map magazine's street editors » Food

THE LARDER BOX

map magazine — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:02:29 +0000

Imagine having the time to hunt down and discover a new, locally made delicious product each month that would enhance your recipe repertoire and spice up your go-to foods. Now measure out five of these products and add a pinch of ‘delivered to your desk’, and that’s what The Larder Box is offering the denizens of London. This monthly subscription service handpicks the latest foodie delights from local producers, supporting small business and broadening your palate with creative new flavour combinations and innovative offerings from the gourmet world. From the team behind online farmers market Love Your Larder, The Larder Box encourages discovering new tastes and meals as well as highlighting local fare. We have our fingers crossed that this new UK venture is a great success and expands across borders and oceans, so we can all add a little Womersley’s award-winning blackcurrant vinegar to our lives.

ALWAYS WITH BUTTER

map magazine — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:05:46 +0000

The film Julie & Julia follows Julie Powells’ memoir in cooking each of the 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Recording her culinary adventures in blog form within a year’s deadline, the story is one of inspiration, leaving you with quite the appetite for French fare. Another Julie has now, too, found comfort and success after 365 days of baking and blogging. When Julie Marie Craig, 23, graduated from her photography degree she was at a loss for what to do next. So she baked. And baked, and baked. Watching Julie & Julia one night sparked San Francisco-based Julie’s need to start her own blog, putting her beloved photography skills back to use. Just like Julie Powell, the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, made anything possible. Now weekdays are spent baking at a cupcakery, with weekends left to source fresh, local produce and bake up creations for Always With Butter. Julie’s photography is riveting, and even the slightest peek at this online wonder will invigorate tastebuds and stimulate the desire to reach for the wooden spoon.

SAKE SET CREATOR

map magazine — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:01:43 +0000

Once known as ‘the drink of the gods’, sake is Japan’s most famous alcoholic beverage. An industry equal in popularity to the famed rice wine is the production of the vessels from which to drink it. Usually found in ceramic form, cute little sake sets are almost a requisite souvenir when making a trip to Japan. For those who would prefer to try their hand at creating their own sake set, there’s a 21^st-century solution that doesn’t require you to get your hands dirty. The Sake Set Creator from Shapeways allows you to create your own sake set using 3D computer modelling. You can customise your cups and sake flute according to smoothness, twist and size and then order your bespoke set in food safe 3D printed ceramic.

NEXT: CHILDHOOD

Yen Trinh — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 11:59:50 +0000

If Junior Masterchef is kids playing as chefs, then ‘Next: Childhood’, is chefs playing as kids. Next is an innovative restaurant in Chicago that is reinventing childhood classics like peanut butter and jelly, chicken soup, mac and cheese, Jell-O and hot chocolate. The dining experience features fun elements like 80’s lunchboxes with Knight Rider and Strawberry Shortcake and a “campfire” to end the desserts. Next changes its menu themes every 3 months, and previous themes have included “Paris 1906” and “Tour of Thailand”. The childhood theme seems like it would be the most fun for both diners and chefs. The executive chef, Dave Beran, said, ”we’re trying to find those triggers that have that sense of wonder, sense of discovery, the idea that when you’re small, everything seems big”. If you can’t get to Chicago, Brisbanites can discover something similar at Esquire, where they have an equally imaginative ‘Popcorn’ dessert.

CHEESE PENCILS

map magazine — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:00:24 +0000

Aside from beautiful landscape and the history that engulfs it, many European nations are united in their appreciation of fine dining and culinary delights. Germans, although perhaps most renowned their love of bratwurst, sauerkraut and, of course, lager, are also popular cheese producers. The cheese pencil, a novelty product courtesy of advertising agency Kolle Rebbe, comes complete with sharpener-style grater and offers Parmesan in three flavours – truffles, pesto and chilli. Much like sharpening a favourite pencil, gourmands can cover their food in cheese with a mere flick of the wrist. Proving that the love of cheese is universal, the limited run of 500 sets sold out in just two weeks. The design itself was awarded a Silver Lion at Cannes, leaving many advertising savants wondering why they didn’t think of such a simple idea first.

THE GLASS TEA KETTLE

map magazine — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:00:01 +0000

Perhaps it’s due to our English heritage, or a childhood fascination with Alice in Wonderland but, regardless, there’s no doubt that we are a nation of devoted tea drinkers. Whether yours is short and stout, or tall and svelte, almost every kitchen is home to a kettle. The Glass Tea Kettle is a transparent, heatproof tea-lab that adds a touch of ingenuity into the daily grind of simply flicking a switch and waiting aimlessly around the jug. The inspiring idea, which was motivated by a desire for greener living, allows tea connoisseurs to marvel at the energetic dance of boiling water whilst waiting to fill their cup. Although the aroma and taste remains the same, from start to boil, the glass kettle provides a visionary masterpiece that brings a new insight into the process of making tea.

