Week 19: Morocco

Week 19: Morocco

Like an epaulette on the shoulder of Africa, Morocco proudly graces the north western corner of the continent.  It is a country with a rich history, a varied landscape and a refined cuisine. From the capital Rabat, to enchanting Marrakesh, and of course the famous Casablanca, Morocco is a destination on every traveller's bucket list. The Moroccan diaspora in Australia totals about 15,000. Our host last night, Ben, hails from Casablanca, Morocco's largest city.  He was a professional football player (a bit of a celebrity, in fact) before life through love brought him to Australia three years ago. And it is here, in his restaurant on George street, that we were charmed by both our host and the beguiling flavours of Moroccan cuisine.

This end of George Street is the legal precinct of Brisbane. Here the legal eagles and big wigs traverse the intersections from chamber to court. The architecturally impressive new Brisbane Supreme Court and Brisbane Magistrate Court bookend a beautiful grassed public square, with the Federal court just a block away. The appropriately named Ben's Alibi Restaurant is located right outside the steps to the Magistrate Court. The usual suspects were all there last night: Full House of Browns and Phil and Martina. After vigorous interrogation of the menu, we decided to start proceedings with a platter of dips and some hot Moroccan flatbread. No mediation was required, as four of us agreed to settle for two huge platters: The Moroccan Lamb and The Vegetarian Taste Plates. Boetie ordered a Moroccan Lamb Bocadillo with three dipping sauces, and Nielen had the Roast Moroccan Lamb pizza.  Prima facie, it was an impressive display of traditional Moroccan fare. Bismillah!

The taste profile of the food transports you to exotic places. Images of crowded souks and lonely deserts flash through your mind, aided by the atmosphere in the restaurant with its photographic murals and floating lanterns from the ceiling. The aromatics of saffron, mint, cinnamon, sumac, cumin, turmeric,  honey, sesame and pine nuts fill the air and translate into a combination of refined flavours on the platter. Moroccan cuisine is a product of its history: the diet of the original Berber people, the invasion of the Moors, the proximity of Spain and Portugal and the French occupation. Bordering both the Mediterranean and Atlantic Oceans, seafood is an obvious feature. Preserving olives and pickling lemons (a technique introduced by the Jewish Moors), the use of dates and figs and the essence of scented waters (especially rosewater) all add to the seductive appeal of this cuisine. We adjourned without even contemplating dessert.

Considering all the evidence before us, the only judgement that could possibly be passed was that we be found guilty of the crime of over-indulging, and sentenced to three days of fasting.

And while channelling the legal aura that surrounded us last night, a new rule relating to The Sharing of Facts was introduced ad hoc (see rules  blog week 1): Rule #7 : Should anyone present a False Fact , they will receive punishment yet to be finalised, without appeal. Please note that a False Fact ( a fact not researched properly and therefore incorrect and misleading) is indeed very different to a Fake Fact (deliberately made up...see Phil's fact  week 12), which is totally acceptable. Free Facts (any additional facts after the mandatory two facts have been delivered) are always welcomed and encouraged.

Having clarified the rules, Keith quoted Graham Nash in song with The Road to Marrakesh, Boetie fulfilled our expectation with an analysis of the flag and the national animal (the Barbary Lion, sadly now extinct); Phil made us aware that in Morocco, the path to true romance is through the liver, not the heart; Nielen informed us that the oldest university in the world is in Fes; I had to mention that not a single scene from the movie Casablanca was filmed in Morocco; and Martina....well, she is indeed guilty of providing a False Fact, which cannot be published.

Ben's Alibi is well worth a visit. Don't expect couscous and slow-cooked tagines, but rather food that can easily be eaten by hand, showcasing all the spices of this delectable cuisine.

Next week we are going to play it all again in Russia.

 mural inside Ben's Alibi

plates and bowls in kitchen

display of tagines

 Share Platter

 Our host Ben

Week 18: Japan

Week 18:  Nippon..... the Land of the Rising Sun


When one considers the options for Japanese cuisine, one could opt for the obvious..... like sushi, sashimi, tempura and teppanyaki . These styles of Japanese food are predictable and available in just about every suburb of Brisbane - from a quick and healthy sushi take-away for lunch, to the more elaborate, high-end representations at Sake or Sono in the city. And once you have witnessed the impressive knife skills and tricks of a Teppanyaki chef, it all becomes a bit more-of-the-same.

