(We suspect a certain MasterChef episode may have helped.)Īt Sofitel Adelaide’s modern fine-diner Garcon Bleu, chef Gianni Delogu sends out a starter of “House-cured salmon fume” under a glass cloche, but that’s not the only trick up his sleeve.

The cloche – usually made from silver or glass – is a throwback to the days of classical French fine dining, and just like that other throwback, gueridon (tableside) service, it’s finding new favour in contemporary dining circles. Thrill your diners by sending out a dish under a fancy cover and wait for the oohs and aahs as you do the big reveal. Garcon Bleu’s starter of “House-cured salmon fume” with fragrant wreaths of smoke wafting out as the glass cloche is lifted. Glass cloche, Garcon Bleu, Sofitel Adelaide

“Chef Yip would like to thank Gilbert for all the guidance and support he’s given since we’ve launched,” Wu says.īenyue Kitchen, 365 Buckley Street, Aberfeldie, Victoria. But the locals aren’t the only ones lending their support. “We chose Aberfeldie because we could see there were not many Asian restaurants in this part of Melbourne.”Įarly word on the food is good and Wu says bookings at the smart casual 80-seater (currently 60-seater) have been solid since opening. “It’s true, we’re another family kitchen,” she says. “About 70 per cent of our menu is from Lau’s,” says Shuna Wu, chef Yip’s sister, who with other family members is “helping out” on the floor. And they’ve brought many of the Lau’s hit dishes with them: Peking duck, scallop siu mai, lamb spring rolls and more. After spending several months looking for a site, Lau’s longtime chef Yip Wu and three of his kitchen team quietly opened their own place, Benyue Kitchen, across town in Aberfeldie late last year. With lauded restaurateur Gilbert Lau giving no indication of a Lau’s Mark II, it looked like the end of an era for an eatery widely regarded as the casual neighbourhood version of Flower Drum.īut there is good news. The kitchen team from Lau’s Family Kitchen have opened their own restaurant, Benyue Kitchen.įans of St Kilda institution Lau’s Family Kitchen were bereft when the Cantonese restaurant closed abruptly last March after 15 years. Here are just a few to get excited about. New ventures, new products, new initiatives, even new tricks, from those chefs and restaurateurs who, despite absurd restrictions and ridiculous pressures, are managing to get on with the show. What with all the curveballs being thrown at restaurants from Adelaide to Brisbane right now, anyone could be forgiven for wanting to cancel January and start 2022 all over again.īehind the headlines, though, there are hopeful signs.

Made with lau siu mai