Exactly thirty years since graduating from a university in Melbourne, Australia, I am still feeling nostalgic about the Australian outback.

Not that I had spent a lot of time in the outback, but the bush songs such as the Waltzing Matilda still ring fresh in my mind.

That’s when I learnt fair dinkum Aussie colloquialism used nowhere else except Down Under – words such as ‘the swagman’, ‘tucker bag’, ‘billabong’ and jumbuck.

And the usual Australian greeting, “Good day (pronounced as ‘gud’die’) and questions that sometimes we would make fun of when asked by the bank teller (cashier), “How’d you like it?”

I once cheekily told the teller, “Of course, the more money you can give me, I would love to have more!” What she meant was: “How would you like your withdrawals? In what denominations?”

When I heard “denominations” (which meant, in notes of ten dollars, twenty dollars or fifties), I would answer with a smile: “I am a Baptist” or sometimes, “I am a Methodist.” In Australia, the Methodist Church has become part of what is known as the United Churches; therefore, most Australians would not know the meaning of Methodist

Those were the good old days and the mesmerising memories of student days in Australia! And of course, the time that we spent in a farm, where we had kangaroo meat for barbeque for the first time.

The visit to an old gold mine in Ballarat with the Wulffs (now deceased) and having our lunch there was a great outing for me as an Asian student. The humble couple, whom we called Mr and Mrs Pellings (deceased) were great hosts, too and I particularly liked Mrs Pellings home-cooked food!

What better way to explain to my children about my Australian stint than to let them go on a Waltzing Matilda Food Trail themselves.

It brings me back great memories of all the delicious yummy Australian cuisine that we had had in the homes of our host parents. The church we attended had many host parents who would take us into their hospitality to share a meal together. Sometimes, we would bring a plate (another colloquial Australian which means bring a dish) to share a meal together.

On our Waltzing Matilda Food Trail, let’s start with Bonfire at The Starling Mall in Damansara Uptown.

Touted as a ‘modern Australian’ restaurant serving cuisine which is cooked using a custom-made woodfired oven, Bonfire first caught my attention, when I saw the bunting.

It was the description on their website which describes the ‘smoky smell and taste of perfectly charred meat, seafood or vegetables’ which made me feel nostalgic of Australia where I had my first experience with barbeque some 30 years ago.

Although nowadays, BBQ stoves use charcoal, I am sure many of my fellow Australian university alumni would agree with me that there is nothing like a rank of lamb or the red snapper that is properly grilled in a woodfired oven, especially when it is done by an experienced chef and served with the right sauces that you cannot find in the supermarkets.

Therefore, the Big Bonfire Platter which can serve up to four pax each platter is my first recommendation for their main course for dinner. It reminds me of ‘bringing a plate’ (meaning each person brings a dish for a shared meal) in Australian colloquialism.

The Big Bonfire Platter comes with a choice of three meats at RM175 (or two meats at RM135). The platter is for four adults.

For the Wagyu Skirt Steak which is served with Piquant Sauce, there is an additional surcharge of RM20.

It is a great platter to order, especially when fellow Australian alumni plan a get together. You can never go wrong with something on the platter which will suit someone’s taste buds.

Although a lover of lamb chops and barbeque beef, I still love their woodfired garlic and capsicum. Because most people do not know how to appreciate the woodfired vegetables, I get to enjoy them.

In between, especially on a perpetually hot “summer day” right here in Malaysia, the Peach and Lemon Tea Cooler (RM25 and available only during lunch hours) is a thirst quencher that cannot be resisted. I must add that when you take woodfired meat, a glass of red wine is also a great pairing.

Although we could have brought our own bottle of red wine, with a corkage charge of RM60 per bottle, I think it is more worth it to take it from their wine stock as they do serve the Woodfired Shiraz at RM160 a bottle from the well-known Australian winemaker DeBortoli and the French Gerard Bertrand Cab Sauv (RM140 per bottle). Alternatively, for their non-alcoholic drinks, try their tea spritzers.

As Contemporary Australia is a melting pot of cuisine with British and indigenous origins, and a fusion of Mediterranean and Asian influences, Bonfire’s Seafood Bouillabaisse (RM26) is something that I would strongly recommend to those who love seafood soup. My son, who is passionate about it, decided to finish every bit of the French-style seafood soup.

You can read the innocent comments coming from this nine-year-old connoisseur by reading his foodie blog. This is my little attempt to launch him into the world of writing and gastronomy.

The ambience at the restaurant is a great place for small gathering, especially when fellow Australian alumni groups need a place to just enjoy the nostalgia of their stay in Australia.

According to its co-founder, Lee Poh Peng, they will also be open for Christmas Eve and Christmas lunch, with some special Christmas menu in the planning stage.

Both Poh Peng and her sister, Ai Peng graduated from Melbourne University. They came out with the idea of Bonfire after visiting Porteno Restaurant in Surry Hills in New South Wales.

Before you reserve a table for the gathering, go and check out their food first. They also serve ala carte.  

For more Australian outback songs, tune in here. Also, to read my article on the Waltzing Matilda Food Trail, click here.

Bonfire Restaurant is located at G-032, The Starling Mall, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama (Uptown), Petaling Jaya.

Business hours:
Sun – Thurs: 11 am – 12 am
Fri – Sat: 11 am – 1 am
Kitchen closes 9.45pm everyday
Tel: 018-9198226

Bonfire website: www.bonfire.net.my
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BonfireDamansara

For the uninitiated, the Chettiars are famous not only as money lenders; they do have their well-known cuisines that give a truly Chettinad dining experience.

