The nation brought its culinary best – and a sense of down-home hospitality and comfort – to wow 300-plus on the Malibu Pier at April’s Great Australian Bite
Gazing off into the wave caps of the Pacific from the end of the Malibu Pier, it can be easy to forget that across the ocean are people looking right back.
However, on a warm spring day in April, one wouldn’t have to do much more than turn heel to see a vibrant trans-Pacific culinary celebration on full display: Great Australian Bite – a revelry of Aussie food, hospitality and welcoming fun – took the narrow boardwalk by full force with a 300-seat spectacle of family dining, amazing Down Under spirits, beers and wines, and talented entertainment for an evening of delights presented by Tourism Australia and the Los Angeles Times.
“One of the things that we really wanted to try and create today is an experience where people aren’t just trying the food and wine of Australia but also experiencing the warm, welcoming nature of our hospitality and also getting a real sense of our personality as a nation,” said Chris Allison, Vice President, The Americas at Tourism Australia.
Trodding the boardwalk on a sun-soaked, golden afternoon in Malibu provided much in the way of personality – featuring brightly colored Great Australian Bite arches prepped for group photos, cookbooks for sale from the featured chefs, and inventive cocktails utilizing Four Pillars Gin, the award-winning, Melbourne-adjacent distillery – the scene was as laid-back and alive as any California coastal fete.
However, the assembled guests weren’t just there to mingle. Appetizer trays began to swirl around those gathered, offering bites from three incredible Australian chefs: Josh Niland of Sydney’s Saint Peter, Jo Barrett of Victoria’s Little Picket and Monty Koludrovic of Hollywood’s soon-to-open Living Room. The trio created an amazing menu combining Australian culinary tradition with fresh, West Coast ingredients, creating a unified and unique take on a dinner party.
(Photos by David Arellanes)
“I feel so excited to be in California because it’s not so dissimilar to our home,” said Barrett. “We’ve got a great surf culture, amazing produce with these really small growers around our cities and towns, and I can’t wait to put those ingredients to the test on the plate.”
“Part of the excitement that we experience in Australia and that we’re capturing today is the sense that [the chefs] just jumped on a call and talked about what’s available, what we should do, and it’s from that conversation that today’s menu comes,” said Koludrovic.
“It’s that type of excitement and energy that I think Australia really epitomizes.”
The menu spotlighted this trans-oceanic influence: seafood-focused but varied, Aussie-spiced but California-created. From the locally sourced prawns from TransparentSea Farm to fresh herbs from Weiser Family Farms, the chefs wanted to ensure the tastes guests were having could mimic what one would expect from Australian dining.
Pairing with the courses was an outstanding selection of wines, including an ‘M3’ Chardonnay from Shaw + Smith and a Shiraz from Yalumba, whic is celebrating its 175th birthday this year. These labels – along with Deviation Road, Hickinbotham, Pikes, Yangarra and Deliquente Bizzarro – all have wineries situated in the diverse and distinct South Australian regions, namely the Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Clare Valley, Eden Valley, McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills.
With the support of the Department for Trade and Investment on behalf of the South Australian Government, winemaker Chris Carpenter from Hickinbotham was on hand to present the wines. Driven by the opportunity to produce some of the most outstanding red wines in the southern hemisphere, Carpenter splits his time between California and McLaren Vale to oversee winemaking at the Hickinbotham vineyard.
And of course there was beer, provided by Adelaide’s Coopers Brewery. The largest Australian-owned brewery, Coopers’ ales, stouts, lagers, and light and low-carb beers embody their passion for the craft of brewing.
Said Niland, “For a guest coming this evening, I really want them to walk away feeling slightly provoked but also feeling very much satiated by an extraordinary meal. And getting a sense of our generosity from an Australian point of view and seeing some of the local ingredients interpreted in a different way to what gets done here in the States.”
Niland’s choice of words referred to his utterly unique presentation of seafood. For example, a lobster bouillabaisse pie featuring an entire butchered Maine lobster emerging from the dish. His tiramisu dessert, not a controversial dish by any means, until you create it out of freshly butchered fish, utilizing the fat, bones and even the eyes.
“Hopefully everybody gets a kick out of it,” he said.
As the service, from appetizer trays to family-style portions, was served, guests enjoyed the lamb sausage roll appetizers, fresh California veggies paired with lightly seared, sliced fish, and the show-stopping bouillabaisse, all paired with the aforementioned Australian wines. Between courses, guests were treated to musical performances ranging from traditional didgeridoo to 22-year-old New South Wales sensation Budjerah.
Conversation swirled between the gathered guests, many influential members of L.A.’s food scene, from Liwei Liao, the “dry aged fish guy” and one of the city’s best fishmongers, to James Beard Award-winning chef Justin Pichetrungsi of Sherman Oaks’ Anajak Thai. Attendees praised the freshness of the dishes and their inventive preparation. “I really loved the coal-kissed kingfish with the salt vinegar pine nuts,” Pichetrungsi said.
As the sun finally disappeared over the westward Santa Monica mountains, the highly anticipated tiramisu began to arrive at the table, a healthy serving in a paper cup with a wooden spoon that reinforced Australia’s combination of casual vibe and jaw-dropping food. Guests enjoyed a truly unique presentation of the classic dish: sweet, creamy and perfectly balanced as any tiramisu would be in Northern Italy.
As those gathered exited the pier and off into the L.A. evening, conversations turned toward how much the country of Australia had to offer – many expressed that they had a longstanding desire to go, with some already looking up further information on their phones as they walked.
As guest Julie A., visiting from Temecula, said, “What brought me here tonight was I’ve been a fan of Australia and I’ve always wanted to go there – tonight reinforced all the reasons why I have to visit.”
-Alan LaGuardia