.....or you can have ramen. After extensive research, I managed to convince the family (and Phil) to take a 15 minutes trip south of the city to Sunnybank. It has taken nearly one hundred years, but Sunnybank has finally overtaken downtown Chinatown as home to Brisbane's largest Asian community. It is for good reason that it is referred to as Little Asia: nearly 40% of people living in Sunnybank do not speak English at home, and nearly 60% were not born in Australia.

Our destination was Market Square, the original site for the trading of poultry and fruit produced in this fertile parish in the mid 1800's. By 1950, it had given way to sprawling suburbia and local industry. Brisbane is home to 3,300 of the 40,968 Japanese resident in Australia (most migrated from Japan to work on the sugar cane farms in North-Queensland and the pearl industry in Broome (WA), and their cuisine has seamlessly integrated into modern Australian life.

Nagahama Ramen Hakataya is hidden in amongst a melee of Asian restaurants lining the Square. In fact, if you decide to go to Market Square for an authentic Asian meal, you would most likely not choose Hakataya Ramen, as you would walk straight past without knowing it's even there. The entrance is obscured by a yellow banner (I have no idea what was written on it), and to the right of the door are pictures of the fours dishes (yes, only 4!) served inside. The restaurant is no wider than a supermarket aisle, with wooden dining counters and stools on either side and an open view to the kitchen, with multiple gas burners and gigantic stock pots.

So what is ramen? Essentially, it is a Japanese noodle soup (ramen means "hand-pulled noodles"), built around a pork stock (tonkotsu), simmered for 38 hours, skimming off all impurities. The result is a clear, mildly flavoured, collagen rich base, which is then seasoned with soy, miso, nori (seaweed), kamaboku, sesame and green onions. This is topped with Char Siu (prime pork belly, slow cooked in a special sauce at a low temperature for nearly three hours and then chilled for 2 days to seal in the juices). The noodles are made from wheat (not rice flour), and can be thick, thin, straight or wrinkled. So one could easily be forgiven for calling  Hakataya Ramen a soup kitchen.  There were only four of us last night (me, Keith, Boetie and Phil....Nielen again missing in action somewhere), so ordering was easy: one of each please! Douzo meshiagare!  (please enjoy your meal!)

From the moment you enter, you feel welcome, with staff chorusing irashaimase  (come on in!) as you walk through the door. Service is swift and friendly, and aprons to protect your clothing from potential splatter are available on request. Noodles and toppings are eaten with chopsticks, and it is perfectly acceptable to raise your bowl to your mouth to drink the soup (however, spoons are available).

I had the Miso Spicy-Men, and dare I say, this was my favourite meal on our 17 week journey so far. The stock had a layered complexity of flavours unfamiliar to my palate, the seasoning was beautifully fused with the subtlety of the soup, the pork belly literally melted in my mouth, the noodles were perfectly cooked, and the crispy nori topping added a textural balance. I simply loved eating this meal. It was truly delicious. Afterwards we wandered through the square, watching hundreds of locals dining in the packed restaurants and toasting the end of another working week. We concluded the evening with an ice cream cone (flavour options included Black Sesame, Jackfruit, Green tea and Durian) and a shot of espresso which we bought from a 10 year old boy at a local vendor.

We had some great facts last night: from koi to kamikaze, and samurai warriors to sumo wrestlers......all fascinating stuff.  However, Phil's fact on "Paris Syndrome" (which I researched and is absolutely accurate...not like his fake fact on China - see blog week 12) was the most fascinating of all: Each year, dozens of Japanese contract "Paris Syndrome" while visiting the French Capital. Apparently the contrast between the rude reality and the romantic expectation is such a cultural shock to the polite, soft-spoken and helpful Japanese, that they suffer a psychiatric breakdown, and have to be repatriated to their homeland by the local embassy.

If you wish to visit Hakataya Ramen, be advised that they do not take bookings, and due to its popularity, you may have to queue for a short while...but trust me, it is well worth the wait.

Next week, our journey continues from the Land of the Rising Sun, to the Land of the Rolling Dunes. See you in Morocco.

