THANKS TO its unique location in the world’s southern hemisphere, Australia has had the luck of having everything going on in there. Bustling cities sit close to great agricultural land, and its sheer size makes for a unique climate, enabling it to grow varied produce. Earlier this week, BusinessWorld, along with other guests were taken to several restaurants by the Australian embassy, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), the Victorian State Government, and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) to partake in one of Australia’s prized products: beef. This is part of a promotion by the aforementioned institutions, which will run until Aug. 20.
And it’s not just any beef, mind you: while other countries (such as the US) rely on feeding their cows with grain, Australia takes pride in the fact that 97% of its cattle are grassfed. Cows roaming about great plains munching on grass makes for a great image, but according to a press release by the Australian embassy, this diet gives cows a lower level of fat and cholesterol, as well as offering higher levels of Omega 3 fatty acids, “known to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of certain cancers.”
Since there were more than 40 restaurants on the list, the institutions listed above thought it prudent to divide the tour into several legs: BusinessWorld attended the fifth “trail,” which included New World Makati’s Cafe 1228, Prime 101, Bondi & Bourke, and Pink’s. (Other restaurants participating in the promotion will be listed below).
CAFE 1228
The tour kicked off with the first stop at New World Makati. It’s a shame perhaps for the restaurants which followed it, for it stuffed the guests full to bursting with a five-course meal, four of those dishes almost entirely consisting of beef, and lots of it. The meal began with a cold Thai beef salad, which, despite the obvious flavor of the beef, had an almost light refinement, thanks to the light, spicy Asian dressing. Next came Steak Tartare, raw meat that was simply dressed, sliced thinly and lighty pounded to get just the right texture. Despite the lacy form of the beef, its delicate taste, and its mushy, comforting texture, one got the sense of the cow’s vitality right before it was served to you. A beef ramen followed this, and it was savory and flavorful, and almost comforting, with a rich, cloudy broth saturated with depth and flavor. While waving our hands to protest no, the restaurant brought out about five slices each of a roasted beef shank, and who were we to refuse, now that we had seen its ruby-red center? The roast was firm, and the juices well-kept, bleeding out into the mouth, and not on the plate.
PRIME 101
While reeling from the meat sweats and everyone feeling a bit drowsy, we were whisked off to the next stop — Chino Roces’s Prime 101, located above an auto shop. Those in the know are aware that the private dining setting offers the freedom (but not the cost) of having a private chef, for the restaurant listed its offerings not as cooked dishes, but raw ingredients waiting to be cooked according to your desires.
Included in the list, of course, was Australian grassfed beef (though an interesting item was a Mayura wagyu variety, apparently the cows are finished with gummy bears and Cadbury chocolate in their feed — the few times it’s nice to be bovine). The restaurant brought out a pumpkin soup first, rich and creamy, and a salad — but we knew what we came for, and the restaurant teased us first with fried siopao, filled with a thin stripe of braised and flaked beef, its strong flavor accenting an almost delicate fried bun.
Finally, we got the beef: a roasted Australian grassfed cube roll. Everything that the knife touched had some flavor of beef, like there was no mistaking it, announcing it for all to hear: this is, indeed, beef. The roast was flavored with bone marrow, which explained the soft hint of a buttery flavor, and had a touch of luxury with a dollop of truffle and foie gras sauce. Despite the pronounced flavor of the beef, it maintained a sort of femininity and delicacy with its soft tenderness. It was a regret to finish it in a few bites, and one wishes that it lasted forever.
BONDI & BOURKE
What could you expect from a restaurant named after a combination of Australia’s iconic beach, and one of its most famous streets? An Australian-raised (but New Zealand-born) chef who thinks nothing of serving any other beef but Australian.
If Prime 101’s offering had a bit of a delicacy in it, Bondi & Bourke’s rib eye offering was aggressive and definitely, definitely masculine. Served on a tray, dripping with juices, studded with bits of garlic, with bits of char that seemed to hint at a crust, we knew we were in for a ride. One felt the animal’s heft even though it now yielded to quite a sexy curved steak knife. It was firm, but tender, and had a self-assured flavor. According to chef Wade Watson, the crust was not made of herbs, but was born from a really good sear, and its juice and flavor comes from a well-deserved 30-minutes rest.
Mr. Watson had a definite answer as to why he chooses to go Australian (aside from the fact of his origins). In a low growl, he said: “Flavor.” He said: “With grass, you get a stronger flavor,” adding, “Generally, I prefer this over the US,” citing that while its cattle-raising practices may yield a softer, more tender, beef, Australia wins it due to its flavor. “And of course, it’s Australian.”