OPEN LETTER TO THE CHEFS OF TOMORROW

map magazine — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 01:40:55 +0000

We are fortunate to live in a corner of the world that has a bountiful supply of fresh produce, talented chefs and delectable eateries. From large family dinners to savouring a sneaky sweet treat, or dining on a feast of organic produce, there is no denying that food is more than simply a necessity for survival, and that each morsel elicits an emotional response. Realising the power of food, as well as the importance of sustainability, members of the International Advisory Board of the Basque Culinary Center recently wrote a letter entitled An Open Letter to the Chefs of Tomorrow, asking all future chefs to work towards creating meals that nourish the mind, soul and body. In the letter, the group of chefs (which includes Yukio Hattori, Massimo Bottura, Michel Bras, René Redzepi, Gaston Acurio, Dan Barber and Heston Blumenthal) asks for the Earth’s resources to be preserved through the use of sustainable practices. The body of chefs also asks all future chefs to recognise and respect the important connection between food and culture, and to promote education about healthy eating. And ultimately, the open letter asks each chef to cook with authenticity and use their own moral compass a guide through life.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE SQUARE

Libby Davis — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 23:00:33 +0000

Sometimes an idea will blossom out of a practical need – a craving for change, or a quest to try something different. Other ideas are born out of a desire to explore possibilities, or an attempt to turn a dream into reality. Whilst brainstorming, planning and dreaming are useful tools when it comes to the ideas-making process, in some cases, the best ideas are the ones that are born out a simple desire to experience something fun. Created as a celebratory nod to the inventor of the Rubik’s Cube, this birthday cake was born out of an idea to celebrate Hungarian-born Ernő Rubik‘s 67th year. Flavoured with grated lemon rind, orange rind and almond essence, the cake is both a culinary and creative approach to thinking outside the square.

Image courtesy of Stasty.com

AC/DC WINE

James Frostick — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 02:22:31 +0000

After living life on the edge for most of their stellar careers, AC/DC have decided to mellow out a little and try their hand at wine making. One of the highest-grossing bands of all time, the rock group is putting out a range to hopefully satisfy all tastes. Interested? Well with names such as Back In Black Shiraz, Highway to Hell Cabernet Sauvignon and You Shook Me All Night Long Moscato, they will be hard to miss. The rockers teamed up with NSW-based winery Warburn Estate for the nationwide release.

GOJEE

Melinda Halloran — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 02:16:36 +0000

Not sure what to make for dinner? Even the most inspired chefs can hit a culinary road block from time to time. When you are looking to turn cheese and bread into something a little more exciting than cheese on toast, Gojee can help. A recipe search engine with a unique twist, Gojee creates customised recipe suggestions for its users. After entering what ingredients they have on hand into the search engine, the site generates a list of beautifully photographed suggestions that are sure to make empty bellies rumble.

SPOONPLUS

map magazine — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 23:00:05 +0000

As a train laden with sushi and other Japanese indulgences whizzes past, an important decision must be made – do you choose the sashimi or a freshly steamed dumpling? As you finish your feast and depart from the restaurant, inevitably a new stream of patrons will look to the same sushi train to sate their ravenous appetites. While this is great for business, when you think about how many disposable plastic spoons and chopsticks are thrown away at Asian restaurants each day, it is easy to image a towering pile of waste. A creation that halves the size of that pile is Spoonplus by product designer Aïssa Logerot. Playfully described by the designer as the tale of when spoon met chopsticks, the three-in-one creation can be used as a spoon, a set of chopsticks, or the spoon can be detached from the chopsticks and used as a dish for dipping treats soy sauce.

AWESOME FOOD GRANTS

Melinda Halloran — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 05:09:09 +0000

Do you have an awesome idea about how we can better grow vegetables? Maybe you have a delicious collection of superfood recipes waiting to be published in a cookbook? The Awesome Food Foundation is giving away microgrants of $1,000 to help kick start innovative food ideas across the globe. Applications close August 5.

THE SECRETS OF EL BULLI

Mikki Brammer — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:27:41 +0000

Photography copyright Francesc Guillamet. One of the world’s most coveted restaurants, Ferran Adria’s elBulli in Spain is also one of the most intriguing, with only 8000 guests per year being offered the chance to dine in its lauded dining room. As elBulli makes the move from Michelin-starred gourmet paragon to culinary academy (set to open in 2014), here is a fascinating look behind the scenes from filmmaker Marcus Gaab.