The impressive stock pots

entrance

Behind the banner

the four ramen

Absolutely delicious

Week 17: Brazil

Week 17: Brazil


There is something irresistible about the aroma and flavours of char-grilled meat, cooked over an open fire. The barbecue takes on many forms: The South Africans love their Braaivleis, here in Australia everyone enjoys a Barbie, and in Brazil, they celebrate all things meat with the 300 year old Churrasco tradition. With churrasco (pronounce shoo-has-co), large cuts of seasoned meat are cooked on slow rotating skewers over hot charcoal. This allows the meat to gain an even smoky seal on the outside, while trapping all the natural juices inside and keeping the meat tender. Once cooked, the waiters walk through the restaurant and carve the simmering meat at the table onto the diner's plate (a service style referred to as rodizio).

The churrasco method is still the most popular way to cook meat in Brazil. We did not need a passport to experience this tradition. We merely travelled 6 km to the west of the city to Bardon, a quiet and leafy suburb on the foothills of  Mt Coot-tha. Residents of Bardon generally have a healthy bank balance, are professional, own a bicycle and a bit of lycra. It is here that we discovered Mundo Churrasco, Brisbane's own little bit of Brazil.  There are 7490 Brazilians in Australia, with 670 living in Brisbane, most of them students seeking to improve their English.

Our friends Phil, Martina, Steve and Persephone arrived, and we kicked off the evening with a round of the traditional cocktail Caipirinha, which has Brazil's national spirit cachaqa (fermented sugar cane juice) as the base. At the same time, we received a bowl of fried bananas dusted with cinnamon sugar and some cheese bread. The friendly waitress (clearly here to improve her English) explained the service and suggested a variety of sauces to accompany the meat. And then it began......beef rump, chicken thighs, pork belly, leg of lamb - name a part of the anatomy and it was served...even chicken hearts were available on request. Bom apetite! (yes...it is bom)

We ordered a bottle of  Bodega Zapata Alamos Malbec from Argentina, which perfectly complemented the meal. It was full and rich (big enough to cope with the rock salt on the rump, the peri-peri on the chicken, the honey-lime-mint on  the lamb and the paw-paw sauce on the pork belly) yet a hint of chocolate and the sweet spiciness of the American oak were evident. Also on the table were bowls of potato salad, tomato and onion vinagrete and a green salad with kiss peppers. There were sausages, grilled vegetables, caramelised pineapple and more, which we eventually had to turn away. This was achieved by turning the little wooden block placed in front of each diner upside down to expose the red side. If the green side stays on top, the food will simply keep on coming! Our protein quota for the year has well and truly been exhausted. We did leave room for dessert this time:  Passionfruit and salted caramel mousse with tropical fruit and burnt marshmallows, and Churros (South-American donuts served with cream and chocolate dipping sauce). In summary, the meats were all truly delicious, the accompaniments adequate and the dessert completely unnecessary. Dining at Mundo Churrasco is an experience well worth having.

The facts (see blog week 1), again, were fascinating. As Boetie was absent, Keith gave us a run-down on the flag (quite a long story...) and the three national animals ( the Jaguar, Macau and Rufous-bellied Thrush).
When Nielen thinks of Brazil, he thinks of their five time World Cup Winning football team.
When Keith thinks of Brazil, he thinks coffee (Brazil supplies 25% of the world's coffee).
When Phil thinks of Brazil, he longs for the congestion free 16 lane highway in the capital Brasilia.  When Persephone thinks of Brazil, she recalls her gap year travelling through South-America and the powerful image of the Christ The Redeemer statue on Mt Corcovado in Rio. When Steve thinks of Brazil, he thinks 200 million heads of cattle (one for every person in the country). When Martina thinks of Brazil, it's the Amazon Rainforest, home to one third of all forms of life on earth and the destruction thereof through deforestation.

And when I think of Brazil, I think PARTYYYYY! The Rio Carnival started in 1641 with masquerade balls. In the 1800's the elite started to parade the streets in their amazing masquerade ball gowns, accompanied by military bands, and from there it evolved into a full blown festival, with the focus on dance. Today it is essentially a Samba Dance-Off  between the over 200 different Samba Dance Schools (4000 people per entry).....a Parade Extravaganza like nowhere in the world! The traditional masquerade balls are still held at the Copacabana Palace and the more exclusive Banda de Ipanema.

But for now, the party is over and we have to grind away another week before we can celebrate all things Japanese.  

