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A conversation with chef Damian Brabender

10/8/2016

26 Comments

 
Chef Damian Brabender - photo Liz Posmyk Good Things
One of the great joys of working in and around the world of food, as I have done for many years now, is that I have had the opportunity to meet, and spend time in the company of, some really awesome folks - farmers, food producers and chefs, as well as fellow cooks and food writers. 

I had heard plenty of good things about chef Damian Brabender, and was looking forward to meeting him some day, when an invitation to a truffle hunt and lunch (cooked by Damian) arrived. 

Damian tells me that he had an amazing beginning to what would become a lifelong career in hospitality. He started work as an apprentice and worked his way up to chef de parte and then executive sous chef in fine dining restaurants in his home town of Portland in Victoria.

Before long, he was on his way to London, where he worked as head chef at Balconies, the renowned restaurant at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. There, he worked alongside celebrity chefs, such as the 3 Michelin-star culinary legend, Pierre Kouffmann, as well as Henry Harris, the chef patron of London's Racine restaurant, who later hired Damian as his sous chef.

Back in Australia a few years on, Damian dipped his toes into the water, so to speak, as executive sous chef at the Lizard Island Resort at the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland - and was then appointed to the role of executive chef at the multi award-winning Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa in the Blue Mountains. Under his command, the property was named as the 'Best Hotel in Australia' and won the 'AHA Regional Restaurant of the Year' in 2014.

Fortunately for Canberra, Damian made the move here towards the end of 2014, and took up the position as GM and executive chef at Sage Dining Rooms. Under Damian's leadership, Sage Dining Rooms was named in Australian Gourmet Traveller's top ten ACT Restaurants; won the Restaurant and Catering Association's award for 'Contemporary Restaurant of the Year' in 2015; and also 'Best Restaurant ACT' in 2015.

Damian is about to embark on a new culinary adventure in Canberra, having spent the truffle season working closely with his friend, Jayson Mesman, at The Truffle Farm - where I first met Damian and had the opportunity to taste and enjoy his culinary creations.

We caught up again recently for a chat. Our conversation follows:

Chef Damian, thank you for your time. Tell me please, who are your food heroes?

My pleasure, Liz. I have been lucky enough to work with some of the best chefs in the world... like Pierre Kaufman, Brett Graham, Neil Perry and Michel Roux Jr. All of these experiences were amazing and had major impacts on the way I look at food. I have a huge amount of respect for real chefs who still cook using traditional techniques to create amazing food. 


When it comes to cookbooks, if you use them, do you prefer to keep the pages pristine, or do you like to see them splattered and well used?

I always look after my cookbooks, I read them like other people would read a novel, I think. I hate it when someone borrows a book and folds the corners over. I love reading through older cookbooks that I find at second hand stores or fetes. They are like a time warp, and its great to see some of the old school dishes slowly making a move back into food fashion.


What fresh ingredients are always in your shopping basket?

When it comes to fresh produce I always have fresh eggs in my shopping basket, I love eggs. They are amazing, when you think about it. And the number of applications for eggs is crazy. Plus, fried eggs on anything are awesome!


I love your passion for truffles. How, when and where did you first encounter them?

When working as Head chef at the Royal Opera House in London, I was given the opportunity to work with French truffles, and teamed with Pierre Kaufman to create some really special dishes. More recently, whilst I was Executive Chef at Wolgan Valley, I travelled to a truffle farm near Canberra with the legendary Antonio Carluccio. There, I fell in love with Canberra and the amazing truffles available in the region. Recently, Jayson, a good friend of mine, purchased The Truffle Farm in Canberra and asked me to help out with the food aspect. Jayson has taught me more about truffles in the last few months than I ever thought I could know. I am very lucky to have access to such beautiful French black truffles.


What’s your absolute favourite dish with truffles?

For me, if I’m at home and cooking dinner with truffles, I will always make pasta, just a simple dish using The Truffle Farm truffles, pecorino, loads of cracked black pepper and some butter. Simple is good, and if you make the pasta fresh there isn’t anything better.  


What’s next on the agenda for you (if you would like to share the news).

I am opening a new restaurant that I hope will encompass all of my hospitality philosophies, both food and beverage related. I am hoping it helps jog people memories back to a time in the industry when the customer was the one in control of their dining experience. Not everyone wants a long lunch, or to eat on the run, everyone is different, and I am really aiming to please every guest that we have. The venue will be named OTIS and we are aiming to open the doors later this month (August 2016).

I will also be focusing on training apprentices and offering work placement for young people looking to get into the industry but finding it difficult to get a real start. I will train my chefs in the classics and we will share the ‘real food’ philosophy with our diners. We will be sourcing food from farm gates, and growing some produce ourselves too. Watch this space for news! 

​
And finally, what’s for dinner tonight?
​

Being a late night working on the restaurant renovations, I was lazy and went for leftover mac and cheese from last night made into a jaffle. 

Postcards and morsels from The Truffle Farm degustation...

