S.A.L.T Chef's Table: An Aussie Culinary Journey

S.A.L.T. Chef's Table presents a thoughtfully choreographed 11-course menu of refined small plates, each highlighting local ingredients with an ever-changing menu based on the destination, accompanied by a curated selection of over 160 regional wines. Arriving for an evening highlighting the cuisine of Australia, we were treated to an inspired menu of Aussie classics, in an intimate culinary theatre where the chefs showcased their creativity one dish after another.

 

S.A.L.T's Australian-focused 9-course dinner menu

The Lemon Ace is a signature Australian summer yellow cocktail, 

specifically designed as the official drink for the Australian Open

Rēwena bread bun with hand churned butter

Kingfish Crudo with finger lime zest

Sous chef Andres from Ecuador, plating the tartlets

Asparagus mousse tartlet with shaved black truffle

Xanadu Sauvignon Blanc Semillion from Margaret River

Glass of the Xanadu Sauvignon Blanc, a medium bodied wine was actually quite nice, 

although I'm normally a fan of this style of wine

Chef Andres adding the velouté to the Baramundi

Australian Barramundi with native lemon myrtle velouté and local greens

Xanadu Black Label Chardonnay2021  from Margaret River

A top-tier, elegant, and complex wine with flinty, savoury, and intense citrus notes

Chef Andres spooning the caviar on to the Kūmara Confit

Another sous chef pipes the whipped sour cream to the Kūmara Confit

Kūmara Confit with with sour cream and caviar garnished with native violet

Poached Lobster with lemongrass and fresh herbs

Turkey Flat Vineyards Vintage 2025 Rosé is an iconic, award-winning Australian rosé,

from Barossa Valley

The 2025 vintage is a burst of fresh juicy summer fruits and mouth-watering flavours

Sunset over the Tasman Sea from the S.A.L.T. terrace,

having departed Eden that afternoon and now enroute to Sydney

Australian Lamb Cutlet with Macadamia Crust and river mint sauce

Goat Cheese with native thyme, local beets and pickled muntries,

which have a sweet, apple-like flavour

Mount Langi Ghiran 2021 Cliff Edge Shiraz from the Grampians in Victoria 

captures the essence of a cool-climate Australian Shiraz with poise and depth

With spicy scents of cracked black pepper, vanilla and ripe black fruits, with a warm and juicy palate,

this delicious Shiraz has a long luscious finish

Emu Pie with foie gras, shiraz and bush chutney

Chef Andres plating the Kangaroo

Kangaroo Filet with pepperberry sauce and wild rosella, which is native to Australia 

and prized for its tart, raspberry-rhubarb flavour 

Château Cousteau Cadillac is a highly-rated, sweet white dessert wine 

from the Cadillac in Bordeaux

A delicious dessert wine for those who don't like sweet wines, with rich amber colour, 

low alcohol content, apricot and mild, floral honey

A classic Australian Pavlova, named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova,

is a beautiful fusion of crispy meringue, whipped cream and fresh berries

A Lamington is another iconic Australian dessert with a soft sponge biscuit, 

filled with jam and cream and served with a fruit spread, or grated orange marmalade

The Celestial Nova is a luxurious twist on a classic "Twinkle" dessert cocktail and features a sophisticated combination of gin, white rhubarb and champagne and topped with signature Milky Way foam made from milk oolong tea, caramel, and a touch of salt

Australia: The Cookbook by Ross Dobson, was the cookbook referenced

in each of the S.A.L.T. labs we went to each week while aboard the Silver Nova

www.silversea.com/introducing-silversea-salt

S.A.L.T. Kitchen Class with Germaine Campbell

 

Unique to Silversea, S.A.L.T. 'Sea And Land Taste' is a multifaceted culinary program that allows guests to explore a destination’s cultural identity through food. An interactive space, we were given an opportunity to deep dive into local culinary heritage and techniques in a hands-on culinary workshop in S.A.L.T.'s professional-grade teaching kitchen, we enjoyed a special class with friendly and knowledgeable S.A.L.T. host Germaine Campbell, exploring three dishes from Oceania. Created in collaboration with respected experts, we looked forward to making the Ceviche at home, as a delicious encore of our Silversea journey.