POST PROHIBITION

map magazine — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 07:00:18 +0000

Before shiny cocktail bars and sickly sweet alcoholic beverages came the roaring twenties – an era of intriguing juxtaposition and contradiction that played a key role in the refining of the art of cocktail making. If you were to travel back in time to America in the 1920s, you would find yourself in a time of both refined elegance and sleaziness, prohibition and underground speakeasy bars, bootleg liquor and classy cocktails. Despite operating under the rule of prohibition from 1918 to 1933, there was always a martini and a good time to be had a speakeasy bar during this period. Seeking to revive the mysterious atmosphere of these bars, Post Prohibition is an online collection of cocktails liqueur recipes reminiscent of this era. With no Screwdriver or Cosmopolitan recipes to be found, the site brims with thoughtful creations, including the Carmen Miranda and the Satin Doll.

LOVE STORY IN MILK

map magazine — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:00:53 +0000

As love begins to blossom, a new couple will stop at nothing to grab a few precious seconds together. As flirtatious glances and quirky facts about childhood and favourite foods are exchanged the infatuation steadily deepens. Unfortunately for many star-crossed lovers, the puppy-love phase doesn’t get a chance at a happy-ever-after ending. The latest pair of lovers to join the ranks of Romeo and Juliet is an unassuming pair of milk bottles. A tragic tale that sees one milk bottle bound for the recycling depot while its partner is sent off to the rubbish tip, Love Story in Milk was created after a team of environmental activists realised that a love story was easier to digest than a convoluted list of statistics. The aim of the film is to raise awareness of just how much unnecessary waste is deposited into the United Kingdom’s landfill each year.

FOOD FURNITURE

map magazine — Thu, 19 May 2011 07:01:06 +0000

A run-of-the-mill workday for a furniture designer might often consist of choosing the right materials to work with, browsing over the usual suspects, from moulded plywood, wicker or rattan, to cast iron or stainless steel. All tangible and solid, conventional furniture materials are a world away from the delicate shavings of a zucchini, the slight curve of a broad bean, or the sugared surface of a doughnut. For New York-based culinary creative team Pinch Food Design, ‘food furniture’ is a both a design challenge and an overarching passion. Groundbreaking, slightly mind-bending and intricate, the food-furniture concept infuses the food design and catering industry with state-of-art precision, a penchant for immaculate presentation, and above all, a truly creative approach to savouring delectable edible treats.

SPINNING TOP SHAKERS

map magazine — Thu, 05 May 2011 06:01:45 +0000

Mealtimes move like clockwork: breakfast, lunch, dinner and again. The ritual and repetition of meal times inspired artist Christopher Stiles in his play on traditional salt and pepper shakers. Made from twice-fired porcelain and natural cork stoppers, the shakers twirl, roll, wobble and spin, not only working as well as any traditional spinning top, but mimicking the routine of meals. Christopher first noticed the beauty of handmade objects while studying abroad in England. A gallery was selling hand-blown glass ornaments and the sculptures inspired him to express his artistic ability and ideas through self-made pieces. He later gained a bachelor’s degree in fine art, with a focus on ceramics from California State University. After graduation, and an apprenticeship with a master mold maker, he began his career in ceramic sculpture.

THE FOLLY, LONDON

map magazine — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:00:50 +0000

In the novel The Secret Garden, the health of a pair of sickly British children is restored after they spend some time frolicking in a hidden garden. Today, Londoners needing a break from an urban lifestyle can seek refuge within the walls of the nature-inspired restaurant, The Folly. A modern-day secret garden, The Folly is a place where visitors can take a little time to rest, relax and reconnect with their natural side. Within The Folly is a garden lounge, flower shop, floral wallpaper and motifs, a deli, and a number of dining areas serving local produce to reconnect the experience of enjoying fresh, nutritious produce with the natural environment. Visitors are encouraged to continue their natural therapy by taking home and planting a packet of flower seeds.

‘SHIPS AHOY’

map magazine — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:51 +0000

For some, the presence of an octopus on one’s dinner plate is not the most appetising concept.  The same can be said for a school of flying fish  or an erudite whale – unless, that is, such sea-dwellers are present in illustrated form rather  than in the flesh. The range of Ships Ahoy  collector plates from Robert Gordon brings a maritime feel to the dinner table that’s worthy of enchanting even the most ardent avoiders of seafood. The collection, made in Australia, is available from Domayne Fortitude Valley.

YUCCA, SHANGHAI

map magazine — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 06:00:26 +0000

There is no denying the vibrancy of Mexican culture, which has translated into a fresh and tangy national cuisine bursting with flavour and lots of different textures. When creating his own little slice of Mexico in downtown Shanghai, David Laris immersed himself in the culture of Mexico to provide his diners with a unique, yet authentic dining experience. To ensure all cultural bases were covered, inspiration for the restaurant was drawn from the masked sport of lucha libre wrestling, as well as the the glamour of 1960s Mexican cinema, and the religious side of Mexico, which is fuelled by voodoo and superstition. The result was Yucca – a colourful, yet intimate space that serves lavish cocktails and contemporary Mexican fare in the most unsuspecting of places.