Scallop cooked in truffled butter
As Damian said, 'simple is good'. The first course was a scallop cooked in truffle butter, served on a bed of rock salt. Superb.
Baked egg with truffle infused cream, asparagus, pecorino, truffle and baguette
Next, breakfast for lunch: a flavoursome dish of truffle baked eggs with truffle infused cream, house-made pork and truffle sausages, and fresh asparagus.
Beef tartare on sour dough with truffle
Beef tartare on a soft but crunchy crusted sour dough baguette with truffle mayonnaise, truffle and cheese. This was, possibly, my favourite of the savoury dishes...  well, almost.
Rolled chicken with truffle jus and garden peas
 Truffled chicken ballotine (or roll) with Madiera garden peas and truffle jus. Tender and so tasty!
Truffle panna cotta with compressed pear, hazelnuts and apple
Breakfast for dessert: truffled panna cotta with compressed pear, hazelnuts and dehydrated apple. This was absolutely yummy and not too rich, nor too sweet. A real surprise package.


​And the piece de resistance...   'the truffle' ​❤❤❤❤❤

The truffle - chef Damian Brabender's masterpiece - photo Liz Posmyk Good Things
I'm still fantasising about this frozen ball of deliciousness. Simply called 'The Truffle'...  it was every bit as delicious as you might imagine from the photograph above. A crisp, cocoa dusted chocolate shell, filled with truffled parfait cream. Heavenly.

Chef Damian has been working closely with his friend, Jayson Mesman, founder and director of The Truffle Farm in Canberra. Jayson (pictured below, with Damian in the background) says his goal is to create a truffle farm that Canberrans can be proud of, and a place that visitors from far and wide are drawn to.  
Jayson Mesman, owner of The Truffle Farm in Canberra
I attended the truffle hunt and truffle degustation lunch in June as a guest of Jayson and Damian at The Truffle Farm (and I must say that I enjoyed every second - and every bite - of it). More on the truffle hunt with Jayson in an upcoming article. Note, this is not a sponsored post.

It's your turn, dear readers. Do you know of chef Damian Brabender? Do you share his philosophies on food, cookbooks and truffles? And have you visited The Truffle Farm in Canberra? 
26 Comments
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella link
9/8/2016 09:47:07 pm

Hehe well we have mac and cheee jaffles in common! They're so tasty too :)

Reply
Lizzy
11/8/2016 05:06:33 am

Aha. I shall have to try them!

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Damian Brabender
16/8/2016 10:33:51 am

The are the best!!

Reply
Lizzy
18/8/2016 10:35:48 pm

On my list!

Bob Bennett
9/8/2016 10:04:47 pm

That ball of truffle. Wow.

Reply
Lizzy
11/8/2016 05:06:44 am

So wow, Bob!

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Tandy I Lavender and Lime link
10/8/2016 12:04:52 am

I love the fact he is going to upskill youth and have an apprentice training at his restaurant.

Reply
Lizzy
11/8/2016 05:06:53 am

Me too, Tandy.

Reply
John / Kitchen Riffs link
10/8/2016 12:44:56 pm

Fresh pasta with truffles is one of my favorite truffle dishes, too. Fun read -- thanks!

Reply
Lizzy
11/8/2016 05:07:03 am

John, thank you!

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Amanda link
10/8/2016 07:11:04 pm

Oh my, that truffle ball - what bliss!

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Lizzy
11/8/2016 05:07:14 am

So much so!

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Francesca link
10/8/2016 07:28:47 pm

I love the irony of it all- after discussing all this really expensive food, the chef goes home to a Jaffle stuffed with left over Mac and Cheese.

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Lizzy
11/8/2016 05:07:37 am

Ha. Funny I guess... although not everything on the menu was expensive. But yes.

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Eha
10/8/2016 08:59:50 pm

Liz: should not admit, but of all my blogfriends, you SO come upon the most fabulous 'teaching' experiences! What a career journey for him : what a learning experience for us!! Australian truffles: my winter journey . . .

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Lizzy
11/8/2016 05:07:57 am

Awwwwww, Eha. Thank you for your very kind words.

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Mandy link
11/8/2016 05:33:29 am

Cannot believe I have yet to taste a truffle! I must be living under a rock.
Have a beautiful day Lizzy.
:-) Mandy xo

Reply
Lizzy
18/8/2016 10:33:38 pm

Some day your truffle will come, Mandy xx

Reply
David link
12/8/2016 09:18:09 am

Until today, I had not heard of Damian. I do share his passion for truffles, but am most pleased he chose eggs as his go-to! The photos of the truffle tasting are beautiful - and are making me very hungry at 6:00am!

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Lizzy
18/8/2016 10:33:56 pm

Sigh, apologies David xx

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Mary Pisarkiewicz link
16/8/2016 10:15:18 am

The presentation is always exceptional!

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Lizzy
18/8/2016 10:34:14 pm

Very much so, Mary

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Andrew Prior link
16/8/2016 11:36:17 am

What an amazing chef, those dishes look amazing. Thanks for a great article.

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Lizzy
18/8/2016 10:34:31 pm

Andrew, thank you so much!

Reply
Liz link
17/8/2016 09:11:33 pm

So did you actually get to bring some truffles home? What a fun day for you!! And that dessert truffle ball is fabulous!! Hope you've been well!!

Reply
Lizzy
18/8/2016 10:35:21 pm

No, Liz, I didn't... I've been fortunate enough to be invited to many truffle events this year, and I've been travelling too, so felt I wouldn't have time to make the most of one at home. The truffle ball was divine!

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    Photo of Liz Posmyk, Food Writer, Cook and Traveller

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Good Things is written and published by Liz Posmyk © 2011-2020.   All rights reserved.
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