No Bull, Rush To Wetland For Grub

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday July 25, 2007

LEESHA McKENNY

WETLANDS have long been valued as one of nature's best food sources.

That value has just increased to the tune of $100,000 at the Hunter Wetlands Centre, where a new cafe has opened following a grant from the Australian Tourism Development Program.

Aptly named Nourish, the cafe is run by licensees Greg and Jan Hopper along with Glenn Foster. The trio own Awaba House and manage the Saltwater Grill at Lake Macquarie Yacht Club.

The location is reflected strongly in the menu, and there are even plans to establish a bush-food garden on site.

With views over the wetland ponds and wildlife, the 100-seat cafe will take function bookings. Phone the centre on 4951 6466 for further information.

Taste test and top up

MORE than 100 people have registered for Penfolds' re-corking clinic to be held in Newcastle next Tuesday.

Chief Penfolds winemaker Peter Gago will be on hand to help inspect bottles aged 15 years or older, open them if necessary, and then top them up with a recent vintage of the same wine before they are resealed for ongoing cellar development.

As well as offering a certified assurance of the quality of the wine, Gago noted that the clinics allowed owners a chance to taste the rewards of their patience.

Event organiser Larissa Menzies said it would be the first time the clinic had been held in Newcastle.

"It's quite exciting that we've got it in town," she said.

Penfolds wine owners must register to attend the free event. Head to penfolds.com.au/appreciation/clinics.asp for further information.

Breath of fresh chair

HAMILTON'S Hog's Breath Cafe will move to Honeysuckle as of July next year.

The chain's national development manager Peter Josefski said the restaurant's popularity demanded a bigger site.

"We're turning away too many valuable customers over 100 people a night," he said.

The new waterside digs will be twice as big as the present Beaumont Street location and will include a high-volume kitchen and ample outdoor seating.

There are 65 Hog's Breath franchises in Australia, with two more to open in the near future.

Supplying inner-city needs

THE newly reopened Supply cafe restaurant will make its first tilt into evening menus with a degustation dinner planned for 7pm on August 6.

Chef Matt Metcalfe said the six-course menu would take in modern as well as traditional French cuisine, such as beef daube (braised beef cheek) and scallop and prawn boudin blanc.

The dinner costs $120 per person, including a bottle of wine per couple. Bookings can be made by phoning 4929 2222.

Songs that cut the mustard

NOTHING washes down the last mouthfuls of chicken chow mein better than a few soulful bars of a Filipino folk song.

At least not at the Jets Club, formerly the Newcastle United Sports Club.

The club has launched Wednesday night Asian karaoke to coincide with the opening of their new Chinese bistro, Qing Long Restaurant.

Hosted by Chris Sparkes and his wife Sa-ad Klangsawat, singers can also work their way through songs in Thai, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese or Vietnamese.

More reticent songbirds can work their way through dishes including sizzling steak with black-bean sauce or mongolian chicken.

Fans of Hotel California or Flame Trees, fear not. The 7pm to 11.30pm gig (and the menu) features more conventional Hunter favourites as well.

Mapping their future

THERE'S a double take of sorts going on down at Atlas Cafe Restaurant in Newcastle East.

Head chef Bartholomew Connors has been joined by Jerarmie Heywood, previously of Silo and Bacchus.

Heywood worked with Connors previously as a sous chef at Wickham's Mangrove Jacks.

Co-owner Rebecca Connors said the reunion allowed Atlas to respond to popular demand and extend their hours.

Atlas is now open for breakfast, lunch from 8am and dinner from 6pm, Tuesday to Sunday.

Connors said the cafe did a roaring trade in breakfasts, but no more so than in the days following the Pasha Bulker's arrival last month.

"We had every single seat taken and people standing up from eight o'clock in the morning to half past four that [first Saturday] afternoon," Connors said.

Options on the menu include the likes of free-range eggs for breakfast and braised veal soup for lunch.

Atlas is BYO wine only and can accommodate functions.

Telephone Atlas on 4926 1014 for further information.