Ingredients for the Marinated Raw Fish with raw red snapper and lime

Ingredients to be chopped and added to the Ceviche

Chopped red onion is first added to the raw fish

Then finely chopped red chilies, tomato, spring onion, cilantro and coconut milk

are added to the raw snapper and left to marinate

Germaine prepping the sweet potatoes, which have a long history of cultivation in Australia, 

having been introduced to the Pacific by early Māori settlers

Blue-Eyed Australian Trevalla, known for its firm, moist, and delicate flavour

Frying the Trevalla in some avocado oil

Served crispy skin side up, my Trevalla is served with a wedge of lime

Served with some of German's sweet potatoes

And the marinated 'Ota Ika', an Oceanian dish much like Ceviche

www.silversea.com/introducing-silversea-salt

'Ota Ika' Marinated Raw Fish

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of S.A.L.T.

2.2 lb fresh Red Snapper or Mahi Mahi

Juice of 10 limes and 3 lemons

2 medium sized red onions, finely diced

3 red chillies, minced

2 cups tomatoes, finely chopped

Small bunch of spring onions, finely chopped

Few stems of cilantro

4 cups coconut milk

1/2 tbsp sea salt

Limes edges, to serve

Cut the fish into 1/2-inch dice, discarding any parts of the flesh that are not cleaned fully. In a bowl, mix the fish and citrus juice and chill to marinate for 30 minutes or until the fish is opaque. Then drain the fish and add the red onion, chili, tomato, spring onion, cilantro, coconut milk and salt. Mix well and chill until ready to serve in small bowls with wedges of lime. 

Le Foote: Parisian-Style French Bistro in Sydney

 

A vibrant culinary destination nestled in the historic Rocks area of Sydney, with a menu built on time-honoured French classics, Le Foote features a charming Parisian wine bar, a Mediterranean grill, and a beautiful sandstone courtyard that appears to have been plucked from the South of France with white tablecloths and smart waiters in crisp shirts and black bow ties. Once a sailors’ bar, a customs agent, and a stable, Le Foote has taken over the historic Phillip’s Foote restaurant that was designed by William Reynolds and built during 1838.

Chef Stefano Marano's Mediterranean-by-way-of-Australia menu prepared on an open wood charcoal Josper grill, borrows from the cuisines of Greece, Southern Italy, Spain and the South of France, with a menu is built on the canon; escargot dripping in garlic butter, plateau de fruits de mer, grilled rock lobster, steak frites and French onion soup with that bronzed, blistered cap of cheese. Chunks of baguette, smeared thick with funky, salty butter. A salade Lyonnaise that respects the ratio of egg to lardon. Not the forget Beef Tartare with parmesan, capers and egg, fleshy barramundi in charred hazelnut butter, marbled tomahawk steaks, juicy tomato picante prawns, and a luscious Cheese Gratin.

And, naturally, an impressive array of wines that span both Old World and New World styles, ranging from classic European wines to a new generation of Antipodean wines, with with Artist Allie Webb's signature charcoal works dress the walls, candles are dotted on each table, and jazz played in the background.

Setting the tables at Le Foote for dinner

Le Foote's menu by a local Aussie artist

A touch of joie de vivre with the French-inspired menu 

Sourdough baguette with cultured butter

Pork and pistachio terrine with cornichons and mustard

Stockyard Gold Angus Sirloin being grilled over charcoal flame

Chef adding sauce to the steak

Le Foote's Stockyard Gold Angus Sirloin, cooked over charcoal and served with a rich jus

Haricots Vert

Luscious cheese gratin cooked over hot coals and served in a cast-iron cocotte

Skull Island tiger prawns are premium, sustainably wild-caught tiger prawns 

from Australia’s Gulf of Carpentaria

Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache

The team behind Le Foote’s grill

Leaving Le Foote after a delicious dinner

swillhouse.com/venues/le-foote