Fresh Picks for Gowings in June

By Niall Roeder.

Remember how at the start of the year everyone was plastering “New Year, new me” all over Facebook and Instagram. Well, we’re starting a new phrase that is way less annoying and self-absorbed – “new month, new menu”. This month we’ve focussed on single sourced ingredients like celery hearts and red wombok from The Kocanda Family in Richmond and baby granny smith apples from Nashdale Fruit Co. We’ve also added a few newbies to the menu, like the “Hey Blue Eyes” Line Caught Blue Eye Cod Sashimi Carpaccio and the Wood Roasted Free Range Pork Belly “Re-Dux”, which is back by popular demand… but remixed.

Prepare to salivate.

You stagger in off the street after work, it’s cold and wet and you need a hearty winter feed. Something that’ll give you the culinary hug you deserve and remind you that everything’s going to be all right. The ultimate comfort food… this roast pig is that hug.

The wood roasted Berkshire pork belly is filled with a malt bread stuffing, sits on a creamy pillow of Paris mash potatoes and is served with green apple confit (made from the delicious Nashdale apples mentioned earlier). The beauty of this is in its simplicity. It’s traditional apple and roast pork. It’s sage and Parmesan. It’s an old-school sweet and sour flavour tag team. Oh, did I mention this classic dish comes with a bag of crackling and a boatload of black truffle gravy? Yep, your own bag of crackling and gravy boat.

On the side you’ve got the Garden Veggie Super Steam, which is made up of the freshest produce straight from our farmer mates. We get the Siberian kale from Fabrice Rolando in Kanimbla Valley, organic Brussels sprouts from the Bland family in Yetholme, red wombok (much more unusual than the green) from the The Kocanda Family in Richmond and kohlrabi from Muscat Family in Pitt Town. The Super Steam pretty much speaks for itself, then you realise it’s cooked with sesame and black garlic butter and you have one of those “shut-the-front-gate!” moments.

To wash it down, you’re sipping 2004 ‘The Celt’ by Torbreck. This is 100% Shiraz and the vines are cuttings from their selected RunRig vineyards. It’s moreish and rich, without being overwhelming. There are actually only a couple of bottles of this left at Gowings… so get into it.

Finish this mission with a Finger Lime-Coconut-Lemon Custard Tart with buffalo ricotta chantilly, green coconut flesh and coconut ripple gelato. The sourness of the finger lime cuts through the delicious fat in your mouth and proves to be a fresh and fitting ending to the whole ordeal.

Thank you June!