A long time ago The Age paid me to fly to Sydney and have dinner at Tetsuya’s. The dinner cost about a grand, the booze about half that again, and of course they had to pay me for my words. I wrote a two thousand word essay at a buck a word. Spent a lot of time talking about the truffle butter. I’ll do that for a dollar a word.
Long story short, it was a great meal and I recall it fondly. (I also recall Duran Duran were sitting at the next table, but that’s hardly Tetsuya’s fault).
Funny thing is, I remember my breakfast at a cafe in North Bondi the next morning just as well. Poached eggs, crispy bacon, grilled tomato and hollandaise on a toasted English muffin. None of the technique or super premium ingredients from the previous evening’s meal. But every bit as enjoyable with a decent coup of coffee.
I was put in mind of the contrast a couple of days ago in Pottsville, a small seaside town in northern NSW, and home to Pipit, Ben Devlin’s Tets adjacent noshery. I fucking love Pipit. I love it for all the same reasons I loved eating at Tets’ and every other high end, super-premium greasy spoon joint I ever strapped on a feed bag. I love meals I couldn’t possibly imagine on my own, never mind cook. I love to contemplate the absolutely neurotic fetishising of every detail, from sourcing to plating to insanely obscure wine matching. I just love the fucking magic of it. And then, when I’m done, I’m just as likely to make my next feed a lot burger with a beer, or a ham-n-cheese toastie.
I don’t think the appreciation for these things should be a one-way street.
I last ate at Pipit during the the last Byron Bay Writer’s Festival, which I’m pretty sure was the very last festival I attended before Ms Rona had her way with us. To be honest, I was a bit worried that Devlin might have struggled to stay open – because so many places have closed.
But, turns out, no worries.
He was still rattling the pans in the open kitchen, still holding fast to his very particular philosophy of ethical and sustainable dining. The first time we’d pulled in there, I was a bit taken aback by the bowl of raw veggies that came out early. This time I was ready. The leaves and shoots and root vegetables are always super fresh, full of their own flavour, and pretty much perfect carrier vessels for whatever Pipit’s saucier has created.
This time, they turned up with a couple of pleasingly bizarre sides. A sort of tiny taco made of nasturtium leaves, watermelon and tuna sashimi, and a pastry cup filled with tomatoes and a salty, smokey seafood praline. Recalling that review meal in Sydney, the sourdough with macadamia butter was so fuck-off brilliant that I would have been cool to just fill up just on warm bread and butter.
But that would have left no room for the potato noodles with lobster, lemon and green garlic, the crispy skin duck breast, or the crab thingy that I forgot to make any notes about. I do recall it was crunchy, sweet, salty and a little bit mystifying. But good mystifying. Not QAnon Jewish Space Laser mystifying.
I loved it all, but within a day I was pulling up a chair at Payu Thai in Yamba, and tucking into a big messy bowl of Pad Thai with local prawns that was just as satisfying, even though ‘real’ Pad Thai would never come with little trees. Likewise, the burger shop behind the pub at the top of the hill will be trousering my hard earned in the next couple of hours and I’ll probably be putting away a fair bit of pizza down in the village before I’m finished.
Is there a point I’m trying to get to here?
I dunno. I just feel that we get ourselves all worked up over stuff and differences these days that really isn’t worth getting worked up over. It should be possible to enjoy All The Things, or at least your favourite things without having to go to war over other people’s things.
The last line in your piece pretty much sums up my feelings about life here, back in the Land Of The Big PX. Yeah, there's a lot to b*tch about, and the disease isn't cutting us a lot of slack. But my how life can be fine, if we just open our senses to appreciate it. People straight up don't know how good we have it.
oh bloody hell - i knew this lunchtime read was a bad idea. Far out, talk about hungry . . . . oh hang on i just remembered it is leftover spag bog for lunch. You beauty!