PINK’S
We were stumbling into more familiar territory with Pink’s, the Philippine license of LA legend Pink’s, the hotdog stand that even Hollywood stars wouldn’t pass on. The premise was simple: Wildflour Café and Bakery is also behind Pink’s in the Philippines, and its executive sous chef, BJ Montuano, had a very simple premise: a burger, part of its normal offerings in Pink’s. Despite the huge amount of beef consumed that day, we couldn’t pass it up.
It was a perfect last stop, for all the preparation and fluff and fancy on the first three legs, we could give our palates a rest with a simple cheeseburger we thought. Boy, was I wrong. Beneath a combination of a brioche and potato bun, and secret sauce, the burger gave out a flavor of subtlety and politeness, in an item not usually associated with those merits. While the burger patty goes through many processes, as opposed to the more straighforward roasts that we had, it seems almost frippery to look for flavor and a sense of place in meat that has been ground, mixed up, and then fried. Mr. Montuano, despite that, has a simple reason why he chooses Australian beef, “The Australian grassfed beef, it’s a bit leaner.” Perhaps it takes a man who knows his meat to notice, but then he continues, “The way that they treat their cows in general, it’s kind of like along… what we have.”
RAISING A GOOD COW
During one of the stops, Elodie Journet, senior Trade commissioner and counsellor (Commercial) for the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, elaborated on the importance of raising a good cow to be able to produce good meat. “If you have an animal that’s really stressed, then that’s going to reflect on their meat. Because the stress level is going to… make the meat a lot harder, because they’ll just get stressed out, and it will make the meat a lot more tense.” As such, the Australian government works with countries they export the cattle to ensure that the abattoirs and the shipping conditions are what “we would expect in Australia,” said Ms. Journet.
The last food promotion of this sort by the same institutions back in 2015 confined itself to Manila, but now Cebu and Davao have gotten into the fun, with four restaurants, namely Anzani, Anzani Prime, and Circa 1900 in Cebu, and another branch of Bondi & Bourke, located in Davao participating. “Really, I think it’s just the evolution of the food scene in the Philippines,” said Ms. Journet. “It’s just recognizing that you have so much more diversity outside of Metro Manila.”
She said that Australia is the number one beef supplier in the Philippines, cornering about 40% of the market share. “A lot of the beef is coming into the fastfood chains and those kinds of productions, so we’re wanting to actually try to introduce more, kind of core ingredients around the healthier side.”
The list of participating restaurants in the promotion also rose from about 20 in 2015 to about 40, with some restaurants with multiple branches. “We wanted to make sure that people understand that when it comes to Australian grassfed beef, it doesn’t mean that it has to be a super-expensive meal. You can actually have very affordable, quality beef… served in all kinds of dining settings,” she said.
Australia isn’t all about beef: according to her, Australia has a strong presence in the wheat, grain, and dairy world, adding that their wheat has whetted quite an appetite in the Philippines. “There’s that growth in terms of consumption, of more bread, and also more noodles.
“We kind of qualify as being kind of the bread basket of the world, because we obviously share a lot of our food products to actually be exported overseas.”
Next on the country’s list? Fruits. “The other component where we’ve actually seen a massive increase… is citrus.” Since more carriers now fly between the Philippines and Australia, “We’re seeing the ability to actually bring in more fresh produce.” They started out with oranges, and according to her, “We went from zero — there were no [Australian] oranges… available here in the market — to now, there’s about $20 million worth of export of oranges into the Philippines.” — Joseph L. Garcia
Restaurants participating in the Australian Grassfed Beef on the Menu Culinary Trail 2017
METRO MANILA
• 8 Cuts
• Abuela’s
• Blackbird
• Bondi & Bourke
• Carpaccio Ristorante Italiano
• Chef Jessie Grill at The Grove
• Chef Jessie Rockwell Club
• Chef Jessie Top of The City
• Chesa Bianca Swiss Restaurant
• City of Dreams: Red Ginger
• City of Dreams: Crystal Dragon
• Dean & Deluca
• Discovery Primea: 1824
• Discovery Primea: Gilarmi Lounge
• Discovery Primea: Flame
• Discovery Suites: 22 Prime
• Downtown & Halsted
• Epicurious
• Green Pastures
• Hyatt City of Dreams: The Cafe
• New World Manila Bay:
The Fireplace and The Marketplace
• Papa Diddi’s
• People’s Palace
• Pink’s
• Prime 101
• Prime 22
• Sala
• Sala Bistro
• Shangri-La at The Fort: Raging Bull
• Smith & Butcher Grill Room
• The True Grill
• Vask Tapas Room
• Wildflour Cafe + Bakery
• Dusit Thani Manila
• New World Makati Cafe 1228
CEBU
• Anzani
• Anzani Prime
• Circa 1900
DAVAO
• Bondi & Bourke