 

The churrasquiera

 Picanha

 Linguica

 

 

 Mundo Summer Plate

Week 16: Sudan

Week 16: Sudan

I am not going to mention poverty, drought and starvation. Nor unemployment, high inflation and corruption. I shall not discuss disease, malnutrition and infection.  And forget about genocide in Dafur and the fact that Sudan is considered to have "The most repressive regime in the world". Let's put all of that aside, and for now, focus on some of the warmest and most hospitable people in Africa. Where it is common to be invited into someone's home to share a meal, or have a glass (or 5) of tea.

Last night, it felt exactly that way. Essentially, we were welcomed into Hamar's dining room, and overwhelmed by his hospitality and joy in serving us food from his native Sudan. Hamar arrived in Australia 18 years ago, taught himself how to cook, and opened Umdorman Cafe in Moorooka (see week 3 blog: Ethiopia for suburb profile). Through the Australian Humanitarian Programme and the UNHCR,  Australia has given 19,050 people from war-torn Sudan a new home and a second chance. Moorooka is often called "Little Africa", or "Africa Town" and evolved to reflect the profile of its demographic, with most of Brisbane's 1,805 Sudanese residents settling in this suburb.

Being the hub of African refugee re-settlement, it was not surprising to be the only Caucasians in the restaurant. Umdorman is clearly popular with the local Sudanese community, many gathering there after work to watch the ABC World News on the wall mounted television, and enjoying a hearty, familiar meal. Our arrival must have disrupted their usual Friday night routine, as the regulars inconspicuously left the room, one by one, and continued their gathering outside on the pavement. Soon we were the only people in the restaurant, and had our own private banquet!

Bil-hana' wa ash-shifa! (enjoy your meal)

 At Umdorman, one would usually order from the array of dishes in the bain marie  at the kitchen counter. Hamar would have none of that, and insisted on serving us at the table. He arrived with two dishes: Gewerma (a traditional diced lamb dish with onions) and Kebab Tawa (a local favourite lamb dish with beans) and two huge plates of rice. The flavours were subtle, and the lamb cooked beautifully tender. Halfway through, he arrived with two more dishes: Bamia (an okra stew) and Molokhia (similar to spinach, but with a slippery consistency) and more rice. By now the table was laden with food, but that did not stop our host from bringing three more dishes: Kebab Hallah (lamb curry), a delicious eggplant braise, with onions and capsicums accompanied by some flat bread (kisra) and a lentil stew. Noticing the Gewerma bowl was empty, he quickly replaced it with a full one. The evening reminds me of  Sunday lunch at my parent's place, where the food just keeps on coming, and the end is never in sight. We thoroughly enjoyed being there, yet again in an environment far removed from the glam of the designer dining in the city. The food is honest and simple, tasty and healthy. Umdorman is a Halal establishment, which implies that serving alcohol is forbidden. I was therefore reluctant to take a bottle of wine and being served 40 lashes (the penalty for consuming alcohol under Sharia Law) instead of a meal, but fortunately this is Australia, where Sharia Law does not apply, and Hamar was more than happy for us to have wine and beer at his table.

Nielen formulated a new rule a couple of weeks ago (for rules see week 1 blog): Rule 6 - The sharing of facts can only commence once food is served. As he himself broke the "obligatory attendance" rule last night, we disregarded his new rule, and pretty much started babbling about Sudan the moment we sat down. Phil and Martina, our ever faithful accomplices, contributed with ardent enthusiasm. Man has lived in Sudan for at least 30,000 years, and the valley of the Nile is often referred to as the "Cradle of Civilisation". Situated in Northeast Africa, Sudan is the largest country on the African continent (if you include the recently independent republic of South-Sudan), with a vast flat desert and vicious sandstorms to the north, and a mountainous sub-tropical region to the south. Umdorman is one of three sister-cities located at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers.  Home to the largest market in Sudan (The Soug...a vibrant and lively destination for shoppers) Umdorman is the youngest city of the three, built on the northwest bank across the White Nile, with the capital Khartoum situated on the south bank of the Blue Nile. The centre of Khartoum is a clear remnant of the British Empire, with the street plan laid out in the shape of the Union Jack, resulting in terrible gridlock all day long.

Being a remnant of the British Empire is about the only thing we have in common with Sudan. It is difficult to find a country where the British did not leave their mark...which leads us to our next stop...untainted by interference from The Empire: Brazil!