Most of us may think that Indian restaurants are all the same, but like the Chinese, we our Cantonese-style, Hakka-style, Hailam-style, Foo-Chow style, and Malay restaurants, we have cuisines ala Minangkabau, ala Kelantan, ala Terengganu and so on. The Indian cuisines are also varied based on their geographical origins.

There is the Kerala-style, Hyderabad-style, and in Malaysia, to taste the Chettinad cuisines, Anjappar Restaurant is the right place to visit.

Here, one should start with the somewhat spicy Crab or Nandu Rasam (RM9.00), which is a great appetizer to begin the meal with.

According to one of the invited guests, Dr Tapash Rudra from Calcutta, the rasam is good for

“any kind of mental stress as it is able to relieve oxidative stress.”

For starters, they have both Gobi 65 and Onion Pakoda. Onion Pakoda (RM9.50) or some call it Onion Bhaje is also an Indian snack used as a starter for most Indian meals. Gobi 65 is basically cauliflower (or ‘sayur kobis’) deep fried using the same ingredients used for Prawn 65 (RM24) which is one of their signature dishes.

I asked the restaurant founder’s son, Kandawamy Anjapparwhy the reason why the number 65. “It’s a secret recipe that my father came up with,” he said.

“He did not know what to call it, so he just called it 65 as it was also the number 65 dish that he had created. Since then, he has used the secret recipe not only for the prawns, but for other dishes as well.”

Since I am a fan of Kebab from the moment I tasted my first Souvlaki as a student in Melbourne thirty years ago, Anjappar’s Chicken Garlic Kebab (RM20) definitely attracted me. Although it is done differently, the kebab tastes good.

Their chicken dishes can come in different cooking styles as Ginger Chicken Dry (RM17.00), Chicken Manchurian Dry (RM17.00) and Special Chicken Dish (RM19.00).

For those who love Masala, their Fish Masala (RM18.00) is best eaten along with white rice, but I find that it also goes well with the naan. Individual guests who visit the restaurant can also do with just their briyani rice served with either chicken or mutton. On its own, the briyani rice can be really a heavy lunch.

As this has been a family restaurant for over half a century, Anjappar also has dishes that cater to the taste buds of children. For the children, I would recommend their Chicken Lollipop (RM17.00) and Fish fingers (RM22.00).

Overall, it is a good dining experience for those who have never tasted the Chettinad cuisines.

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in all sorts of gastronomical delights – Western, Middle Eastern and Asian.

When Oliver Rollar decided to call it a day in the corporate world, his passion in the bakery business took off to where he is today.

With the help of a baker friend of his from Cologne, Germany, Klaus and his wife Monika, Oliver and three other partners managed to set up the bakery in July, 2015.

“The Adolphs were kind enough to spend three months with us to set up the kitchen and help out with the Front of House,” he said.

“In Germany, Klaus and Monika have a lot of experience operating four bakeries, a hotel and a restaurant. Monika herself, for example, has 45 years of experience in total!”

Soon, Der Backmeister was up and running and both Malaysians and expatriates can now be proud of having a German bakery right here at Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

Whenever they crave for a hearty German meal – especially Monika’s delicious goulash soup, a stew of meat and vegetables – they can waze their way to Der Backmeister.

Der Backmeister is now pretty busy during weekends and public holidays with four bakers working hard to produce fresh bread for a never ending string of customers who know how to appreciate what a real solid loaf bread is – the way it is done traditionally.

Once they love and crave for Der Backmeister’s wide range of bread, they would no longer touch the factory-produced soft and fluffy ones. From the strudels, pretzels, brezel, buns and Currywurst to the different kinds of bread made from sourdough, Der Backmeister does have a wide range to choose from.

Name it, they have it – the Whole Grain Honey Spelt (RM23), Walnut Bread (RM18), Farmer’s Housewife (RM15), Pain De Campagne (RM15), Bavarian Spelt (RM23), Pumpkin Bread (RM15), Cranberry Loaf (RM15), Opa Klaus Bread (named after Oliver’s friend Klaus, RM20), Tea Bread (RM15) and almost anything including Oliver’s own “innovation” of Roti Curry Rendang (a sandwich).

There is also a story behind the Curry Rendang sandwich. “One of my customers had to rush back home one day when she suddenly realised that she had put her rendang on slow fire,” he said. “Because I told her that I love rendang, she later gave me some of her rendang. It was delicious but I could not eat it without the bread. So, that’s how the Roti Curry Rendang came about.”

When Oliver offered us to try his Roti Curry Rendang, I immediately responded, “Yes, why not?” I have not regretted and I would strongly recommend everyone stepping into Der Backmeister to at least try it. To me, it is a great combination.

Being a lover of all kinds of seeds and nuts, I could not resist to try every kind of bread that was served on the table. The Big Backmeister, which is a mixed platter of salami, meatloaf, ham, cheese, butter, jam and eggs, is for those have a big appetite. The platter comes with different kinds of bread and buns.

In fact, my 9-year- old son managed to capture each type of bread on the shelf using his phone-camera and has since posted them on his new blog on food. I am encouraging him to start writing and taking his own photographs.

There were four of us for the food review and we thought there was too much to finish initially, but everything was so good that we had nearly nothing left by the time the session was over. The most important thing was everyone was happy with the food served.

My primary schoolmate who then went to the same secondary school and later to the same university in Melbourne, K.K. Yaw happened to fly in from Perth and he was able to join in the food tasting session.

This, in fact, is more than a food tasting session for him. It is an experience that I know he would bring back to Perth, and when he comes back in December, I trust he has already put Der Backmeister on his diary.

To be honest, a sumptuous meal here cannot go without a cup of either cappuccino, latte or as Oliver himself puts it, his favourite expresso. You need some room for that!

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in all sorts of gastronomical delights – Western, Middle Eastern and Asian.