DOWN UNDER DINING

Aussie cuisine has far more to offer than you’d think, says Joanna Taylor

If coffee and avocado toast are the first things that spring to mind, you’re not necessarily wrong. At London’s Aussie staples such as Granger & Co, which found it’s fifth home in Marylebone a few weeks ago; Milk Beach (a third branch is now open in Queens Park); Lantana and the Daisy Green empire, the green fruit is served with love and a well-crafted brew more often than one can blink. However, according to Milk Beach founder, Elliot Milne, there is much more to the cuisine than brunch and a good old-fashioned ‘barbie’. ‘Australia is full of immigrants, especially from South East Asia and Europe, which each have had a significant impact on the cuisine. The beauty of Australian cooking is that there are very few rules, creativity thrives and the result is a fabulous mixture of dishes from around the world.’

Bill Granger, who founded his first restaurant nearly 30 years ago, agrees. ‘From WWII, with waves of immigration and the abolition of the white Australia policy, the country embraced and developed food much more suited to our climate and lifestyle.’ The result? Milne advocates for the Vietnamese-inspired BBQ pork rib dumplings with pho ga consommé and his Japanese take on chicken schnitzel, known as ‘The ‘Schnitty’, which he says ‘is at every pub in Australia’. Meanwhile at Granger & Co you’ll also find Bill’s own coconut curry with Chinese choi sum and holy basil, alongside röstis and Japaneseinspired soba noodles with avocado, edamame, daikon and green kimchi. Time for a walkabout...