I just made toast and tomatoes with a little local artisanal olive oil. Baked the sourdough yesterday, picked the tomato today. Yum. Right now it tastes so much better than a faded 10 year old memory of Tetsuya’s, amazing experience though that was. Both have their place, both are satisfying on different levels. Good food made with love and care comes in many forms.
I'm now thinking about dinner.... My 12 year old daughter text me last week asking if we could have her fave spaghetti tonight - the one with the onion and garlic and things that Mum makes. Two things about this, its my recipe not Mum's and it simply delicious. Anchovies, garlic, sundried tomatoes, red onion, pepper and finished with goats cheese and made saucy with extra anchovy and tomato oil. Thats it.
As for the perhaps intended simplicity of life, I agree. A good cheeseburger, a cold beer, a good tune, my beautiful wife, my kids and especially my eldest daughter's ever growing little peanut and friends.
I don't know if this was the point but, damn I am hungry. I have seen this also expressed by the artist Adam Ellis published the webcomic "shhh" and memed as Let People Enjoy Things.
I'm with ya, JB. Fancy meals can be amazing, but I'm not convinced they're any more satisfying.
I can still remember That One Excellent Burger I had from a place in town, in the Beforetimes. Much clearer than excellent meals at Two Small Rooms, or etc etc.
Next time you're passing through Potty, hit up Okky for a feed of fish and chips.
Far and away some of the best F&C I've had.. and somehow it's all 100% gluten free.
I'm just really enjoying the way you write about food ...
The last line in your piece pretty much sums up my feelings about life here, back in the Land Of The Big PX. Yeah, there's a lot to b*tch about, and the disease isn't cutting us a lot of slack. But my how life can be fine, if we just open our senses to appreciate it. People straight up don't know how good we have it.
oh bloody hell - i knew this lunchtime read was a bad idea. Far out, talk about hungry . . . . oh hang on i just remembered it is leftover spag bog for lunch. You beauty!
I just made toast and tomatoes with a little local artisanal olive oil. Baked the sourdough yesterday, picked the tomato today. Yum. Right now it tastes so much better than a faded 10 year old memory of Tetsuya’s, amazing experience though that was. Both have their place, both are satisfying on different levels. Good food made with love and care comes in many forms.
Tomato and goats cheese on sourdough is one of my favourite things
Doesn't the goat get stroppy when you take its cheese for your toast?
Or a truly ancient cheddar. One so old it crunches when you eat it.
Even *me out.
Jesus H. Christ, there’s a ton of sycophants in these here parts. Where is Havok to even m out?
You write like food is sex. Good.
The wanted, supposedly unattainable, end all.
The golden women (or man) desired, yet out of reach.
I can understand why Boylan is in so much love with his time spent with you.
Whats the H stand for in Jesus H Christ?
I'm now thinking about dinner.... My 12 year old daughter text me last week asking if we could have her fave spaghetti tonight - the one with the onion and garlic and things that Mum makes. Two things about this, its my recipe not Mum's and it simply delicious. Anchovies, garlic, sundried tomatoes, red onion, pepper and finished with goats cheese and made saucy with extra anchovy and tomato oil. Thats it.
As for the perhaps intended simplicity of life, I agree. A good cheeseburger, a cold beer, a good tune, my beautiful wife, my kids and especially my eldest daughter's ever growing little peanut and friends.
I don't know if this was the point but, damn I am hungry. I have seen this also expressed by the artist Adam Ellis published the webcomic "shhh" and memed as Let People Enjoy Things.
I'm with ya, JB. Fancy meals can be amazing, but I'm not convinced they're any more satisfying.
I can still remember That One Excellent Burger I had from a place in town, in the Beforetimes. Much clearer than excellent meals at Two Small Rooms, or etc etc.
Next time you're passing through Potty, hit up Okky for a feed of fish and chips.
Far and away some of the best F&C I've had.. and somehow it's all 100% gluten free.
Ha! I have twice now stood outside that place and thought about a second lunch