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A Culinary Adventure of Australia’s Finest Food and Wine

Today, Condé Nast Traveler's Matt Ortile is joined in Australia by Gayle Kabaker, artist for The New Yorker, to undertake an adventure of the country’s finest food, wine, and coffee. Whether you’re fine dining overlooking the Sydney Opera House or enjoying locally sourced seafood in Tasmania, Australia has a thriving culinary scene waiting to be discovered.

Released on 11/26/2024

Transcript

[upbeat music]

As a travel editor, I visit Australia over and over again,

because each time is always different and exciting.

For this trip, I'm traveling with an artist

for The New Yorker, Gayle Kabaker.

Artists are naturally curious travelers,

and I wanna see this place I know and love through her eyes.

See you in Sydney in the morning.

Come and say g'day with us.

[upbeat music]

They say, dress for the job you want.

[Matt laughing]

After a luxurious and relaxing flight with Qantas,

Gayle and I wake up in Sydney,

refreshed and ready to explore.

Good morning. Good morning.

Welcome. Good morning.

[Aunty Margret] To the land of Gadigal people.

[Matt] We head to Hickson Road Reserve in The Rocks

for a Welcome to Country ceremony led by Aunty Margret,

Aboriginal elder and guide.

This is a really special way to be welcomed

to the story of Australia.

[Matt speaking foreign language]

It immediately connects us with the 65,000-year-old culture

that's still alive today.

From our grandfathers who carried this sacred fire,

that's the story of that intelligence up there today.

Thank you very much.

[Matt speaks foreign language] Thank you.

[Matt] I'm feeling really moved, are you?

Very moved and very excited, visually.

The idea of traveling, giving myself permission

to draw whatever I want, so exciting.

Travel helps you see things differently

and I love that. Yes, yes.

[bright music]

[Matt] Dinner is at Quay.

It's one of the world's best restaurants

with the world's best view. Wow.

We have a beautiful, kind of celebration of spring

and Australian ingredients.

For you sir, we have a wild fallow deer venison,

and for you we have roasted Maitake mushrooms.

On top is all kind of heirloom greens

that we get grown for Quay by Newcastle Greens

from the coast of New South Wales.

This is so gorgeous. Thank you very much.

It's almost the way that I think of a painting

as a composition of light, and dark, and value.

It's like a palette I would paint in.

It's so beautiful, I can't wait to paint it.

Oh my god. Oh my god.

Chef Peter actually has a farm in Tasmania.

Gayle and I are actually going to Tasmania very soon.

It's an amazing place to grow food.

[Gayle and Matt] Whoa.

[Gayle] Amazing.

Oh my goodness, mmm.

Next stop. Tasmania.

There are so many places

to enjoy incredible food in Australia,

but I wanted to take Gayle

to a spot that's becoming known as one of the most exciting

and creative culinary destinations in the world

for talented young chefs.

[Analiese] Hi, welcome to Tasmania.

[Matt] Analiese Gregory is one of these chefs.

So what's your order? Flat white.

Flat white. Very Australian.

Yeah.

Australia is the birthplace of the flat white,

a simple blend of espresso and steamed milk

that just hits different here.

So Analiese, I'm curious.

There's been this culinary renaissance here,

and you're a big part of that.

Why did you choose to build your culinary life here?

Tassie definitely, like, punches above its weight

Right. in the culinary sense

for its size.

I think it's a combination of the cold climate,

things grow slowly, there's a lot of, like, small farmers

doing really great work.

Everything really just tastes of what it's meant to.

Where are we going next?

I'm gonna take you to a local favorite,

which is Lucinda Wine Bar,

and then we're gonna head down to the country

to do some foraging and maybe even get in the ocean.

Wow. Oh, that's so exciting.

I can't wait. Lucinda Wine Bar

has a wonderful array of local wines.

Ooh. It's a good noise.

[Matt] Is it a good noise?

We got a little Chardonnay.

Cheers. Cheers.

Cheers. Cheers, guys.

Thank you. You're welcome.

Oh my God. Good?

We got some oysters from Boomer Bay.

It's about 40 minutes away.

That's the taste of the Tasmanian Ocean

and that's how like clean and briny and beautiful it is.

I feel the same way about a lot of the produce around here.

It's like, you know, you're tasting the environment.

You know, on that note, it feels like,

with Australia's diversity of culinary landscapes,

you know, you have the great restaurants of Sydney,

the coffee culture of Melbourne, here in Tassie

with all this fresh produce-

I mean everywhere, because Australia climatically

and landscape wise is so diverse and so different,

there's all these pockets of great things everywhere.

That's sort of how I view Australia.

[Matt] We head out to forage with Analiese

in the Huon Valley.

So what are you looking for out here, Analiese?

Kind of whatever might be around,

gray saltbush, which lives by the ocean and some kunzea.

Yeah, so this is very tea tree esque.

Oh, yeah. This is just soft

and delicious to use in things.

Well, in addition to the beautiful herbs,

what are we having tonight?

This could be a good spot to dive for abalone.

So I'm gonna put my wetsuit on and go have a look.

[Matt] Good luck.

Well, we managed to fossick up some dinner from the ocean.

Absolutely. That is amazing.

It's so beautiful.

It seems absolutely incredible

that you just swam for your dinner

and you're cooking it now.

And this is the life that you have manifested

and created for yourself.

And here we are.

So these are scallops with wild wakame butter

cooked on the fire.

Fantastic.

And then this is a green garlic aioli

made with the spring garlic.

Also, while I was diving, I found some sea urchins.

Are you interested to try some fresh sea urchin?

That's a yes. I will.

I will get some scissors.

And the best way I like to clean them

is also in the seawater.

Straight out of the ocean at the bottom of the world.

Oh my God. Can't beat that either.

So that's what that's supposed to taste like.

Mm. What a find.

Salty, briny ocean, mmm.

I'm kind of at a loss for words.

I'm actually feeling a little teary.

I wasn't sure if that was the smoke from the fire.

[Matt and Gayle laughing]

No, it's not the smoke.

I feel like my eyes have been opened in a way today

of experiencing food that it relates to how I paint.

It's the colors, it's the presentation, it's the process.

[Matt] This is so incredibly special.

Only here in Australia, can we feel this altogether.

Well, cheers. Cheers.

My big takeaway is that no matter what your passion is,

Australia is the place that allows you

to connect with it in a deeper way.

Next, stop. Kangaroo Island.