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Overview
Pairing wine with food has been done near to death. Sure, grilled snapper does taste that bit nicer with a glass of Chardonnay, but more and more Australian kitchens have been offering up beer pairings with fine food — and we're all for the alternative.
Good Food Month is right onto this and, in collaboration with Beer The Beautiful Truth, has enlisted Bar Ume executive chef Kerby Craig — the guy serving up prawn katsu burgers in Surry Hills — and Lion craft beer sommelier Paul Daley to curate a decadent four-course lunch as part of this year's festivities. Each dish will be expertly paired with a different beer, with mouthfeel, aroma and, of course, flavour in mind. The catch? It's a blind tasting. Each dish will be served with a beer in a non-descript glass to let your senses guide you through the courses. The bottle will only be revealed at the end of each course.
Craig's menu for the day will be inspired by contemporary Japanese cuisine but journeys across a vast spectrum of flavours. "I've created food the way I'd want to eat if I was a customer in that setting," he says.
This is not just another excuse for a brew. Craig and Daley highlight that beer is not only for enjoying with pub grub, and that beers fall into brand bias. "We'll often dismiss a brand of beer because it's what our father would drink — but when paired with food, you can see a different side of it," says Daley. We all know lager tastes great with a schnitty, but New Zealand salmon sashimi paired with an Asian dry lager might just be one of the best marriages you'll experience.
Here's a look at the menu Craig and Daley will be serving up on Friday, October 13 at Good Food Month's 2017 hub Hyde Park Palms.
FIRST COURSE: KING SALMON SASHIMI WITH NORI PUREE, CUCUMBER, WASABI AND TAMARI SOY SAUCE
Craig's first meal is a sashimi dish with fresh-from-NZ king salmon. "This type of salmon is only 2 percent similar to other salmon species around the world," says Craig. "It's delicious, oily and fatty. Not the greasy kind, but that tasty, refreshing fat." Building on the concept of salmon sushi, there will also be a seaweed puree underneath the sashimi, with the refreshing addition of cucumber, wasabi, lime and tamari. Tamari is a by-product of the miso fermentation process and results in a darker, thicker sauce to the soy sauce we're familiar with. Due to the fermentation process of miso, it takes a minimum of 18 months to produce. It's known as the most traditional of soy sauces in Japan — traditionally the 'correct' sauce for sashimi.
Beer pairing: Because sashimi is a light and fresh dish, Daley has paired it with a crisp, dry Asian lager. "It plays on the simplicity of the dish, and it's the perfect way to set the tone for the rest of the of the meal," he says. This beer has less body and is reminiscent of sake, both of which are produced in very similar methods. It's also Daley's favourite pairing; it challenges the perception of beer only being suitable for pub food.
SECOND COURSE: CHARCOAL-GRILLED EGGPLANT AND SMOKED LAMB NECK WITH KATSUOBUSHI
"For me, combining beer and umami is a good thing," says Craig. On his many travels to Japan he's developed a strong appreciation for the savoury, which is highlighted in this course. Eggplant is a summer food (keeping in mind that Japanese summer is more like Australian spring), so now is the best time of the year to bring out these flavours. It's charcoal-grilled but aided in flavour by cured Hokkaido lamb shoulder. Lamb is not huge in Japan and it's produced solely in Hokkaido. Cured lamb is similar to a ham, so there's a smoky, saltier taste and the flavour may throw you off slightly. On top, katsuobushi is sprinkled, a commonly eaten seasoning of shaved, dried bonito.
Beer pairing: A golden ale has been chosen to underline this dish. It'll be a bit on the sweet side with caramel malts. "You get a lovely, sweet, toffee flavour, which is complemented by fruity, apricot character from the Amarillo hops," says Daley. The lamb will be saltier than generally expected, due to the curing process, and this will be emphasised by the beer's bold, caramel hops. There will also be a pilsner introduced halfway through this dish, to show a stark contrast between the two beers.
THIRD COURSE: ANGUS FLANK WITH SHISO VERDE, WAGYU-FAT POTATOES, SHIO KOMBU AND A SIDE OF TOMATO SALAD WITH SHISO OIL
You'll indulge in a juicy, roast Angus flank covered in shiso verde, a green sauce taking inspiration from Argentina's chimichurri, or salsa verde. "Our take on the salsa verde is going to make it a really floral-tasting steak," says Craig. "And on the side there will be a tomato salad with lots of nice umami notes in there." There'll also be sprinklings of shio kombu — kelp dried in soy sauce — to provide that extra flavour hit.
Beer pairing: There's an American pale ale involved here. "This beer's hoppy character will bring out interesting herbaceous notes in the steak, and that extra bitterness will cut through the fat in this meal," Daley says. The slight caramel notes in the APA will go well with the Angus.
FOURTH COURSE: DESSERT
Craig hasn't revealed the dessert, however, it will be paired with a dark ale. "I couldn't go past the dark beer with the dessert. It's probably the most inspiring part of the meal for me."
Bar Ume's Love Beer, Have Taste event will take place at Good Food Month's Hyde Park Palms hub at noon on Friday, October 13. Ticket are $70 for four courses paired with brews. For more info or to book tickets, go here.