Local resident outside Umdorman

 Every day fare

 and that's not all of it yet...!

 we did well.

Week 15: Vietnam

Week 15: Viet Nam

When discussing Viet Nam, the conversation either starts with or will inevitably lead to the war. In 1965 Australia committed their first combat troops to South Vietnam, to help stem the spread of communism in Europe and Asia. Over 60 000 Australian soldiers did battle, and 521 died during the eventual 13 year conflict. Nearly 50% of the Vietnamese population was internally displaced, and millions were killed. As a result, there were over 800 000 orphans, and after the fall of Saigon, Australia adopted hundreds of orphans and started to accept refugees. This was the first group of Asian immigrants to settle in Australia since the White Australia Policy was abolished in 1973. Today there are 221,114 Vietnamese resident in Australia, of which 21,416 live in Brisbane.

We are fortunate to have the full spectrum of Vietnamese Cuisine in Brisbane: from upscale French-fusion to really basic take-aways. Last night, our adventure led us to Darra, a suburb 14 km west of the CBD. Darra, one of the older suburbs in Brisbane, is the epicentre of the Vietnamese community (18% of the residents in Darra are Vietnamese). I thought it might be prudent to do a recce before dragging family and friends into the unknown. This vibrant little retail precinct could well be somewhere in Hanoi with all the shopfronts signed in Vietnamese: the Vietnamese bakery, Vietnamese seafood market, Vietnamese laundry, newsagents and cafes. After inspecting several eateries down the main strip, I noticed a restaurant hidden at the back of a laneway opposite the train station. With one-way mirrored windows, I had no idea what to expect on the other side. To the left of the restaurant was a room filled with elderly men playing cards, sitting on inverted milk crates, cigarette smoke billowing through the open door, and to the right is Salon Kim, next door to Trang Video. It was about noon on a Tuesday morning. I pushed the door open, and was surprised to find a packed restaurant, humming with the sound of chatter and chopsticks. Scanning the meals on the tables, and sneakily observing the activity in the kitchen, I considered my reconnaissance mission successfully completed.

Vietnamese cuisine is light, refreshing, and deliciously satisfying - ideal for the warmer months. The fundamental features of the cuisine include an abundance of aromatic herbs, fresh seafood and vegetables, rice noodles and rice paper wraps, soup-based dishes and the long-standing French influence. It is considered to be one of the healthiest cuisines in the world, as the emphasis is on freshness, and nothing is cooked in animal fat. The objective of a meal's composition is to create a balance that is beneficial to the body. It centres around five elements: wood (sour) , fire (bitter), earth (sweet), metal (spicy) and water (salty).  And they all came into perfect alignment on Friday night at Nha Hang Thanh Quyen. Here we go: an ngon nhe!

Discovering Nha Hang Thanh Quyen was like winning the Lotto. The food was everything the theory promised. It was fresh and delicious and satisfying and incredibly reasonable. There were nine of us last night (if this was an Arlo Guthrie song, we would have classified as a movement!). This family owned restaurant was full, and there must have been at least two table rotations while we were there. We had a fabulous meal. Thank goodness the menu had English subtitles, but we nevertheless ordered by number. Everyone had a different number, and everyone was happy: Noodles with prawns and pork; vermicelli with spring rolls and sugar cane prawn cakes; rice vermicelli with duck and young bamboo; a delicious starch broth with pork hock and fish cakes;  noodle and mussels soup with coriander and sprouts; chilli and lemongrass chicken with rice;  and roll-your -own rice paper rolls with prawn, mint, bean sprouts, cucumber, crisp lettuce and grilled pork. It's BYO, cash only and closes at 9pm. We were the last patrons to leave, with Mr Quyen waiting at the door to lock up. This humble eatery must be one of Brisbane's best kept secrets.  

Tonight, the Gold Lotto has rolled over to $22 million. I have marked six of the nine numbers from the dishes we ordered last night as my Lotto entry: 35, 40, 41, 38, 39 and 44.......you never know your luck!

Again, we shared many interesting facts......the flag (red with one big golden star, of which the 5 points represent the 5 groups of people: the intellectuals, the military, farmers, businessman and the workers)  the national animal (water buffalo), the geography (Vietnam will fit between Brisbane and Melbourne).....and of course The War.
Homework for week 16: Find Facts on Sudan.

 

61

 

 

38

35

71

39