boy!). I've eaten at a number of the restaurants he discusses (in both cities, but not Adelaide) and can certainly appreciate how far we've come. I've also had my fair share of lamb roasts, steak dianes, and oysters kilpatrick (generally a long Friday counter lunch) and enjoyed them (or maybe it was the company I enjoyed?).
The back cover of the book notes that Australia is now the epicentre of fine dining - a remarkable achievement given the limited options that were available not so many years ago. Downes shares stories that illustrate the impact of immigration and the ready availability of high quality produce. But he goes one step further and describes how it is not simply a case of chefs coming from European or Asian countries and cooking their local dishes that has put Australia on the culinary map. Rather, it is the impact that Australia has had on their craft - the lifestyle, the openness of the people to new ideas, the fusing of ingredients and techniques from different cultures, the use of new and innovative ingredients and more that has resulted in an "Australian style". I appreciated his anecdotes interspersed throughout the book that provides details on a range of recipes and other minutiae - I came away from the book having learned some things and hope to have a more discerning palate for the rest of my days.

[Lisa]

I don't rate books I don't finish.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

The development of an Australian cooking style was a fascinating topic. Covering the period roughly from the 1956 Melbourne Olympics to the 2000 Sydney Olympics we see Australia's food culture develop from the 6 o'clock swill & oysters kilpatrick to adventurous, experimental fine dining. However, perhaps it was the depth of the subject that lead to my dissatisfaction with this book. It could have given more, I was introduced to chefs & restauranteurs with great stories but was then moved on, a matter of a few pages later. Usually it was a clumsy, contrived segway to the next topic/chef which I generally found irritating and unnecessary, should have just moved on rather than bothered with the weak links. I was also irritated by the flimsy anecdotes frequently interrupting the main "story". Nothing terribly wrong in what was said in them but generally their connection to the topic wasn't strong and I didn't want the interruption. I think the book was strongest when Stephen Downes' opinions were not dominant; it was clear who his favourites were and I found his treatment of some restaurants & chefs overly harsh. Maybe I was just insulted as a Melbournian as he dismissed our dining scene in favour of Sydney! On balance though, while I might have some issues with the structure of the book, it was a rich subject & an interesting read. Worth a go.